Sofa or no sofa?
Beds included?
Dining table?
Wardrobes?
Or should you simply hand your tenant the keys to an empty property and let them make it their own?
For landlords preparing a home for the rental market, deciding whether to offer it furnished, unfurnished or part-furnished can be surprisingly tricky.
There’s a temptation to make the decision based on personal preference.
"It looks so much nicer with furniture."
Or perhaps:
"I wouldn't want somebody else's furniture if I were renting."
But neither really answers the question.
At Love Your Let, we think landlords should start somewhere else entirely:
Who is most likely to want to rent this particular property – and what will make it work for them?
Imagine two very different rental properties.
The first is a modern apartment that may appeal to a professional relocating to the area.
They might be arriving with relatively few possessions and want somewhere they can move into without immediately spending thousands of pounds on beds, sofas and furniture.
Furnished could be a real advantage.
Now imagine a three-bedroom family home.
Your prospective tenants may already have a house full of belongings accumulated over many years.
Suddenly, your sofa isn't a benefit.
It's something they need you to remove.
Understanding your likely tenant demographic should therefore be one of the first considerations when deciding how to offer your property.
Not necessarily.
There may be circumstances where tenants will pay more for the convenience of a well-furnished home, particularly where furnished accommodation is in demand.
But landlords should look at the numbers carefully.
Suppose furnishing a property costs several thousand pounds.
How much additional rent is the local market realistically likely to support?
How long will it take to recover the initial cost?
And what happens when those items eventually need replacing?
A furnished property may generate a higher rent in the right market.
But higher rent doesn't automatically mean higher profit.
Local evidence matters.
Buying the furniture is only the beginning.
Furniture gets used.
Sofas wear.
Bed frames can break.
Dining chairs become wobbly.
Mattresses eventually reach the end of their useful lives.
Items supplied by the landlord also need to meet the relevant safety requirements. For example, applicable upholstered furniture provided with a rental property needs to comply with fire-safety regulations.
So when calculating the cost of furnishing, landlords should think beyond the initial shopping trip.
There's an ongoing responsibility attached to the things you provide.
The term “unfurnished” can also cause confusion.
It doesn't necessarily mean a tenant moves into four completely empty walls.
An unfurnished property may still include fitted flooring, window coverings and kitchen appliances, for example.
But what's included varies considerably.
That's why prospective tenants should be told clearly what will remain at the property when they move in.
If the washing machine belongs to the outgoing tenant and will disappear before moving day, the incoming tenant needs to know.
Good property particulars and a detailed inventory can help avoid those misunderstandings.
Sometimes flexibility works.
A tenant may already own a bed and sofa but be delighted to keep the landlord's dining table and wardrobes.
Part-furnished arrangements can therefore be useful where landlord and tenant agree on what works for them.
But clarity is essential.
What belongs to the landlord?
What belongs to the tenant?
Which items have been agreed for removal?
What will be recorded on the inventory?
“Some furniture included” isn't particularly helpful if nobody can remember exactly what some meant six months later.
Here's something that's easy to overlook.
You decide to offer your property furnished.
A fantastic prospective tenant then comes along and says:
"We absolutely love it – but we have all our own furniture."
No problem. You'll remove yours.
But where exactly are you putting:
a three-piece suite
two double beds
three wardrobes
a dining table
six chairs?
Suddenly, agreeing to remove the furniture creates another practical problem and potentially another monthly expense.
Storage costs should be considered before landlords promise complete flexibility.
If you're unlikely to have anywhere to put unwanted furniture, that may influence the decision you make before marketing begins.
Furniture can help prospective tenants visualise living in a property.
But more furniture doesn't necessarily mean better presentation.
A huge sofa squeezed into a modest living room may make the space feel smaller.
Oversized beds can make bedrooms appear cramped.
And a collection of old furniture that happens to be available isn't necessarily going to make a rental property more desirable.
If you're furnishing specifically for the rental market, choose practical, appropriately sized pieces that suit the property.
Furnished should communicate convenience, not clutter.
There's also a longer-term consideration.
Some people looking for furnished accommodation may be relocating, starting out or planning to live in an area for a particular period.
Others may specifically want an unfurnished home because they already have their belongings and are hoping to settle somewhere for several years.
Neither is automatically a better tenant.
But understanding the type of demand you're likely to receive can help shape how the property is marketed.
It's another reason landlords shouldn't make furnishing decisions in isolation from their wider letting strategy.
Ultimately, there's no universal winner in the furnished versus unfurnished debate.
The right answer for a town-centre apartment could be completely wrong for a four-bedroom family house.
Before spending money, landlords should consider the property, location, likely tenant demographic, comparable rental listings, potential rent, replacement costs and practical implications of the furniture they intend to provide.
And ideally, do that before buying anything.
At Love Your Let, we help landlords make decisions based on what tenants in their local rental market are actually looking for – from preparing and presenting a property to marketing it and managing the tenancy that follows.
Because the aim isn't to create the rental property you would choose.
It's to create one that the right tenant will choose and want to call home.