There are a few things to consider when you’re looking for a rental property. Price, location and size are the first three obvious things that come to mind. There’s a fourth consideration to be made though – should you rent a furnished or unfurnished property? 

First of all, let’s have a look at the difference between the two. 

Unfurnished property

An unfurnished property does, surprisingly, contain some furniture. A property that’s advertised as unfurnished doesn’t mean it’s a barren, bare shell with absolutely nothing in it. (Well, it may well mean that but you’ll probably want to avoid those properties.) 

An unfurnished property will have: 

• Kitchen fixtures
• Bathroom fixtures 
• White goods such as a fridge/freezer, oven and washing machine 
• Carpets or other floor coverings
• Curtains or blinds

What an unfurnished property won’t come with as standard is large freestanding furniture such as a bed or dining table, or small items such as cutlery and crockery. 

Furnished property

Furnished properties vary as to what they’re furnished with. There’s no set list of what you can expect to find in a furnished property as this will depend on the landlord, space restrictions, etc. but, as a bare minimum, you can expect to find everything you’d need to live comfortably, for example:

• Sofa
• Dining table and chairs
• Coffee table
• Wardrobe
• Chest of drawers
• Bed

A furnished property may also come with smaller items such as a vacuum cleaner and iron (whether or not you choose to use them is up to you!) 

So, what should you go for? A furnished or an unfurnished rental property? Like most things, it’ll depend on your own personal circumstances, but let’s have a look at the pros and cons of both. 

Pros of furnished property

• You’ll save money not having to buy your own furniture
• The landlord has to replace any of their items that break/wear out
• The landlord will be responsible for insuring their items 
• The landlord has to ensure any furniture is fire resistant and all electrical goods are safe
• You have the flexibility to move quickly and often if you like to live without a lot of baggage
• It’s convenient – you can move straight in and not have to worry about sleeping on the floor because you haven’t got a bed yet 

Cons of furnished property

• The landlord’s furniture may not to be to your taste (let’s face it – it’s probably not to the landlord’s taste either, it was probably just cheap)
• The quality of the landlord’s furniture may not be to your standard 
• You might not like the thought of sitting on/sleeping on furniture that possibly many others have sat on/slept on before you 
• You may lose some of your deposit if you damage anything 
• Furnished rental properties usually have a higher rent than unfurnished 

Pros of unfurnished property 

• You can put your own stamp on the property and make you feel more at home
• Unfurnished properties usually have a lower rent 
• You can take your furniture with you when you move 
• If you’re hoping to buy your own place in the future, you can invest in furniture and build your home up while you’re renting. (If you fear you’ll never be able to buy your own place, don’t fret – there are plenty of ways to buy your own home, even in London.)
• You don’t have to worry about losing your deposit if you spill red wine over the sofa on a Friday night 
• You can choose furniture to suit your own taste and quality standards 

Cons of unfurnished property 

• You have to buy your own furniture 
• You’ll have to wait in for furniture to be delivered 
• You’ll have higher removal costs when you move in and out 

Part-furnished property

Just to confuse things ever further, there are also part-furnished rental properties which, just as it sounds, are partly furnished. What will actually be in the property depends on the landlord but you can expect a bed at least. With a part-furnished property, you can usually negotiate with the landlord what will be there. For example, you may have your own bed or sofa and would like to bring them with you but would like to keep the wardrobe that’s already there. 

Whichever rental property you choose – furnished, unfurnished or part-furnished, make sure it’s clear in the inventory what is already in the property and what condition it’s in. This is to protect you and the landlord should a dispute arise when you come to move out.