A good majority of landlords I meet with ask me this question.
Should I let my property furnished?
My answer is always the same, I’d suggest only supplying white goods as standard, and nothing else.
Although, you have a property you’re moving out of, and don’t fancy dealing with the hassle of selling or storing these items.
Read on for more info on how you make a decision!
Should I Let My Property Furnished?
What Are Furnishings?
Letting your property furnished can include many things.
Furniture, fittings, and other decorative accessories such as curtains and carpets, for a property or a room.
Sofa’s, chairs, tables, a TV. Anything you’d normally use to fill and/or decorate a space within a property.
Sofa’s, beds, and chairs for example – would be classed as soft furnishing.
What Are White Goods?
Usually, large electrical goods are situated in a kitchen or utility room.
In particular, things such as a refrigerator, freezer, washing machine, hob & oven etc.
These are usually hefty items, built for longevity, and hence why I normally suggest having them included under the tenancy.
Should My Property Be Furnished?
Pros
- If the furnishings you supply are in good condition, they could command slightly higher rent
- Furnishings set out aesthetically pleasing, could help attract better quality tenants as a ‘homely look’
- Save you the costs of storing the furniture elsewhere if you can’t keep it
Cons
- You run the risk of it being carelessly damaged, the maximum 5-week deposit likely won’t cover these issues as well as others.
- It could turn tenants away as they may have their own furniture
- Increased wear and tear in a tenancy, unlikely to be in an as-nice condition if you ever need them back
- Increased legislation is likely to come into place regarding the fire safety of soft furnishings
If The Property Is Furnished By The Tenant
A tenant is well within their right to furnish the property as they wish, within reason.
Usually redecorating such as painting, or wallpapering, is to be run by the landlord beforehand.
Ensure to advise them on the fire safety regulations, to ensure that their soft furnishings are compliant. If not, they could be contributing to an increased risk of a fire hazard.
What Happens If My Furnishings Get Damaged Or Destroyed?
As I’ve mentioned countless times before, always conduct a Check-In Inventory before moving tenants in, it’ll save you an entire world of frustration!
In case of this, you’ll have the option to fall back on the tenancy deposit taken from the tenant, request for the deductions that are applicable to the circumstance, and the tenant will have the opportunity to accept or deny the claim.
Have a read Making Deductions From A Tenant Deposit for a deeper insight into how to achieve this.
How To Best Protect Furnishings?
Again, I’ll reiterate the importance of a Check-In Inventory. The importance and money this can save you far outweigh the time it’ll take you to conduct it.
The tenant will sign to this effect and will be made fully aware of the conditions if the property is furnished so they are more likely to be mindful to keep them that way.
Alternatively, look at insurance options to protect, you’ll likely want to do this if your items are very valuable. Have a look into whether it covers tenant use, payable excess amounts, limitations, and durations.
What’s Next?
Decide on whether you’re supplying furnishings or not, and if so, what.
Make sure you conduct a check-in inventory whether you decide to furnish or not, either way, the condition of the rest of the property needs to be recorded too for the same reasons.
We can help you with our inventory services, or with a complete managed tenancy option where we oversee all the processes.
