Should You Rent Furnished or Unfurnished? Which is Better For You?

Should you be renting fully furnished or unfurnished? What are the positives and drawbacks of each? Learn exactly what these terms mean and which choice will best suit you and your rental property.

When hunting for rented accommodation – whether this be a flat or house – one of the biggest factors to take into consideration is whether to search for furnished or unfurnished homes. Which option is better will depend on your exact needs. We’ve gone over the advantages and disadvantages of each, along with part-furnished properties and where tenant responsibilities lie when it comes to damaged furniture or similar items.

Navigate our guide to renting furnished and unfurnished properties:

Renting an unfurnished property
Advantages of an unfurnished home
Disadvantages of an unfurnished home
Renting a furnished property
Advantages of a furnished home
Disadvantages of a furnished home
What does part-furnished mean?
What else do you need to know?
Should you rent furnished or unfurnished?
Furnished vs unfurnished FAQs

Renting an Unfurnished Property

As a general rule, you can expect an unfurnished house or flat to be mostly empty. This isn’t always the case though, and can vary depending on the location and type of property. London rentals usually include white goods like fridges and washing machines, along with built in elements such as fitted wardrobes.

Unfurnished properties are more likely to attract professional couples or young families, as these groups would want to make a property feel like home wherever possible.

There are a few things that your landlord should still provide as standard. In an unfurnished property, you should find:

An oven and hob
A fridge and freezer
A kitchen sink
Bathroom fixtures (such as a shower unit, bathtub, toilet and washbasin)
Curtains, blinds or shutters for privacy
Flooring (either hard flooring or carpet)

unfurnished properties will still include and oven, hob, fridge and freezer

The Advantages of an Unfurnished Rental Home

You can stamp your own image on a property – When it comes to living in a home that feels quintessentially you, being surrounded by your favourite furnishings will go a long way. Having more scope to personalise will help make your rented property feel like a home.

Any furniture you buy becomes an investment for the future – Though purchasing furniture can be expensive to start with, it’s something that you can then take from property to property.

Damage to your own furniture won’t impact your deposit – You have to be seriously careful around furniture provided by a landlord or letting agent, as any damage could result in big deposit losses. When it’s your own furniture, this worry goes away.

Rental costs are often lower – Because you aren’t being provided with any furniture, rent costs for these types of properties tend to be lower. This means that once you have the necessary furniture, your overall monthly fees will drop.

The Disadvantages of an Unfurnished Rental Home

Decking out a property with furniture can be expensive – If you don’t already have a furniture collection, then buying everything you need will quickly add up. Some of the furniture that you may need to get includes beds, wardrobes, drawers, tables and chairs.

Picking out and getting furniture takes time – You may want to spend some time in your new property, in order to get a sense of what furniture will and won’t work. Once you’ve decided, you’ll then have to wait for deliveries (which can often take multiple weeks).

Transporting furniture can be problematic and costly – Once you involve large items like furniture, moving from property to property immediately becomes more difficult and expensive. You may need to hire a removal company to help with these larger items.

transporting furniture can be problematic and costly

Renting a Furnished Property

As the name suggests, a fully furnished property should include all the bits of furniture and white goods that are needed to live in a home. There are plenty of grey areas that you’ll need to check about, such as kitchen appliances, cutlery, an iron/ironing board, vacuum cleaner and TV.

You can always try asking for some items to be removed/included as a part of your offer. While there’s no guarantee, a landlord may always consider these requests.

You can expect a furnished property to include:

Everything that’s included with an unfurnished property
Seating (such as sofas and chairs)
A dining table, complete with chairs and tableware
Various bits of storage throughout the home
Beds

furnished properties include dining tables and chairs

The Advantages of a Furnished Rental Home

It’s way more convenient – There’s no doubt that furnished accommodation is the most convenient option. The move-in process is much quicker and stress-free, as you probably won’t have to figure out how to shift large items from one property to another.

Furnished rentals provide better flexibility – Furnished rentals tend to better suit students or those on short-term contracts – as there’s little point moving heaps of furniture into your new home, only to leave a few months later. When furniture isn’t involved, home-hopping becomes much easier.

You don’t need to splash out on furniture – Although monthly rent can be more costly, the initial expense is lower as you don’t have to buy any furniture. In the short term at least, furnished rentals are less expensive.

Landlords are responsible for insuring their own furniture – If you want your furniture to be protected against unforeseen circumstances then you’ll need to pay for contents insurance. Luckily, landlords are responsible for this when the furniture comes as a part of the property.

The Disadvantages of a Furnished Rental Home

You can’t choose furniture – This is pot luck really. There’s a good chance that the landlord’s furniture just isn’t to your taste. If this is the case, then your new rental is less likely to feel like home.

You might not get the right furniture – Similarly, your landlord might not offer the exact furniture you’re after. The bed might be a single when you’d prefer a double, or the table might not be big enough for your needs.

Damage to furniture (or similar items) could result in a deposit reduction – Damaging any furniture or other items that belong to your landlord could result in a sizeable deposit reduction when you move out. To avoid this, you may end up having to pay for repairs/replacements yourself.

Furnished rentals are usually more expensive – Because furniture is already provided, this type of rental accommodation tends to cost more each month (though this isn’t always the case).

What Does Part Furnished Mean?

Confusingly, some properties are also described as ‘part-furnished’, which would imply that they fall somewhere in between furnished and unfurnished rental homes. Annoyingly, there’s no set definition as to what part-furnished actually means. In some cases, it describes rental properties that include white goods (such as a dishwasher and washing machine) and limited furniture. There may be a bed and table but no sofa, or a different combination.

As always, it’s best to ask the letting agent and/or landlord what is and isn’t included.

What Else Do You Need to Know?

Tenant rights and responsibilities

After signing a contract, you need to take care of your new rental property and its contents. If any maintenance is required or damage occurs, then this needs to be reported.

When your tenancy ends, the property and its contents should be returned in the same condition as when you moved in. The condition of different pieces of furniture can be verified using an inventory. This details everything in the property and what state it was in when your tenancy began. An inventory should be provided before your tenancy starts.

Replacing furniture or other items

When moving out of a furnished rental property, the cost of repairing or replacing any furniture that was damaged during your time as a tenant can be deducted from your deposit.

However, landlords can’t do the same for items that have suffered ‘wear and tear’, such as furniture or carpets which have discoloured over time. Because there’s no legal definition as to what is and isn’t considered ‘fair’ wear and tear, deposit disputes between tenants and landlords can often spring up surrounding this.

Deposit protection schemes

Assuming you’ve met the terms of your tenancy agreement, this should be returned within 10 days of your tenancy ending.

Any disagreements about the amount taken from your deposit can be reported through the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, with cases being judged by independent adjudicators.

Should You Rent Furnished or Unfurnished?

Ultimately, whether you’re better off renting furnished or unfurnished depends on your personal preferences and individual circumstances. The only instances where we’d take into account a specific property type/location are in flats with inaccessible upper floors (especially if there’s no lift) or when moving long-distance.

Some things to consider include speed and convenience, personal tastes (you may like the furniture that’s already in some properties) and long-term plans. If this is your first rental property and you currently own very little furniture, then a furnished home may be your best bet. On the other hand, if your next rental is likely to be one for the long haul, then unfurnished might end up being the smarter option.

Furnished vs Unfurnished FAQs

Do landlords have to provide a hoover?

In general, it’s fairly common for landlords to not provide you with a vacuum cleaner or similar cleaning equipment, even when the property is furnished. You can get a fairly inexpensive vacuum cleaner, especially when splitting the cost between multiple housemates.

Should landlords provide curtains?

Landlords aren’t actually obligated to provide window coverings such as curtains or blinds in furnished or unfurnished rental properties. However, because many prospective tenants place plenty of importance on privacy and security, these are something that almost all landlords will include regardless.

Does fully furnished include bedding?

Pretty much all furnished houses and flats include basic furniture you need to live there, such as a bed, a table and chairs. Furnished bedrooms sometimes include bedding, but not always. This is something you can check with your landlord before moving in.

furnished homes don't always include bedding

Does unfurnished mean no fridge?

Even though unfurnished properties are usually limited to minimal items, there are still a handful that you’ll find in almost all rented homes. These include a fridge, freezer, washing machine, oven and hob.

Are most London flats furnished?

In central London, the popularity of furnished homes continues to rise. In 2017, 91% of properties to let in Zone 1 were either partially or fully furnished. This demand for furnished London rentals means that landlords have more of an incentive to offer these property types to potential tenants.

Do apartments in the UK come furnished?

Around 50% of all rental homes in Britain that are currently listed to let are furnished. There’s plenty of city-to-city variance within this as well. For example. 89% of Aberdeen rentals and 84% of Leeds rentals are listed as furnished, whereas just 34% of Bournemouth rentals and 22% of Newport rentals are listed as furnished.

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