Furnished vs Unfurnished?

Furnished or Unfurnished?

Perhaps you’re thinking about renting out a property but are unsure whether to rent it out as furnished or unfurnished? Let us talk you through what these really mean and the benefits and drawbacks of both so you can make a more informed decision on what suits you!

Fully Furnished:
To start with, fully furnished as its name suggests, is a property that contains all the essential furniture a tenant would need to move in immediately. This includes all the core items such as a sofa, bed, wardrobe, table, chairs etc, but also white goods such as a washing machine, fridge/freezer and sometimes a dishwasher. Although there is no formal definition for ‘fully furnished’ we would also consider kitchen appliances such as a kettle, iron, ironing board etc to be typical in most cases as well. 
The main benefit of letting a furnished property is that it attracts a higher rent and can make your property more appealing in certain areas, particularly near universities or areas of London. However, there is some red tape associated with letting a furnished property, for example each item must be insured, all white goods must be PAT tested and fire safety labels must be on all soft furnishings. There is also a lot of cost, not just for buying the furniture in the first place but for maintaining and replacing it where natural wear and tear has occurred.

Unfurnished:
An unfurnished property contains all the bare necessities of a home such as flooring, carpets, bathroom, fitted kitchen and usually oven and hob. Some landlords also include an integrated fridge/freezer, dishwasher or washing machine as unfurnished.
The unfurnished option comes with the benefit of being quicker and cheaper if you are looking to find a tenant as soon as possible. Properties tend to look more spacious without furniture so in some ways it could be more appealing to potential applicants and there is less risk attached letting it out.

Conclusion:
In conclusion we generally find an unfurnished property is less headache and cost for landlords in the longer term. In Taunton, we find significantly less demand for furnished properties and historically find these types of tenants are shorter term.