If you’re new to the rental market, you may feel overwhelmed with the options available to you. Online listings offer a variety of rental situations – all-inclusive, furnished, unfurnished (with optional furnishings), cable and internet included, and far too many more to list. Your head is left spinning and you start to wonder exactly what you should do to help narrow down your search. When it comes to furnishings, you can determine your needs based on a few factors.
Is this your first apartment?
If yes, it may be easier for you to rent an apartment that includes furnishings. The type of furniture you’ll generally find included in these suites are beds, kitchen tables, couches and televisions – in other words, all of the big, heavy stuff that you won’t have to move yourself. Imagine how much easier moving day will be when all you have to worry about is a few boxes!
Transitional Phase:
Life happens, and sometimes you need to leave a situation you are in but are unable to take any furnishings with you. Renting out a furnished apartment will provide you with all the comforts of home while giving you time to save up the money to buy your own brand new furniture.
Easy Monthly Bills:
Many furnished apartments are also advertised as being “all-inclusive”. This means that your heat, electricity and water are all wrapped up into your monthly rent charge. In some cases, all-inclusive also means that cable and internet charges are added to your rent each month. These options are very attractive because you will never have to worry about surprise bills – you know exactly how much you’ll need to pay each month and you’ll only be paying it to one person (your landlord).
Lack of Choice:
A downside to furnished apartments is that you will have no say in what your furnishings look like. You could get a beautiful leather couch, but you could also get a couch that hasn’t been reupholstered since the eighties. It’s important to look at the furnished apartment before you sign the lease, so you will know if you can live with these items or not. It’s a good idea to check with the landlord if you can bring in your own furnishings down the road, too.
Liability:
As with any apartment, you are liable for damage caused that isn’t regular wear-and-tear. With a furnished apartment, it’s important to note that you may be on the hook for replacement of furnishings if something happens to them (like a large rip or a burn that was inflicted due to negligence). This can be costly if you are not careful.
The website www.torontofurnishedrentals.com provides more helpful pros and cons for renting out a furnished apartment:
Unfurnished: Apartments that are classified as unfurnished do not include furniture such as beds, couches or anything else. They may come ready with a fridge, stove, dishwasher and perhaps a washer and dryer combination.
Furnished: Furnished apartments come in a variety of choices. Some may be all inclusive and have everything you require from a bed, sofa, appliances and even plates and cutlery. These elaborate units may even have a housekeeper that cleans the apartment and washes the sheets and towels regularly. Interior designers are occasionally hired to decide on the furniture, artwork and other décor for furnished rentals.
*Not all apartments are like that however, most furnished rentals may only have the bare necessities. Some just consist of a couch, bed, fridge, stove, TV, etc.
Pros for Unfurnished: Renting an unfurnished apartment allows you the freedom to decorate it any way you like. You can change the wall colors, add personalized artwork and pick out your own furnishings. At the same time, you do not have to be concerned with causing damage to the owner’s property.
Pros for Furnished: Moving into a furnished apartment means all you have to do is bring your clothes and personal stuff. No lugging up heavy furniture. You wouldn’t need to spend any time or additional money shopping for furniture-it is already there.
Cons for Unfurnished: Unfurnished apartments can cause annoyance if you have no patience for furniture shopping, or have no idea how to decorate a place. Furnishing an apartment can cost a lot of money and bringing in bulky buys can be a bother to deal with. You would have to move everything in and then once your lease expires, you’d have to clear it all out.
Cons for Furnished: Furnished apartments cost more to rent because everything is already included. The furniture may not be your cup of tea, and has also been used by others. There is a possibility that something might get broken or dented, and if so, the renter is responsible.
Now that you know all this it will be easier to make an informed decision!
The RentSeeker.ca Team
