Now for some reason, you have to move out of your living space and you are in search of a new home. You have the specifics of the location you want, you have made up your mind as to the kind of apartment you want to live in but it’s still undecided whether you want a furnished or unfurnished apartment.
Yea I get it. It can really be a big tussle trying to decide which is cost-effective and better of both choices. Go through this piece to learn about the differences between furnished and unfurnished apartments, the cost difference, and other differential factors. But before we delve in, let’s understand the basics of each house type.
Furnished Apartments
A furnished apartment is an apartment that comes with furniture and wares that are necessary to transform a house into a home. They are apartments you move into with just your clothes and other personal belongings. Well, that’s not entirely true, because furnishings in a furnished apartment vary in degree. Some furnished apartments come with just basic furniture and they are called partially furnished apartments. And others go all the way- fully furnished apartments so it is necessary that before you conclude payment terms with rental personnel, you ascertain if the agreement is for a fully accoutred apartment or a semi-furnished tenement.
So the question now is what do these furnished houses look like?
What is a fully furnished Apartment?
In a fully furnished apartment, you can move in with just a suitcase and immediately feel ready to live. You do not need to purchase any items for the apartment. (Note that items mentioned do not include food, perishable items, or personal items.) These tenements contain all the necessary furniture and fittings including the non-basic ones.
Fixtures like a bed, nightstand, bookshelf, couches, table, and chairs in the dining area, lamps, dresser, wall curtains, fee wall paintings, kitchen utensils and appliances, dishes and cutleries, shower curtain, wastebasket, floor mat, cleaning agents, laundry appliances and a long list of others are items you’ll find in a fully furnished apartment. Items like toiletries, and soaps, are however given during the process of moving in but subsequently, the purchase of these items then becomes the responsibility of the renter. So there is the answer to the question- what does this living space include? Or what does fully furnished mean?
What is a Semi-furnished Apartment?
Meanwhile, in a semi-furnished apartment, renters do not have the privilege of moving in and immediately settling in. Although some fixtures would be provided by the rental company, the renter still has to buy certain fixtures. In this case, only basic furniture like bed, sofa, dresser, and table and chairs and kitchen utensils are offered with the rent.
It is difficult to put the term semi-furnished apartment’ in a box because the term covers a wide range of houses ranging from bare unfurnished apartments to fully-furnished tenements. A semi-furnished house is therefore any apartment where a renter needs to buy certain furniture, although not all, to make it suitable for living.
What is an unfurnished Apartment?
Unfurnished Apartments on the other side are apartments that are totally bare. Asides from the doors, window fittings, kitchen sink, wardrobes, and toilet seats, and basins, these living spaces are pretty much empty. They are not the kind for people who need to move in and get settled immediately.
Renting a furnished or unfurnished rental space is a big question so when it comes to making rental decisions, the following are important tips to note while deciding.
• How long you intend staying in this new house
It is important that you know how long you intend to stay in the rental property. For a short-term stay, it is advisable that you stick with leasing a furnished apartment while for longer-term stays, it will be considered wiser to invest in owning your furniture. That way, they are bought in your name and can be moved whenever you decide to move into another apartment. This saves you the cost of having to pay extra funds for getting accoutred spaces when next you need to rent. In other words, if you are looking to stay in a place for a period shorter than a year, then cut out the cost of buying furniture and fixtures and moving them whenever you need to leave.
The furnished apartments suit people who are more likely to be transitory due to job transfers, school graduation, or life changes.
Besides, there are rarely furnished lease agreements for long-term lease arrangements.
• The cost of getting a furnished apartment and buying furniture and wares
Sometimes when you weigh the cost of buying new furniture and fittings, it’ll always outweigh the rent for furnished apartments. Also, factoring in the cost of depreciation, wear and tear can help while making this decision.
• Distance from the old location
Consider the distance between where you intend to stay and where you are moving from. If it’s a long-distance, for instance between states, it’s better to travel light. Engaging the services of movers could be expensive and risky. The trouble of packing, unloading, and arranging is another factor to consider. If all of these cut the extra price of renting an accoutred house then it’ll be worth it.
Furnished vs. Unfurnished Apartment
The furnished vs. Unfurnished rent difference always varies across different cities. But ordinarily, a furnished house rates higher in rentals compared to unfurnished apartments. Costs like depreciation to assets such as couches, tables, and chairs are also factored-in in the estimation of rents. Asides from those, Landlords charge higher deposits for fully furnished spaces. This is to cover the cost of replacing or repairing furniture in the event that damage is caused.
So in making your rental decisions, weigh in the cost of both arrangements to ascertain a stand.
The idea of getting a furnished or unfurnished apartment is right either way. The defining factors between wise or unwise in this case are some of the factors listed above. But here’s a cheat. There is a way to live in a furnished apartment and yet not feel the burden of the extra rent – Coliving Spaces. If you are deciding to stay with the option of a furnished apartment, you should consider renting a shared space. That way, you’ll get to split the extra rent from furnishings with your housemates and the weight of the extra rental is reduced.
