Whether you\u2019re renting your first apartment or just moving on up, you might consider this: Furnished or unfurnished? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furnished apartments are less common but might possibly be the right choice for you. Furnished apartments usually come equipped with furniture, basic kitchen appliances and tableware, bathroom necessities and possibly a few other amenities. The exact items will vary depending on the landlord and what kind of place you\u2019re renting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are a few pros and cons to consider before you decide if furnished or unfurnished is right for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moving will be easy. <\/strong>If you\u2019re a frequent mover, you want to keep your stuff to a minimum. Renting a furnished place means you won\u2019t own most of the big items in your place, and it\u2019ll be easy for you to pick up and move on short notice. It\u2019s also cheaper if you hire professionals since they\u2019ll have a lot less that needs to be moved. Plus, you could do without the joy of moving a couch up a flight of stairs, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ll save money on buying furniture. <\/strong>This one has two sides \u2013 see the cons list later. A furnished apartment will save you a lot of money upfront if you don\u2019t have furniture already. Do you really want to add a Kes 10,000 mattress to the things you have to pay for early on?<\/p>\n\n\n\n They\u2019re good in a time crunch. <\/strong>Ideally, if you\u2019re searching for a new apartment, you should measure your existing furniture and then pick a place that will fit your stuff. This can be a problem if you\u2019re relocating on short notice, or if you\u2019re moving across the country and can\u2019t make the trip to see your new place in person before moving day. A furnished place takes the hassle out of moving in a time crunch \u2013 all you have to do is show up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes you can get a shorter lease. <\/strong>Most furnished apartments won\u2019t require a year-long lease, since they cater mostly to students and travelling professionals who don\u2019t stay in one place for too long. If you\u2019re not ready to commit to one place for too long, you\u2019re probably better going after a furnished apartment. They\u2019ll be willing to do a shorter lease, and you don\u2019t have to do such a big move for a place you\u2019re only staying in for a few months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your rent and deposit might be higher.<\/strong> The money for the furniture has to come from somewhere. This isn\u2019t a free gift for you, but money your landlord paid to make the apartment better. They\u2019re going to build the price of the furniture into rent, and probably demand a larger security deposit to protect from damage to their valuable furniture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You face a higher liability. <\/strong>In an unfurnished place, you might not get your deposit back if you accidentally bust a hole in the wall or your kid draws all over the walls with crayons. There\u2019s a lot more to break in a furnished apartment. Scratch the dining room table? That stuff doesn\u2019t belong to you, so you\u2019re going to have to fix it yourself or pay to get it fixed. Better be careful!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tip: Take a video inventory of everything the landlord provides in a furnished apartment before you move in. Take note of anything that\u2019s broken. That way, you\u2019ll have indisputable evidence if your landlord tries to charge you for something you didn\u2019t break.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFurnished apartments: The cons<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n