How to Pick the Right Pieces for Your Furnished Rental Home

blog.rentals.com

Sep 23

 

By Amber

 

Renting a furnished property can open your rental home up to a whole new market. And though providing furnishings isn’t the right approach for every property, it can allow you to both charge more and create more demand.

Ahead, we have tips on how to pick just the right piece for each room of a rental home.

Choose quality over quantity

While you don’t necessarily have to pay top-dollar for rental home furniture — and you can certainly seek out quality second-hand pieces — do make sure the furnishings in your property look solid and up-to-date. Follow your theme and find the pieces that suit the period style you’re looking for. A frumpy sofa or a cheap-looking dining table will not make your rental home stand out to prospective clients, many of whom may rent based on online photos.

Be neutral for full-time rentals

College students, business people, and families who are new to town are all typical fans of furnished rentals, so it pays to create a look that can appeal to any and all of these groups. Avoid obvious trends in color or design, and choose well-made pieces with aesthetic staying power. A clean, timeless style (think vaguely Scandinavian) in neutral shades will make your unit appealing to more and different residents.

Choose a vacation theme

If your property is a vacation rental, you likely have a built-in theme to work with — maybe geographical, like ocean or mountains. In that case, it’s easy to pick furnishings, especially accent pieces and accessories that underscore where your rental is located.

Knotty pine furniture and hunting lodge accents work great for a mountain cabin, while light and breezy “Coastal Chic” is perfect for rentals by the water.

You can choose to make your furnishings reflect the region you’re situated in, as well, with local accents that remind renters of the history of the area. Old photographs, artifacts (nothing too valuable or fragile), signage and paintings that depict scenes of the area all add a distinctive flavor to your furnished rental.

What goes where?

There’s a standard inventory that most residents will expect in the various rooms of a rental home. Add more and your place will start to get cramped. Offer less and your home might a little look spare.

Bedroom: Include, of course, a comfortable bed with headboard, a nightstand for each side, and a dresser. If you have space for a chair or bench, all the better!

Living room: Assemble suitable seating for the expected number of occupants, which may mean a sofa and loveseat and an armchair or two. You’ll also need coffee and lamp tables and a piece of furniture for the television (also provided by you) and its accessories — either an entertainment center or some kind of unit with shelves and cabinets. It’s also a good idea to have a bookcase of some sort, perhaps seeded with a few books and decorative items.

Kitchen: Provide a small table and chairs, if there is space, and/or bar stools to match a counter.

Furnish the kitchen with basic small appliances, such as a toaster and blender, along with dishes and flatware for the expected number of occupants and some guests. Cookware should include a soup pot, several sauce pans, a skillet and a broiler pan. Basic kitchen tools, such as mixing spoons and bowls, spatulas, tongs, can opener, vegetable peeler, knives and a cutting board should also be stocked.

Dining room: A table and chairs, and a buffet or credenza of some kind are the basics.

Furnishing one, some, or all of your rental properties could make what you offer have more appeal to a whole new and desirable group of renters — and allow you to charge more. Furnish with quality, neutral pieces and your property will stand out to the renters you seek!