6 Things You Should Know About Furnished Apartments

If you’re looking for the easiest—but maybe not the cheapest—route to living in a student apartment, you might want to consider a furnished apartment. Not only will you save time on moving, but you’ll also save a little at-hand cash that can be used for anything you want instead of furniture to fill out your new pad. Here are a few things to consider about furnished apartments.

1. Furnished apartments typically have used furniture. If you lived in a dorm prior to your search for the perfect apartment, you should have no problem laying your head down where a hundred other people have relished in a good make-out session. But if you’ve never slept or sat on anything but brand-new-to-you-straight-from-the-store furniture, a furnished apartment may not be for you.

2. Is it fully furnished or only partially furnished? Many furnished apartments provide 100 percent of the furniture you’d typically find in an apartment, right down to the little desk you’ll need for homework. However, just as many come only partially furnished, which usually means you’ll bring a bed, desk, television and a few other smaller items, but be provided with a kitchen table and chairs, couch, entertainment center and perhaps a book shelf and dresser.

3. Furnished apartments cost more. A furnished apartment takes longer to clean and prepare for new arrivals. Landlords must frequently repair and replace furniture as it grows old and wears out or becomes damaged and broken. These costs will be made up in rent. If you intend to live in your apartment for more than a year, the upfront cost of purchasing your own furniture may save you money in the long run—in other words, after a year or two you may have paid the cost of your furniture in rent once or twice over.

4. Furnished apartments don’t always allow pets, and with good reason. If Fluffy or Fido pees on the carpet, it’s easy enough to bring in a carpet cleaner. But if one of your precious pets pees on a couch that doesn’t belong to you, it could cost the landlord dearly. If you do find a furnished apartment that allows pets, expect to pay an extra premium on the pet fees you’d pay at an unfurnished apartment.

5. If it’s fully furnished, always ask if they can remove some furniture to make room for your own. You should never personally remove and store a piece of furniture that was provided by your apartment complex. Most apartment complexes have ample storage for the furniture they make available to residents and will gladly remove the furniture if you ask them to.

6. Check the lease. If you’re moving into a furnished apartment, there are bound to be additional rules and regulations in your lease such as mandatory renter’s insurance (it’s a good idea to always get this anyway), absolutely no smoking on the premises and other little clauses you might not find in a standard lease.