Unfurnished, furnished and part-furnished explained
Introduction
This article will be useful reading for all prospective landlords and all tenants.
What is the meaning of each?
Landlords have a choice whether to rent out their property furnished, unfurnished or part furnished.
There are no requirements for what must be included if you are going to rent out a property as a furnished property. House contents differ in each region of the country and even within different niche sectors within the local markets.
Broadly speaking, a property offered as “fully furnished” comes with all fixtures, furnishings and fittings – that is, white goods, large items of furniture, electrical items, plus the standard crockery, cutlery, glassware, pots and pans etc., It should include all items that a reasonable tenant would use daily.
To contrast, an “unfurnished” property would comes with only with the basics such as carpets, curtains and light fittings.
Clearly, there are infinite variations between these two extremes of what might be included. Therefore, the critical aspect, whether you are a landlord or tenant, is to make sure that everyone clearly understands what main items are, or are not, included before finalising the tenancy agreement. A good way to do this is to use an Inventory and ensure it is signed by all parties. All tenancy agreements from Net Lawman come with an Inventory as standard. Many of our competitors don’t include one so do take that into consideration when you compare prices. Of course if you have an agreement and no Inventory, you can download just the Inventory from Net Lawman too. For a full range of legal documents, please go to the end of the article.
I am a landlord - which should I choose?
This depends largely on your market, what your prospective tenants want and whether they are students or young sharers. If the latter categories, they are unlikely to have any furniture of their own, however, a couple or young family may have some furniture of their own plus their own knives and forks, and a family waiting to buy their own property are likely to have their own furniture so you will be better advised to let your property unfurnished.
Of course you will, in every case, need to provide some essentials such as carpets, curtains, light fittings, loo roll holders, shower curtains, lampshades, and basic white goods such as fridge and plumbed-in washing machine.
All furniture must comply with furnishings and fire safety regulations – you would be unwise to buy second-hand.
Of course if you rent out the property furnished, ensure the rent reflects this. Conversely, you can’t charge the same rent for a unfurnished property as you would if it were furnished. On the flip side, if you rent the property furnished, it is more likely to be damaged so in every case, use an Inventory and make sure all parties sign it.
I am a tenant – which should I choose?
This depends largely on your situation. If you have little furniture, you may be better choosing a furnished property, however you should ensure you take good care of any furniture that is not yours as you will be charged for any damage that is above and beyond “reasonable wear and tear” – that is, reasonable daily use.
Inventory
An up-to-date detailed inventory is critical, especially now there are strict rules about the return of rental deposits. You can do it easily yourself, or if you are using an agent, they can do it for you. Net Lawman tenancy agreements all come with an Inventory as standard. We also have an Inventory to add to an agreement that comes without one. Many of our competitors do not include one as standard so do check when you compare prices. You can find legal documents at the 
end of this article.
The inventory should list all contents, their condition and also the general condition of décor and maintenance (e.g., carpet in hall unstained, small dent on front of fridge door, walls in lounge freshly painted). How far you go depends on your confidence in the tenant. To be really sure, you can take photos and date them easily. Then make sure the parties agree and sign them.
Always provide two copies of the inventory to the tenants at the very start of their tenancy. The tenants should check, sign and return one copy within a stipulated time – say a week. If you do the inventory with them present, they should be able to sign their copy on the spot.
Of course you should update the inventory between tenants, every single time.
Relevant Net Lawman documents:
· Business lease agreements
· Residential tenancy agreements