Whats in a fully furnished flat?

[Slumdog]

Landed a gig where I will need to rent. I found a fully furnished 1 bed flat (as advertised) and after viewing i did take it. Mostly it's OK but thought it might come with a few more furnishings - nets, blinds,cyrtains etc.

Is there any law that defines that as a minimum a fully furnished flat should contain....

I personally would expect to only have to bring clothes plus very few other things as per my last place. What would you expect in a fully furnished flat?

[VectraMan]

I doubt there's a minimum requirement, but you'd reasonably expect curtains, somewhere to sit, something to sleep on, a table, cooker, fridge, etc.

My rented house was fully furnished, but I had to buy plates, cutlery, sausepans, a kettle, but it did come with some sheets and towels which you might not normally expect.

My experience is that the less of other people's crap, the better.

[Sysman]

I've had a few in my time, and all of them have had curtains and/or blinds.

For cutlery, crockery, pots and pans, I bought myself a box-full of those to take with me. The other standard kit is kettle, cafetiere and coffee grinder.

For items like a fridge (you might find the flat has just an el cheapo which isn't big enough), keep a look out in the local post office window for second hand stuff.

Washing can be a problem. I have learned not to trust launderettes, so a washing machine is high on my list when looking for a furnished place. This doesn't matter so much if you are going home every weekend by car, but becomes a pain when travelling by train or plane; you get to spend your weekends washing and ironing too (a tumbler dryer at home helps here).

[Mich the Tester]

This looks about right

[Sysman]

This looks about right

LOL! That reminds me of a spot I rented once. Fortunately it had copious cellars, so the landlord's tat went down there for the duration

Every LuxoWobble bed has a 6 month Guarantee of failure - your money back if it isnt in pieces by the time your tenants are due to receive their security deposit.

Now there's a nice little earner. I am sure Rigsby himself would approve.

[Cyberman]

This looks about right

That reminds me of my 'furnished' flat in Frankfurt where the bed disintigrated the first time I invited a young lady back. I lost my deposit but it was worth it !!

[SantaClaus]

A fully furnished flat usually comes complete with a member of parliament

[Slumdog]

That reminds me of my 'furnished' flat in Frankfurt where the bed disintigrated the first time I invited a young lady back. I lost my deposit but it was worth it !!

Losing your deposit. Naturally!!!

[BrowneIssue]

What's in a fully furnished flat?

Thanks! You've given the missus a good laugh with just this question. Her answer?

"What ever the inventory says."

We are long time renters having rented loads of different properties over the years. The above answer comes from experience.

Is there any law that defines that as a minimum a fully furnished flat should contain....

No.

I personally would expect to only have to bring clothes plus very few other things as per my last place.

There is no chance of that happening whatsoever in a rented flat through an agency in this life or the next.

There are alternatives. I rented a self-contained granny flat earlier this year at a reasonable price where you only needed a toothbrush and clothes. They even offered to order an initial batch of groceries for me. However, that was a holiday letting that I used as home for a few weeks.

Another good rental was a static caravan on a holiday park. They even come in and clean at weekends. Basic but cheap. Again, you only need clothes and a toothbrush. Expensive in the summer and autumn as it is a holiday site.

What would you expect in a fully furnished flat?

Whatever old crap the landlord doesn't want. Plus whatever crap previous tenants didn't want. Plus fleas. And if it had adolescent teenage boys, one stained and sticky carpet. And if it had old people, a permanent smell of wee.

thought it might come with a few more furnishings - nets, blinds, curtains etc.

We've had flats and houses not just without curtains or curtain track but even without the wooden bar to screw one to. In one house where I complained about this I was told I could put one up but I would have to redecorate the room afterwards to make good.


Remember: if you are a tenant going through an agency, you are considered as and treated as scum. Even when it is over £1,000 per month.

This looks about right

Absolutely spot on. I can only think absentee buy-to-let landlords get the furniture from the dump.

Also, beware the pale coloured carpet (probably already with the stains on). It is only there to ensure you canot get your deposit back.


For future reference, unless you are needing somewhere to live, do not commit to a 6 month let and either:

• rent a room (lodgings)
• use a long term holiday letting (you can get huge discounts)
• do a search for "serviced apartments" (expensive but handy if you like playing away from home)
• a room in a farmhouse if you're in the sticks (excellent value with good grub thrown in)
• a good sized room in a non-chain pub-with-rooms is usually great value.

[swamp]

An unfurnished flat should come with curtains and blinds.

Cheapest made-to-measure curtains could be £1000, ready made ones much less but not always an option.