Furnished or unfurnished is a question about time as much as money. For a stay of a few months, a furnished flat can be cheaper in practice. For several years, an unfurnished flat usually wins, because you buy the furniture once and keep it. This guide shows how to work out which suits you.
What the choice really involves
An unfurnished flat gives you walls, fittings and perhaps a kitchen, and you supply everything else. A furnished flat includes beds, seating, a table, sometimes appliances and curtains. Landlords price furnished flats higher because they are renting out the furniture too, and they carry the wear on it.
A worked comparison
These figures are illustrative, to show the method. Replace them with your own quotes.
| Unfurnished | Furnished | |
|---|---|---|
| Yearly rent | ₦1,800,000 | ₦2,400,000 |
| Furniture and appliances you must buy | ₦1,500,000 | ₦0 |
| Moving furniture in and out | ₦100,000 | ₦0 |
| Cost in year one | ₦3,400,000 | ₦2,400,000 |
| Cost in year two | ₦1,800,000 | ₦2,400,000 |
| Cost over two years | ₦5,200,000 | ₦4,800,000 |
| Cost over three years | ₦7,000,000 | ₦7,200,000 |
On these numbers the furnished flat is cheaper for a stay of two years or less, and the unfurnished one is cheaper from the third year. You also keep the furniture you bought, which has resale or reuse value that the table does not count. Run each option through the move-in cost calculator to see the day-one cash.
Who each suits
Furnished
Short stays, relocations, people who travel, anyone who needs to move in fast.
Unfurnished
Long stays, families, anyone who owns or plans to buy furniture.
Semi-furnished
Fitted kitchen and wardrobes, and the rest yours. Ask exactly what is included.
If you rent a furnished flat
- Get a signed inventory. Every item, its condition and a photo, dated. Your protection when the tenancy ends. See how to get your caution deposit back.
- Test everything. Air conditioners, the fridge, the cooker, the water heater, the bed and every light and socket.
- Agree who fixes what. Ordinary wear is normally the landlord's cost. Damage you cause is yours.
- Ask whether you can change things, such as moving a sofa out to make room.
- Check the power setup. Furnished flats often come with several appliances. Ask who pays for what and see power supply before you rent.
If you rent an unfurnished flat
- Budget the setup list before you commit. Beds, a mattress, a cooker, a fridge, curtains, a table, chairs and storage add up fast.
- Check the size of the rooms and doorways against the furniture you own.
- Ask which fittings stay: wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, light fittings, curtain rails.
Questions to ask either way
12 questions to ask before you pay rent on a flat covers the basics, and how to read a tenancy agreement explains how to write down who owns and repairs what. For the monthly view of your costs, try the rent affordability calculator.
For landlords
A furnished flat can earn more, but it needs upkeep and a careful inventory. Think about the wear, the replacement cycle and the kind of tenant you want. See short-let or long-term rent for how the numbers change with the use.
The hidden costs on each side
Both choices have costs that do not appear in the advert.
With a furnished flat, the rent includes the furniture, so it is higher, and you may also pay a larger deposit because the landlord is protecting more property. You may be responsible for damage to items you did not choose. When the tenancy ends, there will be an inventory check, and anything missing or worn can be deducted.
With an unfurnished flat, the rent is lower, but you must buy or bring beds, a sofa, a table, curtains, a fridge, a cooker and often a water heater or a fan. Moving furniture, assembling it and replacing it when it breaks all take money and time. If you move often, these costs repeat each time.
How long will you stay?
The simplest way to decide is to ask how long you expect to live there.
Under a year
A furnished flat usually wins, because buying furniture you will sell or abandon is wasteful.
One to two years
It depends on how much furniture you already own, and on the rent premium.
Three years or more
Unfurnished is usually cheaper over time, and the flat feels like yours.
Moving between cities
Furnished, short-let or serviced flats avoid the cost and stress of moving furniture.
Check the inventory
If you take a furnished flat, insist on a written inventory that lists every item and its condition: the number of chairs, the make and state of the fridge, the mattress, the curtains. Photograph each item on move-in day, and ask the landlord to sign the list. This protects your caution deposit at the end.
Also ask who is responsible for repairs to the appliances. If the fridge fails after six months, does the landlord replace it, or do you? Put the answer in the agreement. See how to read a tenancy agreement for the clauses that cover this.
Short-let, serviced or long-term furnished?
A furnished flat can mean three different things.
- A long-term furnished let, where you sign a yearly agreement and the flat has furniture.
- A serviced apartment, where cleaning, power and sometimes internet are included, often at a higher price.
- A short-let, where you pay by the night or week, with no long-term commitment.
If you only need a place for a few weeks or months, our guide to short-let or long-term rent compares the options. Short-lets are expensive for a long stay, and long-term lets are expensive if you leave early.
A quick test before you decide
Add up what you would need to buy to make an unfurnished flat comfortable, using prices you have checked. Add the cost of moving it. Then compare the total with the extra rent you would pay each year for a furnished flat over the time you plan to stay. The move-in cost calculator can do the day-one figures for you, and the decision is usually clear once the numbers are in front of you.
A simple way to compare the costs
Add up the full costs over the time you will stay.
| Item | Furnished | Unfurnished |
|---|---|---|
| Rent over the stay | Higher | Lower |
| Furniture you must buy | None | A bed, sofa, table, fridge and fittings |
| Moving furniture | None | Truck, labour and damage risk |
| Replacement and repairs | Landlord's, if agreed | Yours |
| Flexibility | High | Low |
Fill in your own figures. If the extra rent for the furnished flat over your stay is smaller than the cost of buying and moving furniture, furnished wins on money. If you will stay several years and already own furniture, unfurnished usually wins.
Questions for a furnished flat
- Is there a written inventory, with photos?
- Who replaces items that break from normal use?
- Are appliances covered for repairs, and who services them?
- Can I remove or swap items that I dislike?
- What is the deposit, and how is damage assessed? See how to get your caution deposit back.
For the landlord
If you plan to furnish, choose durable, neutral items, keep spares and write a full inventory. See furnished lets for corporate tenants for what companies expect, and renovations that pay back for deciding where to spend.
