Landlords are letting their tenants down by providing cheap, unhygienic furniture that is unfit for purpose, a new survey finds.
Research from Manor Interiors, experts in build-to-rent furnishing solutions, has found that the vast majority of UK tenants have lived in rented homes that are unfit for purpose, or unsafe due to the furniture, fixtures, and fittings being finished to a shabby standard.
While a furnished home can make life easier for tenants, negating the need to go out and buy your own furniture, it does also mean that you’re reliant on your landlord’s tastes and standards to make the home a nice place to be.
Such is the added convenience that 66% of tenants say they would happily pay more for a well-furnished rental home, but only if the quality of the furniture is good enough. However, despite this eagerness for furnished rental homes, 59% of tenants say they have found themselves living in a furnished home that isn’t fit for purpose because of the low quality of the furniture, such low quality that it can start affecting health and hygiene.
Some found that the furniture in their rental property was in disrepair, while comfort was also an issue.
And while danger and risk of injury due to dilapidated furniture was at the bottom of tenants’ complaint list, it did still feature, and sometimes featured in the top three concerns which is very worrying indeed.
Some landlords seem to be happy to provide the minimum standard required when it comes to furnishing a rental home, but with that kind of philosophy, they’re not going to get very far in life as tenants start to expect better and expect more.
CEO of Manor Interiors, Farhan Malik, says:
“The modern-day tenant craves convenience and a furnished property will provide great appeal to the majority, who simply don’t want the arduous task of moving heavy furniture items in and out of rental properties every time they move.
However, in this day and age and with rents as high as they are, they also expect a certain level of quality and so it’s simply not enough to fill a rental property with inadequate items of furniture. Unfortunately for most tenants, they won’t notice these furniture shortfalls until they have moved in and this can see them left with items that simply aren’t fit for purpose for the duration of their tenancy.
It doesn’t matter if you own one buy-to-let, an extensive portfolio, or you’re looking to furnish a full build-to-rent development, quality, bespoke furniture can be secured for less than you might think. Any furnishing company worth their salt will be able to furnish or provide replacement items, within 24 to 48 hours and so there’s no excuse to leave a tenant high and dry.”
