Renters pay higher prices for furnished apartments yet most dislike the furniture

Renters are paying 20% more per month on average for a furnished apartment compared to an unfurnished one, according to new data.

Research by furniture retailer MADE reveals choosing a pre-furnished apartment now costs about £261 more per month, or £3,129 a year, compared to an unfurnished two-bedroom.

The study also reveals more than 73% of tenants dislike their landlord’s furniture and wish they could change it.

Highest price differences in furnished and unfurnished apartments

The study reveals the cities where renters face the highest price differences in furnished and unfurnished apartments.

Renters in Newcastle face the steepest price hike, paying 35% more for furniture. Bristol comes second at 33%, followed by Leicester at 32%.

The study also highlighted the extent of the pre-furnished tax for each city. Bristol takes the lead with the biggest price difference, with a furnished two-bedroom apartment costing on average an extra £573 per month than unfurnished.

Brighton is in second place with £451 and Leicester finishes in third with £359.

The city impacted the least by the pre-furnished burden in the top 10 was Hull, where choosing furnished over unfurnished will cost £181 extra a month on average, or a 23% increase.

Most common words renters use to describe landlord furniture

The research also highlights the words renters use to describe furniture provided by their landlords.

The most common words used were “cheap” (18%) and “bland” (17%), with “stained” (12%) and “old” (12%) not far behind. Other negative descriptions included run-down, uncomfortable, and unfunctional.

As a result, the study reveals more than 73% of tenants wish they could change the furniture that came with their rented accommodation, while three-fifths (58%) find it difficult to make their space feel like their own.