Should I Furnish My Manhattan Beach, CA Rental Home? | Professional Property Management Advice

We talk to a lot of rental property owners who are unsure about whether they should offer a property that’s furnished or unfurnished. If you’ve been living in the home that you’re now putting on the rental market, you might think it’s easier to leave beds and sofas for the tenants who will move in.

However, a furnished property is not always a good idea for a number of reasons. Today, we’re discussing when you should provide furniture and when you shouldn’t.

Furnish Short Term Rentals

If you’re renting your home out for limited amounts of time, furniture is essential. Manhattan Beach and the surrounding Los Angeles areas get a lot of tourist traffic, so short term rentals may make sense, especially if you’d like to use your property only part of the year.

When you’re renting out a home for a few weeks or a few months at a time, you need to provide furniture. Short-term tenants won’t want to buy or move their own items. So in this case, you should have your house furnished and comfortably appointed with all necessities, including dishes, linens, and small appliances like coffee pots and toasters.

Just remember that you’ll need to replace any furniture items that are broken or old. This could get expensive, especially since short term tenants are generally going to cause more wear and tear than long term tenants. This isn’t their permanent home; they won’t take care of it the way a person living there for several years might.

You’ll also need to furnish your home in a way that makes sense for the property and the neighborhood. If you’re renting out an upscale beach home to high-end tenants on a short term basis, they won’t expect to see cheap furniture in the home.

Leave Long Term Rentals Unfurnished

If you’re not renting to vacationers and short term tenants but hoping for a lease that’s a year or longer, an unfurnished home is better. Tenants will want to move into your property with their own furniture and personal items. You’ll want to clear out anything that belongs to you or to former tenants. It’s standard to provide appliances such as refrigerators, dishwashers, washing machines, and dryers. However, you don’t want to leave any dishes, blenders, sofas, tables, or bedroom furniture in the house. Let the tenants move in with their own things.

Leaving furniture in a long term rental also obligates you to replace those items any time they break. So, if you rent out a home with a completely furnished bedroom, you’ll need to replace the bed if it breaks unless your rental agreement says otherwise. Keep things simple and offer your long term tenants an unfurnished home.

You also have the option of offering the house furnished or unfurnished. If you already have a house full of furniture and you don’t want to move it out, offer prospective tenants the furniture. You may find someone who is willing to keep a few of your things, but always be willing to have it removed if they want an empty house.

We’re here to answer any questions you have about your Manhattan Beach rental property. Please don’t hesitate to contact us at South Bay Property Management Pros.