_Have you considered furniture rental?
Finding a furnished home that meets your lifestyle needs can be quite challenging. Not only are you looking for a home that’s in your chosen location, that’s the right size and that has your preferred amenities, but you’re also looking for a home that has furniture that meets your style and taste.
Furniture is a large part of what makes a house a home. What pieces we select and how they are styled have the potential to create spaces that can either energize us or promote calmness. With more people spending more time at home due to the new normal, how we feel in our homes has become increasing more important.
Furnished homes demonstrate the style of the owner/landlord and can be quite generic, meaning that inevitably some compromises will have to be made. However, what to do when you cannot find a home that strikes this delicate balance often leaves tenants feeling deflated; leading them to settle for homes that they otherwise would not have.
It is with this in mind that we present our potential tenants with various solutions, including that of furniture rental. It has helped many of our tenants, who have gone on to rent unfurnished homes and lease furniture of their liking, for their homes.
However, we have found that few people know about this solution, or are unsure if it would work for them.
Pros
- Large selection of furniture
With furniture rental, you can choose your style and set-up, allowing you to inject your personality into your home. If you want country chic or modern sleek; whatever your style, you can select what you like from the wide range of furniture available. - Relocating is much easier
Renting furniture is suitable if you move around a lot. It is the perfect solution for temporary requirements especially if you are not keen on investing in furniture in the short term. If your job makes you move around a lot, it is a stress -free option that allows you to settle in fast and move as quickly in different locations. - It is more affordable…
Depending on the duration of your rental plan, paying large sums of money to buy furniture is not an option for many. It is cheaper to rent the furniture and appliances than to buy it all if you are only in a location for a set duration.
Cons
- Limited choices
Although furniture rental gives you choice and control in what your home looks like, there may be times when rental companies may not have the exact item in the specific style to suit your taste and preference. - Damage costs
If your agreement is unclear, you may end up paying the cost of damages if the rental company does not cover it. So you need to ask who is responsible for damages and if the furniture plus appliances are insured…?
To help you consider if this is the right fit for you, we interviewed Sally Ibeere-Grenapin, the CEO of One Residence, a Nairobi based furniture rental company which has provided furniture solutions for many of our clients. Here she gives us insight into how the furniture rental service she offers works:
- In your business, who typically rents furniture and why?
We help a lot of relocating expats who prefer not to ship their household items when coming to Kenya and those whose furniture is en-route but seek our services. We work closely with property developers who wish to stage their show houses for potential buyers.
2. What are the benefits of leasing furniture?
It’s an easy and fast way of settling in, for expatriates it saves the wear and tear of furniture through movements of shipping, for developers the benefit is being able to present the houses more practically which helps them to sell/rent faster.
3. What are the first steps?
Clients contact us and we’ll ask them to list down their requests which include the size of the home, family size, and any special requests that they might have.
If the client would like advice on what style of furniture complements the home we can organize a viewing of the house. However, if the client instructs us to install curtains a visit to the house is necessary in order for us to take the required measurements.
Clients also have the opportunity to come to our offices/show rooms to select what furniture they like.
4. What happens once furniture is selected?
Clients sign a key release form as well as a rental contract between themselves and One Residence, outlining the lease period, the fees and damages protocol. It includes an inventory of all the furniture and soft furnishings we have supplied.
5. Briefly, what is the damage clause?
When clients sign the lease contract it articulates that they are responsible for returning the furniture in the same condition as when we handed it over to them. They are required to pay for damage that is above that of expected wear and tear.
6. How do you ascertain damage?
We take photos after installation so that should there be damage, we have proof.
7. Is your furniture insured?
Yes, all our furniture is insured. This is in line with the global organisation (CORT) to cover injuries etc. should they occur.
8. Must they furnish an entire house?
No. They are free to choose what suits them, we cater for all their specific needs. This could include furnishing just the kitchen and lounge, specific bedrooms or only outdoor areas.
9. What are your payment terms? Monthly, quarterly, or other.
This depends on the duration of house lease/rental. If their contract is under 3 months, they pay at once but on rare occasions monthly. If their contract is longer then payment is quarterly.
10. Who pays for the delivery/collection of the furniture?
The client handles the cost.
If you are interested in furniture rental, or would like to know more, you can visit the One Residence website.
To have a look at the various residential properties we currently have, please visit our website.