first time landlord - furnishing & decorating house

fifib

hi, getting a house ready for renting soon. just wondering what i need to have inside house? have fridge/freezer, washer and dryer and dishwasher. do i need to supply hoover and microwave? also bed sheets, duvets and pillows? and what about lamps? have a few floor lamps in house, leave or remove? and bedside lamps?
would appreciate anything else you can think of TIA

BetsyEllen

fifib wrote: »

hi, getting a house ready for renting soon. just wondering what i need to have inside house? have fridge/freezer, washer and dryer and dishwasher. do i need to supply hoover and microwave? also bed sheets, duvets and pillows? and what about lamps? have a few floor lamps in house, leave or remove? and bedside lamps?
would appreciate anything else you can think of TIA

I personally wouldn't supply things like lamps etc as they are easily damaged/broken but that's just me.

Also from a tenants point of view, I would prefer to buy my own soft furnishings to put my own personal touch on the place.

A microwave and hoover, I would supply.

Not bed sheets though - as they would need to be replaced every time you get new tenants. And I wouldn't want them supplied to me by my landlord, I'd much prefer to choose my own.

Obviously you must note everything you do supply on an inventory for checking when they leave.

clintondaly

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/renting_a_home/repairs_maintenance_and_minimum_physical_standards.html

Have a look at the above

Parchment

When we moved it - there was everything you mentioned above except the bed sheets/duvet/pillow - i would expect each tenant to get their own.

Would a fire extinguisher be appropriate here? im not a landlord but i know our landlord gave us one (he updates it when needed).

Thoie

fifib wrote: »

hi, getting a house ready for renting soon. just wondering what i need to have inside house? have fridge/freezer, washer and dryer and dishwasher. do i need to supply hoover and microwave? also bed sheets, duvets and pillows? and what about lamps? have a few floor lamps in house, leave or remove? and bedside lamps?
would appreciate anything else you can think of TIA

Microwave is a legal requirement, as is a cooker I believe.

Bedclothes, pillows and duvets are totally up to the tenant, though I've seen some landlords provide mattress protectors in an effort to... protect the mattress. I'd leave the lamps, but they're not a legal requirement (as long as there are other light fittings in the room).

It's a bit worrying that you're not up to speed on what's required. Here's the minimum standards list.

Here's the RTB site for landlords, including info for new landlords.

ballsymchugh

Thoie wrote: »

It's a bit worrying that you're not up to speed on what's required. Here's the minimum standards list.

if only there was a forum where she could ask for advice on this....

PhoenixParker

The less the better. Anything you provide you're liable for maintenance on and tbh as a tenant I always preferred to buy my own stuff and make myself feel at home.

Thoie

Thoie wrote: »

It's a bit worrying that you're not up to speed on what's required. Here's the minimum standards list.

.

In fairness people aren't born knowing these things and he is making an effort to find out what the requirements are so not sure what there is to be worried about.

pilly

If there are lamps there already leave them, if not don't go buying them as people often have stuff like that themselves. I did provide duvets, pillows etc. to my last tenants but that's only because they were foreign students who wouldn't have their own so maybe wait and see what tenants you get? Microwave is a strict requirement though.

antoinolachtnai

Mattress covers are a good thing to spend a few euros on.

I would concentrate your money on having the place looking really well rather than adding extra stuff. A few nice ceiling lights can make a real difference.

A lot depends on the price point too. If you find the right tenant at the right rent, get whatever extra things they want (like a side table, coffee table, extra armchair, etc).

I wouldn't buy free standing decorative items like lamps unless there is some specific reason they are needed.

If you have the lamps, maybe leave them. But don't expect them to be in good working order at the end of the tenancy. Personally I would leave them off the inventory list just so no one is expecting you to fix them if they break.

fifib

ok great thanks guys. the letting agency did give us a list but wasnt sure if that was just what they preferred to be supplied or not. it didn't mention a hoover on it. i will get a microwave (we took current one with us) and leave hoover.
will probably leave the lamps so, mostly floor lamps anyways and i know we used them more than the ceiling lights when living there.
yes a fire blanket is required i believe as are smoke alarms

ok now for a silly or worrying! question but you know on daft you see pictures of the houses with beds dressed, toiletries in bathrooms, tables laid out etc.. if you dont intend to leave duvets, sheets etc should you leave beds bare of pictures or can I dress them just for the pics?

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This post has been deleted.

BetsyEllen

fifib wrote: »

ok great thanks guys. the letting agency did give us a list but wasnt sure if that was just what they preferred to be supplied or not. it didn't mention a hoover on it. i will get a microwave (we took current one with us) and leave hoover.
will probably leave the lamps so, mostly floor lamps anyways and i know we used them more than the ceiling lights when living there.
yes a fire blanket is required i believe as are smoke alarms

ok now for a silly or worrying! question but you know on daft you see pictures of the houses with beds dressed, toiletries in bathrooms, tables laid out etc.. if you dont intend to leave duvets, sheets etc should you leave beds bare of pictures or can I dress them just for the pics?

Of course you can - however as someone browsing for somewhere to live, I would like a true representation of what I can expect.
However the flip side of that is a dressed house will look more homely and welcoming.

If you are going to dress it, make it very clear in your advert that the house is unfurnished so as to avoid confusion.

thisistough

BetsyEllen wrote: »

Of course you can - however as someone browsing for somewhere to live, I would like a true representation of what I can expect.
However the flip side of that is a dressed house will look more homely and welcoming.

If you are going to dress it, make it very clear in your advert that the house is unfurnished so as to avoid confusion.

Surely unfurnished would mean it doesn't come with beds etc rather than duvets? I don't think anyone over the age of 18 would want to sleep on other peoples sheets/pillows/duvets anyway and would be bringing their own

I would dress them and not worry about mentioning anything about it. In most cases the pictures in most places you see advertised are taken while the current tenants are still there that's why beds are dressed etc most will assume this is the case for your place. High end lettings usually have a "show apartment" for pictures and use these pics for all ads that's why you see tables set etc. Its not unusual to see more standard places being let for the first time just having bare beds etc.

Thoie

fifib wrote: »

ok now for a silly or worrying! question but you know on daft you see pictures of the houses with beds dressed, toiletries in bathrooms, tables laid out etc.. if you dont intend to leave duvets, sheets etc should you leave beds bare of pictures or can I dress them just for the pics?

I'd dress them for the pics. If I saw a 3 seater sofa in an ad, and turned up and there was a single hard backed chair instead, I'd be annoyed. But I think most people recognise that things like bedclothes and toiletries don't come with a furnished house. Similarly with the set table. I wouldn't expect to find all the exact table settings that were in the pictures, but if the entire table was missing that would be a bit misleading!

One tip while dressing the house is to iron the duvet cover/pillow cases for the pictures. Even if you move the same duvet from room to room for the pictures, it looks better than a rumpled, or worse, unmade bed!

PierreLeCake

fifib wrote: »

hi, getting a house ready for renting soon. just wondering what i need to have inside house? have fridge/freezer, washer and dryer and dishwasher. do i need to supply hoover and microwave? also bed sheets, duvets and pillows? and what about lamps? have a few floor lamps in house, leave or remove? and bedside lamps?
would appreciate anything else you can think of TIA

Definitely supply a microwave. I would also supply a hoover. Then tenants have no excuse for a dirty house. You should also supply a fire extinguisher , fire blanket, at least 2 fire alarms and a Carbon Monoxide detector. If you have a garden I would supply a lawnmower so the tenant can mow the grass.
I would n't supply any bed coverings. You get a good tenant in. 6 years later they are leaving and you are arguing about a missing pillow case. Going forward I am not going to supply mattresses as tenants have different preferences and will take more care if they supply their own. If you are supplying mattresses just put a mattress protector on it for the purpose of photagraphs
I would just take photos of the house as it is. I would n't be tarting it up for advertising purposes . Tenants want to see what they are getting . They will do the soft furnishings to their own tastes. The less you supply the less grief you will have in the long run.

Graces7

While presentation matters, dressing the beds is a personal thing. The ones i have liked most are those with eg neatly folded duvet, sheets, towels atop. But far better bare.. always impressed when they have eg flowers in sight. Always neat and clean..I remember one on daft ie years back with a motor bike by the bed...

antoinolachtnai

You just need to keep everything in proportion here! It is easy enough to let at the moment. If you are getting a big rent then it might be worthwhile to get (or as our real estate professional friends like to say 'achieve') a few percent more in the rent.