Furniture for let and do I keep a sink

Ray Palmer

I am doing up a place at the moment and looking at furniture for it. Pretty much know what I am putting in the living room and layout. With the bedrooms I am a little more undecided. I was looking at wardrobes and bedside lockers. I can buy Ikea or a level above but modern furniture is almost always built out of some compressed wood mash. The things is I can actually buy antique furniture that is way better built but not as in style but would be in keeping with the building. It would actually be a little cheaper than modern furniture. Sensibly my normal view is just buy modern stuff and throw it out in a couple of years after the tenants break it. The other part is thinking keeping in style with the building and ability to repair make the older furniture a good idea. I am not talking old furniture in disrepair they would be fully working and finished. I don't expect the tenant to keep them well but would be annoyed by intentional damage or absolute carelessness (e.g. continually pulling the doors back beyond hinges)

On top of that there is plumbing in one of the rooms which could mean a bedroom could have a sink. Not sure people like the idea anymore but I think is handy to have.

What do others think?

No point in suggesting I rent it unfurnished nor wait till I am showing to ask the tenant I pick, just not happening.

mistress_gi

As a tennant i would prefer the older furniture. I agree new furniture tends to break and you'll only have to replace it down the line. If you don't buy anything that is too ornate i think it would fit anywhere.

Regarding sink, i don't like them in bedrooms, i think it's a bit pointless, when i need a sink i just do to the bathroom, not to mention the potencial for water damage

But that's just my way of seeing things

MacDanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058221925/furniture-for-let-and-do-i-keep-a-sink

No point in suggesting I rent it unfurnished

This is what I was thinking as I read your post but if you've decided against that, fair enough!!

If I were the tenant, I'd prefer the old furniture - it has more character and is better from a sustainability point of view. I wouldn't be too bothered either way on the sink; if it's going to cost you to remove it, I'd just leave it there.

antoinolachtnai

old stuff Is great if it is actually functional. If a wardrobe isn’t sufficiently deep to accommodate a rail parallel to the back then it isn’t really functional. If you can’t open the wardrobe completely (there’s only a door in the middle say) then it isn’t really functional.

it depends where you are positioning the property in the market too.

houseyhouse

Personally I would prefer not to have a sink in the bathroom unless it’s a fairly big room. Some tenants will want to add a desk or an armchair to their bedroom.

I would also be inclined to go for more simple/modern furniture, whether new or vintage. I rented somewhere before that had a collection of mismatched old brown furniture and it was impossible to make that place look good. Having said that if you have a good eye for decor and you can get stuff that isn’t too ornate, then go for it. There are a lot of rentals fully kitted out in IKEA and there will be plenty if tenants who would appreciate a bit more character in their furniture.

L1011

If the bedrooms is as big as some of the 60s ones I've seen with sinks in them, I'd keep the sink myself - but I suspect my tastes there are a bit odd.

Does the house have a modern bathroom or a toilet + a bathroom? In those cases the sink is a definite keeper as it allows someone to use the toilet while someone else is in the bath/shower. But those houses are increasingly rare now.

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118292832#Comment_118292832

I am basing each room to have a double bed,wardrobe, desk, chair and walk around the bed on 3 sides, side table and drawer set. One can have a sink or not. Extra storage in hall, bathroom with shower and a combined kitchen living room. Would prefer separate kitchen but will have to wait for other works later.

JimmyVik

There are lots of landlords in this forum. Ask them how their furniture gets treated or how long it lasts with tenants, even by the best tenant, and make your decision on that.

I was looking for a thread i saw year a while ago, but cant find it.

Basically it was landlords posting examples of how tenants just wreck things.

One example was doors being pushed off their hinges, like in your post. Another was holes in the walls from door handles.

Another was shower hoses only last a few months in a rental while the exact same one had lasted years in that landlords own house.

Another was about tea stains on furniture. And another was about black candle marks all up the walls and soot on the ceilings, where the tenant had a fondness for candles.

Those are only a few that I can remember. I'll see if i can locate the thread and link it. But i cant get the hang of this version of boards at all.

awec

Ikea furniture all the way over old stuff. Very functional and will appeal to a far wider variety of tastes.

Unless you are buying their absolute bargain items it will also hold up well.

No sink in the bedroom.

rob316

Ikea stuff definitely, it lasts alot longer than you think too.

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118294623#Comment_118294623

I am well aware of how rough tenants are on items in rental. One of the very reasons I am thinking of older better made furniture is because Ikea stuff doesn't last through rough treatment. Tenants do prefer new items regardless of quality is the general rule but I hate the waste of throwing out furniture ever 3-4 years. It is usually damaged before that but still usable. Solid stuff will survive but will also get damaged but I can repair it. Georgian house so it would be in keeping with the property. For my own house I dumped the flat pack wardrobes and bought older stuff and they are far superior to use and maintain. I could buy stuff and modernise it be more current style. You can actually get a solid oak wardrobe cheaper than an Ikea wardrobe. I might do one room with old furniture and have the other modern.

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118294752#Comment_118294752

it doesn't in a rental I can assure you, 3-4 years with tenants is about it. I always wonder what happens when they get their own place or when the lived with their parents. One of the anti-landlord attitudes is what I assume is the real cause "I am paying rent so I can break it". Hard to argue wear an tear and not worth the hassle of keeping the deposit most times and just an added cost and increase in waste

Ray Palmer

Just to include www.jysk.ie as these worst furniture I have seen been sold in Ireland. It is incredibly cheaply made and even their display models are falling to pieces.

awec

I dunno about Ikea stuff not lasting. Every item of Ikea furniture I've ever owned has lasted a very long time. The main problem with Ikea is your house can end up looking like a catalogue, and their furniture lacks the character and uniqueness of hand-made or bespoke furniture, but neither of these things are a concern in a rental.

Repairing furniture sounds like a false economy, unless you're going to bodge it.

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118295056#Comment_118295056

Why would I bodge it? I am literally telling you I have bought Ikea stuff for rental and it doesn't last there. You may simply be unaware how tenants treat property in rentals. Washing machines last about 3-4 years too. The tenants do not take care of items there is a reality it isn't a question. Replacing stuff in a rental is a constant issue, the amount of fridge doors I have seen broken off astounds me as I have never had it happen to me anywhere.

wildwillow

Would not put sink in bedroom. The fewer water points the better, tenants aren't bothered about overflowing sinks.

I've used both types of furniture. Your rooms seem large so older furniture may be suitable. Some people hate brown furniture though it is much more durable. Older wardrobes are not user friendly.

Could you get old lockers and drawers and paint to match a newer wardrobe?

Ray Palmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118295157#Comment_118295157

No idea how a wardrobe is not user friendly? The hangers go on a rail what is complicated?

I would not put a sink. Some tenants will piss in it