Update: Renting furniture? Other options?

short+sassy · January 2016

I have some folks coming in from AirBnB to stay on the vacant side of my duplex. And ran into a big problem. There is no furniture so, no big deal, I was planning to just rent some. Long story short, I priced out renting furniture two years ago from a Rent A Center right by my house AND my H went to the same place a few weeks ago. On both of those occasions, we were given quotes of about $60/week per bedroom set and $75/week for a living room set. Both times we made it very clear it was just a one week rental.

Fast forward to last night. I stop by to reserve the furniture I want to rent. Now I'm being given a totally different story. The prices we were given were the "rent to own" prices. For short-term renting, it is a higher weekly price AND they charge a minimum of 4 weeks...plus an enormous deposit. I was able to negotiate them down to two weeks, but still.

I really hate to rent their furniture, but don't see where I have a choice. My H and I brainstormed, but couldn't come up with any other ideas. But I'm throwing it out there to see if you all have any ideas.

The only other furniture rental places in town are Aaron's (4-month minimum) or CORT. CORT is the type of place people would use for staging or corporate rental type furniture and they are the only ones in town. They only do one-month rentals anyway and I almost fainted at their prices, lol.

The only other thing my H and I could think of to try and keep our costs reasonable is to only rent the main furniture with them (beds, couch/love seat), borrow what we could from our own house for accessory pieces (night stands, coffee table, tv, tv stand, lamps), and get the rest of the accessory pieces from thrift stores/craigs list. But that could still get costly and be time consuming.

OMG...lesson learned!!!! I will never, ever, ever again rent my space out as a vacation rental if it involves renting furniture. Two years ago, during Jazz Fest, I rented it as a vacation rental. But I had tenants at the time that I worked out a deal with. I set them up in a hotel, waived their rent for that week, and they let me use their furniture.

Last question, if renting a house from AirBnB, would dressers be a "must have" in the bedrooms? Or are good sized closets with hangers and a shelf fine? Plus maybe something like a low table and/or trunk to put suitcases on?

csuave · January 2016

How many people are on the reservation? If it is only 2 then you should only need minimal furniture.

We only offer a closet for our bnb....no dresser drawers. We have a folding chair. I'm not sure if people use that for their suitcase, the top of the dresser, or if they just put the suitcase on the floor in the closet since that is the most out of the way place.

I personally only use closets when I am traveling and unpack clothes.

AprilZ81 · January 2016

This is a tough one. Have you considered getting things off Craigslist and then either reselling them or keeping it in the unit and have it be "partially furnished"?

short+sassy · January 2016

csuave said:

How many people are on the reservation? If it is only 2 then you should only need minimal furniture.

We only offer a closet for our bnb....no dresser drawers. We have a folding chair. I'm not sure if people use that for their suitcase, the top of the dresser, or if they just put the suitcase on the floor in the closet since that is the most out of the way place.

I personally only use closets when I am traveling and unpack clothes.

Thanks! I should have included that info. It's 6 adults, so it's a lot!

I was upfront I usually use the space for permanent tenants and rent furniture when it is a vacation rental. I gave them the option of using the living room as a 3rd bedroom or I could rent living room furniture with a fold-out couch. They chose the fold-out couch option.

I like the folding chair idea. Cheap, but great to put a suitcase on. I don't think a dresser is necessary...and would definitely be an additional item to rent...but just want to make I'm not being biased by my wallet, lol.

And, really. These people are coming out for Mardi Gras. I'm sure they view my rental home as merely a place to crash and shower, when they come stumbling home from Bourbon St. at 5AM. Though, of course, I still want my house to be comfortable and presentable for them.

short+sassy · January 2016

AprilZ81 said:

This is a tough one. Have you considered getting things off Craigslist and then either reselling them or keeping it in the unit and have it be "partially furnished"?

For larger furniture pieces, I've tossed around the idea of keeping it furnished just for my occasional AirBnB uses. But, AirBnB isn't something I do often and...at least in my area...furnished apartments are more a detraction than an attraction. Except kitchens, most landlords provide kitchen appliances and I do as well.

And furniture doesn't seem to sell very well on CL where I live. I've tried selling a couch a few years ago for like $50 and had no takers. One of my previous tenants tried to sell a couch that was one year old and looked great, also no takers.

If I do end up buying extra accessory items, I would try to sell those back on CL. But I'd be buying them with the idea there is a good chance I couldn't resell them.

In fact, Mardi Gras two years ago, I rented to a bunch of fraternity guys. But it was last minute when they contacted me...in fact I was about to take my ad off craig's list. I initially told them "no" because the apartment didn't have furniture and was going to be too late and too much hassle to try and rent some. I laughed and said, "I could do $150 night (half what I'd been asking) since there is no furniture. But it is truly an empty apartment." Thinking he wouldn't be interested. The guy said, "We don't care, we'll sleep on the floor. But do you have a fridge? You mention one." I verified I had a fridge, a stove, and a washer/dryer.

Sure enough, they came with sleeping bags and blankets and just camped out on the floors. I provided towels, but they actually brought those also. I made the mistake of not asking how many were coming. Holy crap, there was like a dozen of them.

Probably not my wisest move in hindsight. But it actually worked out great. They were nice guys. Didn't cause any damage. Left a lot of trash...but also left a lot of half empty liquor bottles (including Patron, yes!) and a bunch of unopened beers.

Quiet overall, mainly because they weren't there most of the time, but my favorite moment...they briefly stopped at the house around 10PM one night between their partying...and as a group were chanting, "Boobies! Boobies! Boobies!" as they were walking from their car to the front door. My H and I still die of laughter when we remember that.

AprilZ81 · January 2016

Ooh... What about Ikea? Not to expensive and basic. Do you have an Ikea close by?

short+sassy · January 2016

AprilZ81 said:

Ooh... What about Ikea? Not to expensive and basic. Do you have an Ikea close by?

No, no Ikeas. What a shame! They do have nice, inexpensive stuff. I actually checked their website because I wasn't sure. There are NO Ikeas in all of Louisiana and Mississippi.

julieanne912 · January 2016

How about contacting a home stager? They often have a warehouse full of furniture they use for staging homes. In my experience, local ones are cheaper than places like Cort or Brooks. I used to work for one and we would totally rent things out to people if they needed us to, with the appropriate security deposits.

If you do end up having to buy some stuff, check into local Facebook buy/sell/trade groups. I've found those to be way more effective to sell things than Craigslist these days, since they can be as local as your own neighborhood.

AprilZ81 · January 2016

short+sassy said:

AprilZ81 said:

Ooh... What about Ikea? Not to expensive and basic. Do you have an Ikea close by?

No, no Ikeas. What a shame! They do have nice, inexpensive stuff. I actually checked their website because I wasn't sure. There are NO Ikeas in all of Louisiana and Mississippi.

They can ship but it can take a few weeks so that might not be a good option.

LillibetteV · January 2016

Do you have a basement or attic where you could store rental furniture when the unit is being used by long term tenants? It's more of a pain, but it will also give you more flexibility. And if other people struggle to sell on Craigslist you definitely should be able to get some good deals! Also see if there is a Buy Nothing Project in your area - it's a great way to either acquire free items or borrow them from your neighbors.

When I'm looking at vacation rentals my expectations will vary depending on price, but for something cheap and basic I look for at least a bed, a table/chairs to eat at, and kitchen utensils. If it's more expensive then I might want a living room, bedside tables, a place to unpack my clothes, etc.

brij2006 · January 2016

I would just use as many things from my own home for the short interim and fill in any void with Craigslist or thrift store items. I would probably even sleep on an air mattress myself for that weekend, so they could have my bed to sleep in.

For "how much" furniture to have. Definitely a table and chairs for them to be able to eat at. Especially since there are 6 adults. Then each bedroom, a bed, nightstand, and something to put their luggage on. Whether that's a folding chair or an actual fold out luggage rack. For the living room, I would do the fold out couch since you already offered that, then a couple of accent chairs and a coffee table.

You can always accessorize with local items. So menus from the local restaurants nearby, a few pamphlets about the history of the city, etc. Contact your chamber of commerce and they will usually have loads of material you can have to set out. Put those on the coffee table, a kitchen counter, etc. Along with a mason jar with pens/pencils, pad of paper, and maybe a bottle of wine the guests can split. Simple is good.

short+sassy · January 2016

julieanne912 said:

How about contacting a home stager? They often have a warehouse full of furniture they use for staging homes. In my experience, local ones are cheaper than places like Cort or Brooks. I used to work for one and we would totally rent things out to people if they needed us to, with the appropriate security deposits.

If you do end up having to buy some stuff, check into local Facebook buy/sell/trade groups. I've found those to be way more effective to sell things than Craigslist these days, since they can be as local as your own neighborhood.

Thanks! I guess I figured home stagers would come up in my yellow pages search for rental furniture...and only CORT did...but maybe not. I remember you used to be a REA. I'll contact mine and see if she has any referrals for cheap ones. I don't usually use FB so I hadn't thought of it, but I have heard they have good buy/sell/trade groups. I'll check that out.

Oh! Plus on a different subject, I need a nice used washer/dryer and electric stove for one of the units in the duplex I bought a few months ago. FB might be a good option for that also. CL hasn't had much in the way of stoves the last few times I've checked.

short+sassy · January 2016

LillibetteV said:

Do you have a basement or attic where you could store rental furniture when the unit is being used by long term tenants? It's more of a pain, but it will also give you more flexibility. And if other people struggle to sell on Craigslist you definitely should be able to get some good deals! Also see if there is a Buy Nothing Project in your area - it's a great way to either acquire free items or borrow them from your neighbors.

When I'm looking at vacation rentals my expectations will vary depending on price, but for something cheap and basic I look for at least a bed, a table/chairs to eat at, and kitchen utensils. If it's more expensive then I might want a living room, bedside tables, a place to unpack my clothes, etc.

Nope, no basement or attic. I do have a large storage shed, but its not big enough for that much furniture. Plus, there is no temperature control for it, so things like mattresses and upholstered items wouldn't do well.

It's not cheap as in the price itself ($275/night), but it's a bargain compared to the competition. For example, my previous landlady who I keep in touch with, now rents where I used to live exclusively on AirBnB. It's 150 sq. ft. bigger, but still a 2 bd, about 1/4 mile away from me. She is getting $400/night for the same weekend.

I'm a little surprised that both yourself and @brij2006 have mentioned a table and chairs. It's not something I would ever provide. There's just no place to put one, without sacrificing a bedroom. But I will be providing a coffee table (mine) and yet more end tables (ugh) in the living room for that purpose. Really, they might eat breakfast in the house, but I seriously doubt they'd eat any other meals there. After all, it is NOLA, lol.

short+sassy · January 2016

brij2006 said:

I would just use as many things from my own home for the short interim and fill in any void with Craigslist or thrift store items. I would probably even sleep on an air mattress myself for that weekend, so they could have my bed to sleep in.

For "how much" furniture to have. Definitely a table and chairs for them to be able to eat at. Especially since there are 6 adults. Then each bedroom, a bed, nightstand, and something to put their luggage on. Whether that's a folding chair or an actual fold out luggage rack. For the living room, I would do the fold out couch since you already offered that, then a couple of accent chairs and a coffee table.

You can always accessorize with local items. So menus from the local restaurants nearby, a few pamphlets about the history of the city, etc. Contact your chamber of commerce and they will usually have loads of material you can have to set out. Put those on the coffee table, a kitchen counter, etc. Along with a mason jar with pens/pencils, pad of paper, and maybe a bottle of wine the guests can split. Simple is good.

I actually meant accessories as in furniture accessories, like end tables, tv stand, etc. I briefly considered using our bed for one of the beds, but that is one piece of furniture that would really be a hassle to move back and forth. Plus I only have a Hollywood frame (no headboard), so it would look a bit incomplete. As such, I'm still going to rent two beds .

But, yes, I always provide a typed informational sheet that includes restaurant/entertainment recommendations and useful info...like the closest grocery store, the number for Dominoe's, etc. In this case, I'll also be providing a parade schedule. It never occurred to me to stop at the Chamber of Commerce. I'd bet they do have good giveaway info.

One of my surprise treats is I'm going to have a King Cake ready for them in the kitchen. It's an extremely popular bakery item that is synonymous with Mardi Gras. And even a good sized one is less than $10.

I also provide a bag of a local, very good quality coffee. Plus condiments like salt/pepper, mayo, ketchup, mustard, salad dressing. Simply because, when I've stayed at vacation condos in FL, it irritates me to have to buy that stuff just for the few days I'll be staying there. Not that I expected it, but if it is no big deal to provide that for my guests, I might as well. I also provide towels, laundry and dish detergent, oven mitts, dish towels, silverware, plates, cups, paper towels, toiletries, etc...all that stuff you need in a house, but never think about, lol.

LillibetteV · January 2016

short+sassy said: LillibetteV said: Do you have a basement or attic where you could store rental furniture when the unit is being used by long term tenants? It's more of a pain, but it will also give you more flexibility. And if other people struggle to sell on Craigslist you definitely should be able to get some good deals! Also see if there is a Buy Nothing Project in your area - it's a great way to either acquire free items or borrow them from your neighbors.
When I'm looking at vacation rentals my expectations will vary depending on price, but for something cheap and basic I look for at least a bed, a table/chairs to eat at, and kitchen utensils. If it's more expensive then I might want a living room, bedside tables, a place to unpack my clothes, etc. Nope, no basement or attic. I do have a large storage shed, but its not big enough for that much furniture. Plus, there is no temperature control for it, so things like mattresses and upholstered items wouldn't do well.It's not cheap as in the price itself ($275/night), but it's a bargain compared to the competition. For example, my previous landlady who I keep in touch with, now rents where I used to live exclusively on AirBnB. It's 150 sq. ft. bigger, but still a 2 bd, about 1/4 mile away from me. She is getting $400/night for the same weekend.I'm a little surprised that both yourself and @brij2006 have mentioned a table and chairs. It's not something I would ever provide. There's just no place to put one, without sacrificing a bedroom. But I will be providing a coffee table (mine) and yet more end tables (ugh) in the living room for that purpose. Really, they might eat breakfast in the house, but I seriously doubt they'd eat any other meals there. After all, it is NOLA, lol.

Depending on the length of stay I personally like to swing in to a grocery store and cook a few meals or even just get take-out. For example our honeymoon was 2 weeks long and we decided to splurge on one crazy expensive fancy-pants dinner that was really memorable and make a lot of other meals at the condo we were staying in, plus a few cheap breakfasts and lunches out. I'd rather spend our money that way than eat out for every meal and have none of them be special and memorable.

(PS - I suck at getting the quotes/reply thing right so it all nests properly!)

short+sassy · January 2016

@LillibetteV, oh yes! I totally understand that for a long stay. Or an area where the food is overpriced and lame...like when my H and I rent a condo in the Gulf Coast of FL, lol. We were there for 4 nights. For ALL our meals, I think we only ate out 4-5 times. And that includes only once for dinner. We cooked our own thing or made sandwiches the majority of the time.

However, this group is only coming for 3 nights. I WISH they were coming for a lot longer. It would make the cost of renting furniture vs. the amount of their stay more of a mute point.

Now for fun I'm picturing if I was staying for two weeks somewhere with a kitchen, in a food mecca like NYC, if I would cook in some. Some breakfasts, yes. Other than that. Nope. I'd go home broke and 20 lbs. heavier, lol. I am seriously irresponsible when it comes to food and travel.

short+sassy · February 2016

Update:

Phew! I just rented the furniture last night. It ended up not being as bad as I expected.

I was able to get a bedroom set for $80/each bedroom. $160 total. For the living room, I rented just a fold out couch for $100. So, $260 all in. And that is the price for the entire two weeks that they require.

I'm doing some supplementing with my own furniture, but at least it is things I already have (coffee table, love seat, tv, tv stand).

One of the associates had originally told me it was going to be $164 for one week for the two bedrooms. Either he meant two weeks or I misunderstood, but that was what sent me into my original tizzy.

After I account for some incidentals, my cost should be around $300. Their stay is $800, so a $500 profit. Not bad for a long weekend!

Update: Renting furniture? Other options?

Re: Update: Renting furniture? Other options?

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