Neutral Furniture is Best

In order to make your property rent quickly, try to make it appeal to as large a market as possible. Just as when you are trying to sell a house quickly, so when you wish to achieve rent a flat quickly then neutral is the key. Avoid making your flats overly feminine – pretty floral curtains and pink-tinged furniture will alienate the male market and also many of today’s modern women; by the same token, overly masculine flats could alienate prospective female tenants. Try to choose furniture that will appeal to both sexes, regardless of whether the tenant is a young professional or an older divorcee.

In our experience with renting flats in Ipswich and throughout Suffolk and Essex, we found that a natural wood finish (for example, birch or beech) appeals to most people.

Coordinating Furniture Can Save You Money

Providing that you coordinate the furniture throughout the flat, there is no need to spend a lot of money on very high quality furniture. The average professional tenant likes matching, modern furniture. If it blends together into a modern cohesive look and it looks clean and attractive, then furniture from a retailer such as IKEA is perfectly acceptable.

In our flats to rent in Ipswich, we use birch-effect kitchen cupboards, birch-effect furniture (from IKEA) in the lounge and dining-rooms, warm-toned cream leather sofas (from Ebay or sale items from local furniture stores) and red/brown accessories throughout. Prospective tenants often walk in as say "Wow! This is so much better than the other flats I’ve seen" and flats generally rent fairly quickly.

Colour schemes for a Quick Rental

When we first started renting our Ipswich flats, we chose dark blue sofas that wouldn’t show the dirt. Unfortunately, the sofas were a cold shade of blue and, once they were in the north-facing lounge, they made the room look very cold and uninviting. The flat did not rent quickly and it needed a very careful selection of accessories to make it rent at all.

Today, we furnish all flats with warm colours. The sofas, chair coverings and curtains are all a warm shade of cream (a neutral colour) and just the odd touches of red or rust appear in accessories such as cushions, table mats, china and ornaments.

Think Like a Prospective Tenant

When choosing furniture for your rental flat, put yourself into the shoes of a prospective tenant to ensure that you are providing furniture that not only looks good but that will meet their needs as well.

Flat kitchens need a modern cooker, adequate storage space (cupboards, fridge and freezer) and both washing AND drying equipment.

The master bedroom needs, at a minimum, a double bed (larger beds are appreciated) and sufficient storage space. Most professionals would not consider a single bed acceptable for anything other than a guest bedroom.

The lounge / dining area needs to allow tenants to sit in comfort (sofas are more comfortable than chairs) and also to eat at a table.

Beyond this, extras such as a computer table, bookcase and TV stand are likely to be appreciated by most modern tenants. Little things like coat hooks make their life more comfortable once they have moved in.