People in the UK are used to renting many things. Homes, cars, boats, even jewellery and evening clothes. However, there are some items that you may not think of renting, or even know that it is possible to rent. A good example of this is with furniture
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Furniture rental is quite common in some countries, such as the USA, possibly because long-distance moves are more common there. If you are moving a long way from home for a relatively short time, for an academic year, for example, or as part of a work contract, it makes more sense to rent your furniture than it does to spend a small fortune moving it across vast distances repeatedly. The UK is a much smaller country, so internal moves are shorter and generally more affordable. However, those of us in the UK can still benefit from furniture rental in some circumstances.
Why rent, not buy?
For many UK landlords, rental properties are their bread and butter and the basis of their future security. It is crucial for them to attract the best quality tenants available, as quickly as possible after a property becomes vacant. This is particularly true of rental properties at the mid-to-upper end of the market. If the property is not usually let furnished, the short-term use of appropriate rental furniture can be a highly effective marketing technique. Rental furniture can, if circumstances require, be left in place while a tenant awaits the arrival of their own furniture, or for the course of the tenancy.
Rent to sell
Similarly, homeowners who want to sell their property may rent furniture to ‘dress’ it and attract buyers. It is well known that a well presented home is likely to sell more quickly and attract a higher price than its more drab competitors. Given that furniture can be rented for very short periods, such as the eight or nine weeks it usually takes for a house sale to go from offer to completion, it is a great way to make an empty or down-at-heel property look much more stylish and attractive.
Corporate advantage
Businesses that host visiting staff from overseas will often rent and furnish homes on behalf of their visitors for periods that may range from a few weeks to several years. Some companies will need furniture to go into business premises such as offices, venues or show homes. Furniture rental can work well in these situations because the loan terms can be extended or reduced according to need and the furniture is removed by the supplier at the end of the term, so there is no need to spend time or money on disposal. The rental of furniture for business purposes is generally tax deductible as a business expense and for VAT-registered businesses, the VAT can be reclaimed. Therefore in business, as elsewhere, the advantages of rental over purchased furniture are clear.