September is one of the busiest times of year for student landlords. After a summer of empty properties, cleaning, changeovers and maintenance, a new group of students is set to move into their accommodation for the new academic year.
If your property needs new furniture, now is the time to get it sorted.
Whether you are furnishing a first student HMO, replacing tired furniture in a current property or extending your rental portfolio, the right student furniture package can make the job considerably easier.
And when you are working against the clock before the new university year begins, being able to have it delivered and installed for you can be a particularly attractive option.
What does a student furniture package include?
One of the main benefits of buying a furniture package is not having to individually source every piece of furniture.
A good student property requires more than just beds; bedrooms need suitable storage and bedside furniture, while communal areas need somewhere for the tenants to sit, eat and socialise.
For example, the Alba furniture package from Furnishing Packs includes an Eloise double bed, Alba two-door wardrobe, Alba bedside table and Alba four-drawer chest for each bedroom. It also includes communal dining and living furniture, such as a Miami dining table, Goya dining chairs, a Firenze coffee table and Monza two-seater sofa.
As the number of items increase with the size of the property, the package is suitable for a one to four bedroom properties.
This means instead of spending hours creating your own furniture list and making sure everything works together, you can choose a package designed to be a complete solution.
Student properties need furniture that can take some punishment
Let’s be honest, student accommodation is not always the easiest environment to look after furniture in.
Tenants change every year, communal areas get plenty of use and bedrooms are lived in for months at a time. This means furniture needs to look good when the next group of students arrive, not just when the property is first furnished.
That’s why durability is so important.
The student furniture packages from Furnishing Packs are designed for high-turnover rental properties, using durable, easy-clean materials intended to withstand the repeated tenancy changeovers.
This is an important consideration for a student landlord.
The cheapest furniture you can find might not actually be the cheapest when considering the lifetime of your property. If wardrobes, beds, sofas and other items need replacing regularly, the costs add up.
A better approach is to choose practical, durable and student-friendly furniture that is designed to look good in a rental property.
It doesn’t all have to look like a traditional student house
Student accommodation has evolved. Students have more choice than ever and landlords are competing to make their properties attractive to prospective tenants.
This doesn’t mean you need to turn your HMO into a luxury hotel, but a property that looks clean, modern and well-furnished can make a much better impression than one with mismatched or worn-out furniture.
This is where choosing a coordinated furniture package can be beneficial.
The Alba collection, for example, combines white and black finishes with marble-effect tones in the living room to create a more contemporary look. The bedroom furniture feature matching wardrobes, bedside tables and chests to give the rooms a consistent appearance, rather than everything looking like it has been bought separately.
And Alba isn’t the only option. Furnishing Packs offers a range of student furniture packages, that include different styles and price points to suit different properties and budgets.
How much does it cost to furnish a student property?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer, because the cost depends on the size of the property and the furniture package you choose.
The Malvern collection, for example, starts from £1,650 + VAT for a one-bedroom property, increasing to £2,250 for two bedrooms, £2,800 for three bedrooms and £3,450 for four bedrooms.
Other student furniture packages start from slightly higher price points, giving landlords the option to choose a package based on their budget and the standard they want to achieve.
Looking at the overall service rather than simply comparing the cost of individual pieces of furniture has to be considered.
How much time would you spend:
- Finding beds and mattresses
- Sourcing wardrobes and bedroom storage
- Choosing sofas and dining furniture
- Comparing different suppliers
- Arranging multiple deliveries
- Building the furniture
- Removing packaging and waste
- Getting the property ready for tenants
When you add this up, a complete furniture package can be very attractive.
The biggest benefit for a landlord is it’s hands-off
For many student landlords, time is just as valuable as money.
You might own several properties, live nowhere near the property you are furnishing or simply don’t have the time to spend a weekend putting together flat-pack wardrobes.
This is where the Furnishing Packs service comes in handy.
The team handles delivery and installation, with the furniture assembled and arranged on-site. Once the installation is complete, waste and packaging is removed and the property is vacuumed, leaving it ready for occupation.
You don’t necessarily even need to be at the property.
Furnishing Packs can coordinate with your letting agent, concierge or another nominated person to arrange access. In some circumstances, the installation team can also use a key safe, if this has been agreed in advance.
For a busy student landlord, this can remove a huge amount of hassle.
Getting your student property ready for September
If your next tenants are moving in over the coming weeks, don’t leave the furniture until the last minute. Walk through the property and look at it from the perspective of a new tenant.
- Are the beds and bedroom furniture still in good condition?
- Do the wardroves provide enough storage?
- Does the living room look modern and inviting?
- Is the dining furniture still suitable for the number of tenants?
If the answer to several of those questions is no, it could be time to consider replacing the furniture, rather than continuing with another tenancy and dealing with individual replacements as they break.
For landlords with multiple properties, this can be an opportunity to standardise your furniture. Using the same or similar packages across a portfolio can make future replacements easier and give your properties a more consistent standard.
What should student landlords look for in a furniture package?
Before choosing a package, there are a few things worth considering.
- Durability: Student properties experience high turnover, so furniture needs to be able to cope with the use.
- Practicality: Every piece of furniture should have a purpose and fit inside the space.
- Style: A modern, coordinated property can make a stronger impression on prospective tenants.
- Value: Looking at the complete package and service rather than simply the price of individual pieces of furniture.
- Delivery and installation: Knowing who is responsible for getting the furniture into the property and assembling it can save you a lot of hassle.
- Flexibility: Your property might not exactly need the items that are included in a standard package. Furnishing Packs can add or remove items from packages to suit individual requirements.
Get your student property ready for the new academic year
With students returning to university over the next few weeks, now is the time to make sure your property is ready.
A complete student furniture package can take a lot of the work out of furnishing a rental property, providing you with coordinated bedroom, living and dining furniture, without having to source everything individually.
Furnishing Packs has a range of packages designed for student landlords and high-turnover rental properties, including options such as Alba, Ives, Leon, Scandi, Madrid and Hoxton. Delivery, professional installation and waste removal is included, providing a genuinely hands-off way to furnish your property.
So, if your student property needs a refresh before the next tenancy begins, it may be worth getting your furniture sorted now, before everyone else starts preparing for the new academic year.
Explore the student furniture packages from Furnishing Packs and find the right option for your property.