Renting: Price for furnished vs unfurnished

[cookiesap]

We are moving to Singapore in a few months and just a few quick q's:

- If apartments are listed as furnished, are landlords typically willing to remove the furniture if we bring our own furniture?

- If yes, is there typically a reduction in the rental price?

- What's the approx. split between furnished and unfurnished apartments in typical expat neighborhoods (not just Holland Village)?

Thank you.

[sundaymorningstaple]

If it's furnished, it will probably stay furnished as the LL would have to rent storage facilities to store the furniture, so while they could store it, you rent would have to be jacked up to cover the cost of the storage facilities. This is the Little Red Dot where space is at a premium.

[beppi]

The rent difference between furnished and unfurnished is near Zero, mainly because the furniture you get is also worth nearly nothing.
If you want good quality (or your own style) instead of leftovers, bring yours and be prepared to pay more for the storage of their junk ("treasures", they will invariably say).

[cookiesap]

Thanks guys.

What storage fee are we talking about for a 100-120sqmt apt?

[x9200]

At least few hundred bucks. Monthly.

[JR8]

Landlords don't like the hassle of having to put their junk into storage.

The simple resolution is only to view unfurnished places.

[Mi Amigo]

One other point to keep in mind - at least in my experience, the term 'furnished' can have a very variable meaning as you look around for a place to rent here. In some cases, it seems to mean that there is a kitchen, bathroom (or 2 or 3), and a few random items of furniture here and there. But definitely not what you would call 'fully furnished' in, say, the UK. This can be to your advantage if (like us) you have some of your own furniture that you want to use.

I'd definitely echo the comments about landlords being unwilling to remove furniture. The standard response to such requests seems to be that the maid's room can be used to store the furniture you don't want to use (assuming you will not have a maid). We've usually had to do a fair amount of negotiation on that point, so far with success and without having to pay for storage, which I'd consider out of the question. At the end of the day it comes down to how badly you want a particular place and how keen the landlord is to have you as a tenant.

I'd also suggest searching the forum for discussions about whether or not to bring furniture from overseas. The general advice is to minimise the amount you bring - if you have expensive furniture back home it may not survive the environment here very well; if you have 'less expensive' furniture, it may be cheaper to just buy some basic stuff after you arrive. We brought our beds and a few other items and then went to Ikea to get bookshelves and that kind of stuff after we got here.

[Global Player]

- If apartments are listed as furnished, are landlords typically willing to remove the furniture if we bring our own furniture?

- What's the approx. split between furnished and unfurnished apartments in typical expat neighborhoods (not just Holland Village)?

1) No, as it would be additional effort for the landlord
2) My experience was about 30/70 furnished/unfurnished

The rent difference between furnished and unfurnished is near Zero, mainly because the furniture you get is also worth nearly nothing.

100% true