Fully Furnished and/or Serviced Apartments – REALLY? More of foolery furnished!

How underwhelming is the Kenyan rental market that it constantly presents us with a set of extremely lazy landlords and mediocre real estate agents who copy and paste the word fully furnished or serviced apartments on their listings then peg racketeer rental prices on those old mud and thatched looking like apartments. 2019? That is what you call FULLY FURNISHED?

Before detesting and saying who died and made Adelante Homes an eminence to set such standards, please remember that class at this day and age is just COMMON SENSE. Let us educate you. This post will help break down the requisites to look for in a fully furnished apartment. We have compiled a list of what should be included in your furnished space. As you’re planning your move, keeping these items in mind can help you understand what you need to find in that space and what should forever stay in the attic or the village.

If you’re a business traveler, you’re going to want an even higher level of guaranteed amenities and service. We urge you to try the Adelante Homes’ Business Stay Approved Program just for that reason.

Furnished apartments should speak the language of comfort, space, security, privacy, modern amenities and a bargain. Whether you are going for a full term tenancy or a short-term rental, get the standard right. Legally speaking, a short-term rental is rented for less than thirty days and attracts no security deposits. The short-term rental market is dominated by big players like Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO and soon, Adelante Homes! Airbnb got its start with “home-sharing” but a lot of their inventory is now fully independent living quarters. There are still companies like Couchsurfing.com focused exclusively on home-sharing if you’re looking for a more community-oriented stay experience.

With that out of the way, here’s a basic outline of what furnished rentals should include:

  • Living room furniture– Neat Couches, dining and coffee tables, end tables, desks and a beautiful wall unit should all be included. Landlords, can you please have upscale furniture in your homes to match the bizarre rental amounts you list your apartments? Thank you.
  • Bedroom furniture– At the minimum, a 5*6” Bed(s), dresser(s), nightstand(s) and closet storage should definitely be included in your rental.  Bedding: linens should be also included (white sheets, singular colur duvets, comforters, pillow cases, and other blankets.). Don’t be that Landlord issuing a tenant a bare mattress with beach towels as blankets. Pathetic.
  • Little furniture and accessories– The closet should have hangers and organization type stuff. CLEAN CURTAINS AND SHEERS PLEASE! Lamps, wastebaskets and a clock radio should be also available for use. Can we please have homes that have decorative plants and wall artwork guaranteed? Thank you.
  • Electronics & entertainment– Big Deal! HD flat screen TV, powerful all in one HI-FI stereo equipment, DSTV or ZUKU premium and a 10mbs plus Wi-Fi provision. Fingers crossed for a working telephone that has adequate airtime and a set of motivation books to read for the tenant. Offer a gaming system for the kids and teenagers.
  • Kitchen – Another Big Deal! These basics should always be available, including:  appliances (refrigerator, microwave, toaster, oven, cooker and coffee maker.) cookware, bakeware, dish towels and scrubbing gear, potholders, utensils, dishes for the dining, and a mixture of spatulas, peelers, serviettes, measuring cups and spoons and other cooking gear. Additionally, there should be some minimal spices like salt and pepper shakers. Can we get luckier and get a can opener, wine opener, tupperware and maybe a dishwasher?
  • Bathroom– Of course there should be a toilet and shower/bath. You should find a hot shower provision, bathroom sink, multiple towels, shampoo, shower gel, bath rugs, hair-drier, tissue paper, shower cap, shower curtains and sink accessories like a toothbrush holder or cup.
  • Cleaning supplies– Hint hint, they want you to use it! A mop and/or possibly a vacuum cleaner should be there. Your mom is not included in the furnished rental, so keep that in mind when the dishes and dirt starts to pile up.
  • Laundry – There should also be laundry essentials like an iron and ironing board and potentially even a washer and dryer. If there is a laundry facility for you to use, then you will have to buy your own detergent Mr and Mrs. Tenant.
  • Neighborhood and Amenities– check out for en-suite rooms, car parking spaces, balconies, swimming pool and changing rooms, fully actually well-equipped gym, BBQ area, children’s playground, landscape gardens, high speed lifts, sanitary wear, borehole, 24hr state of the art security and CCTV, video intercom, solar water heating, full back up generator, infrastructure and other improvements.
  • Additional services – Do they have a housekeeping service? Laundry service? Worth asking, because again, fully furnished. A great example is the alarm monitoring and weekly cleaning.

As you are searching for the perfect furnished place with the perfect furnishings, understand your specific tastes. Bringing your own artwork or little trinkets around the house can be an easy way to spice up your pad without ruining anything that you’ll be liable for later. Landlords please have your furnishings in a neutral color to avoid turning off the general plane jane renter.

Making yourself at home in your furnished space should be easier than you think. Incase of any difficulty, talk to us: homes@adelante.co.ke – Adelante Homes – At Any Cost.