As a landlord, you can put your property up for rent as either furnished or unfurnished. If you choose the latter, then you may be wondering what exactly you have to provide, especially if you’re new to property investing. You don’t need to have furniture but what else can be missing? But what should a UK landlord provide in an unfurnished property?
Here we’re going to answer all of your questions. We’ll see what should a landlord provide in an unfurnished property UK, your legal obligations, and answer some FAQs.
Let’s get started by looking at what unfurnished actually means.
What Should A Landlord Provide In An Unfurnished Property UK
What Does Unfurnished Mean?
As a landlord, you have the option of renting out your property furnished or unfurnished. But what does unfurnished mean, exactly? An unfurnished property generally includes carpeting, fixtures/fittings, and large appliances.
However, it does not come with larger furniture such as beds, sofas, dining room tables etc. Whether you choose to rent out your property furnished or unfurnished is ultimately up to you. Some landlords prefer to furnish their properties in order to attract tenants who are looking for a move-in ready home.
Others prefer to leave the property unfurnished so that tenants can personalize the space to their own taste.
What Should A Landlord Provide?
If you’re going down the unfurnished route, there are a few basics that you will need to include in your property. We have a run down here.
Safety
Smoke Alarm and Carbon Monoxide Detector
A smoke detector is required for each floor of the property. You will also need a carbon monoxide detector if you have either a coal fire or a wood-burning stove. If you don’t have these then a carbon monoxide detector isn’t required but is still a good thing to have.
You may also need to follow specific fire safety regulations, especially if the property is a flat or apartment.
Gas Safety Certificate
This is required for each gas appliance. Electrical appliances don’t need certified checks but the landlord must ensure that they are safe. Fire extinguishers may also be required if you have multiple tenants in the same large property.
Energy Performance Certificate
This certificate will show how energy efficient the property is and will also give an estimate of energy costs for the tenant, presuming they are paying for it. The certificate may also include recommendations to improve your rating.
Health and Safety Inspections
This isn’t often required but maybe if your tenant has requested one or the council deems it necessary. If required, the council may demand improvement before you can rent the property, but this is rare.
Basic Requirements
There are also many basic requirements that are fairly obvious, these include:
- Doors with Locks
- Windows
- Fences
- Heating
- Bathroom Fittings
- Kitchen Fittings
- Light Fittings
- Carpets and/or Flooring
A landlord doesn’t need to provide curtains and blinds but it is best to do so. These are bespoke for each property and it may affect your chances of getting a good tenant if you don’t include them. Not providing them also means the tenant would need to do a DIY job in your property, which you may not be comfortable with.
Appliances
A landlord doesn’t need to provide white goods/appliances in a property. These include:
- Washing Machine
- Dishwasher
- Cooker
- Fridge/Freezer
Whether you should provide these or not is another matter. Washing machines and fridges will be expected by some tenants, but not others. A cooker will always be expected and it would be hard to let a property without one.
It’s up to the landlord whether or not to supply these. While prospective tenants often have their own furniture that they can move in, they usually don’t have white goods. Due to this, they may look elsewhere after viewing the property.
Making your property more livable will most likely allow you to have a better pool of potential tenants to choose from. And, in turn, this can increase your chances of having a great tenant.
Above Average Maintenance
Your tenant will be expected to maintain the property to an average standard. This will include ensuring that the garden doesn’t become overgrown but also doing general maintenance. What they aren’t expected to do is maintain specialist features.
A good example is if you had a pond in the garden. The tenant wouldn’t be expected to feed the fish, change the filters, clean it out etc. The landlord would either need to do this themselves, come to an agreement or hire someone to do it.
Before renting out your property, it’s good to think about what you expect the tenant to maintain. If there is anything specific then it’s important to mention this before signing contracts.
What Should A Landlord Provide In An Unfurnished Property UK? – FAQs
What should come with an unfurnished property?
Legally you need to make the property livable with basics such as lights, flooring, heating, fixtures and fittings. Along with this, you need to ensure the property is safe with smoke alarms, gas certificates, and an energy performance certificate.
The likes of bins, blinds/curtains, basic household items and large appliances aren’t legally required but may be expected by a prospective tenant.
Do landlords have to provide white goods UK?
A landlord does not need to provide white goods in the UK. White goods is a dated term for large kitchen appliances such as a washing machines, fridge and freezer. While not required, a landlord will often have these in an unfurnished property.
This is partly as a tenant will probably expect them. If you’re in an area which doesn’t have a huge demand for rental properties, it’s probably a good idea to include them.
Do landlords have to supply a cooker UK?
Landlords are not legally required to supply a cooker in the UK. As with white goods, this will often be expected by a tenant and would be a huge negative when they come to view the property. Not having a cooker would make selling your property significantly more difficult.
Do landlords have to provide curtains?
Landlords to not have to provide curtains. While that is true, there are a couple of good reasons to do so. Firstly, it will make the property more attractive to tenants. Secondly, it prevents the tenant from having to do DIY work which you may not want.
Do landlords have to provide carpets?
Landlords in the UK have to provide adequate flooring. That is, the floors cannot be left bare concrete or exposed floorboards. This doesn’t have to be carpet as it can be other types of flooring. Either way, the bare surface needs to be covered.
What repairs are landlords responsible for UK?
Landlords are responsible for what they legally have to provide in the property. So, if it’s in the lists above, it needs to be repaired. For example, if there is a problem with the lighting fixtures then it’s up to the landlord to repair this.
However, it’s not up to the landlord to repair the likes of washing machines or blinds. This is true even if they were there when the client moved it, unless this was in the contract. Many landlords will decide to repair/replace appliances, even if not legally required to do so.
How many sets of keys should a landlord provide UK?
Only one set of keys needs to be provided by the landlord. Many landlords will give at least two sets of keys to make life easier. With keys, a landlord (or letting agent) is not entitled to have their own key to access the property.
While there is nothing under law, you can have it as a term of the contract that the landlord can hold a key and that the tenant can’t change the locks. Without this in the contract, the landlord can’t have a spare key unless given permission by the tenant.
Does a landlord need to provide WIFI?
No, a landlord doesn’t need to provide WiFi. It almost certainly won’t be expected by the tenant either. However, in a multi-tenant property, it can make sense to provide WiFi and you can always charge for the cost as this can make it much simpler for the tenants.
Who is responsible for boiler in rented property?
The landlord will be responsible for the boiler as the landlord needs to ensure that the home can be heated. This can be a headache for landlords as the repairs can not only be costly be need to be carried out immediately. Therefore it’s a good idea to have insurance or a partnership with a trusted heat engineer.
Final Thoughts
A landlord is expected to make the property safe and livable. This means ensuring all electric and gas appliances are checked, and basic requirements such as heating and carpets are available. As you can see from our lists, however, a landlord doesn’t legally need to provide a lot in an unfurnished property.
On top of the legal requirements, many landlords choose to include the likes of white goods, blinds/curtains and cookers in their property. This can make your property much easier to rent and allow you choose from a better field of potential tenants.