'Partially Furnished' rental property

Gnasher86

Am looking at renting this property with my girlfriend. It is the first time we have lived together and looking at this area to rent first with the potential of buying in the future

I'm not allowed to post the link buts its 26 Castleton templepatrick, n.ireland and can be found on property pal

We have viewed the property separately, then together and decided we like it, the location and can afford the rent, albeit on the range of our budget. The only problem seems to be the furnishings that come with the house as the owner is still currently living there and still seems undecided about what furniture is staying and what is going and this has a huge knock on effect for us as the cost to fully furnish the house would push it out of our price range.

Am I legally entitled to an inventory before agreeing to anything and are there any legal requirements for a landlord when renting a property partially furnished, especially regarding curtains etc.

First time poster so please go easy, but any questions then please ask.

Thanks

japmis

If you want to rent the property, tell the landlord/lady which items you would need to be left behind to make this a viable option for you.

E.g. you would need the curtains, beds, sofas and kitchen white goods, but don't need the TV or whatever. I'm sure the LL will be happy to help and get a tenant in as soon as possible, if they can.

pmlindyloo

There are no legal requirements as regards partially furnished property. It is down to negotiation with the landlord. Any furnishing left must meet fire safety standards.

You need to be proactive about this and certainly do not put down any holding deposit (which you will lose if you don't take up the tenancy) before you have written confirmation of what is going to be left.

Once you have agreed what is ot be left then this needs to be specified on the inventory along with the 'state' of the furnishings. If you decide to take up the tenancy then check the inventory thoroughly and report any mistakes before you sign it. Also a good idea to take your own dated photographs as soon as you move in.

Haivng said all, that any furniture that you need does not have to cost a fortune. Look on freecyle, beg from family and friends. It can all be done very cheaply and then you can save up for new. The only thing I would recommend to be bought as new is a bed (perhaps an early birthday/Christmas present from family?)

When you are negotiating with landlord I would try to secure white goods and curtains at a minimum.

Friendly 'chat' is called for.

sandsni

Any decent LL will do a check-in and check-out inventory, but it's not compulsory. It just makes things a lot easier to sort out at the end of the tenancy. Some LLs will be flexible about what furniture you want to use, but it probably depends on how much storage space they have in reserve to store the unwanted items for future use. If the LL is currently living in the house and doesn't want to take furniture with them, you might get stuck with it. Unfortunately, if you can't afford to buy furniture yourself, you might have to take whatever is in the house (provided it's clean, in good repair, upholstery is fire-retardant etc.).

Just as an aside, if you're not averse to 2nd hand furniture, a lot of charity shops do good quality stuff a lot cheaper than new, so it might be worth looking into and would give you more options.

Slightly off-topic, but if this is your first time renting, don't forget to make sure your LL protects your deposit and provides you with the prescribed information within 28 days - it's compulsory now (since 1 April) in NI. Also, LL registration will be made compulsory in the next month or so, so make sure whatever LL you choose is aware of their responsibilities.