A Furnished Sublet--What is included?

What does it entail to rent a furnished home?

If you are looking at furnished rentals, keep in mind that it is rare to cherry pick of what you would like to keep. Usually, the owner has opted to rent out their home furnished since they do not want to incur the cost of renting stoage space. So, we have put together a list for both tenants and landlords of what is expected of a furnished sublet in Sweden.  If there is something that is crucial to you regarding inventory, make sure it gets into the contract as you cannot come back and renegotiate regarding inventory after you have moved in. That is how Danes work in a negotiation, but that is another blog entry altogether...

Definition of a furnished home.
The rule of thumb is that the tenant should be able move into the rental with a suitcase and their clothes on their back and comfortably live there for year. Hence all conveniences that you enjoy should be available. The list below is a suggested minimum requirement, but also keep in mind that it will vary depending on how may people there are in the tenant's family.

Generally:
Curtains and/or blinds in every window
Ceiling and floor lamps in every room
2 sets of bed linen for each bed
2 pillows for every bed
1 duvet per bed
1 matress cover per bed
4 bath towels per person
2 hand towels per person
4 kitchen towels
Vacuum cleaner
Ironing board
Iron
Bucket and mop
Kitchen depending on the family's size):
Dining table
2 - 6  chairs dependent on the size of the home
Garbage can
6 knives
6 forks
6 table spoons.
6 teaspoons
6 cups
6 plates
6 glasses
2 pots
1 frying pans
1 spatula
1 cooking spoon
1 whip
1 collander
Bowls for food preparation
Coffee maker
Tin opener
Cork screw
Scissors
Livingroom:
1 sofa
1 coffeetable
Rug
1 TV + cabinet or stand
Bedroom (per bedroom):
1 complete bed >140 cm wide (children's rooms are ok with smaller)
1 night stand/table
Closets
1 dresser/chest of drawers if there are no shelves or drawers in the closets.
Bathroom:
Waste basket
Toilet brush
Shower curtain if applicable

Keep in mind, that if nothing else has been agreed upon, the apartment will have to be cleared of all of your personal belongings, e.g. decoratives, books, cd's, dvd's, etc. All closets and storage spaces will have to be emptied. Do not leave things as for example old electronics, clothing, shoes, bags, etc.

For more tips regarding renting an apartment or house in Sweden, please visit www.residensportalen.com