If you expect your lease – whether you are the owner of the flat or someone about to move – to last many years, then you will most likely also prefer the unfurnished option. Perhaps with just a fitted kitchenette and a working washing machine in the bathroom. Yet for many people looking for housing, exactly that situation – being handed the keys to a freshly cleared and repainted flat – can be a virtually unsolvable puzzle. They have neither a car nor the extra pairs of hands to help carry in and assemble furniture. All of this opens up room on the market for private and institutional investors offering truly turnkey rental housing. Often standardised, one flat much like the next. So who is interested in it?
Flats for students in Prague. Hassle-free.
One frequently mentioned group looking for at least partly, or preferably fully, furnished flats is students. And not just local ones, but above all international students, whose numbers keep rising thanks to Prague’s appeal and exchange programmes such as Erasmus+. According to Ministry of Education statistics, each academic year brings roughly ten thousand exchange students to Prague. As the condition of most halls of residence is currently far from dignified, many of them look for medium-term accommodation for six months to a year. They have relatively good budgets, as they increasingly come to study here from Western Europe, Canada or the USA. In the case of more upmarket properties, we are talking about so-called expats – people who come to the Czech Republic for well-paid jobs and expect to stay for several months to a few years. Their employer often helps them find a flat. For the assistants going through the listings, a furnished flat is far more attractive than an empty one. The situation is similar with “second homes” for commuters who travel to Prague from the regions and are looking for, say, a furnished studio flat just for a comfortable night’s sleep.
While in the Czech Republic the idea of a flat to live in still prevails, many house-hunters are really looking for a place to sleep 8 hours a day. Everything else they need is provided by the office of a multinational company
If you plan to offer a more modest sort of property, a huge market is opening up for you, linked for instance to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Plenty of people are still arriving in the safety of the Czech Republic, and they will not turn their noses up at older furniture, which you can often pick up for next to nothing. In their eyes, however, a flat becomes far more attractive when they know they have somewhere to lay their heads, and those of their children, right from day one.
Where to buy cheap furniture for a flat?
We have also put together five tips on where to buy cheap yet reasonably good-quality furniture for a flat intended for rent. While some are of the obvious variety (and you can already smell those iconic meatballs with peas, lingonberries and “fries on the side”), others may never have crossed your mind. 1. IKEA Yes, introducing the Swedish furniture chain IKEA may sound like carrying coals to Newcastle. But in recent years IKEA in the Czech Republic has introduced a number of new services that make furnishing a flat with its furniture and accessories far easier. From home delivery or delivery to pick-up points across the country to a professional assembly service right at the delivery address. So that you have everything taken care of. And one more hot tip: are you buying IKEA furniture for several properties at once? It may pay off to take a van to neighbouring Poland, where prices for completely identical items are often lower.
Weekend trips to the Swedish chain have become a fixture for many Czechs. Students from abroad appreciate that they already know the furniture and fittings in the flat and can use or repair them
2. Biano The Czech start-up Biano is one of the leading furniture comparison sites and retailers, reselling goods from several hundred local and international brands. For a long time Biano focused mainly on the second half of the Home & Decor business, that is interior décor and everything related to it. Today, though, you will find thousands of interesting pieces of furniture there, with fast delivery available. 3. Bonami A similar e-shop offering an endless supply of inspiration is Bonami. What is more, it operates in 12 countries, including Italy alongside Central and Eastern Europe. So it is fair to call it an internationally proven brand. Bonami focuses on design ideas and selling in the Shop the Look style. Picture an interactive catalogue of complete rooms in which you can click on any item and order it instantly. 4. Drevko and local carpenters If you are after higher-quality goods and like solid wood furniture, you should definitely not overlook the Drevko e-shop, which operates in the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. You can also visit manufacturers’ showrooms in Prague or head out to the regions, home to true enthusiasts such as Gregory nábytek, Wuders or Sedláček Wood. The quality of the craftsmanship and the durability of the furniture will, of course, be reflected in the dent to your wallet. 5. Second-hand furniture shops in Prague and the surrounding area Although their golden era is probably long gone, Prague is still home to several well-established second-hand furniture shops where you can turn up in person and snap up interesting pieces at even more interesting prices. That is especially true if you own, say, a flat in an older tenement building and want to furnish it with period pieces that fit the overall style and genius loci of the place. Do you own a flat intended for rent and do not know where to start? We may be just what you need. We can prepare the flat from top to bottom, find a tenant and then take care of managing the relationship, so that you can enjoy your money without a single worry. We can even guarantee your income when the flat happens to be empty. For more information write to sales@flatservice.cz or call +420 277 000 330. We are FLAT SERVICE.
