Does Renting Furniture Make Sense?

Renting furniture is a comparatively new movement in home decorating and it is here to stay. Millennials are the backbone of it but no one will turn you away even if you are a hundred years old. While some people embrace it others say that it’s a waste. Because not all rentals or leasing furniture are for everyone let’s see what the noise is all about.

Who will benefit from renting furniture and who won’t?

Ever heard of Rent-the-Runway, a company that rents trendy clothes? It’s when you need to go to a party and don’t want to burn big bucks on a dress. Finally, you decide to rent it. Renting furniture is a similar concept. Because now you can enjoy cool, quality rental (or subscription) furniture this trend is becoming mainstream.

For instance, if you have a baby she will grow out of the crib in no time. So, what do you do with her super cute crib? You sell it to a girl from the Craiglist at a laughable price. Didn’t you just pay a fortune for this thing?   

What if you were to rent a crib for a low monthly fee and then swap it for a twin size bed when your kid is ready? All you’d have to do is order it online. Then a renting furniture company takes care of delivery, assembly, and a pick up while you watch your favorite show. Wouldn’t it be cool?

But first, let’s see if renting furniture is for you.

So, before you decide that renting furniture is not your jam and click away let’s explore the options and companies.

Here are some of the questions that you might have:

• What is subscription furniture and how is it different from renting?
• Where do I find companies that rent out furniture? 
• Does it make sense financially to rent for a short term? 
• Can I find modern, trendy and stylish furniture? 
• Do I still have to pay for delivery and assembling?  
• What happens when I don’t need rental or subscription furniture anymore? 

Subscription furniture is when you pay a monthly membership fee and enjoy the benefits and flexibility of exchange, return or ownership of the furniture.

Companies

Feather

Feather targets mostly millennials who frequently change jobs, roommates, and locations and are detached from a traditional American dream of a small house with a hefty mortgage. The furniture has a decidedly mid-century-modern vibe. They source from  West Elm, Casper, Pottery Barn, Tuft & Needle, and Joybird.

Feather serves New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Orange County.

 At Feather, delivery and assembly are free the first time members who pay $19 per month membership fee.

How Feather “Fast Furniture” or Renting Furniture Works

All it takes is online shopping. When you are ready to order you select either a member or nonmember plan. Since non-members pay more every month they can use the furniture for a minimum of three months. For example, if you are planning to stay in New York for only three months, you can rent a few cool “fast furniture” items and at the end of the term return them.

Members pay less monthly but their contract is for at least a year. The company delivers and assembles everything within a week. When your contract is over you can still add, exchange or return.

How much does it cost? Basic bedroom packages start at $99. A basic living room, which includes a sofa, coffee table, lamp, and side table starts at $59. For the entire one-bedroom apartment, packages start at $199 per month. But if you want the same package for three months, you’ll pay $496 per month. 

Feather is for you if:

• You want flexibility and hate moving with bulky items from one rental place to another
• You need kids’ furniture
• You want to keep your options open in terms of changing jobs and locations
• You care about the planet and don’t want to add to 9.8 million tons of thrown away furniture per year
• You like the modern style of furniture
• You are not sure about your decorating style and want to try some options
• You live in New York (or some town in northern New Jersey), San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Orange County.
• You only need just a few items to try for a year
• You need twelve months leased furniture
• You care about a more circular economy where things get reused instead of thrown away.

Fernish – Renting Furniture in California

Fernish serves people in Los Angeles and Seattle. Their choices of furniture are mostly from Crate and Barrel, CB2, Campaign, Floyd, and Alder & Tweed. The furniture is delivered and assembled in your home for free.

How Fernish Renting Furniture Works:

You sign up and choose a rental term (a minimum of three months). The furniture comes in about a week’s time. At the end of your term, you have the option to swap, buy or return.

You never pay more than retail. If you choose to buy, the rental fees will be deducted from the retail price. This means that most items if rented for a year will cost less than half of the full price. For example, a dining table that retails at $655, but costs $27 per month if you rent. ($324 over a 12-month period). You can subscribe to individual pieces like beds or sofas or you can get an entire apartment furnished. Some of the pieces are new and some are in great condition. The company provides thorough cleaning. You never get furniture straight from someone’s home.

Fernish will work for you if:

• You live in Los Angeles or Seattle
• You want to pick up and go without dealing with the furniture issues
• You don’t need to rent children’s furniture
• You care about the environment and enormous furniture waste bothers you
• You like the styles that the company offers
• You want to try new styles
• You are in need of several items, not the whole house
• You are okay with a twelve months lease

Mobley

Mobley is a New York City rental furniture company serving people that want to avoid a hassle of moving couches around to find out that they don’t fit in a new location. They’d rather pick up and go with a minimum packing involved when their apartment lease is over.  The minimum lease amount is only $49 per month.  In addition to New York City, they will deliver items to certain areas of New Jersey which are close to Manhattan (e.g. Hoboken, Jersey City, New Port).

How Mobley Leasing Furniture Works:  

Furniture rentals are for three to twelve months.  The price goes up dramatically from a three months lease to a twelve months lease. For example, Svel Living Room Package is $89 per month, while it is $336 per month for a three months term.

If you want to lease longer than twelve months they give a special credit.  They offer free white glove delivery and assembly for your first order.  When the terms of the lease are over you can renew the lease at a 10% discount; exchange your items for other items and enter a new lease;   buy out the items for a residual retail value or return the items.

Any furniture added to your order after your initial delivery will incur a $99 delivery charge for the second delivery. They deliver all the products at once and assemble everything in your house. They charge $189 – a pick-up fee.

Mobley is for you if:

• You live in New York or its boroughs
• You have a twelve months lease
• You don’t need to rent children’s furniture
• You care about the environment and furniture waste bothers you
• You like the minimal modern style
• You want to rent a furniture package to try a new style before you buy

Cort

How Cort Renting Furniture Works:  

Since CORT was established in 1972 they became grandfathers of the furniture rental companies. As opposed to Feather and Fernish, Cort has 85 locations internationally and 156 local showrooms within the USA. Because of their longevity on the market, they offer more furniture selections and styles, from traditional to modern.

The major advantage is price and a 48-hours turn around time. For example, their student’s special includes three rooms rental that starts at $99 per month with a 12-month lease. 

Cort is for you if :

• You need students’, military or relocation package and services
• You live within the company’s 156 local USA locations or 85 global locations
• You like traditional or transitional styles more than modern
• You don’t need to rent children’s furniture
• You need everything, from linens to tableware
• You want to rent a furniture package to try a new style before you buy

Granny’s Rental

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Grannies’ website doesn’t have much information, such as prices or terms. You have to call or email them. 

They deliver in New York City, the Hamptons, Jersey Shore, and Connecticut. But if you need a crib for over a week outside of New York the price for out of town delivery is very high.    

Grannies Rental is for you if: 

Grannies rental furniture is convenient if  you need to set up a nursery or kids’ room for your sister in law who comes to visit you in New York City for a few days.

Kamarq

Kamarq is a Japanese eco-friendly company, which launched in New York City. It mostly offers colorful cubes and racks to bring in fresh colors. “Kubes” are boxes of various colors. Racks are stackable and you can easily turn them into shelves.  Racks start at $5 monthly while a stack of cubes starts at $9. The rentals (or subscriptions) are only available in New York City at this time.

How Renting Furniture Works

Tired of your boring shelves but not sure if color is for you? Experiment with splashes of color and see if you like it. Kamarq let you have several options. You can exchange if you don’t like a color, you can own your rental furniture for under a dollar a month, or you can just return it after your rental term.

Kamarq is for you if:

• You live in New York
• You need storage, such as shelves and cubes
• You want colors in your space without painting the walls
• You like modern styles
• You like to change things often

Bottom Line

Renting furniture makes sense if you need furniture for twelve months term in the city where the rental company operates.  Also, sometimes it’s a good idea to try and live with the furniture for a while before you buy it. Almost everyone I know made a mistake at one point or another by getting the wrong bulky sofa they hated. Why not try first? Also, if you are one of those people who crave flexibility and freedom to change jobs and locations renting anything makes sense. Finally, if you hate throwing away things or sell used items this option could be a lifesaver.

Renting furniture doesn’t make sense if you plan to be in the city for just a few months and your rental furniture comes to nearly $500 per month. In this case, renting a furnished place is your better bet. Finally, if you’re settling down, renting furniture is not a good option for you. For example, over two years, a one-bedroom package at Feather would cost close to around $5,000.  

What is your preference? Renting or buying? What do you think about the costs? Please do tell 🙂