When apartment hunting in Austin, you will tend to find many more unfurnished apartments than furnished apartments. Which should you choose? Generally, furnished apartments are ideal for people who don’t have a large number of possessions with them: immigrants, people relocating, businesspeople living in one location temporarily, individuals transitioning between houses or temporarily houseless (due to construction for instance), vacationers, and individuals who are new to an area and have yet to settle. In some cases, Austin companies will house their employees for up to a year or more in furnished apartments.  

Most furnished apartments are stocked with small electric household appliances, cookware, linens, eating utensils, dinnerware, glassware, and other items which may make your stay more comfortable and eliminate the hassle and expense of purchasing such items on your own. In many cases, housekeeping is also included with the rent. Usually, utilities for furnished apartments will be included in the rent. This is due mainly to convenience.  Since tenants in furnished apartments have a high turnover rate, landlords like to keep things simple and keep the utilities under one name.

Furnished apartments are generally more costly than unfurnished apartments due to the added investment the landlord has devoted to furnishing and upkeep. Furnished apartments in Austin also tend to be short-term rentals. This is because tenants who spend a great deal of time in one place begin to acquire belongings which they wish to furnish their dwelling with. The short lease duration also is due to the higher rents characteristic of furnished apartments. Finally, because of the high turnover of tenants and because it takes time to replace one tenant with a new tenant, the landlord loses income on the property and makes up for the difference by keeping rent higher.  

Generally, most furnished apartments in Austin can be found in large, multi-unit apartment complexes.  Management companies typically have more fiscal resources at their disposal to provide units with furniture and upkeep in addition to general apartment maintenance and property management. Larger buildings will generally have more amenities and operate along the lines of a luxury hotel instead of a typical apartment complex, offering services such as laundry and concierge, among other things. It is important to keep in mind that the corporate furnished apartment complexes in Austin will generally charge higher rent than smaller complexes and will be less willing to negotiate with special requests than smaller companies.