Whether you live in a rental house or apartment in Athens or Columbus, you will need some furniture if your new place isn’t furnished. Perhaps your parents have some extra pieces of furniture to get you going. Or you may be able to find what you need from local resale shops such as the Habitat for Humanity ReStore or Goodwill Industries, both in Athens, or an inexhaustible number of secondhand joints in Columbus. As you may have found out, there are plenty of opportunities to buy used furniture and home furnishings from graduating students who are leaving the area. On Move-Out Weekend in the spring, it’s not uncommon to see piles of discarded old furniture lining the streets in student neighborhoods, whether in Columbus or Athens.
But what about renting furniture for your new rental house or apartment? Here are some of the pros and cons of paying to keep furniture in your rental for a short time.
Pros
- Use the furniture for the year or two you might need it, then turn it back in.
- You don’t need much money initially, so for a small sum you can get furniture right away.
- The rental company may deliver.
- If it’s important to you for whatever reason to have nicer furniture, this is an option.
Cons
- You will have to pay for any damaged furniture in your odd-campus housing, and the cost may surprise (stun) you. If you’re a hard partier or not the most hygienic person, think twice about renting furniture that has a good chance of being damaged or destroyed during your stewardship.
- The cost of rental furniture and appliances can be rather steep compared to the cost of buying second-hand materials. And you don’t even get to keep it.
- Check out the cost of fees and insurance before you sign the agreement. These could be prohibitive.
- Check out the interest rates. If you have trouble making the payment, it can adversely affect your credit rating. Interest rates on rent-to-own furniture can be outrageous.
What to Avoid When Acquiring Furniture for Your Student Rental in Athens or Columbus
A word of advice: when in doubt, avoid rent-to-own deals. They are usually scams and you can end up losing money. And anyway, this is college we’re talking about. Buck it up and make do with classic college housing used furniture. Why do you think you deserve more than your mom and pop who survived college with ratty couches, formica kitchen tables and cloth-covered food crates? Another word of advice… If you’re buying used furniture, especially padded chairs or couches, give the piece a close inspection for bed-bugs, lice and other types of vermin. Many of the old furniture pieces stocked at reuse outlets has a sketchy provenance. One story that makes its rounds in college towns such as Columbus or Athens is unwary renters purchasing an old couch, and learning a few days later that it’s infested with rats. Urban myth or terrifying truth? Don’t take your chances.