Renting an apartment in Singapore often comes with a big decision: furnished or unfurnished?
At first glance, an unfurnished apartment may seem like the more flexible option. You get a blank canvas, more control over your home setup, and sometimes a wider choice of units. But for many tenants, especially those renting for just 1 or 2 years, moving into an unfurnished place can quickly become expensive, stressful, and inconvenient.
The main issue? You are not just paying rent and deposit. You may also need to spend thousands of dollars upfront on furniture, appliances, delivery, assembly, and eventually removal or resale.
For tenants who want a comfortable home without committing to buying everything from scratch, furniture rental in Singapore can be a practical alternative.
Who Is Most Affected by Unfurnished Rentals in Singapore?
Unfurnished apartments can be challenging for many types of tenants, but the pain is especially real for:
Expats relocating to Singapore who do not want to ship bulky furniture from overseas.
Professionals on 1–2 year leases who need a home setup but may not stay long term.
Couples moving into their first rental home who want to manage cash flow carefully.
Families upgrading to a larger apartment and suddenly needing furniture for multiple rooms.
Students or short-term residents who need practical furniture without long-term ownership.
Tenants moving quickly who do not have time to shop, coordinate deliveries, and assemble furniture.
In these situations, buying furniture can feel like a mismatch. The lease is temporary, but the cost and hassle of furnishing the home are immediate.
The Real Pain Points of Renting an Unfurnished Apartment
1. Massive Upfront Costs
Moving into a new rental home in Singapore already involves significant upfront expenses. Tenants often need to prepare for the security deposit, advance rent, moving costs, utilities, Wi-Fi setup, and other relocation expenses.
Adding furniture on top of that can create a major financial burden.
A basic home setup may include:
Sofa
Bed frame and mattress
Dining table and chairs
Wardrobe or storage
Work desk and office chair
TV console
Lighting
Rugs, shelves, and other household essentials
Even if you choose budget-friendly furniture, the total cost can add up quickly. For a larger apartment, the upfront spend can become even more significant.
2. Buying Furniture for a Short Lease Does Not Always Make Sense
Many rental leases in Singapore are for 1 or 2 years. That creates a practical problem: should you really buy a full set of furniture for a home you may leave in 12 to 24 months?
For short-term tenants, furniture ownership can become inconvenient. You may not know whether the furniture will fit your next apartment. You may also need to sell, store, move, or dispose of everything when the lease ends.
What seems like a one-time purchase can become a recurring logistical headache.
3. Furniture Shopping Takes Time
Furnishing an unfurnished apartment is not just about money. It also takes time and coordination.
You need to compare furniture styles, check dimensions, wait for stock availability, schedule delivery slots, arrange assembly, and sometimes deal with delays or missing parts.
For busy professionals or newly arrived expats, this can be exhausting. Instead of moving into a ready home, you may spend the first few weeks living out of boxes while waiting for essential items to arrive.
4. Delivery and Assembly Can Be Complicated
Large furniture items are not always easy to manage in Singapore apartments. Lifts, corridors, condo rules, delivery timings, and assembly requirements can make the move-in process more stressful.
Even after delivery, tenants may need to assemble items themselves or coordinate additional handyman support.
For anyone moving during a busy work period, this can turn a simple relocation into a time-consuming project.
5. End-of-Lease Disposal Is Another Problem
The furniture issue does not end when you move in. It comes back when you move out.
At the end of your lease, you may need to:
Sell furniture on second-hand marketplaces
Arrange movers for bulky items
Pay for disposal
Store furniture temporarily
Give items away at a loss
Move furniture into a new home where it may not fit
This is one of the biggest hidden frustrations of renting unfurnished apartments in Singapore. Furniture can become a liability when your housing situation changes.
Why Furniture Rental Makes Sense for Singapore Tenants
Furniture rental gives tenants a more flexible way to make an unfurnished apartment move-in ready.
Instead of buying everything upfront, tenants can rent the furniture they need for the duration of their stay. This can be especially useful for renters who want comfort, flexibility, and lower upfront costs.
Furniture rental can help tenants:
Reduce upfront furnishing expenses
Avoid buying furniture for a temporary lease
Move in faster
Customise furniture based on apartment size
Avoid resale or disposal headaches
Keep cash available for other moving costs
Create a comfortable home without long-term commitment
For renters in Singapore, this can be a much more practical approach than purchasing a full household of furniture from day one.
Introducing Furnishly: Furniture Rental for Rently Users
To make moving into an unfurnished rental home easier, Furnishly has partnered with Rently to offer flexible monthly furniture rental plans for Rently users.
Furnishly helps tenants furnish their rental homes with move-in ready furniture rental plans, allowing them to avoid paying thousands upfront for furniture while still getting quality furnishing for different rooms. The Furnishly x Rently page highlights an exclusive 20% discount for Rently users, with plans starting from $159.90/month after discount for selected packages.
Furnishly offers setups for different home sizes, from studio and 1-bedroom apartments to larger 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, and 4-bedroom homes. Tenants can choose between Essentials packages for practical everyday furniture and Luxe packages for a more premium, design-led home setup.
How the Rently x Furnishly Promotion Works
Here are the mechanics of the promotion:
Rently users get an exclusive discount
Rently users can enjoy up to 20% off Furnishly furniture rental packages.Choose a package based on your home size
Tenants can start with a Furnishly package depending on whether they are renting a studio, 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, 3-bedroom, or larger home.Pick between Essentials and Luxe
Furnishly Essentials is designed for practical, durable, everyday furniture, while Furnishly Luxe offers a more premium and design-focused furniture setup.Customise the setup
Tenants can confirm their layout, style preference, rental duration, and any add-ons needed for their home.Furniture is delivered, set up, and removed
Furnishly handles delivery, setup, and removal, helping tenants avoid the heavy upfront cost and logistical hassle of furnishing an unfurnished rental.Indicative monthly pricing is available
Selected packages start from $159.90/month for Studio / 1 Bedroom Essentials after the Rently user discount, while larger or premium packages vary depending on home size and setup. Prices may vary depending on furniture selection, rental duration, delivery location, availability, and package customisation.
Example Use Cases: When Renting Furniture Makes Sense
You are an expat moving to Singapore
You have just arrived in Singapore and found an unfurnished apartment. Instead of shipping furniture internationally or buying everything immediately, furniture rental lets you settle in quickly with less upfront pressure.
You are renting for 1 or 2 years
Buying furniture for a short lease may not be worth it. Furniture rental gives you the comfort of a furnished home without needing to worry about what happens to the furniture when the lease ends.
You found the perfect unfurnished unit
Sometimes the best apartment is unfurnished. Rather than rejecting the unit because it lacks furniture, you can use a furniture rental plan to make it move-in ready.
You want to preserve cash flow
Moving home is expensive. Renting furniture monthly can help reduce the initial financial burden and keep cash available for deposit, rent, utilities, and other relocation costs.
You want a stylish home without managing everything yourself
With options like Essentials and Luxe, tenants can choose between practical everyday furniture or a more polished setup, without spending weeks coordinating furniture shopping and delivery.
Furnished vs Unfurnished Apartments: A Better Way to Think About It
Traditionally, tenants compare furnished and unfurnished apartments as two fixed choices.
But furniture rental creates a third option:
Rent an unfurnished apartment, then furnish it flexibly based on your needs.
This can give tenants more freedom when choosing a rental home. Instead of limiting your search only to furnished apartments, you can consider unfurnished units too, knowing there is a way to make the home ready without buying everything upfront.
Conclusion
Renting an unfurnished apartment in Singapore can offer flexibility, but it also comes with hidden costs and practical challenges.
For tenants on short leases, expats, professionals, families, and anyone moving into a new home quickly, buying a full set of furniture may not be the most efficient option. The upfront cost can be high, the process can be time-consuming, and the end-of-lease disposal can be frustrating.
Through the Rently x Furnishly partnership, tenants can access flexible furniture rental plans, enjoy exclusive savings, and move into a comfortable home without the burden of buying everything upfront.
For renters who want a simpler way to turn an unfurnished apartment into a move-in ready home, furniture rental may be the smarter choice.
