Rental furniture is one of the least assuming, yet most complicated, home furnishing options available to consumers. When buying furniture, you generally have your choice of providers and you get to choose whether to buy the furniture outright or enter into a payment plan to spread the cost over time. There really aren’t many ways to take advantage of pricing opportunities to save your money outside of finding the furniture that fits your needs at the lowest cost.
With rental furniture, however, there are numerous tricks you can use to slash your costs and get the perfect temporary furnishings for you at the best price.
Now obviously rental furniture companies need to make money, but the best business deal we make is one where everyone is happy. You know the phrase “a satisfied customer is the best source of advertisement”? Well, we like free advertisement and want every customer to be a satisfied one.
To ensure we get you the best price we can offer, furniture rental companies provide several opportunities to save money! Here are the top 5 ways to save when renting furniture.
5. Look for Promotions and Specials
The most obvious way customers can save on their rental furnishings are promotions, deals, specials and offers which can provide some real savings. Depending on the deal, consumers can save TONS on some pieces. There are a few things to look for when hunting for promotional prices from rental furniture companies.
Holiday Specials
Just like most of the retail world, rental furniture providers will often give discounts at certain holidays throughout the year. Labor Day, Black Friday, and President’s Day deals are common throughout the country. Be on the lookout for these deals in the weeks leading up to the holiday!
Clearance Sales
As rental furnishings are used, they will all eventually find their way into a clearance center to be sold at a reduced price (usually well below retail). Rental furniture often goes on a clearance sale when specific pieces are no longer sold by the company and can be offered at a significant discount.
Social Media Contests
Many rental furniture providers run contests on their social media pages for discounts, prizes, and other awesome rewards you probably won’t get any other way. Whether it's a giveaway, a photo contest, or a game, following furniture rental companies can give you access to these unique deals.
If you’re looking for a place to start; start with us! We run exciting contests, polls, and giveaways throughout the year on our Facebook page for cool prizes and gifts. Follow us to keep up!
4. Have Renters Insurance
A common fee customers will run into when renting furniture is a damage waiver. Think of it like a security deposit when renting an apartment. This fee helps cover damages that may result during your rental.
One way to avoid this added cost is to have renters insurance that covers furniture within your home. Many furniture rental companies offer this discount, as they recognize their furniture is covered in case of damages.
The best part? This can save you 10% or more off your rental costs just by having insurance you might already have!
3. Ask about Military or First Responder Discounts
This discount varies from company to company. Depending on the provider, you may receive a dollar amount off your first month rent while others may waive their delivery fees for military personnel and first responders.
Since each furniture rental provider chooses how to give their discounts, this promotion may only be extended to active duty military or may not be given at all. Shop around to find the provider who offers the deals that best fit your needs.
This discount will sometimes be extended to other healthcare providers outside EMS, police and fire departments and can be a great choice for traveling nurses if they can find a provider who extends the deal to them.
2. Rent Furniture Packages
One of the best ways to cut the cost of rental furniture if you need multiple pieces is to rent furniture packages. This option is perfect for someone who needs to furnish an entire room or house and can be one of the biggest cost reducers you will find in the furniture rental industry.
Often you can find living room and bedroom sets much cheaper than trying to piece together rental furnishings yourself. Some furniture rental companies even offer houseware collections including dining-ware, linens, kitchenware and decoration kits to complete your temporary home furnishing packages.
Renting multiple pieces individually can add up quickly, so if you are in need of more than a few furnishings, try finding rental packages like these to help stick to your budget.
1. Pick the Right Rental Option for You
Now for the big daddy. The head honcho. The coup de gras. Knowing the difference between these furniture rental options is the single biggest money saver you will ever use. Seriously! Choosing the correct rental furniture type for your needs can be the difference between spending thousands and saving thousands on your rental. Here’s how.
Rent-to-Own
Rent-to-Own furniture commonly gets a bad rap and there is some truth to this reputation. The business model of a rent-to-own furniture store is based on the company giving the customer furniture and receiving payments, usually weekly or monthly, until the price is reached. While on paper this option is a win for both the company who makes a little more than they paid for the furniture and the customer who gets to spread the cost out rather than pay a lump sum all at once.
The best benefit to using rent-to-own over the other rental furniture methods is you get to keep the furniture at the end of your lease, something rent-to-rent and subscription companies offer, though it’s not as common.
The problem with rent-to-own furniture, however, is these companies often markup the price by 200-300 percent, making it much less cost effective for the customer by the time their payments are made. This practice has given some consumers the idea that rental furniture is a rip-off, though not all rent-to-own companies partake in this practice and neither do companies using the other rental methods we’ll discuss.
Rent-to-Rent
Rent-to-rent is what many clients think of as the traditional rental process used with apartment rental or renting a car. With this method, the customer rents a piece of furniture or a furniture package and makes monthly payments. When the customer no longer needs the furniture, the rental company will come pick it up and that’s it!
Rent-to-rent furniture is one of the simplest rental options that provides excellent flexibility for customers who only need furniture temporarily and want to save money. Usually designed for rentals of only 2-3 months, this rental method is perfect for someone needing furniture for a temporary time in their life such as disaster relocation, internships, or relocating for a job.
The downside to rent-to-rent furniture is not owning the furniture after the lease ends, though some companies using this method of rental will allow customers to purchase their furniture at the end of the lease if they prefer. Often this purchase method does not include the markups rent-to-own is infamous for.
Subscription
A new player in the rental furniture world, subscription furniture is designed similarly to rent-to-rent, though the payment structure is a little bit different. With subscription furnishings, customers select a predetermined subscription length that best fits their projected needs, rather than renting for as long as they like until they are done with the furniture.
The downside to subscription furniture is obvious, you are locked into a contract for a certain length of time, and if you decide you don’t need the furnishings half way through your subscription, you will likely face a cancellation fee or may need to pay out the rest of your lease.
But! There are benefits to subscription furnishings. If you need temporary furniture for a longer time, you will still save money over purchasing your furniture yourself, and you can set your subscription to end near the time you would no longer need your furnishings anyways. The longer the subscription option you choose, the more you save, so longer subscriptions usually receive the best bang for your buck.
Similar to rent-to-rent, subscription furniture companies will sometimes give customers the option to purchase their furnishings at the end of their subscriptions, so these two options are perfect if you want to try out a piece before purchasing it.
There are other positives and negatives to each of these rental methods that we dive deeper into in our What is Furniture Rental? blog. Read it here to decide which option is right for you.
Get Saving Now
While you may need to be a first responder with renter’s insurance looking to furnish a home on Christmas to take advantage of all of our top tips to save on rental furniture, anyone can take advantage of at least one of these cost saving tips when renting their home furnishings!
So here they are, our top 5 ways to save big when renting furniture:
- Look for Deals
- Have Renter’s Insurance
- Ask about Military or First Responder Discounts
- Rent Furniture Packages
- Pick the Right Rental Option for You
Now that you know what you need to do to get the most out of your furniture rental, you’re ready to get shopping! If you feel like rent-to-rent furniture is the right choice for you, Furniture Options is the perfect place to start your search!
At Furniture Options these 5 tips will help you get the best savings for your rent-to-rent furniture. Our clearance centers are a great way to find gently used furniture at a steep discount. If your renter’s insurance covers your furniture, we will waive our damage waiver, instantly saving you money!
We also offer military and first responder discounts that eliminate delivery fees in our normal service area with your valid ID. And our furniture packages plus houseware and electronics options mean you can get all your temporary furnishings at fraction of the cost of other options!
If you feel like rent-to-rent furniture is the right choice for you, get shopping right away or learn more about rental furniture in our blog. Happy savings!
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