The furnished-versus-unfurnished choice is really a choice about tenant type and management effort. A furnished home lets you charge more, typically 10% to 20% above the bare rent, because the tenant avoids buying and moving furniture. That premium is strongest where tenants are transient: students, young professionals and short-term movers.
In Liege, the furnished route fits the market well. With more than 26,000 ULiege students and over 7,000 kots (ULiege, 2024-2025), furnished studios and rooms let readily and support the higher rent. Furnished lets can also use flexible lease formats suited to student and short-term occupancy under Walloon rules.
Unfurnished lets trade rent for stability. Tenants who bring their own furniture tend to stay longer, which cuts turnover, re-letting effort and the short rental vacancy gaps between tenants. There is no furniture to insure, maintain or replace, so running costs and disputes over wear are lower. For family apartments and houses in Namur, Charleroi or Neupre, unfurnished is often the calmer, more predictable option.
The counter-intuitive point: the furnished premium is not free money. Furniture wears out, needs replacing every few years, and higher turnover means more cleaning, more inventories of fixtures and more frequent rental vacancy, which can erode the extra rent. Furnished pays off mainly where turnover is high by design (student lets) and the premium is large; elsewhere, unfurnished often delivers a steadier net yield.
At a glance
| Criterion | Furnished | Unfurnished |
|---|---|---|
| Rent level | Higher, often +10% to 20% | Lower base rent |
| Tenant profile | Students, young professionals, short stays | Longer-term tenants, families |
| Turnover and re-letting | Higher, more frequent rental vacancy | Lower, more stable |
| Running costs | Furniture upkeep and replacement | Minimal furnishing costs |
| Best fit | Student Liege, co-living, city studios | Family lets in Namur, Charleroi, Neupre |