Renting out an apartment or house – that’s a great adventure! Between the standards you have to comply with, the property ad, the visits and the search for tenants, there’s certainly a lot to do. To this end, in order to help you manage your new property project, èggo has decided to revisit a question that many of you ask when writing your ad: what is the difference between a fitted, semi-fitted and a furnished kitchen ?
Ambiguous concepts from the property sector
While the concepts of fitted, semi-fitted or furnished kitchens are used to describe a property by estate agents, the first issue that arises is that they are not very widely used by professional kitchen designers.
Furthermore, even among estate agents, there is no legal text that tells us exactly when to use what description. Therefore, it is up to the owner to choose what is most applicable to their kitchen because, even if there is no clear definition, each of these terms covers a different set of criteria. The distinction lies primarily in the finish.
What is a fitted kitchen ?
A fitted kitchen refers to a living space that is literally ready for use, where all you have to do is put down your utensils and unleash your culinary talents. These very complete kinds of kitchens include :
– All the necessary furniture: the sink, storage cabinets, worktop, drawers and any bar or central island, etc.
– A complete set of kitchen appliances : a hob, oven, microwave, extractor fan, fridge, freezer, dishwasher and so on.
Many advantages for the owner and tenant
- Fitted kitchens are typically the most desirable for tenants. That makes sense: they don’t want to spend money buying the missing appliances or furnishings for a house or apartment that they don’t own. As a result, the ‘fully integrated’ nature of these living areas makes them easier to rent out.
- It is easier to optimise a fitted kitchen because it has been designed in its entirety. For example, you might favour built-in appliances, which saves lots of worktop space.
- The aesthetic aspect can also be considered more carefully. This is because the owner has control over the finishes for the kitchen and ensuring the façade of the cabinets match.
- You will certainly use a professional kitchen designer when buying your fitted kitchen, which means that the installation and connections will also be carried out by professionals.
On the other hand, despite the many advantages, there is one drawback that cannot be overlooked : the price, which is naturally higher. This explains why many owners opt for a compromise : the semi-fitted kitchen.
What, then, is a semi-fitted kitchen ?
Does your kitchen contain all of the necessary furnishings, but only some of the appliances ? If so, we are talking about a semi-fitted kitchen.
• It has wall and floor units, drawers, a worktop and a sink.
• But not all of the electrical appliances are present. Most of the time, only those that are strictly necessary are found in the kitchen. For example, these might be the hobs and the oven for cooking, the extractor fan for removing odours and the fridge for storing food. On the other hand, anything that is deemed ‘secondary’ will not necessarily be there, such as the dishwasher, microwave, freezer, etc.
What are the advantages ?
The semi-fitted kitchen is therefore the perfect compromise between the finish of a fitted kitchen and the price. It is functional, though certainly less complete, but nevertheless allows you to cook easily, all at a lower price.
Finally, the furnished kitchen
As you will have gathered, the furnished kitchen is the least complete. It contains only the furniture and the utility connections, such as electricity or water. Appliances, however, are not included.
A financial advantage… perhaps
Naturally, the advantage of this kind of kitchen for the owner is the very affordable price. However, this advantage is quickly eliminated by a major drawback: for many tenants, having a furnished kitchen can be a deal-breaker. As a result, the property can become much more difficult to rent. For a highly profitable investment, it can sometimes be more beneficial to allocate a budget to renovating your kitchen and it is best, therefore, to aim for a fitted or semi-fitted kitchen.
