Do you always feel like making changes at home, but don’t want to buy new furniture every two years? Or do you only live in a certain place for a while and don’t necessarily have to own the furniture or electrical appliances there?
Worse still: You separate from your partner and thus also from the shared apartment and furnishings. Or the house is destroyed in a storm or by fire. And now?
There are many situations in which new furniture is required. And there are offers to rent individual pieces or entire facilities for a few months to a few years. This is not always cheap, but repairs are sometimes included.
The provider is Lyght Living, for example. If you let the company rent about two rooms for two months, it costs from around 1570 euros a month. If you add kitchen inventory and an electrical package consisting of a television and washing machine, it starts at around 2170 euros. You can get a sofa bed for around 22 euros for a period of 36 months (as of August 2022).
In an emergency, deliveries are made quickly – within five days. And you don’t have to fear any follow-up costs for normal wear and tear. The average rental period is two years, says Daniel Ishikawa, CEO of Lyght Living.
“Although the extremes are great: we have tenants for three to four years who push the average up. But many only rent for a month.”
With the provider In-Lease, the average rental period is 36 months. “It happens again and again that the furniture is also bought afterwards,” says Najoua Atri, head of the German and Swiss branches.
The company also rents linens, towels, crockery and decorations. And it offers to arrange all rented parts nicely in the apartment before the tenants move in.
This is due to the company’s target group: According to Najoua Atri, customers of In-lease are mainly companies that have apartments procured and furnished for their employees who, for example, move to Germany from abroad.
Large manufacturers of household appliances also make similar rental offers. Miele’s program called Upgreat lets you rent kitchen, washing and cleaning appliances and coffee machines for six months, one or two years.
The cheapest monthly rent is 10.99 euros for a vacuum cleaner. An oven costs the most at 41.99 euros per month (as of August 2022). The price includes delivery, installation and possible repairs for large appliances such as stoves, ovens and washing machines.
The BlueMovement service from BSH Hausgeräte works in a similar way. For example, dishwashers and washing machines, dryers, refrigerators and freezers, but also vacuum cleaners, kitchen machines and coffee machines from the BSH brands Bosch and Siemens are rented for a minimum term of three or twelve months.
The cheapest rental costs 13.99 euros, the most expensive product is a fully automatic coffee machine for 29.99 euros per month (as of August 2022). Repairs, if there are signs of wear and tear from normal use, are included in the rental price. The same applies to delivery, installation and later collection.
Furniture rental company Daniel Ishikawa reports that commuters who live in one place and work in another feel particularly attracted to such flexible rents. But a quite new target group is discovering furniture rental for itself: people who want to live more resource-efficiently.
“We notice very clearly that more and more people are interested in our furniture, who want to change their furnishings more often, but don’t want to buy new furniture every two years. People who say it’s not sustainable,” Ishikawa said. “As a result, the average age of our customers has become significantly younger.”
The household appliance rental companies are also more geared towards young people with their online offerings. They advertise flexibility, for example when moving, and promise quick and uncomplicated solutions to problems. And they rely on the buzzword sustainability.
With its offer, BSH has set itself the goal of “establishing a functioning model of the circular economy in which devices, components and materials are used – and reused – for as long as possible,” according to the company.
Something similar comes from Miele: “The aim is to keep the appliances in the rental model for as long as possible and thus support the concept of the circular economy and, as a result, conserve resources.” The suppliers promise customers: If a household appliance is returned to the manufacturer after the end of the contract, cleaned and overhauled there and repaired if necessary – for the next tenant.
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