Furnished apartments in Batumi: the inventory, wear and the letting history

A furnished apartment in Batumi appeals because you can move in or start letting almost straight away. There is no waiting for a renovation, ordering a kitchen or assembling wardrobes. But the furniture and appliances in someone else's apartment have lived their life, and after a few seasons by the sea it shows. We shortlist such apartments so that you pay for what you will actually get.

Furnished apartments in Batumi: what “furnished” means

The word “furnished” in a listing covers very different things. For some it is a kitchen and a bed, for others a full fit-out with appliances, crockery, linen and air conditioners in every room. Sometimes the developer hands over an apartment with a renovation and a built-in kitchen, and the buyer buys the rest.

So the first thing we ask for is an inventory: what stays in the apartment, which appliances, how old they are. If the apartment is being sold by an owner who let it, we check which belongings will leave with them and which they consider trifles and will leave behind. How a renovated apartment differs from a shell is covered on our page about renovated apartments.

The inventory in the contract

Everything that stays is listed in the contract or an annex to it: furniture, appliances, air conditioners, lights, curtains. Without this, on handover day you may find a bare wall instead of a TV or an old fridge instead of a new one. If appliances are under warranty, we ask for the documents and receipts.

On handover day we check the apartment against the inventory and test the appliances: air conditioners on cooling and heating, the washing machine, the water heater, the hob and oven. The meter readings are recorded in the act. Keys, air conditioner remotes, safe and router codes are also handed over against a list, and it is better to change the locks after handover.

Furniture after several seasons

By the sea furniture ages faster. Humidity in Batumi rarely drops below 70 %, and in wardrobes, mattresses and upholstered furniture this shows as smells and stains. Salt damages fittings and outdoor air conditioner units, and in an apartment let short-term the furniture wears out more in one season than in a year of a single owner living there.

At the viewing the engineer inspects the apartment, and together with him we look at the furniture and appliances: whether wardrobe doors close properly, whether there is mould behind furniture along external walls, how old the air conditioners are and when they were last serviced. If something will need replacing in the first year, we reflect it in the price. Mattresses and pillows are almost always replaced after short-term letting, and that is worth budgeting for straight away.

An apartment that has already been let

If the owner let the apartment, it has a history: bookings, rates by month, guest reviews. That is useful for the calculation, but the listing with its reviews belongs to the seller's account and usually cannot be transferred to you. A new listing starts almost from scratch, so we budget the first season more modestly than the seller's past figures.

We ask the seller for booking statements, not screenshots of the best month. If the apartment is to be let under our management, short-term management costs 30–36 % of the income; how the letting works is explained on our page about managed short-term letting.

Topping up and replacing

Often a furnished apartment is almost ready but something is missing: a desk for a winter tenant, a second set of linen, a proper mattress, blackout curtains. Sometimes it is cheaper to replace part of the furniture than to put up with it and collect bad reviews. For winter tenants a comfortable sofa, a table and warm lighting matter most; for summer guests, air conditioners, good linen and room for suitcases.

Furnishing with mid-range furniture and appliances starts from 360 ₾ per m². If more than half has to be replaced, we compare with an unfurnished apartment: it may be better to take that and furnish it your way. How we choose furniture, appliances and textiles is explained on our page about furnishing an apartment.

What the furniture is worth in the apartment price

Sellers often value their furniture at what they paid for it, while the market sees it with wear and tear. So we compare the apartment's price with similar unfurnished apartments in the same building and see what the difference really is. Five-year-old furniture after short-term letting is rarely worth what is asked for it.

Before letting starts, the apartment still has to be prepared: cleaning, minor repairs, photos. How we do this is explained on our page about preparing an apartment for letting.

How much furnished apartment search costs

Property search for a fixed fee starts from 5 400 ₾. A technical inspection of the apartment before purchase starts from 480 ₾, a legal due diligence check from 960 ₾, furnishing with furniture and appliances from 360 ₾ per m², short-term letting management at 30–36 % of the income.

The final price is set after we review your brief and agree the scope of work. The registry fee and the notary's charges are paid at their own rates.