Long-term rental furnishing in Batumi: an apartment ready for a year-long tenant

What a year-long tenant needs, and what they will bring themselves

We start long-term rental furnishing in Batumi with the question of how many people will live in the apartment and how: how many sleeping places are needed, whether there should be a desk for work, and where winter clothes and suitcases will be kept. The renovation for this kind of tenant is covered on the page about renovating an apartment for a year-long tenant; this page is about the things that go into it.

We don't buy anything in the right-hand column until a tenant has been found: one needs saucepans and duvets from the first evening, another brings their own and asks for the shelves to be cleared. Small items like these for a specific person we buy within a couple of days.

Furniture that will outlast several tenants

A tenant uses the furniture every day but takes less care of it than an owner would. So we choose things that are easier to repair than to throw away: a sofa with removable covers in a dense melange fabric that doesn't show stains, a dining table with a compact laminate top, chairs on a welded metal frame. A glued solid wood chair works loose at the joints within a couple of years in a damp climate, while a welded frame has no such problem.

We choose a bed on a metal frame with slats in plastic holders: a broken slat can then be replaced in a minute without taking the bed apart. A desk chair gets soft castors or a mat underneath, otherwise within a year a worn circle appears in the laminate. Wardrobes for winter clothes and suitcases are best made to measure; they are covered on the page about made-to-measure built-in wardrobes.

Appliances for everyday use

A tenant uses the hob, the kettle and the washing machine every day, so we choose mid-range appliances, and only from brands sold in Georgia. There is little point in overpaying for premium models in a rental: their repairs and spare parts cost more, and the tenant barely notices the difference. We install a freestanding fridge and washing machine rather than building them into the units. If they break down, they can be replaced within a day with any model of the same width.

Air conditioners and built-in kitchen appliances are usually installed during the renovation. If they aren't there, they are priced separately, and choosing, installing and pricing them is covered on the page about fitting out an apartment with appliances. For a year-long tenant we choose an air conditioner with a heating mode, because in an apartment without gas it takes the place of heating in winter.

Curtains, lighting and textiles: the minimum from the owner

We hang curtains in every room: a year-long tenant rarely buys them, and bare windows make an apartment feel unwelcoming at a viewing. For the bedroom we choose blackout curtains, because in summer the sun rises early. We add table lamps by the bed and on the desk.

Bed linen and towels are often not provided at all, as tenants have their own. We put a waterproof protector on the mattress: it is replaced when the tenant changes, and the mattress itself lasts longer. Fabrics and curtain rails are covered on the page about curtains, throws and decor.

An inventory for the lease

We take the inventory on the day the apartment has been assembled and cleaned. It lists every item, from the wardrobe to the kettle, with its brand and model, and for appliances the serial number too. The purchase date and price are copied from the purchasing receipts, so in three years' time nobody has to remember how old each item is.

We photograph each item as a whole, and in close-up wherever there is already a mark: a scratch on a table top, a worn patch on an armrest. Keys, remote controls and entry and lift cards go on a separate line. The property management team bases the handover form signed with the tenant on this inventory, and how it is used at move-out to tell wear and tear from damage is described on the page about finding and screening tenants.

If the apartment used to be let short term

A long-term tenant doesn't need luggage racks, linen for several changes or towels for every guest; they go into the storeroom or are taken away. Instead, a workspace, a second wardrobe for winter clothes and crockery for a family rather than for two guests are added.

After two or three seasons of short-term letting, we check the furniture as strictly as a new purchase: the sofa mechanism, the mattresses, the wardrobe hinges, the chairs. Whatever passes the check stays in the apartment. The guest set is described on the page about furnishing for short-term rental.

How much long-term rental furnishing costs in Batumi

For a one-bedroom (1+1) apartment, furniture, appliances from the list and textiles, with delivery and assembly, come to 18,900–25,200 ₾. Renovation and the fitted kitchen are not included in this estimate. As a guide within it, a 140–180 cm double bed with mattress costs 2,090–3,000 ₾, a sofa or sofa bed 1,310–1,920 ₾, and a textiles and decor package 4,200–6,600 ₾.

Air conditioners and built-in kitchen appliances, if they weren't fitted during the renovation, go into a separate estimate. A made-to-measure wardrobe is priced per linear metre: a hinged-door one costs 900–1,200 ₾. The final cost is set once the list with models and the estimate have been agreed.