Good equipment of flats increases the rent

The good furnishings of a flat affect the amount of rent. Large surcharges are due for open kitchens and fitted kitchens. Features such as a balcony or a lift, on the other hand, make the rent less expensive. Particularly high surcharges are due for furnished flats.

For an analysis by immowelt, the effects of various amenities on rental prices were calculated in large cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants as well as in cities with 20,000 to 50,000 inhabitants.

In large cities, fitted kitchens and especially open kitchens lead to significantly higher rental costs. Fitted kitchens add 12.6 per cent to the rent. Open kitchens are often integrated as part of the living room and lead to an average rent premium of 13.2 per cent. This mark-up could be due to the fact that open kitchens are more often found in modern and newly renovated flats.

The highest surcharges are demanded by landlords who not only provide a kitchen, but also rent out beds, wardrobes or a washing machine. In the major cities, the rent for a fully furnished flat is on average 22.6 per cent higher than for an unfurnished flat. Around 8.5 per cent of all advertised flats in the 14 major cities surveyed are offered fully furnished. The furnishing supplement to the net cold rent is not precisely regulated by law.

There are also features that increase the rent only slightly. 61 per cent of flats advertised on immowelt in major cities have a balcony, which increases the rent by only 2.7 per cent on average. Access to a garden increases the rent by 3.6 per cent. The rent increase is lowest for flats that have a lift in the building. Compared to flats without a lift, the surcharge is only 0.8 per cent.

In smaller towns, the surcharges for additional features are usually lower than in large cities.

(Photo: © Skitterphoto, Pixabay)