Vacation rental furniture must be durable to withstand regular use by a wide variety of vacationers who may not care for their furniture as well as you would like. Vacation rentals, by their nature, are occupied by a constantly transitioning parade of temporary residents who use them as a base for family vacations, ski trips, weekends on the lake, or corporate retreats in the mountains. While some tenants are furniture conscious and treat their temporary housing as if it were their home, many do not. Anyone with temporary rentals has heard stories of raucous parties and vandalized houses, or has experienced these things themselves.
Knowing that your furniture will most likely be abused by at least some of the people who call your rental property home for a weekend, a week, or a month, it’s imperative that you invest in furniture that you won’t have to replace every time a rowdy group of friends is having too much fun or a pair of permissive parents let their kids run around with fudge sundaes, crayons, and fruit punch. This is particularly true when shopping for a sofa, as you know that this piece of furniture will definitely be used on a daily basis and will bear the brunt of any mishaps that may occur.
What to look for when buying a vacation rental sofa
When buying vacation rental sofas, there are three main factors to consider: they must be durable, washable, and renewable. Other features that may not be deal breakers but are certainly nice to have include storage space and the ability to spread out and move around to create a variety of seating arrangements.
Looking for high-quality, durable sofas is a given when shopping for rental furniture. Poorly made furniture won’t last and isn’t worth the money, even if the sofa was incredibly cheap. If you have to replace your rental sofa every few months, or even every few years, you’re not getting the value you need from the part. Therefore, it is essential to buy sofas with a solid construction from a reputable manufacturer.
It’s also important to keep in mind that even the best-constructed sofa can be damaged by spills, cuts, rude pets, and noisy guests. This is where choosing a washable fabric sofa from a company that offers fabrics, cushions, and replacement parts comes into play. Washable sofa fabrics are a must and allow you to easily wash the entire sofa fabric at the end of the holiday season or when a guest soils the fabric during their stay. This alone can save you hundreds, or even thousands of dollars, while also making it easier to keep your rental attractive and attractive to new guests.
Of course, you may have more than one spill to deal with if your occupants managed to cut through the fabric of the sofa, allowed their dog to chew on a sofa cushion, or somehow managed to break one of the pieces of wood on the arm or back of the sofa. If he bought a sofa from a company that doesn’t offer parts or fabrics, this would mean expensive repairs or the need to replace the sofa entirely. But if you bought your sofa from a company that allows you to easily order a single replacement cushion, new pieces of fabric, or new pieces of wood, then you can get your sofa looking like new cheaply and conveniently. This type of renewability is an important part of getting the best value when furnishing rental properties.
Other things to consider when buying sofas
In addition to these must-have qualities, the sofas you choose for your rental properties can also serve additional functions, if the right sofa is chosen. For example, choosing a storage sofa that offers storage space under each cushion is a great way to make room for extra bedding, pillows, and towels without having to buy a cabinet or fill shelves with these necessities.
If your rental caters to larger groups, you may also want to consider purchasing a sectional sofa that has multiple pieces that can be grouped or separated to provide a variety of seating options. This will appeal to guests with different needs, such as companies hosting retreats, and is a great way to fit a large number of seats into a small space.
