Ask for the actual inventory
Use the photographs to make a room-by-room question list: bed and mattress, seating, storage, cooker, fridge, washing machine and air conditioning. Ask which items stay and whether any belong to a current occupant. Semi-furnished and furnished listings can contain different sets of items. Record the advertiser’s answer alongside the date, rather than assuming the photographed arrangement is the offer you will receive.
Check operation, not just appearance
At a viewing, ask permission to test the appliances that matter to you. Confirm that doors close, controls work and the relevant equipment is usable. A photo cannot show a leaking washing machine or a missing remote. If a test is not possible, record it as untested and arrange how the question will be resolved. Do not describe an untested item as working in your comparison.
Imagine an ordinary week
Check storage for your belongings, space for a desk, the kitchen layout and how furniture affects movement through rooms. Measure important openings with permission if you will bring furniture of your own. Look for the sockets and lighting needed for your routine. Ask whether you may move existing furniture and where unwanted items would go. Those practical details can change the suitability of a home that looks spacious in wide-angle photos.
Clarify responsibility and separate amounts
Ask who to contact when an included appliance fails and how repairs are arranged. Request the stated monthly rent separately from any other amount the advertiser mentions. Confirm what a cleaning or maintenance charge covers; avoid calculating a total from a vague “all included” description. Keep these answers with the property reference so that two furnished homes are compared on the same basis.
Make a handover record
Before moving in, review the item list together and note existing marks or missing pieces. Take permitted photos that show condition without capturing private possessions. Keep your own dated copy outside the app. If the room arrangement has changed since the advert, ask for the updated inventory and clarify the difference before relying on it. This is practical record-keeping, not a statement about the legal effect of an inventory.
Example wording to adapt
Are the fridge, washing machine and the bed shown included? Could you share the current inventory and explain who arranges repairs for included appliances?
A practical case and next step
Suppose one advert shows a washing machine but the inventory does not mention it. Mark it as unconfirmed and ask. If the advertiser says it belongs to the current occupant, remove it from the included-items comparison. The second home may then suit you better despite similar photographs. This example illustrates a question, not an actual available rental.