Subletting a Furnished Apartment: How to Manage Risk Without Turning Your Home Into a Museum

Thinking about wrapping your furniture in plastic before subletting? We wouldn’t recommend it, but we completely understand the instinct.

When you sublet a furnished apartment, you are not renting out an empty unit. You’re allowing someone to live in your home — surrounded by your furniture, your kitchenware, your floors, your space.

That feels personal. Because it is.

Why the Fear Is Natural

Every furnished sublet carries a simple truth: Living leaves traces.

• A scratch on the floor.

• A broken glass.

• Normal wear and tear.

After years of managing furnished apartments - including our own experience as Airbnb hosts - we’ve rarely seen reckless damage or abuse. What we see are signs of normal life. And if we’re honest: couldn’t the same have happened if you had stayed in the apartment yourself?

The goal is not to eliminate all risk.
The goal is to manage it professionally.

How We Manage Risk at SMART DEPART

At SMART DEPART, we create structure that protects both sides — without stripping the apartment of its character.

Here’s how:

1. Selective Storage
Delicate, sentimental, or high-value items are stored away before the subtenant moves in.

2. Detailed Handover Protocol
We document the exact condition of the apartment — room by room, item by item — including photos. Clarity at the beginning prevents disputes at the end.

3. Mandatory Liability Insurance
Every subtenant must provide valid liability insurance coverage.

4. Security Deposit
A deposit covers what insurance does not.

Structure creates clarity. Clarity creates responsibility. And beyond contracts and documentation, we work personally with all parties involved. Because responsibility isn’t only contractual - it’s human.

The Honest Reality of Subletting

If your expectation is zero marks, zero movement, zero change - then subletting may not be for you.

But if you can handle that little mark or that broken glass and enjoy revenues that clearly outweigh the manageable residual risk, then furnished subletting can be a highly rational and rewarding decision.