Unfurnished apartments are empty apartments. These apartments have absolutely no furniture. A tenant who moves into an unfurnished apartment will usually be greeted by an empty house and bare walls. Most such apartments do have a stove and refrigerator. While this the case in the US , in other countries it's not the same. The term unfurnished means no stove, no refrigerator and no kitchen sink too, in some countries! A tenant must therefore make enquiries with his landlord and make a list of what's included and what's not before he selects an apartment. Tenants moving into unfurnished apartments will have to get their own chairs, tables, sofa, bed, dining table and other furniture. The term unfurnished means no soft furnishings either. But in some cases it would include curtains and carpets.
It's usually found that furnished apartments are more expensive than unfurnished apartments. But there are advantages and disadvantages to both. A tenant moving into an unfurnished apartment would be faced with the hassle of shopping for furniture. Busy singles, students and businessmen and other short-term tenants usually look out for fully furnished apartments. They will also be saved the hassle of transporting furniture both while occupying the apartment and while vacating the place. Apartment hunters looking for unfurnished apartments can pick and choose the furniture and furnishings according to their requirement. Long-term tenants and big families find this an ideal choice.
Furnished apartments also fetch higher rents to landlords. A good mix of both furnished and unfurnished apartments could help in getting tenants faster.