Furnished apartments see strong short-stay demand

Furnished one- and two-bedroom apartments close to universities, hospitals and business districts are seeing high occupancy from tenants staying a few weeks to a few months.

The returns can beat a yearly lease, but so do the costs: furniture, cleaning, utilities and more frequent wear.

Before you furnish

Check that your building and local rules allow short-term letting, insure the contents, and price the unit against similar furnished listings rather than unfurnished ones.