New apartment, new luck? Okay, the apartment search is difficult and can be very frustrating. But then, after some time, you find a really interesting apartment: good location, beautiful view, with balcony, enough space, and the whole thing at a rent that fits perfectly into your budget. The only downside is: The apartment has no kitchen. How bad can that be? Well, a kitchen should not be underestimated! With a new kitchen come either high costs on you or medium-high costs plus some effort and craftsmanship. So you know what to expect, we have compiled in this article an overview of moving into a new apartment without a kitchen.
How to plan the kitchen
First of all, every kitchen space is cut differently and requires a different layout. In addition, each person has different ideas about the dream kitchen. That is why the planning of a kitchen is a very individual matter. Measure the room exactly. Look where the connections for the sink and dishwasher, for the stove and the exhaust pipe are located. This will give you an idea of the location of the appliances.
Errors in planning can cost a lot of money, time, and nerves if the originally planned kitchen does not fit. That’s why many furniture stores offer advice on medium- to high-priced kitchens. Unfortunately, it is especially true for kitchens: You can’t have everything. Instead, you have to make a choice. Either you can comfortably and reliably get a complete and new kitchen installed at a significantly higher price, or you can set up a used or inexpensive kitchen yourself according to your own requirements with some personal work. The latter should not be underestimated and requires a lot of effort as well as a certain level of craftsmanship and tools.
New kitchen or used kitchen for the rental apartment?
When it comes to buying a kitchen, you have to decide – new or used? Here is an overview of the most important things.
New Kitchen
If you have a choice, why not buy a whole new kitchen, including delivery and installation? Because it can get really expensive! Of course, the cost can not be determined exactly and depends on many factors. As a rough range, you should estimate between 2000€ and 8000€ for a new kitchen, whereby 2000€ will still be difficult to achieve. Upwards, of course, there are no limits, but for a rental apartment, it is questionable whether you want to invest so much as a tenant. After all, a rental apartment is usually not planned for eternity, and moving a kitchen is particularly costly. In addition, a private landlord can still declare his own needs, and then you have to move out unplanned. You can protect yourself against this, however, with an amendment to the rental contract that excludes personal use in subsequent years.
In general, you must note that in various kitchens electrical appliances such as stoves, refrigerators, ovens, or dishwashers are often not included in the offer. Therefore, here is a list of the costs that you must have on the screen when buying a new kitchen:
- Kitchen cabinets and counter including sink
- Electrical appliances: refrigerator, stove, oven, dishwasher, stove hood
- Kitchen backsplash (if no tiles available)
- Connection of stove by a professional electrician
- Transport and assembly of the kitchen
So when buying a kitchen, always pay attention to what appliances are part of the offer.
Waiting time for new kitchens
With new kitchens, you also have to plan for a certain waiting time. Depending on the situation, you may first need a consultation with a furniture store, and then delivery times can be as long as 4-6 weeks, plus delays due to problems in the supply chain. If you move into the new apartment beforehand, living without the kitchen means significantly more additional work and a significant lack of comfort. For the time being, food will be prepared only on a mobile hotplate and washing up will be done in the bathroom. Therefore, inform yourself in advance at your furniture store how long the delivery times are and whether there are currently delays.
Used kitchen
Much cheaper than a new kitchen is a used kitchen. Here you can usually save quite a bit of money. However, the required effort for a used kitchen is usually much higher. You have to take care of the transportation of the kitchen as well as dismantling and assembling the kitchen if necessary. The assembly of a kitchen already requires some craftsmanship.
If you install the new kitchen yourself, you should expect the following work:
- Dismantling of the used kitchen if necessary
- Transportation
- Assembling the kitchen unit and cabinets
- Mounting of kitchen back wall
- Fitting the wall cabinets
- Fitting of the extractor hood
- Connecting sink and dishwasher if necessary
- Grouting gaps with silicone
In any case, you should leave the connection of a stove to a power current to a professional electrician.
What happens to my own kitchen when moving out of a rental apartment?
When you invest so much time and money in a kitchen, the question arises, what happens to the kitchen when you move out? In general, the tenant is obliged to leave the apartment as he received it when he moves out. In the case of a kitchen owned by the tenant, this means that neither the landlord nor the next tenant is obligated to take over the kitchen upon moving out in exchange for a down payment. In practice, however, it is common for the next tenant to buy a solid kitchen from the previous tenant. This is because new tenants are likely to be pleased with a kitchen that is in good condition, which frees them from having to take care of a kitchen, its transport, and installation themselves. Talk to the landlord or next tenant in good time about handing over the kitchen and draw up a written purchase agreement without warranty.
Conclusion
Taking care of a kitchen yourself means a significant investment of time and money, even for a rental property. You shouldn’t underestimate that. Likewise, temporarily living in an apartment without a kitchen can be an additional burden, because an apartment without a kitchen is not yet an apartment. Therefore, weigh well whether you choose an apartment without a kitchen. If you have the choice between several equally interesting apartments, you should choose an apartment with a kitchen. But if you have found your dream apartment and the only thing missing is a kitchen, then take heart. With the right helpers, thorough planning, and some work you will overcome this obstacle.
