Corporate housing is basically a furnished apartment. Initially, they were leased by corporations for their employees who were temporarily residing in Houston. Now, anyone can lease furnished apartments for a variety of reasons.The process of acquiring a corporate rental can be rather complicated and boring. So, I'm not going to put you to sleep with a bunch of details. However, there are some basics you need to know.
- Houston does not have an inventory of furnished rental apartments just waiting for someone to lease. These days, you pick your property and a third party converts it into a furnished unit.
- Your options include two different types of properties: Apartment communities and privately owned properties. Sometimes private owners will have their property set up specifically as a furnished apartment or home. These are rare but they do exist.
- Most properties require 1 year leases. There are some apartment communities that will accept shorter term leases. Most condo and hi-rise buildings do not allow short term leases. This really limits your choices.
- A furnished unit may or may not include utilities and maid service. When negotiating for a furnished unit, it helps if you know what you need. Expect to pay about $2000 above the base price of an unfurnished apartment or home. This number can be lowered by placing utilities in your own name, hiring a maid or even reducing the number of televisions in the unit.
- Once you find your property, you'll need to allow up to 5 business days for it to be converted to a furnished apartment.
