March 26, 2024
Last Updated
When tenants move out, landlords often end up with many things that need to be donated or hauled away, and it can become a real expense to pay for these processes. This leaves many landlords wondering the same thing: Who will pick up furniture donations for free?
Donating furniture in good condition that is left behind in rental units or no longer needed is great, but it is also expensive if you have to pay for the service. Your area, however, might be home to a variety of charitable efforts to recycle and revitalize furniture that would otherwise go to waste.
Are you spending money on furniture hauling or disposal when free furniture pickups for donation may be possible in your area? Is investigating this process worth your time? The only way to be sure is to learn more about who will pick up furniture donations for free in your area. Today’s complete guide from RentPrep will give you this information and more.
A Table Of Contents On Who Will Pick Up Furniture Donations For Free
Being left with furniture to dispose of when tenants move out or you upgrade your rentals can be trying and expensive to deal with. Finding out more about free furniture pickup options can improve how you work through these situations:
- Why Landlords Need To Know About Furniture Donations
- All About Furniture Donations
- What To Donate
- Make Your Donation And Furniture Recycling Plans
- Free Furniture Pickup For Donation: FAQs
- Don’t Waste More Than Necessary
Why Landlords Need To Know About Furniture Donations
Has a tenant ever moved out of your rental property and left behind large couches, TV consoles, or furniture items that became your burden to bear? There are a variety of situations that can lead landlords like you to have large stashes of furniture that they need to dispose of, but it isn’t always easy to do.
To tackle this topic, it’s best to start with clear information about why landlords may end up with furniture. Knowing where the furniture comes from is the first step to understanding whether or not it can be donated, and that’s going to be key moving forward.
Upgrading Furnished Units
One way that you might end up with furniture is due to changes with furnished units. Whether you’re planning to upgrade the furniture in a furnished unit or convert furnished units to be unfurnished, the end result will be a lot of excess furniture.
Whether or not this furniture goes to a donation center or instead is recycled will depend on the quality of the pieces, among other factors. Still, you should have a high degree of familiarity with this furniture because your business has owned it.
Tenant Belongings
Another time you may be left with some furniture to get rid of is when a tenant moves out at the end of their lease or after eviction. Tenants may leave furniture behind for one reason or another, and you need to deal with these personal belongings.
Once you are sure that you can legally dispose of these belongings, knowing how to get rid of them without costing you much is going to be essential. Learn your free disposal and donation options to avoid fees altogether.
Assisting Tenants
Finally, tenants may ask you about furniture they would like to get rid of. Whether they are new to the area or simply unsure of how to handle unwanted furniture, you can be an excellent resource for tenants looking to dispose of things. Some landlords even offer this service at a fee to tenants who are moving out, to simplify the process and ensure they will be prepared for any furniture left behind.
All About Furniture Donations
Now that you know more about how furniture may accumulate, it’s time to talk about what to do with those items.
Preferably, you will be able to find a way to make donations for free, but remember that this may not always be possible. Some older items, such as old TVs, often require the owner to pay a fee when recycling or donating due to the hazardous elements found inside the items.
Still, there are many ways that you can set yourself up for free donations, but you will need to take some time to make calls, research, and otherwise prepare yourself. In terms of time as a cost, you won’t be able to do this with no investment at all.
Who Will Pick Up Furniture Donations For Free?
Several national organizations may be available locally to help with free furniture donation pickup. These donation centers include:
- Goodwill
- Salvation Army
- Habitat for Humanity
Unfortunately, not all of these organizations will always be able to accept donations. The best approach is to visit their websites to see if they have any information about donating, and then make a call to your local location to find out exactly what needs to be done. In some cases, these donation centers may already have too much furniture and will not be able to accept your donation.
Pay Attention Locally
Another thing to consider is, who will pick up furniture donations for free near me? This goes beyond donation-specific stores and should include churches, civic groups, and even individuals interested in free furniture.
You can typically find these opportunities by researching what groups are in your area. Still, another option is to use sites like Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and NextDoor to offer free furniture. All you need to do is remind people that they must haul the goods away and be sure to let them know if they will need people to help them move the items.
Handing things out in this way can help items get to someone who needs them while also ridding you of the unwanted furnishing, and that’s a great situation for everyone involved.
Don’t forget to try looking up any local furniture banks as these can be fantastic connections and resources for landlords.
What To Donate
Your considerations shouldn’t just include where to donate but also what can be donated. Even donation centers do not want broken items that will just need to be disposed of, so you shouldn’t include anything that isn’t operational in your free furniture pickup for donation items.
Who picks up furniture donations for free will also determine what can and cannot be donated. Some locations will only want sofas or tables, while others might also be willing to take shelving, mirrors, and more. Ensure that you check with each pickup operator to find out what can and cannot be donated.
As you decide what can be donated, consider what people would and would not want to take home. If something is outdated, irreparable, or otherwise damaged or unusable, it will be better to look into recycling options instead. Recycling worn-out furniture is essential so that it doesn’t stack up in landfills and other places where the items don’t degrade properly.
Make Your Donation And Furniture Recycling Plans
Now that you know more about donating furniture with free pickup options, it is time to put together your own plan for what you will do when you end up with unwanted furniture. What exactly will you want to do, and what is within your time and money restraints?
Think through each of the following questions:
- How much, if any, furniture do you have storage room for?
- Can you accumulate furniture before calling for a pickup, to make the process simpler and happen less frequently?
- Who will manage any necessary reservations, calls, and pickup meetings to remove the furniture?
- Who will you call to help recycle and get rid of items that cannot be donated?
- Do you have a backup hauler on call that you can use if free donation pickup is not available?
Once you have the answers to these questions, you should better understand what your business will do with furniture left behind or leftover in rental units. This can be a complicated thing to work through, so planning for it before you are actually stuck with any furniture is a great idea.
Hiring Disposal Staff
Another way to get rid of furniture that has accumulated or needs to be removed from a property is to hire maintenance staff specifically for this task. By setting your team up with a consistent resource, this task can be quickly and smoothly completed without needing to devote additional time to researching options. When managing many rentals, this is your best solution.
Preparation Is Key
When working as a landlord, being prepared for various situations continues to be the best way to approach the work. Landlords who spend time preparing for what they will do when facing specific challenges are more likely to find long-term success.
Are you ready to become one of those landlords?
We’ve put together several resources that can help ensure that you have the tools on deck to handle challenging situations. Our Landlord Starter Form Kit and our Landlord Form Bundle set you up with templates that landlords need. These templates can be easily adapted for your unique rental situations, and you’ll be more prepared simply by having these bundles on hand for future issues.
Free Furniture Pickup For Donation: FAQs
When you or your tenant need to dispose of any furniture, it’s simply a matter of some research to find the best way to get rid of it. Here’s a few of our frequently asked questions.
Does Goodwill pick up donations?
Goodwill, which has nearly 3,000 stores nationwide, has a limited program for furniture donation pickups. Not all regions have this service, but any are quickly expanding to offer pickups on furniture in specific areas. Check out your local Goodwill website to determine if they are willing to do pickups, and then schedule directly with them to simplify the process.
Can I hire someone to haul my donations to a donation center?
While this would not be a free option, hiring a hauling or moving service may be possible to move your items to a donation center. For the greatest success with this method, you will want to call both the hauling service and the donation center ahead of time to be sure they accept this form of donation. Once that is arranged, you can pay a moving fee to get rid of the furniture.
Where can I donate furniture?
There are many places to donate furniture, and some of the information on this will vary by location. Generally speaking, community-focused stores like Salvation Army and Goodwill will be your best bets. Still, you may also be able to connect with refurbished construction stores or Habitat for Humanity.
Another option to look into is any local churches or civil services with furniture banks or similar programs. These organizations may be able to set you up directly with community members in need, so your donations can now go to who needs them most at this time.
Are there free junk removal services?
Some areas do have free junk removal services, but it is rare to see this service in action. Most places require a small fee for junk removal, and that fee is usually to cover the cost of the movers and disposal. However, there may be some areas that can do free junk removal alongside your routine trash pickup.
The best way to determine if this is an option in your area is to call your municipality and ask about their bulk trash removal options. Sometimes, pickups for specific items or kinds of junk are limited to certain days of the week or month, so you may want to have this information on file and updated regularly.
Don’t Waste More Than Necessary
When it comes to determining how to dispose of or donate furniture you’ve been stuck with, it’s important to remember not to waste two primary things: functional furniture or your time.
It’s always a great idea to donate furniture that is still in usable condition. If the furniture is still usable, it can be a great thing to donate as families will be able to furnish their homes at lower prices. Additionally, this type of donation is excellent for taxes.
Secondly, you want to be mindful of not wasting your time. While you may be capable of renting a truck and loading up any unwanted furniture yourself, this is a very costly and time-consuming process. It’s best to find free furniture pickup options in your area or hire a hauling service to remove a large batch of furniture at one time.
By balancing these two potential waste areas, you’ll be able to successfully keep furniture left behind out of your properties, and that’s essential for successful landlords like you.