I have a house cleaner and a hair dresser as renters.   

I’ve heard of hair dressers with hundreds of units in their portfolio.

It's nothing of value and unlikely they will take you to court to sue you for a broken dresser or a 10-year-old stained mattress.

. - Are your rooms furnished with a bed, dresser, desk and chair at a minimum?

DCHA publishes the rents for up to 5 BRs, but there is an unpublished 6 br rent scale too.keep in mind DC requirements for bedrooms. 70 sq feet, 7 foot ceiling height, egress window, and either closet or room for dresser. 

Most items were found on Craigs list, except the bed and dresser, which I borrowed from the guest room at my house.

It looks like they probably cannot afford the rent because they had a squatter style room setup: all mattresses were on the floor with no box spring or bed frames, lack of dressers or basic furniture in bedrooms, no place for clothes/clothes were piled on the floors, no decoration besides computer printed B&W images taped to the walls.3. 

Place small items in key areas of measurement so they get a sense of proportion and size (can I fit a king bed and dresser in that room?).  

He also refinishes old dressers and uses some reclaimed wood for artsy projects. 

., @Rick Cayer, @Doug Davis, @Sal Lentini, @Brandon Penn, @Parker Dresser, and @Ed Emmons.