Guides / Straight answer

Can You Put a Murphy Bed in an Apartment?

Usually yes, and which kind depends on two things: how much of the building you are allowed to modify, and how tall the room is at the wall.

The short answer

Yes, usually. Which kind depends on your lease. A freestanding cabinet bed needs no permission because nothing is modified — the Arason Creden-ZzZ states it needs no bolting to floor or wall. A stud-anchored panel bed needs a handful of screws into studs, which is a filler-and-paint conversation with a landlord. A dual-mount wall bed anchors to the wall AND the floor, and that is what most leases actually prohibit. Separately, a vertical queen needs about 89 to 92 inches of ceiling.

This is the question that decides whether the whole Murphy bed category is available to you, and the answer is more often yes than people assume — because “Murphy bed” covers three quite different levels of intervention and only the deepest one is what a standard lease is worried about.

Two separate gates. The lease decides which format. The ceiling decides which orientation. Both are checkable in ten minutes.

The three tiers, and which your lease cares about

What each format actually does to the building

Freestanding cabinet bed: Nothing. No fixings at all — needs no permission.
Rolling cabinet bed: Nothing, and it moves on castors.
Stud-anchored panel bed: Screws into wall studs. Fills and paints on exit.
Dual-mount wall bed: Wall studs AND floor fixings. Usually prohibited.
DIY kit: Same as dual-mount — you build the cabinet too.

The line most leases draw is at the floor. Screws into a wall sit alongside a mounted TV or a heavy shelf in most landlords’ mental model; lag bolts through a finished floor do not, and that is where deposit disputes happen.

Lori is explicit that its beds must be anchored to the wall and supplies screws for wood and metal studs. Bestar’s dual-mount mechanism attaches to the floor and the wall structure. Arason states that the Creden-ZzZ needs no bolting to floor or wall at all. Those three sentences are the whole decision.

How to ask, so the answer is useful

Do not ask “can I install a Murphy bed.” The phrase sounds structural and invites a no.

Ask about the thing you are actually doing: “I would like to fix a piece of furniture to the wall with four screws into studs, and fill and paint the holes when I leave — is that acceptable?” That is the same conversation as a bookshelf and it usually gets the same answer.

Get it in writing, by email, and keep it with the lease. A verbal yes from a letting agent does not survive a change of managing agent, and you will be the one holding a wall with four holes in it.

If the answer is no

A cabinet bed is not a consolation prize. It gives you a real mattress at a real bed height, 25 to 26 inches deep closed, and nothing to ask about. See the best Murphy bed cabinets.

The four clauses to read first

Alterations. Usually prohibits “alterations” while separately permitting “normal hanging of pictures.” Stud anchoring sits between the two, which is precisely why asking beats assuming.

Floors. Almost always named separately, and almost always prohibited outright. This is the clause that rules out dual-mount systems.

Restoration on exit. Determines whether filled screw holes are acceptable. Usually they are.

Building rules in managed blocks. Occasionally cap fixed furniture weight or require contractor certification for anything attached to a party wall. Rare, and worth five minutes if you are in a high-rise.

The second gate: your ceiling

Independent of the lease. A vertical queen wall bed needs 88.9 inches on a Bestar Cielo, 90.4 on an Orion, 91.1 on a Pur with sofa, and 92 on a Versatile. Measure at the wall the cabinet would go on, to the lowest obstruction on that wall — not at the middle of the room.

Under about 7 ft 5 in, go horizontal: a Lori horizontal queen is 64 inches tall closed, which clears essentially any finished ceiling, and needs 84 inches of uninterrupted wall instead. Horizontal wall beds.

A cabinet bed is around 36 to 39 inches tall and has no ceiling requirement whatsoever, which is the third reason the format keeps being the answer in apartments.

What happens when you move

A freestanding cabinet bed comes with you, and this is worth weighing at purchase: 170 to 250 pounds of assembled furniture that does not come apart. It moves in a van, not a car, and it needs the same stairwell on the way out as on the way in.

A stud-anchored panel bed comes off the wall, flat-packs back down reasonably well, and leaves screw holes to fill. Lori’s are designed to be assembled at home, which also means they can be disassembled.

A dual-mount system leaves floor fixings, and unless you agreed them in writing in advance that is a deposit conversation. If you are in a short tenancy, that alone is an argument for the freestanding route.

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At a glance

One option per permission tier

Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. Scores are our own, from the rubric on how we choose — not customer ratings.

#	Product	Best for	Score	Price
01	Illustrative Night & Day Furniture Murphy Cube Cabinet Bed (Queen) A queen bed inside a solid rubberwood credenza that bolts to nothing. Closed it is 26.4 inches deep and about ten square feet of floor.	Renters who want a queen and cannot drill	8.6	Check price on Amazon #ad how we earn · we do not print prices
02	Illustrative Lori Beds Vertical Queen Murphy Bed 23 inches deep closed and no hydraulics at all — a manual-fold panel bed you assemble flat-packed with ordinary tools.	The lightest touch on a rented wall	8.2	Check price on Amazon #ad how we earn · we do not print prices
03	Illustrative Costway Cot Size Murphy Bed with Rolling Storage Cabinet A folding bed inside a cabinet on four castors. It touches no wall, needs no anchor, and you can push it into a corner with one hand.	Leases that forbid any drilling at all	7.8	Check price on Amazon #ad how we earn · we do not print prices

How we picked

One product per permission tier — freestanding, stud-anchored, and fully mobile — because the answer to this question is a tier rather than a product. Ranked by how little of the building each one touches.

Renters who want a queen and cannot drill

Night & Day Furniture Murphy Cube Cabinet Bed (Queen)

Night & Day Furniture

Bed linens folded on a made bed in a neutral bedroom

Illustrative — category photo, not this unit

A queen bed inside a solid rubberwood credenza that bolts to nothing. Closed it is 26.4 inches deep and about ten square feet of floor.

What it's bad at

170 lb assembled and it does not come apart again. Getting it into a third-floor walk-up is the whole problem with this category.

Our score — 8.6 / 10

Footprint8

Mattress7

Mechanism8

Renter fit10

Value7

Check price on Amazon →

#ad how we earn · we do not print prices

Specifications

Folded footprint: 64.1 in. W x 26.4 in. D x 36.6 in. H — about 10 sq ft of floor
Open footprint: 64.1 in. W x 80.3 in. D x 25.7 in. H
Clearance in front: Gains 53.9 in. of depth when opened (26.4 in. to 80.3 in.). No walkway figure stated by the manufacturer.
Doorway minimum: NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface: 80.3 in. long; a true queen sleeping surface per the manufacturer
Mattress: Optional tri-fold gel-infused memory foam, 80 in. L x 63 in. W x 6 in. H
Fold mechanism: Front panel folds down, mattress tri-folds out on a sliding platform
Weight capacity: NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Assembly: Required. 170 lb assembled — two people minimum. 10-year limited warranty.
Renter-safe?: Yes — freestanding, nothing is anchored
Price: Check price on Amazon

Source: Manufacturer listing, nightanddayfurniture.com, plus retailer listings, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

The lightest touch on a rented wall

Lori Beds Vertical Queen Murphy Bed

Lori Beds

An empty apartment room with wooden flooring and a bright window, ready to be furnished

Illustrative — category photo, not this unit

23 inches deep closed and no hydraulics at all — a manual-fold panel bed you assemble flat-packed with ordinary tools.

What it's bad at

Lori is clear that the bed must be anchored to the wall for safety, and it supplies screws for wood and metal studs. It is lighter on your lease than a full cabinet system, but it is not drill-free.

Our score — 8.2 / 10

Footprint10

Mattress9

Mechanism7

Renter fit5

Value8

Check price on Amazon →

#ad how we earn · we do not print prices

Specifications

Folded footprint: 64 in. W x 23 in. D x 83 in. H
Open footprint: Extends 86.2 in. from the wall; about 87 in. wall to foot
Clearance in front: Gains 63.2 in. of depth when opened (23 in. to 86.2 in.). No walkway figure stated by the manufacturer.
Doorway minimum: NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface: Takes a standard 60 x 80 in. queen mattress
Mattress: Your own: 12 in. thick or less, 80 lb maximum for the queen
Fold mechanism: Manual fold — no pistons, no springs to service
Weight capacity: NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Assembly: Flat-packed, a few hours with common tools per the manufacturer. Printed and video instructions supplied.
Renter-safe?: With caveats — must be anchored to studs; screws for wood and metal studs included
Price: Check price on Amazon

Source: Manufacturer listing, loribeds.com, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

Leases that forbid any drilling at all

Costway Cot Size Murphy Bed with Rolling Storage Cabinet

Costway

A folded foam mattress standing upright against a wall on a bare floor

Illustrative — category photo, not this unit

A folding bed inside a cabinet on four castors. It touches no wall, needs no anchor, and you can push it into a corner with one hand.

What it's bad at

Cot size. 34 inches wide and a 4-inch mattress — this is a genuine one-person occasional bed, and calling it a Murphy bed flatters it.

Our score — 7.8 / 10

Footprint10

Mattress4

Mechanism7

Renter fit10

Value8

Check price on Amazon →

#ad how we earn · we do not print prices

Specifications

Folded footprint: 34 in. W x 17.5 in. D x 41.5 in. H folded
Open footprint: 86.5 in. W x 34 in. D x 41.5 in. H unfolded
Clearance in front: Gains 16.5 in. of depth when unfolded (17.5 in. to 34 in.), but needs 86.5 in. of length to unfold into.
Doorway minimum: Folded section is 34 in. wide and rolls on castors
Sleep surface: Cot size — 34 in. wide
Mattress: Included 4 in.: supportive foam with a memory foam layer, washable cover
Fold mechanism: Manual fold, held closed by a hook-and-loop strap
Weight capacity: 485 lb
Assembly: Required. Metal frame with 15 birch slats, anti-slip foot pads, 2 pull handles, 4 castors (2 locking).
Renter-safe?: Yes — freestanding and mobile, nothing is fixed to the building
Price: Check price on Amazon

Source: Manufacturer listing, costway.com, plus the Walmart.com product page, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

Answers

Common questions

Can renters install a Murphy bed?

It depends on the format. A freestanding cabinet bed needs no permission at all — Arason states the Creden-ZzZ requires no bolting to floor or wall. A stud-anchored panel bed needs a handful of screws into studs, which most landlords treat like a mounted shelf. A dual-mount wall bed anchors to the floor as well, and that is usually prohibited.

Will a landlord let me put in a wall bed?

Often, if you ask about what you are actually doing rather than about a 'Murphy bed'. Ask whether you may fix a piece of furniture to the wall with screws into studs and fill and paint the holes on exit. Get the answer by email and keep it with the lease.

Is there a Murphy bed that needs no drilling at all?

Yes — a cabinet bed. The mechanism is inside a freestanding credenza about 25 to 26 inches deep, and nothing is fixed to the building. A rolling cabinet bed goes further still: it sits on four castors, two of them locking, and can be pushed to a different corner.

What ceiling height do you need for a Murphy bed in an apartment?

About 89 to 92 inches for a vertical queen: 88.9 for a Bestar Cielo, 92 for a Versatile. Measure at the wall the cabinet would go on and to the lowest obstruction on that wall. A horizontal wall bed is 64 inches tall closed, and a cabinet bed has no ceiling requirement at all.

Does a Murphy bed damage a rental wall?

A stud-anchored panel bed leaves screw holes that fill and paint. A dual-mount system leaves those plus floor fixings, which is the part that causes deposit disputes. A freestanding cabinet bed leaves nothing beyond ordinary furniture wear.

Sources

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