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Murphy Beds / Roundup

The Best Renter-Friendly Murphy Beds

Almost every wall bed anchors to the wall. Here are the ones that do not, the ones that barely do, and how to tell which category a product is in before you buy.

An empty rented apartment room with wooden flooring and a bright window

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At a glance

Quick picks

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

#ProductBest forScorePrice
01
Bed linens folded on a made bed in a neutral bedroomIllustrative

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 drill8.6
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02
A small guest room with a made bed and a low chest against the wallIllustrative

Arason Creden-ZzZ Queen Cabinet Bed

The original cabinet bed: 25 inches deep closed, opens to 81 inches, includes its mattress and an 11-inch drawer for the bedding.

—8.1
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03
A folded foam mattress standing upright against a wall on a bare floorIllustrative

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 all7.8
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04
An empty apartment room with wooden flooring and a bright window, ready to be furnishedIllustrative

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 wall8.2
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05
A narrow interior hallway showing a short run of uninterrupted wallIllustrative

Lori Beds Horizontal Queen Murphy Bed

The same bed turned sideways: 64 inches tall instead of 83, which is the version that fits under a sloped ceiling or a window.

Low ceilings and under-window walls7.9
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How we picked

Sorted strictly by how much of the building you have to modify: freestanding first, then stud-anchored, then anything requiring floor fixings. Within each group we rank by sleep surface and closed depth. We have been explicit about the products that are marketed as renter-friendly and still require anchoring, because that is the distinction that matters and the marketing routinely blurs it.

01Top pickRenters 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 bedroomIllustrative — 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
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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
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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.

02

Arason Creden-ZzZ Queen Cabinet Bed

Arason Enterprises

A small guest room with a made bed and a low chest against the wallIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

The original cabinet bed: 25 inches deep closed, opens to 81 inches, includes its mattress and an 11-inch drawer for the bedding.

What it's bad at

The included mattress is 53 by 75 inches. Arason calls the bed a queen; the sleeping surface is closer to a full, and queen sheets will swim on it.

Our score — 8.1 / 10

Footprint8
Mattress6
Mechanism8
Renter fit10
Value8
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Specifications

Folded footprint
64 in. W x 25 in. D x 39 in. H
Open footprint
Opens to 81 in. deep; 64 in. wide
Clearance in front
Gains 56 in. of depth when opened (25 in. to 81 in.). No walkway figure stated by the manufacturer.
Doorway minimum
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Sleep surface
53 x 75 in. — nearer a full than a queen despite the product name
Mattress
Included tri-fold, 6 in.: 4 in. base foam plus 2 in. memory foam
Fold mechanism
Fold-down front, tri-fold mattress on a pull-out platform
Weight capacity
Supports 500 lb
Assembly
Required. 250 lb — freestanding, no bolting to floor or wall. 11 in. storage drawer.
Renter-safe?
Yes — freestanding, explicitly needs no bolting
Price
Check price on Amazon

Source: Brand listing via Amazon.com and specialist retailers, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

03Leases 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 floorIllustrative — 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
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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
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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.

04The 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 furnishedIllustrative — 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
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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
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Source: Manufacturer listing, loribeds.com, recorded 27 Sep 2026. Any field the listing does not state is marked as such rather than estimated.

05Low ceilings and under-window walls

Lori Beds Horizontal Queen Murphy Bed

Lori Beds

A narrow interior hallway showing a short run of uninterrupted wallIllustrative — category photo, not this unit

The same bed turned sideways: 64 inches tall instead of 83, which is the version that fits under a sloped ceiling or a window.

What it's bad at

Sideways means wide. At 84 inches of wall it needs a full seven feet of uninterrupted wall, and most small rooms have exactly one.

Our score — 7.9 / 10

Footprint8
Mattress9
Mechanism7
Renter fit5
Value8
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#ad how we earn · we do not print prices

Specifications

Folded footprint
84 in. W x 23 in. D x 64 in. H
Open footprint
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Clearance in front
Cannot be calculated — no open extension figure is published for the horizontal model. A horizontal queen projects roughly the mattress width; measure before ordering.
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
Fold mechanism
Manual fold, horizontal orientation
Weight capacity
NOT STATED BY MANUFACTURER
Assembly
Flat-packed, a few hours with common tools
Renter-safe?
With caveats — must be anchored to studs
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.

This is the gap in the category. Search for a Murphy bed and almost everything you find is dual-mount — anchored to the wall and the floor — which is exactly what a standard lease prohibits and what a security deposit pays for. Sleep Foundation’s Murphy bed coverage barely touches renters; the sites that do are mostly writing about what renters cannot have.

So this page sorts by one criterion: how much of the building you have to modify. There are three honest tiers, and the products in the top one anchor to absolutely nothing.

Tier one: anchors to nothing at all

Cabinet beds. The mechanism is entirely inside a piece of freestanding furniture, and the Arason Creden-ZzZ listing says it explicitly: no need to bolt to floor or wall.

The freestanding options

Night & Day Murphy Cube (queen)
64.1 × 26.4 × 36.6 in. closed · opens to 80.3 in. · 170 lb
Arason Creden-ZzZ (queen)
64 × 25 × 39 in. closed · opens to 81 in. · 250 lb · supports 500 lb
Costway rolling cabinet (cot)
34 × 17.5 × 41.5 in. folded · 86.5 in. unfolded · 485 lb · on castors

The Cube and the Creden-ZzZ both give you a queen-ish sleeping surface in a credenza about two feet deep. The Costway is a different animal — cot size, 34 inches wide, on four castors, two of them locking — and it is the only thing here you can move with one hand.

The honest costs: the Cube is 170 pounds assembled and does not come apart; the Creden-ZzZ is 250 and includes a 53-by-75-inch mattress that is nearer a full than the queen the name implies; the Costway is four inches of mattress on a cot width.

Tier two: stud screws only

Lori Beds is the most honest company in this category on this point, and it is worth repeating what they actually say rather than what the format is assumed to mean: the bed must be anchored to the wall for safety, and they supply screws for both wood and metal studs.

That is not drill-free. It is, however, a very different intervention from a dual-mount system with floor plates: a handful of screws into studs, patchable with filler when you leave. Many landlords treat that the way they treat a mounted TV or a heavy shelf.

The beds themselves are 23 inches deep closed and manually folded — no pistons, no springs, nothing to service. The vertical queen is 83 inches tall and extends 86.2 inches; the horizontal is 64 inches tall and 84 inches wide. Flat-packed, a few hours with common tools per the manufacturer.

Ask the landlord, specifically

Ask about “screws into studs, filled and painted on exit” rather than about “a Murphy bed.” The second phrase invites a no; the first is the same conversation as a bookshelf.

Tier three: wall and floor fixings — usually a no

Bestar’s dual-mount mechanism attaches to both the floor and the wall structure, which is exactly why those beds are rated to 1,000 pounds and exactly why most renters cannot have one. Floor fixings through a finished floor are a different order of alteration from wall screws.

There is one case where this becomes available: a long lease where you have asked, in writing, and the landlord has agreed — which happens more often in single-family rentals than in managed buildings. If that is you, the whole Bestar range is on the best Murphy beds for small apartments.

A DIY kit is not a route around this. A DIY Murphy bed kit still produces a bed anchored to the structure; it just makes you the cabinet maker as well.

What to actually check in the lease

Four clauses, in roughly this order of importance.

Alterations and fixtures. Most leases prohibit “alterations” and separately permit “normal hanging of pictures.” Anchoring into studs sits between those, which is why asking beats assuming.

Anything about the floor. Floor fixings are usually named separately and usually prohibited outright.

Restoration on exit. If the lease requires restoration, a filled and painted screw hole is normally acceptable and a lag bolt through a hardwood floor is not.

Weight or fire clauses in managed buildings. Rarer, but high-rises sometimes cap fixed furniture weight.

The fuller version, including what happens with a wall bed at the end of a tenancy, is in can you put a Murphy bed in an apartment.

Answers

Common questions

Is there a Murphy bed that does not need to be attached to the wall?
Yes — a cabinet bed. The whole mechanism lives inside a freestanding credenza, and the Arason Creden-ZzZ listing states there is no need to bolt it to the floor or the wall. A Night & Day Murphy Cube is the same format. Both give a queen-scale sleeping surface in a cabinet about 25 to 26 inches deep.
Can renters install a Murphy bed?
It depends on the format. A freestanding cabinet bed needs no permission because nothing is modified. A Lori-style panel bed must be anchored to studs, which is a screws-and-filler conversation with the landlord. A dual-mount system like Bestar's anchors to the wall and the floor, and that is usually a no in a rental.
Do Lori beds need to be anchored?
Yes. Lori is explicit that the bed must be anchored to the wall for safety, and supplies screws for wood and metal studs. It is a much lighter intervention than a floor-mounted system, but it is not drill-free — treat any listing that implies otherwise with suspicion.
What is the best no-drill guest bed for a rental?
A cabinet bed if you want a real mattress and can get 170 to 250 pounds of furniture into the room. A rolling cabinet bed like the Costway if the room is small and cot size is acceptable — it is on four castors and touches nothing. A daybed or a sleeper sofa if the bed is only needed occasionally.
Will a Murphy bed damage the 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 at all beyond ordinary furniture wear.

Sources

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