  The role of the crust on the tidal deformability of a cold nonaccreted
neutron star is studied using the recent unified equation of state BSk24. This
equation of state, which is based on the nuclear-energy density functional
theory, provides a thermodynamically consistent description of all stellar
regions. Results obtained with this equation of state are compared to those
calculated for a putative neutron star made entirely of homogeneous matter. The
presence of the crustal layers is thus found to significantly reduce the Love
number $k_2$, especially for low-mass stars. However, this reduction mainly
arises from the increase in the stellar radius almost independently of the
equation of state. This allows for a simple analytic estimate of $k_2$ for
realistic neutron stars using the equation of state of homogeneous matter only.
