floor-furnace/wall-furnace, good or bad?

[Gary M.]

A lot of smaller, older homes that I am considering purchasing for rentals feature a floor-furnace or in one case a wall-furnace. The house my wife and I rented when we first got married had a floor furnace in it and I don't remember it being a problem or undesirable. But as a landlord, are there drawbacks to these heating systems?

[Eric Wang]

Since it's a rental, there is no draw backs. Wall furnace are cheap. You as a landlord only need to provide a functional furnace. Today's wall furnace has a gas shut-off sensor if it is not drafting properly. Having central heating installed is pretty expensive and I don't think you would collect more rent if you had it.