Providing Washer and Dryer
It really does depend on the market. There are some neighborhoods where there is a demand and you can charge higher rent while other areas people do not seem to care.
However, I think it is best to let the tenant buy their own. Some tenants already have one and will disconnect yours anyway. Some will not take care of it as well as if it was one that they bought themselves. Some will choose to use the laundry room as another type of room and go to a laundry mat.
Depends on your rental market and area... Some competitive ones include everything.
For me, I included fridge, dishwasher, stove, microwave. No washer and dryer.
In my nicer properties, I have them but I make sure to not include them or the refrigerator in the lease, but rather say something that explains that if they break, it's not my responsibility. I had someone try to come after me once saying the fridge broke and ruined $400 worth of their meat.
It depends on your market. In my market you can go either way, some tenants prefer that I supply it and others already have their own and prefer I don't supply it. Personally I prefer to supply it because then I control how it gets installed, if they come with their own, they will need to store them mine stay in place.
Regarding @Jason Hirko meat situation, landlord is not responsible for the tenants personal property ie. meat, that's what renters insurance is for.
Washer & Dryer is the exception to the "big" appliances that I provide. I try not to provide this unless the set up makes it difficult/impossible for someone else to bring in their own, i.e. it requires stackables, apartment-size only, under counter design, etc. People are hard on washers especially.
Like other mentioned this will probably differ per market. I would say that if you are renting out a whole house (SFR) that it is probably usually NOT included.
Personally I do NOT provide washers, dryers or fridges. If people ask about it (mostly they ask about a fridge) I recommend they pick one up at GoodWill which sells them for under $100. its not so much the up front money I am trying to save, its the hassle later on.
In fact, if it was important in a market, I would rather give people a $100 rent credit so they can buy their own, than have to deal with the maintenance, and replacing it when it breaks. Come to think of it, I think i gave away one or two fridges that were included in the rent by the previous owners of properties I bought.
Alternatively you can hang up signs saying: ask us about renting a fridge / renting a Washer Dryer. When they do you can offer them to provide them for a higher rent and give them the good will alternative. And you can "quote" a higher or lower rent increase based on if you really want to provide them or now.
Hope this helps!
Originally posted by @Dick Rosen:Regarding @Jason Hirko meat situation, landlord is not responsible for the tenants personal property ie. meat, that's what renters insurance is for.
Until it happened to me, I wouldn't have believed it either. Moral of the story is to know your lease agreement backwards and forwards, and make sure it's air tight. If you provide anything in addition to the property being leased, and they can argue your negligence damaged their property (i.e. leaving an old refrigerator in the unit), they can make a compelling case that you're in the wrong when eviction time comes around. By the way, this was a D class property, if you couldn't tell!
I always like the idea of trying to tennant proof your apartments. If it can be broken, it will be broken. A washer can add value but if it breaks you are usually expected to fix it, even if your lease is iron clad. A nice compromise might be to rent the washer/dryer at a lease to own rate per month.
I would not put them in. They are costly to repair/replace. If it's a deal breaker there are some companies out there who will lease and service them for a monthly fee. Look to see if these services are available in your area.
@Will Sledge I rent duplex houses (two units), and all of my units include inside washer/dryer. This allows me to charge higher rents than other similar units without. I do not rent single family houses (SFR), but I could see in that market providing hookups only could work.
Almost all of my tenants have in unit washer/dryer as a must have when looking for a rental unit. This likely changes with your local market. Around me, in unit washer/dryers are not common, given age of the housing stock.
Washer and dryers are not terribly expensive, my last set cost me $1100, brand new. I easily get $50 more per month, which means in less than 2 years they are paid off. My oldest unit is 7 years old, and still has the original W/D, with no signs of problems.
In our duplexes we supply washers and dryers. The washers and dryers we buy at a used appliance shop. One issue we have resolved by including the appliances is damage to vinyl flooring.
