Appliances - Should I provide Or not?

Question

I recently purchased a rental property in Missouri, a duplex and I am just curious if I have have to provide the tenants with any of the appliances ie. stove, refrigerator, etc.?

Jim S. · Answer

Do at least as much as your competitors do. More if you want one up on them.

Account Closed · Answer

Hi Alex. Are you going to work with a property management company? I would be asking them if appliances are standard for your market. Call other companies and people posting homes for rent. Will they supply appliances?

As Jim stated, do at least what the normal is, for your market and price point.

John D. · Answer

I supply a stove and fridge and all my competitors do as well. Your PM should be advising you not just on if you supply but the best recommendations for what to supply. I only buy non-glass top stoves (they get broken/scratched easily) with as little digital as possible and only fridges with wire (not glass) shelves and no ice maker. Simple stoves and fridge units can be repaired by any maintenance guy for the most part.

Consider the average person moving in their own appliances without the proper experience or dolly. Say good bye to your freshly painted walls and nice drywall. They will do everything from destroy the flooring to damaging door trim and walls. You win the rental maintenance/repair game by controlling potential damage beginning at move in.

We send our maintenance guy to inspect all clothes washer connections at  move in. Tenants frequently will be hooking these up for the 1st or 2nd time. Leaks can be catastrophic! Ice makers and dishwashers improperly installed or connected can also do a lot of damage slowly over time.

We supply a shower curtain and rod in each shower as well for our own protection.

John D. · Answer

I supply a stove and fridge and all my competitors do as well. Your PM should be advising you not just on if you supply but the best recommendations for what to supply. I only buy non-glass top stoves (they get broken/scratched easily) with as little digital as possible and only fridges with wire (not glass) shelves and no ice maker. Simple stoves and fridge units can be repaired by any maintenance guy for the most part.

Consider the average person moving in their own appliances without the proper experience or dolly. Say good bye to your freshly painted walls and nice drywall. They will do everything from destroy the flooring to damaging door trim and walls. You win the rental maintenance/repair game by controlling potential damage beginning at move in.

We send our maintenance guy to inspect all clothes washer connections at  move in. Tenants frequently will be hooking these up for the 1st or 2nd time. Leaks can be catastrophic! Ice makers and dishwashers improperly installed or connected can also do a lot of damage slowly over time.

John Teachout · Answer

We provide a range, over the range microwave or vent hood, dishwasher (if there's a spot for one) mini blinds on all windows. We do not provide window AC units, fridges or washer/dryer. The exception being if they were already there. If they're in the unit, we make it very clear we don't support them. ie, there's a fridge. You can use it or we'll remove it. If it breaks, not our problem, mon.

Avery Carl · Answer

@Alex Penalva in my markets I’d be putting myself at a disadvantage if I didn’t supply those things. You can get nice ones in the scratch and dent section of Home Depot for great prices. Most of them are in perfect condition and were returned to the store because the original buyer didn’t properly measure their kitchen.

Kenneth Garrett · Answer

@Alex Penalva

This definitely is driven by your particular market.  In my area, not providing those appliances would put me at a great disadvantage.  In my market, refrigerator and stove are standard.  I include w/d.  I always want to provide something my competition doesn’t.  I provide microwave hood as well.  There inexpensive and it’s a nice feature.

Michael Noto · Answer

As others have said, see what your competition is doing. Odds are you will have to supply at least a stove and refrigerator. The wild cards tend to be dishwashers, microwaves, and washer/dryers. You do not want to provide them if you do not have to, but sometimes you are forced to in order to keep up with competition.

Karen F. · Answer

In my area, it's standard to supply fridge and stove, not standard to supply W/D or A/C units.  If you can get away without supplying them, great.  If you have to, know that you don't have to buy new ones.  You can buy used ones.

Drew Sygit · Answer

@Alex Penalva our market, Metro Detroit, actually has several sub markets.

In many of them we supply appliances as tenants in those markets expect them.

In other, mostly lower demographic, markets we don't offer them as tenants don't wxpect them and actually, they usually disappear with the tenants at the end of a lease.

Appliances - Should I provide Or not?

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