Stainless appliances in rentals?

Question

My fellow landlords who have chosen stainless appliances over white ones, how has that worked out. Have your tenants scratched up the finish and made it look trashy?

Also, what has been your experience with brands? Have any stood out to you as particularly better/worse for reliability?

Sharlene Mulchandani · Answer

@Adam Vadnais I think putting in stainless steel appliances is a good idea. I know of some landlords that charge a slightly higher rent, about $25-$40 a month extra, for their units with SS appliances. These appliances have that 'wow factor', tend to attract better tenants, and make the unit easier to rent as well. Also, if you decide to sell your unit in a couple of years, buyers really tend to like SS appliances.

Andrew C Hammes · Answer

I don't think the tenants will hurt stainless. Personally I hate the fingerprints. Its impossible to keep clean. They have nicer spotfree stainless but it doesn't sound like you want to spend much more. Black appliances can look sharp paired with a complementary paint.

Account Closed · Answer

@Adam Vadnais

I always get the ultra basic models, but with a stainless façade. It’s only a little bit more and it makes a big impact on the tenants. ￼

John Warren · Answer

@Adam Vadnais I am typically doing stainless steel in units I renovate, although I have experimented with this quite a bit. I did a gut rehab project in Berwyn two years ago, and we did all 19 kitchens with stainless steel. We used a variety of brands as we looked for deals on the appliances, and they have all been pretty much the same. I think they will hold up ok, although I suspect white appliances will be more forgiving in the long run. Although I would personally prefer to have all white appliances, I feel like the stainless appliances can give you a higher end look with very little cost difference. I am trending towards granite counter tops and stainless appliances in all of my rental properties at this point.

Cory Barnes · Answer

We have stainless in 3 out of 4 houses and the fourth is just waiting for a kitchen reno when the current tenants decide to move out.

Our properties are in a B class community and haven’t had any issues with damage.  The upgrades help make the properties more enticing which leads to better tenant profiles.

Lee Bell · Answer

Whirlpool had good reliability ratings from Consumer Reports when we bought ours, in 2012. So, dated info. The only problem has been the icemaker. Stove. micro, dishwasher have been great.

See what the competish is doing.

Christopher Giannino · Answer

As most of the others stated, I think Stainless Steel adds value in the right neighborhoods.  To me, it was a no brainier since I invest in a B area and many of my competition offers SS.

I've bought Frigidaire and haven't had any bad experiences but they are only about a year old so only time will tell.

Frederic Babeux · Answer

I think that stainless is a good buy considering its only about 50$ more compared to white or black in most stores.

Gives your place a more modern look for real cheap!

I wouldn't buy those for a war zone though.

Michael Noto · Answer

B class and above they are worth buying anything lower than that they are just a waste of money.

Anna Sagatelova · Answer

It really just depends on your market. And I mean on the micro-level, as close as possible. With B class rentals and up, it's a no brainer. But sometimes you can do black appliances or a mix of black and stainless. Used appliance stores have more stainless these days, worth a look. You can get great deals on scratch and dent. We don't notice much difference between brands.

Stainless appliances in rentals?

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