All Forum Posts by: Michael Johnson

Hi @Dan Forguson,

TL;dr

Your market determines this. Read local listings to see what is and is not included to get the best answer for your property.

Long version

There isn't a location listed in your profile which is the *first* thing I looked for to be able to give you an intelligent answer.  Therefore, a lot of what has been written-- while it is well-meaning and informational-- may or may not apply to your situation.

In rural and even some suburban markets things like washers/dryers/dish-washing machines and the like are seen as "nice-to-haves" or the tenant is expected to self-provide. In certain downtown markets** like LA, NY and MD/VA/DC they are expected and the renters unequivocally ignore properties that do not have them. The mentality in these regions is that the property is to be "move-in-ready" with everything needed provided from day one.

As mentioned before, even if you were to provide such appliances the tenant can be held responsible for service calls and this language should be included in the lease.  Service call parameters should be in place anyway, to make sure the tenant keeps some semblance of responsibility and care in the handling the property.

The most important thing for you to do is find out what your market bears and follow suit so that your property receives as many applicants as possible (in the shortest time frame possible).  Doing so ensures you or your property manager will have an adequate pool from which to decide who is the best fit for it.

**of course there are negative areas in all of these locales-- I'm referring to the overall markets, not the inevitable crime pockets