Is not having Central AC a deal breaker for tenants in Ohio?

[Julie Philpott]

Hi everyone,

I’ve found a multi-family property in North Linden that I’m interested in purchasing for a buy-and-hold investment. Before this, I’ve come across several older multi-family buildings that lack central AC (tenants use window units), don’t have in-unit washer/dryers, or have smaller square footage.

Being from Boston, these issues wouldn’t normally be deal breakers for me, but my realtor mentioned that they might be for tenants in Columbus. According to them, it could be challenging to find tenants if I go ahead with the purchase.

I wanted to get your thoughts on this.

[Mike Paolucci]

Window units are very common in Columbus. I own several rentals in Linden with a mixture of AC installed vs not installed. Also, tenants will often times already have their own washer & dryer units and would rather use those instead of owner supplied W&D. 

Example:

1 -Single family - central air already installed when I purchased & I provided washer & dryer units. 

2- Duplex - no central air installed and washer & dryer units are provided by the tenants. I've kicked around installing AC but still manage to get renters applying to live there before I pull the trigger on installing AC. 

3 - 2nd Duplex - I installed central air after purchasing the property for inherited tenants but they've used their own W&D units for years.

Yes, it makes it more appealing to tenants searching for a place to stay, but you can always add AC / used washer & dryer units later on in order to make the unit more appealing. 

At the end of the day, I'd say it's more of a personal preference. They can also be another item that will need maintenance / replacements if they break down.