When to replace appliances in rental peoperties

Question

Hi everyone.

Do you replace appliances (e.g. fridge, dishwasher, washing machine, etc.) only when they break, or replace them anyway after a certain number of years? I am thinking something like a fridge may take a few days to repair or replace, while the house is without a working fridge...

(Sorry about the typo in the title. I do not see an option to edit it.)

Cheers,

Paul

Nathan Gesner · Answer

I only replace them when they break. I have appliances that are 20+ years old and stick ticking away.

My general rule of thumb: if the appliance is more than ten years old, I won't pay to repair. If it's 5-7 years old, I won't spend more than 20% of the replacement cost.

Allan C. · Answer

@Paul Zhang don’t worry about not having working fridge for a few days while you’re replacing the old - it’s a fact of life that everyone deals with, whether you are a tenant or an owner. You can always buy an ice chest and have tenants store perishables there during the replacement period.

Theresa Harris · Answer

Replace them when they break.  The old ones are built better than any of the new ones and often (and sadly for the environment), it costs more to repair them than to replace them.

Colleen F. · Answer

@Paul Zhang  when they break unless you are doing a full unit upgrade then you are replacing them all because you aren't doing a kitchen upgrade and keeping your bisque appliances.

Scott M. · Answer

When they break.  we check them during turns and if they work, no problems then no reason to replace them.

Matthew Irish-Jones · Answer

@Paul Zhang if it ain’t broke….

Robbie Young · Answer

There are way too many things that need fixing or need updating before I and I think most landlords spend money to replace working appliances.

Gail K. · Answer

Some landlords will rent a small storage facility and keep an extra frig or range should one bite the dust in a rental property and the cost (or time) of repairing it does not make sense.  These appliances are often either purchased used from ads on places like craigslist/facebook marketplace or purchased new during Black Friday sales.

Mary Smith · Answer

We replace any appliances only once they break.

Bud Gaffney · Answer

@Paul Zhang when they die.

When to replace appliances in rental peoperties

Most Popular Reply