Repair vs replace appliances

[Craig Desnoyers]

Hey everyone, 

I purchased a property back in Feb. 2022, I have a tenant whose refrigerator leaks water out of the front door and she states this only happens in the summer time. She has been there for a few years now, I have done some looking around and 1 possibility is a clogged defrost drain, but the fact it only happens in the summer has me questioning this. I called around and to get someone to come officially diagnosis it would be 1 charge, then to come replace parts + fix would be a separate charge. The refrigerator is 14 years old according to the sticker on the back,  my gut instinct is to replace since I can find them for $300-$500.

Does replacing almost always out weight repairing appliances in a rental? If you can find a replacement for $300-$500 but could potentially be a few hundred in repairs?

When would you consider repair?

Thanks in advance!

[Greg M.]

There is no way I'd repair a 14 year old fridge. Tomorrow something else is going to break on it.