Self cleaning vs manual clean oven for rental property

[Ally Kumar]

I have to replace stove/oven in a rental and debating between self clean oven (which typically will cost $100 more) vs manual clean oven. I plan to keep the rental for long term so not that concerned about cost but more concerned about tenants not using the self clean feature safely even after education or spraying inside with chemicals. The lease specifies that tenants are responsible for move out professional clean when they leave, so cleaning company will take care of the oven cleaning. Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts. Ally

[Michael Boyer]

My two cents on appliances: the simpler the better. If it can be broken, it probably will be broken. In fact, I had a tenant try to do the self cleaning and (you guessed it) broke the oven. The road to broken appliances is paved with good intentions.

Plain, durable, fewest moving parts possible--that is my rule of thumb for rental appliances.

If you have higher end tenants, then you may want something with a bit more bells or whistles. But mid level, working class, or lower income--I would keep it simple....

If you have to do the cleaning, good old fashioned oven cleaner is not that hard in my opinion (I like the spray in and leave over night directions on most over the counter products; just wipes up the next day). 

Another oven tip: You can get new drip pans if needed at any tenant turn overs, and there is a white, black and almond epoxy appliance touch up for any chips or dents (in a nail polish like applicator). It will be like new for the next tenant!