central air for rental property

[Adeeb K.]

Dear all

I just bought a single family house that needs cosmetic rehabs in south philadelphia. It has window units for air conditioning and base boards for heating. Is installing central air worth the investment for a rental property?

Thank you !

[Palak Shah]

In my experience at least in my market, in B or C neighborhoods, central air does not fetch significantly higher rents. However, in A neighborhoods in my market, it is an expectation and even though it may not get higher rents, not having central air will impact the rentability of the property - meaning higher vacancy. Hope that helps.