making appliances tenants' responsibility

[Paul S.]

Hi everyone.

In the past few years, I have had to replace quite a few appliances in rental properties. I find them to be a big financial and time drain for me. I also don't like the time pressure from tenants when appliances stop working, especially the fridge.

Just wondering whether it is proper to make appliances tenants' responsibility, and how it can be done. On this forum, I have heard that some landlords sell existing appliances to tenants when they move in (or remove the appliances if they don't buy them), and write in the lease that the appliances are the tenants' to maintain/replace. Just wondering what everyone's experience is with this approach, or any other approach.

Kind Regards,

Paul

[Richard F.]

Aloha,

In many jurisdictions, if you provide an appliance in a rental, you are required to maintain function. Not providing them will decrease the value of the rental in terms of market rate, and depending on the market, will also adversely affect time on market. Tenants ALWAYS assume you have someone sitting around waiting to fix whatever their crisis of the day is. You need to be crystal clear on what local LL/Tenant laws require, and educate your tenant to those facts. Find a responsive appliance tech and stick with them. I always request that the tech calls me direct from the site with repair cost and details for approval. At that point I make the decision to fix or replace. Typically I will only send out a tech twice over a period of years before replacing.

Do not buy used appliances, you have no idea what you are actually getting. Do not buy appliances with lots of bells and whistles. Stick to basics...free standing self cleaning ovens with coil stove elements; refers that do no have through the door water or ice; and if possible (more and more difficult to find) no "digital" touch pads. For executive level homes, you have little choice but to go with higher end appliances.