Karen,
Been there-done that.
It’s especially frustrating when the tenant goes out and gets a $50 dollar special and “replaces” the brand new appliance you bought a few months earlier.
Here’s what I do.
tell the tenant that they have an option. Rent at one price and provide their own appliances, or rent at the “higher” price and you’ll provide them. The higher price would be at least $20-$30 per month more. They will usually take the lower rent and get their own $50 dollar special". If not, you can get OK units at local used appliance stores for $75-$150 each. Form a working relationship with the appliance store owner. The way to go is to set the payments just higher than what the tenant could get the appliance for themselves if they used their own credit. Even on a credit card, $2000 worth of appliances would only cost about $50 per month, so I encourage the tenants to get their own. Otherwise, they get the $125 special from the used appliance store.
BillW.
Do other duplex owners furnish appliances? - Posted by Karen Lawson
Posted by Karen Lawson on June 21, 2001 at 14:47:04:
I was wondering if any other duplex owners furnish appliances. My husband and live in Georgia and own 7 duplexes. We supply refrigerators and stoves (but not washer/dryers). They don’t seem to last very long and the cost of replacing them is eating us alive. My husband feels that since local apartment complexes furnish them, we should as well. How about you?
I furnish range, dishwasher. Washer,dryer, refrig are the responsiblity of the tenant. If they balk at that, I will provide them at additional rent. I am amazed at the number of nice $1000 refrig’s and washer & Dryers that get left behind when the tenant moves out. But the real reason I do it this way is that I feel it makes a better tenant if they have some of their own money in the place. I dont know what others think, but this seems to work for me
Karen,
I have two duplexes here in Ohio and when I started out in the mid 80’s everyone provided appliances, so we did too. In the last 3 years or so we have been getting away from that practice as most folks here have their own stuff. When I buy appliances though I always bought new scratch and dent as used never seemed to hold up. Never had anyone steal them or replace them, or abuse them for that matter. I think that is a big reason for stringent screening. Dan