Evaluating Appliances for Rentals

Dustin Edwards • October 9, 2020

Keep Your Tenant Happy with Well Maintained Appliances

Kitchen Appliances for Long Beach Rental
When you own a rental property one of the items that doesn’t always cross your mind to evaluate is that of the appliances. The major systems (i.e. heating, plumbing, and electrical) are always thought of as they are deemed essential, but try not having a functioning range in your property and you will see that appliances are just as essential.  

Find out more how you can evaluate the age of your appliances and keep happy tenants with the right appliances for your Long Beach rental property.

Lifespan of Appliances
After having successful tenants rent your property over the years it can be easy to forget that your appliances are aging and wearing down. While some appliances breaking down can simply be an inconvenience (i.e. a range) other appliances can cause damage when they break down (i.e a dishwasher flooding a cabinet). When a tenant leaves your property take the time, as part of your exit evaluation, to understand the lifespan of each of your appliances and determine if it might be time to replace them. Consider the average lifespan for the following key appliances:

Appliance Lifespan
Refrigerator 14
Dishwasher 12
Range (Gas) 19
Garbage Disposal 13

Note: You can find additional appliances and their average lifespan at Mr. Appliance where they cite the 23rd annual portrait of the appliance industry report.


To help you in evaluating the age of your appliances consider using an online resource such as Appliance411.  With the following pieces of information you can quickly see if you might be at the end of the time with a given appliance.


  • Brand
  • Appliance Type
  • Location
  • Model No
  • Serial No


Repair or Replace an Appliance for Your Rental Property?

There is an old adage “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” but in the world of property ownership this can cause you greater challenges.  Older appliances could cause damage to property, sour a relationship with a great tenant, and even cost you a greater yield on your monthly rental (after all who is looking for an olive green refrigerator these days).


In our experience we have found that an appliance is worth repairing when it falls into two main conditions:


  • Appliance is newer (i.e. <3 years old)
  • A major component does not cost more than 50% of replacing it


If your appliances are getting well above the average age for an effective lifespan consider replacing all of them at the same time.  There are often specials you can capitalize on for purchasing them all from the same manufacturer and when you have time to look for a deal vs. having to buy it immediately you can often land a better value.


At Beach Cities Property Management we want your property to be well maintained from the appliances to major systems.  When you would like to find out more about how we help evaluate the appliances to ensure they are in top shape for each tenant we invite you to request our Free Rental Analysis to see how we can help.


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