If you’re a property manager, there are some key decisions you need to make regarding appliances in your rental property:
- What is considered an appliance?
- What appliances are you required to provide according to your state laws?
- What appliances will you be providing to get the best market rent?
- What responsibilities do you or your tenants have to maintain and repair appliances?
- What is the best maintenance plan for your appliances?
What is considered an appliance in a rental property?
An appliance is generally an electrical or gas-powered device for tenant usage. Appliances you provide are determined by what’s required by your state and also what is stipulated in your lease.
What appliances are you required to provide?
Typically, appliances you are required to provide are determined by state law. There are typically three groups of appliances:
- Legally required
- Commonly provided
- Luxury apartments or Furnished Apartments
Legally required – are minimal to ensure the rental property is habitable:
- Heating system
- Hot and cold water
- Functional plumbing and electrical
- Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors
Commonly provided – while they are not legally required, most landlords provide these to be competitive:
- Refrigerator
- Stove/Oven
- Microwave
- Dishwasher
- Washer & Dryer
- Air conditioning
What types of Appliances should be supplied for Furnished Finders or Luxury Apartments?
Tenants expect more appliances and higher-end appliances. So beyond the required and commonly provided appliances, here are some other appliances that would typically be expected:
- Coffee Maker
- Toaster Oven
- Blender
- TV
- Vacuum Cleaner
- Hairdryer
- Wine Cooler
- Ceiling Fans
- Built-in Sound System
What types of appliances should be supplied for a studio apartment?
Studio apartments are smaller, so space efficiency is at a premium. You would typically supply compact, space-saving appliances. You would typically provide what’s legally required and commonly provided appliances.
Who is responsible for appliance maintenance, property manager or tenant?
The final authority of who is responsible for what is based on your state laws and what the lease stipulates.
In general, here is how the responsibilities are divided.
Property Manager Responsibilities:
- Provide and maintain essential appliances.
- Fix normal wear and tear issues
- Ensure Habitability – (heat working, hot water, electricity and functioning plumbing).
Tenant Responsibilities:
- Cleanliness of appliances
- Report issues right away
- Damage caused by misuse (break fridge shelves, overload dishwasher)
Lease-specific clauses can shift responsibilities:
- Minor repairs could be specified as tenant responsibilities
- Unfurnished apartment with tenant required to supply and maintain appliances
- Luxury apartment with maintenance services included for premium rent.
Best way to manage appliances – Have an appliance inventory list with a maintenance plan.
What is an appliance inventory list?
An appliance inventory list is a detailed record of all appliances in your rental property with all pertinent information. As a property manager it’s a best practice for you to have one. It would typically have information like type of appliance, brand, purchase date, life expectancy, condition, maintenance plan, and maintenance history for each appliance.
Having an inventory list helps you in the following ways:
- Track appliance condition and lifespan – helps you plan for its lifetime, plan proactive maintenance.
- Avoid disputes – document what appliances and what condition appliances were provided to tenants.
- Create maintenance plans – identify warranty status, schedule maintenance and order spare parts.
- Plan purchase of appliances – knowing their lifespan, you can budget and plan purchase for replacements.
Here is a sample appliance inventory list:
Here is a sample appliance service history list:
What is the best maintenance plan for your appliances?
A good maintenance plan is required to make sure your appliances are working efficiently and to prevent major issues. Based on recommendations from the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. It should consist of:
- Regular cleaning
- Scheduled inspections
- Preventative maintenance on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual basis as required.
- Regular replacement of parts that get used up (batteries, filters …)
- Emergency repair as needed
Appliance Maintenance Plan:
Once you’ve determined the maintenance plan for your appliances as a property manager, you should have clear communication about the tenant’s responsibilities. You should also make sure that the lease conveys this information.
How can SimplifyEm help you maintain your appliances in your rental property?
The key to maintaining your appliance is:
- Having a maintenance plan with specific dates and tasks, which you can do with the task center in SimplifyEm
Having a ready list of vendors to help deal with repair issues, which you can manage via the vendor center in SimplifyEm.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Appliance Maintenance
- What are appliances that a property manager is required to have in a rental property by law?
Since laws that govern this tend to be local, you should investigate your state laws. In general, you have to provide a habitable property so basic things like heating, hot water, functional plumbing and electrical are required by law.
- What are common appliances that are expected by most tenants?
Beyond what’s required by law, most tenants would expect basic appliances in the kitchen such as stove/oven, refrigerator, and dishwasher. Also many times they would expect access to washer/dryer in-unit or in the building. If you’re in a hot climate, air conditioning can become a high priority.
- What is a good way to manage the appliances in a rental property?
You should create and manage a list of appliances you’re supplying for the rental property, as well as a maintenance plan for each appliance.
With clear communication as to the tenant’s as well as property manager’s responsibilities in executing the maintenance plan.
Sources:
https://www.energy.gov/eere/buildings/appliance-and-equipment-standards-program
