Refrigerators in apartments.. (renter, appliances, home)

[Ivorian]

I'm doing some search and i realize that most apartment in L.A. don't have refrigerators.Refrigerators are basic in Maryland apartment. does anyone know why L.A. is optional ? so everytime you move around you gotta move that Big thing around.Are refrigerators cheap in L.A.?

[uptown_urbanist]

You can buy cheap ones on Craigslist, or often the people who have the place before you will just leave the refrigerator there when they move.

[CALGUY]

Originally Posted by uptown_urbanist

You can buy cheap ones on Craigslist, or often the people who have the place before you will just leave the refrigerator there when they move.

It is not cost effective to provide stoves and refrigerators in rental units.
Years ago I supplied them, but the cost of repair and replacement was less than profitable.
If one of my tenants were to leave one behind, I would give it to the new tenant, of pace a free ad on craig'slist.
Bob.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by CALGUY

It is not cost effective to provide stoves and refrigerators in rental units.

Your rentals don't even have stoves? Do tenants have to bring their own toilets and shower heads too?

[uptown_urbanist]

I, too, would be curious to know why this is true in LA (always had a stove, but did have to buy a refrigerator; the previous tenants had left it, but when it broke down we had to buy a replacement.); I've never seen this in any other place we've lived. Elsewhere landlords just factor appliances and upkeep into the costs associated with owning rental properties. I think it does come as a surprise to many, if not most, people moving to LA, as it's not the norm in most places of the country. It's definitely a city (or is it all of southern CA?) quirk.

[CALGUY]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Your rentals don't even have stoves? Do tenants have to bring their own toilets and shower heads too?

When a rental unit is rented as unfurnished, which mine are, nothing comes with them except what is solidly attached to the building.
In some of my properties, there is a laundry room just off the kitchen, with hook ups for washer and dryer.
I suppose because there is a laundry room, in the unit, you would expect that I should also furnish the washing machine and dryer?
Bob.

[Fontucky]

No fridges I'm used to, but I've never encountered a situation where the stove isn't included, and that includes my three units.

[sabbytabby]

Before we moved down here, I noticed many, many rentals didn't provide the stove or refrigerator. I thought that odd too, but, in saying that, made sure we rented a place that provided both.

[ferretkona]

None were in any home I rented. If they were there the owner told me I could have it as the previous renter left it. The answer here is liability.
I know many owners who will not install a garbage disposal. They said it was one more item to go bad.

[uptown_urbanist]

I don't know if the big picture answer can really be liability, or expense; how come it's this way in LA but nowhere else? Has it always been that way? I assume it has, but why? I can understand why landlords would prefer it to work like that, but presumably some landlords prefer it that way elsewhere, too, yet it doesn't happen. What makes LA different, and why?

In other places I've lived a washer/dryer would not be assumed in a rental that came with hook-ups, as they're not essentials in the same way that the stove/refrigerator are.

I don't think it's good or bad (I liked having my own choice of refrigerator, actually, especially as we were paying utilities), but it is -- to someone who has mostly rented elsewhere -- weird.