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I'm remodeling a 4 plex with 2 bedroom apartments and am trying to decide if I should buy a dishwasher for the units. Do people look for that in a low-mid level apartment? Will it bring any more rent money or be easier to rent?
I do not put in dishwashers or garbade disposals. I have numerous apartments and duplexes. The reason I do notput them in the apartments, even when remodled, is the potential for neglect and abuse. Tenants do not take care of or use appliances properly. Putting in dishwashers or garbage disposal or even the washer and dryer leave you open to service calls and appliance replacement. I have to supply a refrigerator and stove. I get the lower end but quality appliances and keep it simple. It makes for fewer problems with maintenance and replacement.
I don't know if it will bring in more money, but I do know that I absolutely would not consider renting without a dishwasher at this point in my life. When I was young and single and childless, I really didn't care, but as a grown-up with a husband and 2 kids, a dishwasher is a must-have. So it depends, IMO, on who you want and expect to be your target tenants. And what the area is like, too - regions with mostly smaller/older buildings are less likely to have them than relatively new areas. If all your competition has dishwashers, and you don't, then you're going to have to offer something else, or a price break, to make up for it. You may want to poke around your local rental market to see how common dishwashers are and if you can beat the price point.
I think ShaneSA has a point about appliances...to a point. The more appliances you have, the more service calls you can possibly end up with. That is absolutely true. But it's not necessarily because your tenants are a pack of wild beasts who can't figure out how to use a dishwasher; appliances break on homeowners, too, it's part of life.
When we redid our kitchen at one rental house we did not put a dishwasher. The last one we had there was perfect when we moved out and it was totally broken when the tenant moved out. I just put the basic appliances ; fridge and cooker in the units. Also the most basic of appliances ; if you put anything good there, it will get broken so why pay the extra money.
As a renter, a dishwasher is a must-have for any apartment I'm considering. Maybe when I was a college kid I wouldn't care (I didn't cook much back then anyway) but now that I've gotten used to having a dishwasher I will never go back. And I'm not in a "luxury" apartment; I can only afford middle-of-the-road type of apartments. No in-unit laundry, no covered parking, don't even have much square footage, but I do have a dishwasher.
As far as bringing in more money, I don't care how much I like the apartment, I personally wouldn't pay good money for a place that didn't have a dishwasher. If two apartments are comparable but one has a dishwasher, I'm willing to pay a reasonable amount more in rent for the one with a dishwasher. Adding a dishwasher is an upgrade and I do think you could charge higher rent for it.
However, I do agree with an above post - if there are similar apartments in the area that don't have dishwashers then you can probably get away with not having one either. But if you are one of the few that doesn't have one it could put you at a disadvantage.
I've never lived in an apartment so ghetto it didn't have a dishwasher. And that list includes an apartment complex in Dallas that was razed. My goodness, how slummy are your properties?
I think it would be easier to rent, although probably not a lot more money. Maybe $25-50 more a month or so.
In a two bedroom, you're prospective tenants are either small families or roommates. Families will generate a lot of dishes. And roommates will appreciate not having to deal with each other's dishes piling up in the sink or getting moldy.
I agree with athousandlogins--appliance repairs are a part of life. If your attitude about your tenants is that they are nothing but hooligans, you probably shouldn't put a dishwasher in. But more amenities and a slightly higher rent rate are going to attract better tenants generally too, that's something to consider.
I too was happy without a dishwasher in my early adult days, but now I'm older and I really wouldn't consider renting an apartment without the dishwasher. It wasn't marriage or children that brought that on, it was just a desire to cook occasionally and then not spend my precious evening hours scrubbing dishes, and a desire to not have an unsightly drain rack sitting on my limited counter space.
I've already got an edge on a lot of other places because my units have central air. Most apartments here have window units that don't keep the place cool. Plus my apartments have fireplaces. I could charge a bit more than the going rate as it is. I'm starting to think a dishwasher will be a negligible ROI.
My room mate and I have a dishwasher we never use. That's why there's a double sink.
When I was married, my wife and I lived in an apartment for a few months--it had a dishwasher. She put the wrong kind of soap in it and ended up with suds all over the floor. A mess, but funny at the same time.
Edit: Personally, I'd rather have no dishwasher and more storage space for dishes.
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