What Appliances Do Landlords Have to Provide For a Rental?

When renting out a property, understanding your responsibilities as a landlord is essential—especially when it comes to appliances. While laws regarding required appliances vary by state, providing the right amenities can make your rental more appealing and lead to a positive landlord-tenant relationship. In this blog, we’ll explore what appliances landlords typically expect to provide and how to decide what’s best for your rental property.

Are Landlords Required to Supply Appliances For a Rental?

Landlords often question whether they have to provide appliances like a stove, refrigerator, or washer and dryer for their rental or not. The answer is always cut and dry. It’s often dependent on state laws, so landlords need to study what your state requires of you. For landlords in California, you’re not required to provide any appliances for your rental property. However, to maintain a positive landlord-tenant relationship and keep your rentals full, we recommend supplying a few essential appliances for your property.

Appliances Landlords Should Provide for Tenants: 3 Must-Haves & 2 Optional Add-Ons

While you don’t have to provide any appliances in California and several other states, supplying tenants with basic necessities can foster a long-term positive landlord-tenant relationship. Here are 3 appliances we consider “must-haves” for rental properties even if your state doesn’t require you to supply them:

1. Fridge: A fridge is probably one of the most expected appliances for a rental. Tenants are more likely to be disappointed if your rental doesn’t have one, and not having a refrigerator could result in them walking away from investing in your property.
2. Stove/Oven: A stove/oven is considered an essential appliance for rental properties. Most potential renters will want one for cooking meals, so consider investing in one for your property.
3. Dishwasher: While not as crucial as the abovementioned appliances, a dishwasher can be a massive selling point for landlords. This is especially true for landlords who’d like to rent to families or those who have guests over often.

If you have the budget and would like to provide more appliances for your rental, here are 2 optional add-ons that could make your property even more enticing for potential tenants:

1. Washer & Dryer: Providing a washer and dryer for your rental can be a significant selling point to tenants, especially those who want to skip out on communal laundry facilities. The only downside is that washer and dryer units can be expensive to purchase and maintain.
2. Microwave: While many tenants will prefer a stove and oven, providing a microwave at your rental can be a helpful addition. This could be especially true for college students or those who don’t have the time or energy to cook meals from scratch.

When purchasing appliances for your rental, it’s crucial to understand the positive and negative consequences.

3 Pros & Cons of Providing Appliances for Your Rental

Before buying any appliances for your property, consider these pros and cons of doing so:

Pros

1. Higher Demand for Your Rental Property: Providing high-quality appliances for your rental can be a significant selling point to potential tenants. Prospective renters are much more likely to choose your rental over one that doesn’t have appliances like a stove/oven, refrigerator, or dishwasher.
2. Compliance with Local Laws: While California doesn’t require landlords to provide rental appliances, some states do. Check your local laws to ensure you comply with your state’s requirements. Providing appliances can keep you safe from getting in trouble with your state or city.
3. Convenience: If your rental already has appliances provided, tenants don’t have to worry about moving theirs or buying new ones if it’s their first time renting. This can be a massive win in their mind when checking out your rental.

Cons

1. Expensive Costs: Providing appliances can massively increase your expenses, especially when first buying them. Additional wear and tear caused by tenants can also make you pay more for replacing or fixing appliances.
2. Maintenance Requirements: Your lease and regional state laws determine who’s responsible for fixing and maintaining appliances. However, we recommend that the landlord handle this to avoid unnecessary disputes between you and your tenant(s). With this in mind, it does add a tole to the landlord’s list of to-dos, especially if you have multiple appliances or a multi-family rental property. You may not have the knowledge or experience to fix appliances yourself, so hiring a professional might be required, which only adds to your list of expenses. Remember that the more appliances you provide, the more responsibilities and potential costs you’ll have to take on. Don’t provide the appliance if you don’t want to pay for it.
3. Liability: If an appliance causes damage or injury to your tenant or the property, you could be held liable.

Special Exceptions for Appliances

There are a few exceptions to what appliances you should provide in your rental:

• If the rental requires a stackable washer and dryer, we recommend providing and maintaining it.
• If the rental requires a special-sized fridge to fit the space, you should provide and maintain it due to its unique size requirement.
• If your rental is in an area with lower income, you may need to provide a fridge, a washer, and a dryer. This may be necessary to help fill your vacancy in a marketplace where most tenants do not own these appliances or do not have the means to purchase them themselves. A solid way to determine what to do is to analyze competing rentals in your area. If 70% or more of the advertised rentals have appliances, you may need to provide them.

3 FAQs About Rental Appliances

Here are 3 more common questions about providing appliances for rental properties:

1. Do landlords pay for broken appliances?

If appliances are broken, the landlord will be responsible for paying to fix them, but only if they bought them for the rental. If tenants buy extra appliances, they must pay to fix them, and they can take the appliances with them once they leave. In rare cases, landlords can outline in the lease that the renter is responsible for fixing the appliances. Still, we don’t recommend this since it can lead to disputes, misunderstandings, and potential legal issues if the tenant neglects or improperly repairs the appliances.

2. Do landlords have to provide AC systems in California?

No, landlords aren’t required to provide air conditioning units in California. While landlords must comply with habitability laws, this doesn’t cover providing tenants with a cooling unit. Usually, landlords need to equip rental properties with adequate ventilation. This means all rooms must have a fan, vents, or at least a window that is (at minimum) 20×24 inches and opens halfway unless a fan provides ventilation.

3. How long does a landlord have to replace a stove or other appliance?

If a repair is critical, it violates the warranty of habitability by making the unit unlivable, so landlords must fix these repairs within 3–7 days to resolve the situation. For repairs that aren’t critical, landlords usually have up to 30 days to correct the problem.

TrueDoor Helps Landlords Handle Appliances for Rentals & More

Owning a rental property is already a significant undertaking, and adding appliances only makes it more complex. TrueDoor is here to make rental home and apartment ownership in Southern California easy and seamless. With offices in Orange County and the Inland Empire, our local property managers know local real estate laws like the backs of their hands. We ensure you’ll follow the local laws adequately regarding appliances, and we’ll handle appliance-related issues with ease and professionalism.

Whether you need guidance on which appliances to provide for your rental or assistance managing the ones already on your property, we’re here to help. For over 20 years, we’ve provided comprehensive property management services for rental owners in Southern California. TrueDoor’s experts cover everything from tenant placement to regular property inspections. Contact our team for 5-star solutions and start building wealth the easy way.