Advice sought - New washer/dryer, or keep the 5 y.o. ones? (apartments, renter)

[WoodyTX]

We're moving into a larger house, and have a decent five year old front-loading washer and dryer combo. We're going to rent out our old home, and my thoughts have been along the lines of "buy a new pair, and leave the old ones in the rental house".

Complication: My wife likes the old set, but will probably also like a new set, once she gets used to them. ("Probably" is not "certainly", etc...)

Have there been any vast improvements over the last few years in front-loading laundry technology? Any particular reason to buy a new set, other than the fact that the old set will help rent out the house faster (and at a higher price)?

Am I threatening domestic tranquility here, or just thinking ahead? Thanks for any input.

[calel]

It's difficult to answer. My general experience with rental houses is that they don't provide the washer & dryer, but I was also renting out in the 'burbs. Future renters will be divided into people w/ their own set and people w/o. If your house is close to campus, then leaving the washer & dryer would make more sense for the college kiddies than if you are out in the suburbs and likely getting a family to rent.

How about a third option (unless your wife is hung up on a new set)? Keep your perfectly nice set. Then visit the local scratch & dent shop or Craig's List to buy a cheapo set to leave in the rental house.

[WoodyTX]

It's a nice suburban house; I'm working off of the assumption that the closer to turnkey it is, the more likely it is to rent and to do so at a higher rate.

[gcook1926]

Here's my advice. This comes from years of listening to my father preach about them, and around 10 years of me referring to them personally. Join Consumer Reports. If you don't want the magazine, you can just get an online subscription. Answers to this and what brands to buy, etc from the only unbiased reporting agency out there (with their depth or research) is the way to go. I research all my big purchases before I buy them.

[CarnivalGal]

I would keep the ones you have. There has not been any HUGE improvements in the past 5 years. I mean it's a washer and dryer, not a car. Back in my renting days, I rarely found a house that had a w/d already in them, most just had the hook-ups for tenants to bring in their own. Most people looking to rent a house rather than apartment already have them anyway.

And I wrote off Consumer Reports years ago. I have a Mass Comm degree and we studied them at length in one of my Media Law and Ethics classes. Let's just say they are NOT unbiased. With all the free resources on the web now, it's easy to find tons of reviews on products and services.

[WoodyTX]

Thanks. I'm a CR member (and yes, they are biased, but their info is good when you can recognize and filter out the bias), and apparently the 2011 standards are causing a bit of a kerfuffle among the manufacturers, some of whom are compromising on performance to meet them.

Thanks for the input. I think we'll keep the existing washer and dryer (ensure domestic tranquility). Time to call the movers back...

[Dewmik]

The problem with offering a washer and dryer in the rental is that if it breaks for any reason as the owner you are required under the terms of Lease to repair or replace them as they are considered part of the property. In Fact they really don't do anything to the monthly rent rate, What additional appliances do is help move the property faster.

[WoodyTX]

Originally Posted by Dewmik

The problem with offering a washer and dryer in the rental is that if it breaks for any reason as the owner you are required under the terms of Lease to repair or replace them as they are considered part of the property.

Our rental contract states that all appliances are for convenience only, and are not part of the lease.

I had heard that they move the house faster, but I just don't see it being worth the cost of a new (or the bother of buying a used) set.

[Dewmik]

The rental contract that states that dose not hold up. If you have a renter that decides to get evicted and actually goes to court then claims that the washer stopped working and you didn't repair it. Well you show your out clause and the judge will say the out is non binding. The rule fell from a court in AZ I believe back in the 90's. It's under home amenities. The renter claimed that the owner failed to make repairs. The Owner said he was not required to. The decision was that the appliance was offered at move in as an attached object and there for the owners responsibility. This is why apartments usually have a secondary company rent and repair washers and dryers, puts them out of the equation.
I had a couple that wanted out of their lease a few years ago. The property had a working swimming pool on it. I told them at the start that it was available for use but I was not going to maintain it. Well it broke and they used that under the attached amenities rule to get out of the lease. They didn't get a full release but they were not required to pay for about $1500.00. After that I had my attorney rewrite my lease and we no longer have any write in amendments.

[WoodyTX]

Thanks for the info; I'll keep it in mind.

I won't worry about the 'fridge or microwave; I'd have them repaired/replaced simply out of the lower costs.