How old are the appliances in your Outer Banks rental home?
Major home appliances are something that we all seem to take for granted and forget that their life expectancy is relatively short. In the majority of our rental homes on the Outer Banks, we have electric appliances-Refrigerators; Stove/Ovens, Microwave range hood and Dishwashers. Because of the salt air and wind, our appliances receive a lot of corrosion and also take a lot of power surges and strikes which can shorten their life expectancy. The homes on the Outer Banks that offer gas appliances are not Natural Gas but Propane.
Here’s a list of major appliances and what you as a rental property owner can expect and budget for in the upcoming years to considering replacement of these items:
Electric Range/Stove should last 13 to 16 years
Gas Range/Stove should last 15 to 19 years
The range hood should last 9 to 14 years
Standard Refrigerator should last 10 to 18 years
The dishwasher should last 9 to 16 years
Microwave Range Hood should last 5 to 10 years
Electric Dryer should last 11 to 18 years
Gas Dryer should last 11 to 16 years
The washing machine should last 8 to 16 years
Your water heater is another electric appliance item that can be a major concern. Many of these units are located in the attic and if they leak can cause major interior damage. The life expectancy of your electric water heater is 8 to 12 years and on the average, the replacement of a water heater is over $1000.
Your smoke detector is something else that has to be updated (if not already) to one with a 10-year lithium battery. This North Carolina law came into effect a few years ago and now when you have a tenant move out if you do not have one of these special smoke detectors we must update it. Here’s a link to purchase one through Home Depot, they are relatively inexpensive
If you have a fireplace, gas appliances or a gas hot water heater, you must also have a carbon monoxide detector.