It's cheaper to get a fridge with an ice maker than one without. You can get a nice rental quality French door Fridge for around $1500. A nice rental quality SxS will run you around $1100. If the additional $400 is worth it to make the rental a bit more attractive, then I'd do it. If it's not worth it to you, then a plain stainless SxS would be fine.

I'd much prefer a FD to a SXS. FD have better freezer space.

FD, definitely! Assuming aisle space or landing space wasn't an issue, I'd be happy with a single-door, bottom freezer refrigerator.

Most people I know w/SxS hate them...well, at least "regular" SxS. I don't know anyone w/a 48" SxS, just 36".

An ice maker (not in-door dispenser) would also be a big plus...when I rented it irritated me a bit that I had such a cheap refrigerator that it didn't even have an ice maker...and that was long b/f I became TKO!! (It was an apartment complex.)

We got an LG top door, bottom freezer drawer fridge for our utility room and I'm very happy with it. LG makes the Kenmore version too (at least did a year ago). When we bought ours, the LG version was on sale for less (can't remember now, but I think we got it about $900 and then got an energy rebate back on it). I think it would be a really nice, better than average rental refrigerator.

The ratings on the stainless are lower than the white, so I think that's a reflection on delivery dings, having to wipe down a door, etc. -- get your tenants a streak free cleaning cloth and they'll be fine).

Here is a link that might be useful: LG Bottom Freezer

I think the FD is preferred. Personally, I would not get an ice maker, just one more thing to go wrong (unless all other rentals in your area have them) or it's an actually cheaper frig. When I had a rental in the great school system and got over $2000/month rent I had the cheapest white DW, Frig, W/D possible with the 30+ year old stove. Again, it really depends on what everyone else (other rentals) are doing too. I have a dive that rents for over $3000/mo and I have the cheapest stuff possible.

Could you get a single door with bottom freezer in stainless?

I really don't care for SxS unless they are very large because the freezers are too narrow. Where are you located generally?

In my home, we cannot do a FD because there isn't enough clearance for a drawer to open without hitting the peninsula. So long as there is no issue like that, I'd do the FD. We have rentals and I cannot believe you would spend that much on a fridge, but we have apartments, not homes. We get ours at the warehouse type places that have slight dents, etc in them for a fraction of the price of a brand new one. I mean, if a rental fridge has a dent in the back, who cares??

bostonpam, Thanks....

The rental price has gone WAY up in the city. The "rental quality" has also gone way up in the city. Average to slightly above rental in the city now has granite countertops and new SS appliances. This is because all new apartment buildings are getting built with these amenities.

If I take 1 month to rent versus 1 day to rent, the difference is more than enough to pay for the GOOD refrigerator. It's not worth saving if I can attract good tenants.

pal, I am in Seattle, WA. My suburban rental is in Bellevue which is the top ranking suburban school district in the area.

My preference as a user is a single door with bottom freezer. This is what I have at my own house. I thought that the FD would give more zing to the tenants. what do you think, pal?

I want really good tenants. I will not rent to undergrads and really young people. Even though I can get more rent by having multiple people share the house, I don't want them. They are too much trouble and they cause too much wear and tear in the house. The house can never revert back to anything other than an undergrad-dive. We have plenty of these in the city and they seem to turn around every year. Too much work. No thanks.

My tenants tend to stay 3 to 5 years. I really don't want to do the work of turning the place around too often. I prefer to make slightly less and have stable/long term tenants.

My rentals in the city, I generally have med/dental/grad students or residents. They stay the course of their training. In the suburb, I tend to have high tech employees or engineers with families in the house. (solid middle to slightly upper middle class in the region)

I need to attract 'good tenants'......

In the long run, they are much much less work for us. (even though we pay to have everything done, it is still coordination that takes time)

I think the rental market is a bit different here, but in my neighborhood we tend to rent to med students, post grads or young professionals. A house will rent faster than a typical apartment so a non updated house will rent quicker than a brand new apartment in many instances.

I decided to buy a house I wanted to live in and rent it in the interim when I saw a nice but not pristine house with kitchens and baths from the 70s and found out it was subject to rent bidding wars.

I am rented under market at $2500 and have what is probably a $400 fridge in there that came with the house but I think my renters were enamored of the two outdoor spaces and things like the fridge were like "Fridge.it works...check".

My tendency would be to buy the most decent looking work horse fridge that would not show scratches and dings so much and not necessarily pay more for french door, but if the price difference is not much? why not?

I'd shop the local scratch and dent or clearance sales and see what is available. Some deals at the Sears scratch and dent store near us are often for open boxes, floor models or something that may have a blemish on the side or back that will never be seen. Try craigslist as well. I'd put in a mid range fridge and pay a bargain price for it.

I think the icemaker/water dispenser is a nice amenity, but then again, it is one more thing that can break and will the tenant be responsible for buying and replacing the filter or would that be on you?

My fave normal fridge was a good size LG s x s. We replaced the old fridge in our last house with the LG and were sad to leave it to move here and get a lousy s x s. Our new fridge and freezer set work as a large s x s, so you can see we like the concept. I'd buy the best value since any newish fridge of a good size will be ok.

Speaking for my daughter, SIL, and toddler who rent a house in Marin County for about $2600 a month, I'll say she'd love a FD, but what she'd love even more is one that has all the shelves and drawers intact. Honest, the produce drawer has never been there, they removed a broken shelf, and I'll die of surprise if the landlord ever rectifies the situation. At their last rental in LA, they held the freezer door closed with a piece of packing tape. That place was around $1800.

kaismom - I understand not wanting to rent to undergrads, but I have a story. We were 19 and 21 year old undergrads when we got married during Christmas break. We found the perfect place for us in a retirement complex of apartments around a small golf course. They didn't want to rent to us, but couldn't figure out how to refuse. So we spent from Jan to June there and were the darlings of the complex. The retired folks thought we were adorable. We probably were. We moved north for the next school year so my husband could get his teaching credential, but moved back again when he got a job back home in a nearby school district. I had one more year of school, so we went back to the retirement place where they were happy to see us. We were happy, they were happy, I graduated, and we moved closer to the school he taught at. Six months of a low-end rental, then we bought the house we still live in 37 years later. I remember the retirement place fondly.

Our rental market is filled with people that got caught in the housing crash. They are renting out their updated homes and not making any money. Some have not been ale to sell their homes and renting their home is the lesser evil than coming up with a huge check to sell... i personally know several people in this situation. There are many rentals for $2500 for a house that would sell for 600k to 800k. You do the math and can see that they are losing or not making any money each month. They are just trying to reduce their expenses. I actuality make a nice profit. I have to compete with those that are losing money.

We are buying another rental right now and we had to look more than 6 months to find a property that made a good income and was updated and will be low maintenance in the long run. This was updated as a rental with granite and SS appliances. I am making slightly more than high dividend bearing stocks...
Currently it is cheaper to rent than to buy a comparable house in our local market .

Pal it's not my business but does your rental make you a profit or do you rent it out to reduce expenses? If this is not a long term rental there may be tax consequences for you that you need to be aware.

Hi Kaismom. I'm down I-5 from you so am familiar with Bellevue, but not the rental market there.

I think most non-TKO people think FD is a status symbol. I know I used to. Now that I'm using one in our temporary house, I would never buy one. Two doors, for me, just means one more door to open. I'm looking forward to using my new single door, bottom pullout. I think someone would get used to a single door very quickly and not look back. For some reason, I also think most people in that market wouldn't like SxS.

As far as the ice maker goes, I consider it to be a basic amenity now. Not having one comes across as cheap. I would think folks in an upscale area like Bellevue expect one. Is the house plumbed already for an ice maker?

So, my vote is an ice maker in a single door, bottom pullout unit.

Not sure about the ice maker, but I would also vote for a single door, bottom pullout if you can find it in the size you need. I would put one with an ice maker in my kitchen but I cannot find them in 36" width - they're all 33" and lower.

Until our house purchase last year, I've lived in rentals all of my adult life (a lot of years). The type of refrigerator or whether it has an ice maker has never been a factor in the decision. My choice has always been made based on the size, layout and general condition of the premises.

You say that your house is not updated. The people for whom glitzy appliances are important will probably want an updated rental.

I will not technically break even. The rent covers my mortgage and taxes but not the insurance or expensive of renting or maintaining the property: painting for tenants,basic window treatments, replacing microwave, plumber's visit, etc.

I did not want to make money, I just wanted to cover carrying two mortgages as I plan to move in at the closing on the sale of the property I have on the market.

kaismom - just curious - how are you able to discriminate against certain categories of tenants - I realize they have to pass credit checks and probably background checks but beyond that, isn't it illegal to discriminate?

I agree with those who say an ice maker should be considered standard, especially if you are talking about anything above a cheap apartment. Since my childhood, I'v only experienced one ice maker problem and that was after a long distance move 20 years ago. They are pretty simple machines that tend to keep working. All things being equal, I'd rent a place that had an ice maker over one that didn't (big deal for me, but I'm in Texas, not Washington).

I'm with breezy on a FD just being another door to open. I liked the idea of one when they came out -- DH pointed out that the door storage is not only divided, it cuts into your door opening space on both sides. If you use that tray storage, you have to open the doors super wide and then get around both doors with your hands full. You can get the same kind of tray storage in a single door and it would seem easier to use. If I saw one in a rental unit, it would seem out of place and I'd wonder if the landlord decided they didn't like it and cast it off to the rental.

You prefer a single door bottom freezer. I love mine. They cost less to buy and to operate, offer a clean look and a bit of an upgrade, but not too much.

"how are you able to discriminate against certain categories of tenants - I realize they have to pass credit checks and probably background checks but beyond that, isn't it illegal to discriminate?"

I believe you are allowed to refuse to rent to certain categories of people as long as the class is not protected by law. I don't think most, if any, state housing laws protect students or young people, per se.

the undergrads don't make the income qualification.

If I were renting a home rather than an apartment, I would want an icemaker. But it would not make/break the deal. Neither would FD vs SxS. Location, Location, Location...

PS: I used to live in Juanita Bay.

Do your tenants have young children? Because I discovered when I moved how much handier a top-mount refrigerator was than a French door--My daughter can serve herself for most things, where with the FD (or presumably a bottom-mount) she couldn't reach much.