tenant supplied fridge

[PasadenaDave]

My first tenant will be signing their lease on Friday and asked about using their own fridge instead of the one in the house. What rules/procedure should be followed here? My only concern is what happens when they leave, because the current fridge is working and completely adequate. I wouldn't want them to permanently remove the old one and then take the new one with them, leaving me to buy a new fridge that I didn't really need.

thanks

 

[Patricia_Young]

Why can't you store the one you provide somewhere until they leave? Would also be a good backup for any other tenants you might have, if one goes bad.

 

[PasadenaDave]

the only problem with that, is that I now have to pay to store a perfectly good fridge.

 

[Patricia_Young]

You don't have a storage room or garage or something? I guess you could refuse to let them bring in their own fridge.

 

[mightymoose]

When they move in they are accepting responsibility for that refrigerator.
When they leave that refrigerator needs to still be there and be working.

If they intend to swap refrigerators, make sure you make a special note of it in the lease and keep photos of the fridge and make note of the make and model so you can determine value.

When they move in, make it their responsibility to properly store the fridge. Putting it on the back porch with a blanket over it is not proper storage.

When they move out they can put the fridge back. If they do not, then you have documentation of it and can recover the cost from the deposit or sue them in small claims.

 

[bluemann33]

Yea, I would just tell them that the fridge is part of the house and if they want to use their own then they are responsable for storage and making sure the fridge is kept in good clean working order.