[I~love~pie]

we are moving so we need to rent out our house that we own. Ive painted, cleaned carpets, we are re-plastering the walls in our kitchen. But the counter is dated and the stove is dated. They work just fine, but im wondering if we should just leave them be. Can you paint a counter? I know I can re-laminate it, but Im not sure if I have time to do that or even the knowledge.
Do we need to do anything with our hoi policy?

 

[4evermom]

I wouldn't just update because things looked dated. If they were damaged and didn't work properly, I would. Who knows, the renters might like "retro" lol. If I were renting, I'd a little relieved if things weren't perfect and new because I'd be less stressed about keeping it that way. I'd be afraid I'd scratch up a painted countertop, for instance. But I wouldn't want to rent someplace that didn't look clean, either (like stained carpet).

 

[~Megan~]

Well maintained is more important than old appliances. If they appliances were really old and I felt that they were not energy efficient or would not work properly then I'd not want to rent it though.

 

[lucyem]

Call your insurance because once you do not live there and it is a rental they will change how you are insured.

Yes you want the house clean and everything in working order. But from experience do not put a ton of money into it. We have rented a number of houses out and there is always damage.

 

[just_lily]

I wouldn't update, other than paint if needed, unless it really needed it. At least try to rent it first.

When I rented out a house I used to live in my insurance went down by quite a bit. I had something like $150k in "contents" insurance that I no longer needed. I only kept $10k in contents insurance to replace the appliances if the place burns to the ground.

Your insurance will also need to know if they place is vacant for any period of time. A vacancy rider cost me $10 every three months for the year my house was vacant. If something had happened and the insurance company wasn't notified about the vacancy, they wouldn't have covered the damage.

 

[JamieCatheryn]

If you're trying to rent it as a luxury kind of place and it's in a nice neighborhood, you could do upgrades and charge more rent. But if it's just a regular kind of house no way, rentals are typically bottom of the line and your home is likely way better than most of what's out there.

 

[annekevdbroek]

I've had a rental house for 15 years. Until last year the kitchen had the original formica (white with gold sparkles) from the 1940s. None of the tenants were even slightly interested/concerned about it. Things that tenants care about, in my expeience, include working appliances, prompt attention to problems by the landlord, and that the house and neighborhood suit their needs.

 

[Tradd]

A previous apartment of mine (a basement unit in a house built around 1914!) had a gas stove from the 1930s - I had to light the oven each time I used it, lol! You got used to it. It worked fine!

The only things I would change is if there was a really old fridge, say from the 1970s or so. I'm currently renting a condo built in 1990 and it still has all the original appliances (fridge, stove, W/D, dishwasher). Would be nice to have a more efficient fridge, but I can deal with this. It's not too bad. Clean and working are what's important, otherwise.