Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
golddust

Induction cooktop for a rental ?

golddust
9 years ago

I asked this in the Appliance Forum but realized I 'know' you better here so I'm going to ask again, here.

We are closing on a home in a neighboring town that we intend to rent out. It's one half block away from the BIG houses in a wonderful neighborhood consisting of custom homes built in the late sixties to mid seventies.

The seller is taking her refrigerator so that has pulled the trigger on an appliance update for the kitchen. Her current appliances are Bisque. The tile is bisque. I don't want to buy a bisque refrigerator so as much as I liked Whirlpool's white ice collection, the off white tile won't do justice to the white appliances. We are reluctantly going with Stainless but it will spiff up the kitchen nicely.

We found an Electrolux induction cooktop for the same price we can get a glass electric (no gas hookup at range) but I'm wondering if it would be ok to put one in this rental. Please check the video of the house and tell me what you think an induction would be a nice amenity.

Here is a link that might be useful: Rental House video with pics of kitchen.

Comments (16)

  • gsciencechick
    9 years ago

    I would pass on induction in a rental unless it was a high-end condo--maybe. There is a bit of a learning curve with induction and then the proper cookware must be used. Most people are not going to be willing to give up their favorite nonstick pots and pans that can't be used on induction.

    I love my induction, though!

    You can either go with a typical electric smoothtop or even get another coiltop if you can find one.

    I like the home. Seems cheap for Calif. ??

  • Annie Deighnaugh
    9 years ago

    I would not do induction in a rental as it does require special pots. As much as I love mine, I wouldn't trust it with tenants...I've seen too much of what tenants can do...

  • funnygirl
    9 years ago

    I agree that using special cookware could be problematic for some renters but, gosh,I love my induction cooktop. I'd be SO excited to see one if I were looking at rental properties. I use nonstick cookware on mine all the time..

  • camlan
    9 years ago

    I'd skip the induction cooktop because of the need for specific cookware that can be used on it. Otherwise, you'd have to tell every prospective tenant all about the cooktop and what kind of cookware they'd have to have to use it.

    And I suspect that you'd have a few "repair" calls, when tenants forget about the need for special cookware and call to complain that the stove doesn't work.

    I would also worry about cooks who are not used to the ceramic surface sliding pots across it and scratching it.

  • golddust
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Gscience, it IS cheap for CA. At the open house, we learned the seller/builder was moving to Texas to be with her son.

    We offered $240,000 with a very nice letter. She chose us over a $269,000 offer. We ended up getting it for $245,000. The appraisal indicated we have instant equity. We had a very motivated seller.

    According to Property Management, our target tenants will likely be Drs (33 medical facilities within 30 miles) or Military Officers (Beale Air Force Base) It's in a very good school district.

    We will provide gardener, water, garbage, washer/dryer and all appliances. My target tenant might like an induction cooktop. Lol.

  • gsciencechick
    9 years ago

    Wow, sounds really good! It seems like you will get some quality tenants.

  • funnygirl
    9 years ago

    Gold, the tenants in our PV home are a Beale family and have been superb. Not always a guarantee, of course, but it sure has worked out well for us.

  • runninginplace
    9 years ago

    What's a Beale family?

  • hhireno
    9 years ago

    According to gold's above post, Beale is an Air Force base so I guess it means a military family.

  • Olychick
    9 years ago

    Based on what I've seen in a couple of friends' rentals, as well as in homes for sale, which conveyed with a cooktop, I would never do an induction stove OR a glass top. I can't imagine a tenant rejecting a nice rental because it doesn't have the latest in cooking technology (except perhaps a condo in a high end market).

    Glass tops take a lot of specialized care to keep them looking good (but neglecting them doesn't affect usability) and most tenants (and many owners) just aren't going to do much more than wipe them down after use. That just doesn't cut it on a glass top. I am discouraged by the constant upkeep on my glass top and only do it because I know it will look terrible in the future if I don't. Not sure many tenants will care.

  • Oakley
    9 years ago

    I agree, don't do it. Just because one is a doctor doesn't mean they know squat about induciton cooktops. Many people from all walks of life are slobs. lol.

    Just buy something that looks nice and works well.

  • camlan
    9 years ago

    Coming back to add that I grew up in a military family, moving every year or two.

    Every house we moved into required buying new things--curtains didn't fit windows, rugs were too big or too small, furniture didn't fit, something would have been broken during the move. We always had stuff in storage, waiting for the next house where it would probably fit.

    My parents tried to keep the new house spending down as much as possible. Buying something for a house you will only be living in for one or two years isn't an investment.

    So while I am sure there would be military families who would jump at the chance to buy new cookware because they need new cookware, there are many more who would see that as one more expense that house would cost them, along with all the other new house expenses.

  • golddust
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Wow. I'm surprised by the generally low opinion of tenants. Camian, all window treatments are staying. At least the blinds as the drapes in the bedrooms are dated but every window has nice blinds. That might relieve the budget a bit.

    Do you think a coil electric stove would be better than a glass top? We thought about supplying a cook set that would work on the induction with a 'If you stay two years, you can keep the cook set' kind of an arrangement.

    Induction seems like a greener way to cook and this induction is the same price as a glass top. Coil electric tops are $300. less. They aren't efficient. Glass top electrics are harder to maintain because they get hot and spills are harder to clean off the surface. Induction won't bake spills on, right ?

    I'm still not convinced to stay away from the purchase. Keep talking though. I am listening carefully.

  • gsciencechick
    9 years ago

    I think if you are willing to supply some cookware that will work, that would be good. We have Emerilware, which is made by All-Clad. That is not an expensive set if you wanted to do that. We got ours as a wedding gift.

    I've only had a coil top, but the induction can have spills bake on. However, that is rare. We normally just clean it with a paper towel, but every couple of months I will use a cooktop cleaner on it.

  • Oakley
    9 years ago

    Gold, I have so many favorite pots and pans that I would hate to be limited on using them. Even if induction cooking was better, I wouldn't care. Especially when I have a lot of things cooking at the same time. And what would the tenants do with all their cookware?

    I'd get what most people are used to. A coil top.

  • golddust
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I hear you on the favorite cooking pots and pans. I have favorites too. Just for fun I got a magnet out and it stuck to a large variety of my existing pots.

    I would certainly negotiate the pots and pans if that was a problem. Stay x amount of time (2 years) and they are yours to keep. We don't object to that at all.