I’m about to do a full refurb of a flat in SE London zone 3 and am thinking of installing a dishwasher as well as a washer / dryer in the kitchen. I’d welcome advice from the many experienced landlords on here as to whether a diswasher is a good idea.
Some background info: originally designed as 2 bedrooms plus lounge plus study but the lounge is now also used as a bedroom. Registered as an additional HMO and my target market is 3 unrelated flatsharers for 3 main reasons: it helps young people if they can split the costs 3 ways, the absence of children means no problems with them jumping up and down on the suspended timber floor and disturbing the occupants below, and the tenancy won’t last forever (bearing proposed legislation in mind). Demand from such tenants is strong.
A further consideration is, how important is a dishwasher for buyers if I decide to sell?
Advice will be very welcome, thanks in advance.
The washer/dryer (make sure it’s a condenser) I’d recommend. It gives Ts no excuse to dry clothes on rads / airers etc which will make a flat very damp.
I was told not to use dishwashers by the repair guy.
He’s forever cleaning out blockages. Tenants don’t remove food so repair costs are exorbitant.
Thus I never installed them.
If you want to consider future buyers then put in the plumbing and electrics but don’t give the appliance.
Yes to dryers.
Washing is 6l of water per load and big contributor to mould when they dry indoors.
I have a washing machine and dryer separate.
If one breaks down it does not impact the other.
Condenser dryers are better than vented. Heat pump dryers are too expensive and require gas.
Vented dryers leak. Condenser tray can be emptied into the sink.
The dryers make a significant difference to humidity in the property
They must clean lint filter, though . It’s a fire risk …
Heat Pump Dryers DO NOT need a gas supply. Heat Pump technology is very efficient and cost effective to run, but are more expensive to buy.
If installing a condenser or heat pump as part of a refurb, it will not require the tank to be manually emptied into a sink, but instead the drain pipe can be connected to the site drains for automatic drainage.
Condensers / Heat Pump take longer to dry, but are more environmentally friendly than a vented dryer, and do not require the 100mm vent outlet. Either would be fine as the time of cycles will not be problematic for 3 occupants.
Personally, if space allows, install a separate washer & dryer. Washer Dryers are not ideal but are ok if that’s all space allows.
Re D/W, I’ve had one installed in my 5 bed HMO for over 3 years, Never had a problem. Tenants salt it & add rinse aid, but obviously not all tenants will be as good, so you need to keep an eye on those levels, as failure to salt for example, will leave wash results reduced, and lead to limescale build up.
If you have two 600mm cavities plumb both in so they can have dishwash and wash m/c
If you have an o/s wall cut a 100mm core in one of the cavities. Regular td is better imo
This way tenants can fit what they like. They are all different
DO NOT supply appliances wherever possible
If you do supply hob/ oven go electric. Its so easy and cheap to replace an electric hob or built in oven , you can do it yourself in an hour
I always suggest they rent appliances and BE SURE ti be in when the first use if wash m/c takes place and use new hoses and washers
Depends on the tenants. Some of mine prefer to wash dishes by hand than use the dishwasher. Others really depend on it. I tend to provide dishwashers as they are generally seen as a desirable amenity in the rental market. I don’t think having one/not having one has any significant bearing if you decide to sell.
As Karl mentioned, with a washer / dryer, I would definitely avoid a combined machine if possible. A repair person told me that these break down often, and he recommended getting a separate washing machine and dryer if space allows. I am slowly replacing any combined washer dryers with only washing machines for this reason (and separate dryers if there’s space).
Definitely have separate washing machine and dryer. I ve had to replace a combined one in my rental and they don’t come cheap.
Dishwashers get broken easily too. Repairs can cost the price of replacement. Its hard to instill the need of rinsing off food before loading it and younger renters may be oblivious of this too . Equally cleaning out filter regularly and adding salt is problematic to enforce. I had to replace one in my rental too. Large double sink with provision of food filtering mesh is better solution in my opinion.
If you want le leave an option for later addition of a dishwasher to rent to families ensure plumbing is in situ behind a cabinet
Thanks to everyone who has replied to my post, I’ve taken all your comments and advice very seriously. The flat has had a washer / dryer for many years now, the present one, an Indesit, was installed back in July 2018 and is still going strong. I’ll give some thought to merely installing plumbing for a washer / dryer after the refurb and leaving the tenant to arrange their own. No room for separate washer and dryer.
As far as the dishwasher is concerned, I won’t supply one but will get the plumbing done for one behind the under counter cupboard unit in case a buyer wants one.