On 4/29/2012 3:49 AM, dadiOH wrote:
The log house which my wife wound up with after her mother died - and into
which we have been pouring money, lo, these many months - is now ready to
sell or rent. Given the market, it is most likely to be rented. I have
only rented two unfurnished apartments in my life and that was years ago.

The first was totally bare...no stove, no fridge, no drapes, no nothing.

The second had drapes - rather nice ones - and a stove but no fridge.

Having no experience as either a renter or landlord, I would appreciate
knowing what you would expect if you were looking to rent an unfurnished
house.

Drapes?
Stove?
Microwave?
Dishwasher?
Fridge?
Washer& dryer?
Washer and dryer hookups only?
Anything else?

A stove and refrigerator is expected in a rental. A dishwasher, washer,
and dryer make it easier to rent and for a higher price. But expect to
spend money maintaining those appliances.

The dishwasher is what I've consistently had the most trouble with. I'm
on the fourth one after renting the place our for 18 years. For the
washer and dryer I did something really smart--I went to a commercial
laundry supplier and bought a commercial washer and dryer. They were
about 2X the price of consumer models, but they are built far better
because they are designed for continuous use in commercial environments.
They have stood up to anything the tenants could throw at them, and have
required none of my time to repair.

I'd also appreciate knowing if you would expect to do any of these yourself.
Change air filters? Buy them?
Maintain salt level in water softener? Buy the salt?
Cut the grass?
What other maintenance or repair?

All of that is expected of the landlord but you could negotiate with the
tenant to do those things. Some tenants will call you for every little
thing, a loose faucet handle, the chain coming off of the flusher on the
toilet, cob webs blocking the electric eye of the garage door opener.
Some will take care of that stuff themselves.