Should You Put a Gas or Electric Stove in Your Rental?
When renovating a unit or replacing a broken stove in a rental, you have a big question to answer: should you use a gas or electric stove in the rental? For many landlords, the answer is simple. They just use whichever stove type they use for their other rental properties.
But no two locations or even individual units are exactly the same. To help you determine which type of stove is right for you, your wallet, and your tenants, let’s break down the benefits and downsides of gas and electric stoves in detail.
Benefits of Gas Stoves
Gas stoves have several major advantages that make them the go-to choices for certain landlords (and a favorite option for many tenants).
Cheaper for Tenants to Run
For starters, gas stoves are typically less expensive to run. Given that gas expenses usually come out of tenants' pockets, it's no surprise to see tenants prefer properties with gas stoves so they can save money on their monthly utility bills.
This is due to the generally lower cost of natural gas in most states compared to electricity, though it varies heavily from place to place.
Better Home Chef Control
As a landlord, you may also prefer gas stoves since they’ll be more appealing to certain types of tenants. Gas stoves give greater temperature control, so home chefs or prospective tenants who plan to do a lot of home cooking will prefer the open flames of gas stoves over the electric coils of their counterparts.
As a result, gas stoves can be another selling point you can lean on when advertising your rental property.
Easier for All Tenants to Use
Lastly, gas stoves are easier for your tenants to use, so there’s less likelihood of them making a mistake or damaging their gas stove due to misunderstanding how it works. Again, many tenants will prefer gas stoves, so they may be more willing to rent your property over another in the same area if you have gas and your competitor has electric.
Advantages of Electric Stoves
While gas stoves can be attractive, many landlords swear by electric stoves for several different reasons.
Improved Energy Efficiency (Plus Potential Rebates)
While gas stoves might be a little cheaper to run in aggregate, electric stoves are more energy-efficient. This, in turn, could (depending on the location of your rental) lead to lower utility bills overall for your tenants.
This may also result in savings for you if you’re the one paying for electric costs for your tenants. On top of that, many cities or municipalities offer rebates if you have energy-efficient appliances in your units. You could save hundreds of dollars per year through these rebates even if they cost you more upfront.
No Risk of Gas Leak/Fire
Many landlords will only use electric appliances in their rental units because electric appliances are at a lower risk of unit-destroying accidents, like fires or gas leaks. If a unit burns down because a tenant left a gas stove on, that’s hundreds of thousands of dollars down the drain.
All Homes Can Have Electric Stoves
Additionally, some properties simply can’t have gas piped to their locations for hot water or other uses without extensive remodeling or renovations, which can take a big bite out of your wallet. On the other hand, all homes can accept electric stoves, making them the easy choice if you are fixing and flipping a home or renovating a rental unit before putting it on the market.
Cheaper to Install
By the same token, electric stoves are simply easier to install for many landlords or their property managers. When you need to renovate several units quickly, electric stoves could be the only choice if you want to get your properties on the market on time for your business needs.
Fewer Maintenance Costs
Lastly, electric stoves are easier to maintain by property owners, which could result in fewer accidents or fewer maintenance costs each year. Your property manager may appreciate electric stoves since they’ll be called out for maintenance checks or fixes less frequently, which could save you money as well.
What About an Induction Cooktop?
Gas and electric are the two most common types of stoves and stovetops for rental buildings, but induction cooktops are a third alternative you may not have considered. Induction cooktops use electromagnetism to generate heat.
Induction cooktops may be beneficial because they:
Are energy-efficient, saving money on utility bills
Easy to control in terms of temperature for your tenants
Can produce high heat for home chefs
Generally safe to use as their surfaces are always cool
Practical to use
However, induction cooktops also have downsides like:
Being expensive to purchase and install
Being easy to break
Requiring lots of maintenance
Having restrictions on the types of cookware usable with their surfaces
If gas and electric both don't seem right for your property, consider an electric cooktop instead.
Bottom Line: Should You Choose Gas or Electric Stoves for Rentals?
As you can see from the above breakdown, electric stoves seem to have more going for them than gas stoves. But the answer to the million-dollar question is never that simple.
In truth, you should consider each rental unit in your portfolio carefully when deciding between gas or electric stoves for rentals. What may work for one may not work for another. Generally:
If your tenants are paying for gas and the unit is higher-end (i.e. will attract more responsible tenants), gas stoves could be better
If the rental unit will be rented to less responsible tenants or have more tenant turnover (and thus more risk of maintenance issues), electric could be a better pick
At the end of the day, both gas and electric stoves can work; it all depends on what you need and your preferences.
Need more information about renting in Cambridge or making the right decisions to attract tenants to your properties? Contact Cambridge Sage today – we can offer advice and help you rent your units to quality tenants.