How Much Should Landlords Budget for Replacement Appliances?

A washing machine dies on a Sunday. A fridge-freezer starts warming instead of cooling three weeks before a new tenancy starts. An oven’s display goes dark the night before an inspection. None of it happens at a convenient time, and none of it happens for a convenient price — which is exactly why the appliances in a rental property need their own line in the budget, not just a reaction when something breaks.

Here’s what that budget should actually look like.

How long appliances last in a rental property

Appliances in a let generally work harder than those in an owner-occupied home — more tenants, less careful use, and less incentive to treat a communal washing machine gently. As a rough planning guide:

• Washing machines: 7–12 years
• Dishwashers: 9–12 years
• Fridge-freezers: 10–15 years
• Ovens and cookers: 12–15 years (gas models often outlast electric)
• Tumble dryers: 10–13 years

Treat the lower end of each range as the realistic figure for a rental rather than a family home used by one careful household.

What replacement actually costs

Ballpark figures for a decent mid-range appliance, the kind that suits a rental property without over- or under-specifying it:

• Washing machine: £350–£600
• Dishwasher: £250–£700
• Fridge-freezer: £300–£1,200 depending on size
• Oven: £300–£1,500+ for a range cooker
• Tumble dryer: from around £300, more for heat pump models

For a standard three-bed let with the core four appliances (washing machine, fridge-freezer, oven, dishwasher), that’s a realistic replacement reserve of somewhere between £1,200 and £2,500 per full cycle — spread across a decade or more, but worth setting aside annually rather than finding in one go when three things fail in the same year.

The 50% rule for repair-or-replace decisions

When something breaks, the question isn’t just “can this be fixed” — it’s “should it be.” A simple guide many landlords use: if a repair quote comes in above 50% of the cost of a new equivalent, replace rather than repair. Below that threshold, a repair usually buys enough extra life to be worth it. Above it, you’re often paying good money to delay the same decision by a year.

Why the cheapest option isn’t always the cheapest option

It’s tempting to always buy the lowest sticker price for a rental — tenants aren’t the ones paying the energy bill on an inefficient appliance, so why spend more? Two reasons. First, total cost of ownership: a poorly rated fridge-freezer or washing machine that fails in year six costs more over its life than a slightly pricier one that lasts to year twelve. Second, energy efficiency is increasingly a letting advantage in its own right — tenants comparing two similar properties will notice if one comes with appliances that cost visibly more to run.

This is where value-tier brands earn their keep. Beko, Grundig, Hisense, Midea and Sensis all sit in the sweet spot between budget and premium — reliable, energy-efficient, and priced to make sense against a rental yield rather than an owner-occupier’s wish list. They’re not the brands you’d necessarily choose for a forever home, but they’re very often the right choice for a let.

Getting the price right without doing the legwork yourself

Whichever appliance you’re replacing, it’s worth knowing that prices on the same model can vary noticeably between retailers on any given day. Rather than checking AO, Currys, John Lewis and Marks Electrical yourself before every purchase, our daily price match does that comparison automatically — so what you see is already checked against the major retailers, not a starting point for you to haggle down.

A quicker decision than it used to be

Landlords also now have less room to sit on a broken appliance than they might once have done. The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 has sharpened expectations around how quickly issues like a broken cooker get resolved — we covered exactly what’s changed in our recent piece on the Renters’ Rights Act and white goods obligations, worth a read alongside this one if you haven’t already budgeted for faster turnarounds.

Between a clearer sense of typical lifespans, a realistic figure for replacement costs, and a straightforward rule for when to stop repairing and start replacing, budgeting for appliances doesn’t need to be guesswork. If you’d like to see the full range of landlord-friendly appliances we stock, visit Hot & Cold — full range, fast delivery, and every price already checked against the market for you.