Thoughts on charging for refrigerator water filter replacement ?

Thoughts on charging for refrigerator water filter replacement ?

Do you charge for ac filter replacement?

Katie Butler Roncadori no

NaydeeLillie Martinezz I thought about making that comparison also but then realized it didn’t make sense because when you replace the AC filter, you are doing preventative maintenance to extend the life of your AC & reduce labor costs from frozen AC work orders. If you don’t replace the fridge water filter, it doesn’t have a deleterious effect on your fridge. I say make the resident do it themself or at least pay for it.

NaydeeLillie Martinezz , They can pay for the filter and install themselves for free. Or they can pay for the filters and a service fee to install it.

Absolutely. When you lease a car, you are responsible for the oil change.
Most fridges are on timers. Those go off every 6 months.

First replacement one is free, then you charge, or the resident can buy a bulk pack themselves on Amazon to save a few $$$. Also always recommend that they reset replacement warning light at least once unless water tastes off. Maintenance can install if needed either way. Costs for those have definitely gone up over the last few years.

I kinda see it both ways, im not sure how important it is to keep the filter clean for the sake of keeping the fridge nice and servicable. Its your equipment so u should order and replace the correct filter or dont offer fridges with a filter. You definately dont want residents sometimes messing with your equipment changing theyre own filters or installing the wrong filters. Etc. Its a good customer service thing to do.

Depends on how the lease is worded.

We did at one property I was at. It was a nightmare. The sensor with the red light was actually just on a 6 month timer. So during lease up they had them going off and the filter hadn't even been used yet I tested water flow and if it was good I'd reset the timer on turns. But in the end we were spending quite a bit. They were $80 from HD or Manufacture. But there were aftermarket ones on Amazon that were like $24 each. My PM paid out of pocket for 8 at a time and did reimbursement it's 2023 and I can't believe all companies don't have Amazon business accounts now.
Our industry is like "we are innovative!" And then they can't purchase through Amazon
Come to think of it. We had 2 filters crack from freezing while I was there. If I remember correctly the Thermistor had gone out and caused the fridge to get really cold and froze the water in the filter which caused some small floods.

The manufacturer says change the water filter every 6 months, If you are on city water it's not necessary..some properties are using the filter plug and removing the filter all together, some are telling residents they have to replace themselves due to the price. If you find you need to replace send me a message and I will check pricing for you. (Yes I am a sales rep for a parts vendor) GE has put a chip in some of the ones they make so you can't use aftermarket. Smart on their part, but leaves you stuck when replacing them.

Within six months of move in (free). After that charged to resident. It is something that is used up by resident and is not necessary for operating appliance. We charge what we get them for in bulk not what it would cost resident to purchase singularity.

Though the light comes on every 6 months, we only change out annually free of charge.

Hmm, I think that the office should supply filters, if the refrigerator utilizes filters. I don’t know what type of filters the fridges use there, but I know with my fridge, I can get 4 filters on Amazon for $30. They aren’t the name brand filters, but they work the same and are compatible with my fridge.

I think it depends on the asset type. There are people responding to this post referring to their residents as tenants and comparing renting an apartment to renting a car, which tells me they see themselves in a highly transactional business. And very likely, not a Class A property. At B and C sites where rents are lower, I think there’s a different service expectation and it is a little more transactional. Filter replacements that are comped are not part of the game. At a Class A property where you’re selling a high end lifestyle not just an apartment home (the price of which is reflected in the rent), you should definitely be replacing those filters and budgeting for them.

Properties where I've worked charge, where I live free. It should be free. It's their appliance not mine. Residents won't replace it when you charge and then it will get neglected. Also gives you the opportunity to enter the unit and do a quick glance if there's any issues needing to be addressed. Give them the pickle 

It's just petty not to .. the fridge belongs to the company and $50 a couple times a year vs the amount of rent they pay is a drop in the bucket.. and do you charge for maintenance calls someone mentioned that I think you would want to be the one to change it to make sure it was done. Customer service is your best advertisement and pettiness is not a good look .

Seems like normal wear and tear to me - that's on the community, which is why most don't put in the fridges with the water in the door.

Another consideration to the change-don’t change: if your water has a high level of calcium, if you fail to change the filter, the ice maker will fail.

Nickel and dimes like this are not the way to keep good paying tenants.

In my own personal house those are meant to be changed every 6 months. I would say that is part of wear and tear if you have them. Now if they get damaged or torn out and are less than 6 months, I’d call that outside of normal wear and tear

Just remember you do it for this one you do it for all. This is not considered preventative maintenance, it’s a luxury and the resident should be responsible for the cost. If you have the property pay for it you need to be aware when others ask and they will that this is a high cost that will affect your financials especially if you didn’t account for them in your budget

We install a new filter during the make ready process but after that it’s the resident’s responsibility just like hvac filters

Purchase bipass plugs if you don’t want to provide them as a property, then allow residents to buy their own if they so choose.

We changed them up to twice a year as per normal use. More than that would be a charge. Honestly it's the nickel and dime bs that lowers retention rates.

If you don’t want them to do it themselves, don’t charge.

Your fridge, your filter cost. Because not replacing them can damage YOUR property. And if I were a tenant I wouldn't pay extra, I'd just deal with the light blinking and you can replace it when I move out