Let's Talk About Appliances and Utilities

By Nayra Mendoza on February 10, 2017

Every college student has the lowest expectations when it comes to their first apartment. They are feeling grateful enough that they can move off campus and join in this adult-like activity.

Although every apartment is designed differently and offers various amenities, every single one has the general appliances and utilities that apartment hunters look for. Below are some things to know about what your properties should include in order to attract student residents.

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Basic Appliances

Every college student needs the basics in their apartment. Many of them won’t know how to cook, but that doesn’t mean they won’t learn. I got tired of eating ramen noodles and sandwiches after the second week, and there are only so many ways to make a good sandwich. The typical appliances are:

•Refrigerator

•Dishwasher

•Microwave

•Stove and Oven

•Washer

•Dryer

•Window blinds

An apartment with all of the listed basics is a guaranteed catch. They are all essential to owning your first personal space, growing up and becoming an adult. Learning how to cook and clean is all part of the “leaving the nest” process.

Some apartments do not include a microwave, and I can testify that is one appliance a college student should do without. It motivates a student to learn how to reheat food on the stove top or oven. It’s also a healthier method, too. For those who can’t cook an egg, though, some college students heavily rely on a microwave to prepare Hot Pockets and frozen chicken nuggets.

I also included blinds as a basic appliance. Although you are not required to shade your windows, having blinds is one less thing a student has to worry about. If they have night classes and sleep in during the day, nobody wants to be frustrated with how much light is entering the room. Whether a student would like to add extra shade with curtains is up to them, but you should provide simple blinds.

Space Matters

If the apartments are small, do not try to overcompensate with a big stove-oven and dishwasher machine. Ergo, I hope to have a nice-sized refrigerator in a spacious kitchen. Students will appreciate your ability to coordinate.

Image via pinterest.com

Stacked washers and dryers are extremely space-friendly. If your apartment includes a laundry room, you may want to fill it with a stacked washer and dryer. You can provide a table top or high flat surface where you can fold and organize clothes, sheets, and towels. How many apartments have you seen do that?! Just saying …

Half Broken Appliances Need Proper Replacement

This is a true story. I moved into a new apartment last October. As I hope every student does before they move into a new place, my roommate and I inspected the apartment from top to bottom and corner to corner for anything that might need repair or which should be brought to the property manager’s attention. During our inspection, we realized the toilet in the only restroom of the apartment was broken and repaired with some sealant and glue. While we included it in our inspection report, we did not feel the need to get it replaced immediately.

It’s been six months, and my roommate has raised some concerns about how the sealant is peeling off with every flush. I know I can count on our managers to resolve the issue, but it wouldn’t be a problem in the first place if it had been replaced before we moved in.

Reliable Maintenance

GIF via tumblr.com

I like to know that when I submit a maintenance request on a Monday, it will be answered and resolved before that weekend. The faster your maintenance team is, the better your residents’ ratings will be. Consequently, the maintenance crew has to be knowledgeable on how to repair what’s broken.

Last month, our air conditioning stopped blowing cool air so I assumed we just needed a new filter. We submitted a maintenance request and when the technician came the next day, he pulled this giant container from our ceiling and “fixed” it. Now, our apartment gets colder faster. Thank you, Steve!

Basic Utilities

Paying bills is easily the scariest thing for a college student to do. That is the ultimate form of adulthood. Letting go of money for necessity? That’s a hard task even for mature adults.

While some apartments offer the basic cable/gas/trash utilities included in the rent rate, apartment managers should think of including other bills like electricity and water. If I could wrap all of my apartment bills into one package, I would sign a lease for 20 years just so I wouldn’t have to deal with individual billing ever again.

Featured/Included Utilities 

You know how you can walk into a hotel room and expect towels and soap? But hotel management took it an extra step and decided to include shampoo, conditioner, and some lotion, too? And to top it all off, the cleaning lady also arranged the hand towels into flowers?

Walking to a new apartment should feel like that.

You don’t have to recreate a home interior magazine picture, obviously. However, the more details you include in the apartment and rent rates, the more hooked on your apartment a potential resident will be.

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