Replacement Fridge Freezer For Rental Property

Qrszx

Hi,

I recently acquired a 1 bedroom flat in Surrey and of course the relatively new fridge freezer has broken down and needed to be replaced within a few weeks of completion. I use a letting agent to manage the property and they have given me quotes for 3 fridge freezers from a local supplier. To be honest, I think they're rather expensive but I cannot find anything much cheaper.

The fridge freezers:
Siemens KG34NVL24G - £479.99 – 185 cm x 60, 50/50 frost free, stainless steel
Blomberg KGM9681X - £449.99 – 191 x 60, 50/50, frost free, stainless steel
Bosch KGN34VW249 - £389.99 – 185 x 60, 50/50, frost free, white

The Siemens has a free 5 year warranty, the others are available for £88 and £100, respectively.

The outgoing fridge freezer is a Bush stainless steel one of similar capacity. For the life of me, cannot find the model number.

So, my questions:
1. Are these okay prices to be paying for these models, especially compared to similar models from other brands? (A Google search suggests that they are not charging me extra, but it can't hurt to ask you lot).
2. Am I crazy in thinking that I need to maintain 'the look' of the property so that when the current tenants leave in a few months or so, I can command a similar rent and just keep it attractive for renters? I can provide pictures if necessary, but in my opinion, anything less than a stainless steel fridge freezer would look out of place. This is mainly important as regards the stainless steel finish, because I could probably save some money with a less attractive option.
3. Are warranties (especially those with parts and labour) really worth it? I've never had to use one before for personal appliances, but this might prove useful to me now. I think the company being used is called Retracare.

As always, I really appreciate whatever wisdom people want to chuck my way!

davidmcn

Probably some discussion elsewhere on this site about extended warranties, but I wouldn't expect a fridge-freezer to die within 5 years (or at least, not within the extended bit you're paying for - you'll probably have a manufacturer's warranty for 1 year anyway as well as your statutory rights against the retailer). Also it ties you into fixing it the way the insurers require e.g. waiting for the designated repairperson to turn up rather than you having the freedom to pick whoever can do it quickly, or just to buy a replacement.

Warranties are priced to make a profit, so on average they're unlikely to be worth it from your point of view! I would save insurance for things which you wouldn't actually be able to afford.

[Deleted User]

I'd be going round there or getting the tenants to find the model number, and booking a repair rather than spending £500 on a new one (if the original purchase documents so you can activate any warranty can't be found).

Looking on Marks Electrical, I found quite a few frost free equivalents for under £300, don't know if you will be able to get the same search results using this link but try it http://markselectrical.co.uk/freestanding-fridge-freezers-sort-price.html?attributes=95,126

I picked 50/50, and 170-190 cm high. If I was buying, I'd then look at online reviews on a number of sites for any model I was interested in. PS I don't work from them but I have managed to get white goods at a lower price from here than AO.com, a company I used to use. I can't comment on the prices shown as I haven't checked them in comparison to other sites (I usually put the model number into google with 'cheapest' to check).

That was just looking at one online retailer that I tend to find has good prices with free delivery next day delivery, I did not look at free warranty periods. You could probably get a discount if you go to the site through a cashback site (I haven't checked this).