Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

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Loon11
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Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by Loon11 »

I am renovating my rental duplex and the contractor is putting in a great kitchen. He says a garbage disposal is a must have. I personally don't have one in my home. I am wondering is this something tenants really want? or is it just one more thing to have to fix.
stan1
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by stan1 »

You absolutely want a garbage disposal in the rental.
Clogged pipes from someone stuffing food down the drain are a much bigger hassle for a landlord than fixing a disposal if it breaks.
Also, disposals are relatively inexpensive.
And to answer your question, yes tenants like disposals.
Warning: I am about 80% satisficer (accepting of good enough) and 20% maximizer
chrisj
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by chrisj »

I am 26 years old and it wasn't until my 3rd apartment as an adult that I experienced the joys of having a Garbage Disposal. I'm in a new apartment now that does not have one and OH how I miss it.

I highly recommend installing the disposal!

For any tenant that cooks regularly, it is a huge huge benefit. Much easier cleanup when preparing food and not as many foul odors in your garbage bags.

In fact, I recommend you install one in home as well!

You're looking at $100 - $150 for a good one.

Chris
Peter Michael
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Post by Peter Michael »

I have sucessfully removed a grand total of two of those stupid, useless pieces of garbage. Why clog up the sewer system with food scraps? They don't handle corn cobs, bones nor tin cans. You can, as a landlord, offer your tenants an option of one or ten dollars a month off the rent.
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Re:

Post by hicabob »

Peter Michael wrote:I have sucessfully removed a grand total of two of those stupid, useless pieces of garbage. Why clog up the sewer system with food scraps? They don't handle corn cobs, bones nor tin cans. You can, as a landlord, offer your tenants an option of one or ten dollars a month off the rent.
~Peter J. Michael
I think they are nice with a responsible user - having a septic I'm careful what I feed it and have a county issued composter. :happy
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pennstater2005
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by pennstater2005 »

I rented for 9 years before I bought a home. I never had one and was fine. I threw my leftover food in the trash and took it outside so it did not smell. I have a house now and we are going to remodel our kitchen and I still have no intention of installing a garbage disposal.
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travellight
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by travellight »

I would recommend getting one. If you are responsible, you may not need one but don't count on your tenants being responsible. I had several clogged plumbing issues with a tenant until I installed a disposal. Somehow, the issues disappeared.
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stan1
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by stan1 »

pennstater2005 wrote:I rented for 9 years before I bought a home. I never had one and was fine. I threw my leftover food in the trash and took it outside so it did not smell. I have a house now and we are going to remodel our kitchen and I still have no intention of installing a garbage disposal.
I'm not sure I understand the principled, hardcore resistance to a disposal. Putting one in during a remodel isn't going to cost much. Exterior trash cans smell and attract bugs/varmints when filled with food waste. Are you passing on a dishwasher and an icemaker in the freezer also?
Warning: I am about 80% satisficer (accepting of good enough) and 20% maximizer
Saving$
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by Saving$ »

In a rental with a kitchen that has a dishwasher, I'd consider a disposal.
If your rental does not have a dishwasher, then a disposal is not needed.

IMHO, an icemaker is not needed, in a rental or my own home.
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by Mudpuppy »

stan1 wrote:
pennstater2005 wrote:I rented for 9 years before I bought a home. I never had one and was fine. I threw my leftover food in the trash and took it outside so it did not smell. I have a house now and we are going to remodel our kitchen and I still have no intention of installing a garbage disposal.
I'm not sure I understand the principled, hardcore resistance to a disposal. Putting one in during a remodel isn't going to cost much. Exterior trash cans smell and attract bugs/varmints when filled with food waste. Are you passing on a dishwasher and an icemaker in the freezer also?
Generally speaking, a compost bin is the best solution for non-meat food waste, but it is not the most optimal solution in all situations. A garbage disposal is an okay bandaid when compost bins are infeasible, but it is not the best solution. Food waste going down the sewer line or into the septic tank have additional consequences that can be far more severe than bugs near the garbage can.

Personally, whenever I did not have a garbage disposal (and when a compost bin was infeasible) I kept a small bin in the freezer for food waste and then emptied that the night before trash was picked up. That prevented the bug and smell problem near the garbage bins, and kept food waste out of the plumbing. I still have a bin in the freezer for meat packaging and trimmings now, since those cannot go in the compost heap and can turn smelly quite quickly.

Edit: And I did pass on the icemaker and put my waste bin in that space instead. Ice is not a normal part of my beverage routine and I have gel ice packs for food preservation in lunches.
sscritic
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Re:

Post by sscritic »

Peter Michael wrote: They don't handle corn cobs, bones nor tin cans.
You are not buying the right kind. Mine not only eats tin cans for breakfast, it eats spoons, knives, and forks for lunch, with a helping of both wooden and metal cooking utensils for dessert. It usually gets enough nutrition by 1 pm that I don't bother giving it dinner, but once in a while I will give it a late night snack of crab and oyster shells.

P.S. Mine is also good for eating wedding rings after a divorce.
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread is now in the Personal Consumer Issues forum, as the focus has moved to household appliances (vs. landlord purchase of appliance for renters).
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Epsilon Delta
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by Epsilon Delta »

stan1 wrote:I'm not sure I understand the principled, hardcore resistance to a disposal. Putting one in during a remodel isn't going to cost much. Exterior trash cans smell and attract bugs/varmints when filled with food waste. Are you passing on a dishwasher and an icemaker in the freezer also?
Some people feel that garbage disposals cause problems for sewer systems, and oppose them as a part of good citizenship. This feeling is buttressed by the occasional local law. For example http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2525204/. On the other hand I recall that some years (decades?) ago the city of Toronto repealed limits on garbage disposals because they no longer felt them to be harmful. There is probably a detailed technical literature with many nuances and somebody who bothers to read it may or may not be able to take a principled stance. However that person is not me because I'd probably lose my lunch if I read the literature; so I'll take the unprincipled stance of complying with my local ordinances, which allow them.
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steadyeddy
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by steadyeddy »

I am a tenant, and I absolutely want a disposal. It will never outweigh primary factors like location and price, but it is near the top of the list of wants right behind natural light and a dishwasher.
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by gkaplan »

I am a renter. I have a dishwasher and a garbage disposal. I have never used either of them.
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by ensign_lee »

I guess it would depend on your target demogrpahic, but I would largely say yes.

I'm 26, male, and would severely discount your place if no garbage disposal was offered. If I had to quantify it, I would say that it's worth somewhere between $100 to $150 a month in rent. And by that, I mean that in order to convince myself to rent your place without a garbage disposal vs an identical place with a garbage disposal, you would need to discount the rent by about $100 to $150 a month.

Simply put, you are going to alienate a larger % of yoru target audience than is probably worth the cost of a disposal. Up to you of course, but since you're remodeling anyway, a disposal is easy to put in anwyay. It's not even an inconvenience for you. I say it's a no brainer to put one in.
mikeast
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by mikeast »

I'm currently a tenant with no garbage disposal. I really wish I had one.
paulsiu
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by paulsiu »

Not a fan, but most of the people I talked to want a garbage disposal. I wonder if they help or cause drainage issues.

Paul
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Taylor Larimore
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Garbage disposal units.

Post by Taylor Larimore »

Loon:

This is an informative article about Garbage Disposal Units:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garbage_disposal_unit

For what it's worth, we have one and we would be lost without it.

Listen to your contractor.

Best wishes.
Taylor
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mike143
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by mike143 »

Yes. I bought a 2004 home that was a rental until I bought it the last day of 2009. The older woman that was renting it didn't like garbage disposals so she never used and it and it frozen solid, even tried the broom handle trick. I immediately replaced it. Even the cheapest new apartments I have rented had garbage disposals.
Epsilon Delta wrote:Some people feel that garbage disposals cause problems for sewer systems, and oppose them as a part of good citizenship. This feeling is buttressed by the occasional local law. For example http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/2525204/. On the other hand I recall that some years (decades?) ago the city of Toronto repealed limits on garbage disposals because they no longer felt them to be harmful. There is probably a detailed technical literature with many nuances and somebody who bothers to read it may or may not be able to take a principled stance. However that person is not me because I'd probably lose my lunch if I read the literature; so I'll take the unprincipled stance of complying with my local ordinances, which allow them.
Sounds like they had problems with grease which I do not believe is encouraged by the garbage disposals. You can pour that down the drain easily, no garbage disposal needed. I am sure their problem was not rectified by this silly law.

Nevermind, more info: "In 2008, the city of Raleigh, North Carolina attempted a ban on the replacement and installation of garbage disposals which also extended to outlying towns sharing the city's municipal sewage system, but rescinded the ban one month later."
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campy2010
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by campy2010 »

mikeast wrote:I'm currently a tenant with no garbage disposal. I really wish I had one.
+1

If you do put one in, it is probably worth taking two minutes upon move in to review with your tenants what does and does not go down a disposal. You might want to write similar language into the lease.
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market timer
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by market timer »

I've never had a disposal, even in apartments priced over $2K/month. Doesn't bother me because I rarely eat at home.
Topic Author
Loon11
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by Loon11 »

Wow! Thanks everyone. The new kitchen will have a dishwasher, stainless new appliances and yes, garbage disposal. I am now convinced. Never having had one in any home where I have lived, I am inexperienced. I have often been yelled at by my spouse with this line "don't throw garbage down the drain."
I initially was of the opinion that it would be one more thing to fix but sounds like its a must have.
the amount of money we are paying to get new kitchens, baths, plumbing, etc better make things work smoothly for a long time.
Appreciate the great replies Bogleheads!
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mike143
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by mike143 »

FYI Waste King makes some great garbage disposals at a great price. Just make sure you get a model with stainless steel grinding components.
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Abe
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by Abe »

I have had more problems with garbage disposals in rentals than just about anything else. Tenants stick all kinds of things down in them and then call me and want me to fix it. I finally just started taking them out whenever I had a problem. I even took the one I had in my own house out. I just put the wet garbage in a plastic bag which is in a plastic container under my sink, and I take it out to the garbage cart fairly often. This is what I tell my tenants to do. Works just fine, no problems with disposals breaking down now.
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pennstater2005
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by pennstater2005 »

stan1 wrote:
pennstater2005 wrote:I rented for 9 years before I bought a home. I never had one and was fine. I threw my leftover food in the trash and took it outside so it did not smell. I have a house now and we are going to remodel our kitchen and I still have no intention of installing a garbage disposal.
I'm not sure I understand the principled, hardcore resistance to a disposal. Putting one in during a remodel isn't going to cost much. Exterior trash cans smell and attract bugs/varmints when filled with food waste. Are you passing on a dishwasher and an icemaker in the freezer also?
Hardcore resistance? I had no use for one as a renter. I was answering the question. My exterior trash can does not smell because of something called a lid.
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sscritic
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by sscritic »

I use my garbage disposal in a way I haven't seen mentioned. I don't put food into my garbage disposal, but my dishwasher discharges the water and food particles from my dishes into my disposal. If I wash my dishes by hand, the food particles drain into the garbage disposal. If I peel vegetables in my sink, the peelings I can't pull out with my hand go into the garbage disposal. If I didn't have the garbage disposal, all of these food particles and peelings would go down my drain without being chopped into smaller bits and pieces. By my reasoning, the garbage disposal is helping to keep my pipes from being clogged.
kksmom
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by kksmom »

Generally speaking , my personal action would be
garbage disposal: Generally no , unless other rentals(competition) in the area offer it.
Icemaker: Never in any rentals, u will keep getting calls re icemaker not working.
WendyW
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by WendyW »

Abe wrote:I have had more problems with garbage disposals in rentals than just about anything else. Tenants stick all kinds of things down in them and then call me and want me to fix it. I finally just started taking them out whenever I had a problem. I even took the one I had in my own house out.
^ This.

I am a renter, and I HATE HATE HATE my insinkerator. "Worst Invention Ever".

90% of the time it isn't working because there is a fork in it. (It is, after all, a giant hole IN MY SINK.)

Unjamming it is a giant pain, that requires two different tools.

Of everything in my apartment, this thing is that only thing that I ever have trouble with. Aside from the jamming, it drips all over the place, so the wood underneath it is all warped and delaminating.

I'm going to ask my landlord to have a plumber come and remove it.
Last edited by WendyW on Sun Dec 09, 2012 11:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by Mudpuppy »

kksmom wrote:Icemaker: Never in any rentals, u will keep getting calls re icemaker not working.
Or tenant tries to move the fridge for whatever reason, breaks the water line to the ice maker, floods the kitchen....
Tenant has small pet that crawls behind fridge, chews on water line, floods the kitchen....
See a trend? Heh.
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Abe
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by Abe »

stan1 wrote:
pennstater2005 wrote:I'm not sure I understand the principled, hardcore resistance to a disposal. Putting one in during a remodel isn't going to cost much. Exterior trash cans smell and attract bugs/varmints when filled with food waste. Are you passing on a dishwasher and an icemaker in the freezer also?
No, it doesn't cost much initially to put one in. The problem is when the tenant calls once again and says her disposal is "broken" again, and would you send someone over to look at it. I've had rental properties for over 35 years so I'm speaking from experience.
Slow and steady wins the race.
donall
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by donall »

kksmom wrote:Generally speaking , my personal action would be
garbage disposal: Generally no , unless other rentals(competition) in the area offer it.
Icemaker: Never in any rentals, u will keep getting calls re icemaker not working.
Agree with this 100%....also it helps to have a double bowl sink if there is a disposal....it helps keep the calls down.

As a landlord one wants to have an apartment that has the necessary features to rent and provides a return, but not spend more money than is necessary. This varies by neighborhood.
WendyW
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by WendyW »

ensign_lee wrote:I'm 26, male, and would severely discount your place if no garbage disposal was offered. If I had to quantify it, I would say that it's worth somewhere between $100 to $150 a month in rent. And by that, I mean that in order to convince myself to rent your place without a garbage disposal vs an identical place with a garbage disposal, you would need to discount the rent by about $100 to $150 a month.
You'd pay an additional $150 for an apartment with an insinkerator? That doesn't make any sense.

A basic model costs about $70. Even if you paid $80 for installation, you could buy your own, break even after one month, and then pocket the $150 a month every month thereafter.

The reason that most U.S. homes don't have an insinkerator, is that most people don't want one.
sscritic
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by sscritic »

WendyW wrote: A basic model costs about $70. Even if you paid $80 for installation, you could buy your own, break even after one month, and then pocket the $150 a month every month thereafter.
Since some new plumbing is involved, I think installation might run more than $80. Plus, when you move out, you have to hire the plumber again to take out the insinkerator and restore the old plumbing as it was before you modified it. Every lease agreement I have had required me to restore the unit. I know of one case where the renter put in custom closets and was forced to remove them at departure (management wanted the apartments to be identical to reduce closet jealousy).

I agree it wouldn't be worth that much to me, but your comparison left out about half or more of the cost of installing your own.
peppers
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by peppers »

Never under estimate the ingenuity of the human mind and its capacity to find more ways to dispose undesired items.
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by bungalow10 »

WendyW wrote:Aside from the jamming, it drips all over the place, so the wood underneath it is all warped and delaminating.

I'm going to ask my landlord to have a plumber come and remove it.
You need to report the dripping ASAP. It needs to be replaced.
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chrisj
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by chrisj »

WendyW wrote:The reason that most U.S. homes don't have an insinkerator, is that most people don't want one.
Wendy, this appears to be incorrect! According to the US Census:
Garbage disposals, which are available in two-thirds or fewer of the homes built prior to the 2000s, are increasingly gaining in
popularity with more than seven in 10 of the homes built in the 2000s having one.
See Page 4 of "How American Homes Vary By the Year They Were Built":
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/housing/ ... 0Built.pdf
sscritic
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by sscritic »

chrisj wrote:
Garbage disposals, which are available in two-thirds or fewer of the homes built prior to the 2000s, are increasingly gaining in
popularity with more than seven in 10 of the homes built in the 2000s having one.
2/3 to 7/10. Now that's a huge leap in popularity! [I know, fewer and more, but still.]
WendyW
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by WendyW »

chrisj wrote:Garbage disposals, which are available in two-thirds or fewer of the homes built prior to the 2000s, are increasingly gaining in popularity
Shows what I know I guess. They were illegal where I grew up, so perhaps I underestimate their popularity elsewhere.

In any case, I'm a renter and I don't want an insinkerator. I view them -- like a bidet -- as a strange and unnecessary contraption.
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by hicabob »

WendyW wrote:
chrisj wrote:Garbage disposals, which are available in two-thirds or fewer of the homes built prior to the 2000s, are increasingly gaining in popularity
Shows what I know I guess. They were illegal where I grew up, so perhaps I underestimate their popularity elsewhere.

In any case, I'm a renter and I don't want an insinkerator. I view them -- like a bidet -- as a strange and unnecessary contraption.

Ummm - a delicate subject perhaps - but don't knock bidets! The Toto bidet/toilets are phenomenal - once you have used one you will understand.
WendyW
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by WendyW »

hicabob wrote:Ummm - a delicate subject perhaps - but don't knock bidets! The Toto bidet/toilets are phenomenal - once you have used one you will understand.
I would choose a bidet over an insinkerator.
cheapedy
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by cheapedy »

I also suggest going with a Waste King. I have one in my home and in my parents rental property. Really easy to install and they come with a 5 year warranty. pretty good for less than $90.00
fareastwarriors
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Re: Do tenants want a garbage disposal?

Post by fareastwarriors »

Get one. It doesn't cost much.
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