Enter the age, the repair quote and the replacement cost. Get a clear recommendation and the reasons behind it, in about a minute.
It follows the same four questions as our repair-or-replace framework, and shows its work so you can disagree with it.
| Factor | What it looks at | Pushes toward replacing when |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Age compared with typical life | The unit is in the last quarter of its life, or past it |
| Cost | Repair quote compared with replacement cost | The repair is 40% or more of a replacement. At 50% or more and past mid-life, it recommends replacing |
| History | Repairs in the last 24 months, and what you've spent | It has already failed once or twice, or you've spent about half the price of a new one |
| Failure cost | What happens if it fails again | Heat, hot water, cooling, leaks or safety are at stake |
These are the defaults the calculator uses. They are commonly cited ranges, and real life varies with brand, water quality, maintenance and how hard tenants use the item. Treat them as a starting point, and change the typical-life field if you know better.
| Item | Commonly cited life | Why it matters for a landlord |
|---|---|---|
| Tank water heater | About 8–12 years | A tank leak can't be repaired, and failure can flood the space |
| Tankless water heater | About 15–20 years | Descaling and maintenance affect how long it lasts |
| Furnace | About 15–20 years | A no-heat failure in winter is an emergency |
| Central air conditioner | About 10–15 years | Cooling failures matter most in heat waves |
| Dishwasher | About 9–11 years | Usually a repair unless it is old and failing often |
| Refrigerator | About 10–15 years | Food loss and tenant disruption raise the cost of waiting |
| Range or oven | About 12–15 years | Gas models carry extra safety considerations |
| Washer and dryer | About 10–13 years | Repair parts and labor often approach the price of a basic unit |
| Garbage disposal | About 8–12 years | Cheap to replace, so repeat repairs rarely pay off |
Once you have the answer, the framework post walks through three worked examples and a note on how repairs and replacements are treated differently for tax.
It scores four things from our repair-or-replace framework: the item's age compared with its typical life, the repair quote compared with the replacement cost, how often it has failed before, and what a failure would cost you. If the repair is more than about half the price of a replacement and the item is past the middle of its life, it recommends replacing. Otherwise it adds up the scores and tells you whether to repair, plan for replacement, or get a second quote.
It's a common rule of thumb: if a repair costs more than about half the price of a replacement, and the item is past the middle of its expected life, replace it. It's a guide, not a law. Repeat failures, safety risk and how disruptive a failure would be can all push the decision either way.
No. It's a rule-of-thumb tool, and the numbers are only as good as your quotes. In general, repairs are deducted in the year you pay for them, while larger replacements are often capitalized and depreciated over time, with some exceptions. Ask your accountant before a big replacement and keep the invoice.
Guardian Landlord keeps a request history for every property and tracks repair expenses, so you can see what you've already spent on an aging item. The AI action plan gives you a first read on every request. Try it free for 3 months.
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