The simplest answer for why Los Angeles landlords don’t provide refrigerators is that they don’t have to.
California law does not require refrigerators to be included in rental units, instead classifying them as “amenities” that aren’t necessary to meet habitability standards. “It’s like a hot tub,” Maloney said, incredulously.
Buying and maintaining a refrigerator became an extra expense that landlords just didn’t want, said Deena Eberly, managing director of the Eberly Company, which manages 4,200 apartments in L.A. County. When they broke, Eberly said, tenants would complain that they had just gone to the grocery store and demand reimbursement.
i lived in la for a bit and didnt realize this was a thing until later on... like when i was looking at apartments i came across one that didnt have a fridge but assumed they were just replacing it or something and eventually got an apartment with one by pure accident i guess. Anyway some of my friends would move to a new apartment and have to figure out how to move the damn fridge. Also I guess at that point you're exclusively looking for an apartment without a fridge cause you have this 5 1/2 foot coffin following you around now...