Tenant using Basement Washing Machine for Free

[Mark A.]

Hey all,

I just need somewhere to brain dump.

My tenant moved in about a year ago. I told her that we do not offer any washer or dryers with the unit. 

In the basement of my duplex, I have a washer and dryer in the basement that works intermittently. It'll run but wouldn't clean the clothes or dry it properly so I was in the process of throwing it out.

It turns out that while I've been away, she's been going downstairs to clean her clothes and using the dryer. 

Mind you, she pays all of her own utilities in her unit. The basement however is under my name so I'm covering the electricity being used by the dryer and the water by the washer.

So here's my thought process:

Do I tell her to stop using it? I feel that this will hinder her chances of being a long term tenant. She pays for her own utilities. She will have to go out of her way to go to the laundromat. All in all inconvenient. 

Do I charge her a monthly fee? $10? $20 extra? If so, how do I approach this? I'm not sure how I can word this if the machines themselves aren't running properly.

Do I cut the cord and have the washer and dryer hauled away? I'm not a fan of having to worry about extra maintenance and servicing and worrying about the water/electric bill. It doesn't make sense for me to get a coin op for a duplex financially.

What're your thoughts? I'm in a B+ neighborhood. I feel that if I knew she was going to be using the washer and dryer, I could've gotten a higher rent. Currently she uses the machines downstairs albeit I'm not sure how much. I've gotten the electric bill and the water bills with no noticeable increase. Then again it's the principle that she's using the washer and dryer.

I can't lock the basement because she may need access to it in case of an emergency (power jumps, heater doesn't work, etc)

Am I overthinking this?

Thank you so much.