All Forum Posts by: Laura Kyser

We inherited the tenants when we bought the place, so basement space was already "assigned" (Actually, the second floor had the run of the entire basement for 12 years, which we put a stop to.) We are not planning on giving the new third floor tenants any basement space. (The third floor is a 1 bedroom and the second floor is a 2 bedroom, so the rent is different as well.)

The reason that the second floor tenants have access to a washer and dryer is that the basement has hook ups to the hot water tank and the electric meter of the second floor. The tenants own those machines themselves. The other pair of hookups go to our meters on the first floor. So I can't just tell the second floor tenants to share the machines that they own, because it would also impact their utility bills. There isn't a hook up that goes to the third floor hot water heater or electric meter. Does that clarify? Thanks for your thoughts!

 It's also cheaper, and babies tend to potty train faster. 

Looking for landlording advice, not parenting advice :)

 No, there's only hook ups for the two bottom units. 

I am a landlord who lives in one of the three units of the multi-family we own. The second floor unit has its own washer and dryer in the basement that the tenants own and pay the utilities on. Our unit also has a washer and dryer in the basement that we pay the utilities on. The third floor does not have a washer and a dryer. The machines are just regular machines, not coin-op.

My husband thinks that we should offer the use of our own washer and dryer one set day a week to the next third floor tenant, in order to attract a good tenant. Since we're expecting a baby in the next two weeks and plan to use cloth diapers (and I do all of the laundry), I really don't want to do that. Also, the washing machine is old and I don't want to push it.   (Tenants are so much harder on appliances than owners.) I'm wondering about others' experience - about how much in monthly rent do you think you can charge extra if laundry is on-site? Do quality tenants really skip over rentals without on-site laundry? Would it be the disaster I imagine if the tenant was allowed to do laundry in our machines, say on Mondays only? I've tried researching what other apartments offer in my town, but we're in a small suburb, so the sample of one bedroom rentals is really small.

Thanks for your insight!