Is in-unit or on-site laundry available?
We provide on-site laundry, and here is why:
In-unit laundry provides in the moment convenience; this short-term convenience
is offset by the following aspects that are important to weight when selecting an apartment:
In-unit laundry has multiple hidden costs for tenants:
- Its in-unit practicality results in more frequent loads, many of which are not full loads;
- In-unit washers are on average two times smaller in capacity than commercial
machines, which means tenants have to run loads more frequently;
- Drying takes longer because the dryers are less efficient than commercial dryers;
- Rent does not include electric and water, hence tenants pay high electric and
water bills (e.g tenants pay fixed and variable charges to Greater
Cincinnati Water Works and Duke Energy, or an HOA charge to Property Management);
- Maintenance of the machines, when necessary, can be very costly (whether
direct or indirect).
Additionally, in-unit laundry causes the following non-financial burdens:
- It generates noise and vibrations within the apartment and tenants may be
impacted by their neighbors' laundry habits depending on the setting;
- It takes away closet space or square footage in the apartment.
On-site, clean, shared laundry is a more enjoyable alternative to
cost-conscious tenants. Interestingly enough, the cost of water, electric, gas,
and maintenance born by the landlord, is in most cases not even covered by the
modest fees collected on each load. Considering line /rack laundry drying as a
free environment friendly alternative is also worth some thoughts.