Getting a coin operated washing machine for tenants.

[sq380]

I rent out my basement to three tenants, I usually allow them one free wash per week, any additional washes they have to pay $2 a load to wash and dry, it is currently a honor system where I trust they will pay me if they do an extra load a week.

This one tenant has been abusing the system for a 2 months now, she has been bringing her boyfriends clothes as well and washing them at my place without paying me, the other tenant told me she once brought in 3 garbage bags of clothes all without paying me. I confronted her on this and she told me she is broke and does not have the money to pay me at this time and pay me later.

I am thinking of doing several things to stop this.

1. Buying coin operated washing machines. How much do those cost?
2. Are any of the newer washing and drying machines have a feature where they are password protected.
3. Getting a contractor to close up the laundry area and locking it.

Which one is the cheapest option?

[kcin]

Cheapest option is to have them pay you a portion of your utility bill.

[Busybuyer888]

I think limiting to one wash per week is limiting on a tenant. Also, it is a problem when you have to enforce.

I would just add $10 to everyone's rent (sometime in the future, as part of a normal rent increase) to allow for 2 or 3 loads a weeks.

This way, everyone is happy, one less thing for a landlord to deal with.

[The_Madz]

are you renting out a 3 bedroom basement apartment?
or 3 separate basement suites?

and honestly for $2? buying a new machine that's coin operated, let's just say it's around $700-800 for argument sake.. do you realize how long it would take you to recoup that cost?

[Maymybonneliveforever]

I've never heard of "one free wash per week, any additional washes they have to pay $2 a load to wash and dry", for tenants, I've also never seen coin operated machines in residential rentals. Are times really that touch? I think it's best to raise the rent by $10.00 per month than have to nickel and dime.........sorry but that's the first thing the comes to mind. As for the coin operated machines, I highly doubt you'd recoup the added cost of the machines.

When I had rentals I used to bring them coffee and donuts every time I visited or if something broke they'd get it fixed and give me the receipt and I'd slip them an extra $40.00 to make up for there efforts. It was my way of showing them I appreciated them as tenant, eventually they saved enough after 10 years to purchase there own place and I sold the place.

[sq380]

and honestly for $2? buying a new machine that's coin operated, let's just say it's around $700-800 for argument sake.. do you realize how long it would take you to recoup that cost?

True.

I've never heard of "one free wash per week, any additional washes they have to pay $2 a load to wash and dry", for tenants, I've also never seen coin operated machines in residential rentals. Are times really that touch? I think it's best to raise the rent by $10.00 per month than have to nickel and dime.........sorry but that's the first thing the comes to mind. As for the coin operated machines, I highly doubt you'd recoup the added cost of the machines.

$10 a month increase is nothing, if the tenant decides to bring in their friends and family's laundry and do it in my place, water and electricity is more than the $10. I limit laundry to one load a week to avoid this problem, I am family of 3 and we only do 2 loads a week, so one load a week is reasonable for a single person.

I guess the most economical thing to do at this point is to close up the laundry area and they have to ask one of us before allowing them to do laundry.

[deltone]

I guess the most economical thing to do at this point is to close up the laundry area and they have to ask one of us before allowing them to do laundry.

Really????

[sq380]

Really????

so you will allow your tenants to do their friends and family's laundry at your place and gladly let them rack up your hydro and water bill. Kudos to you then.

[Busybuyer888]

True.



$10 a month increase is nothing, if the tenant decides to bring in their friends and family's laundry and do it in my place, water and electricity is more than the $10. I limit laundry to one load a week to avoid this problem, I am family of 3 and we only do 2 loads a week, so one load a week is reasonable for a single person.
I guess the most economical thing to do at this point is to close up the laundry area and they have to ask one of us before allowing them to do laundry.

That is only OP's family. I can see upto 3 loads a week being reasonable. It does take a "neat" person to do this.

1 load for colours.
1 load for whites
1 load for bed linens.

But, OP knows their class (or lack of class) of tenants best.

I suppose, it is possible for a tenant to run a laundry service and abuse the laundry facilities if it was unlimited.

But I do think spending $1,000 to wall-up the laundry area to stop then tenant is not going to be profitable. Also, upsetting a tenant is a counter productive thing to do. (Next thing you know, after they move out, you start discovering things that need fixing $$$).

From this post, I think OP is going to have a difficult time in the long run being a landlord. (Because, this is really a minor issue. What if they smoke? What if they drink a lot? What if they play music/TV loud? What if they bring gues/lovers for the weekend? What if all of the above?)

[deltone]

so you will allow your tenants to do their friends and family's laundry at your place and gladly let them rack up your hydro and water bill. Kudos to you then.

I actually do have a rental property and we provide a washer and dryer and we NEVER question when they do their laundry or who they are doing it for but we have the tenant pay their own hydro so I really don't care what they do, or when they do it.

Giving your tenants such a small window of time to do their laundry seems (to me at least) odd, wrong and just plain dumb. You are treating them as though they are kids, needing to ask for your permission to do laundry. They will despise you and they will find ways to screw you over because they will percieve your behaviour as your screwing them over. You were given quite a few good tips, such as raising the rent a bit but you would rather p*$$ your tenants off by restricting theiir freedom to do laundry when they please. While you're at it, make them do the laundry in the evening when it's not prime time on the hydro. That'll make them real happy.

[time space]

and honestly for $2? buying a new machine that's coin operated, let's just say it's around $700-800 for argument sake.. do you realize how long it would take you to recoup that cost?

Just over two years (3 washes/week x 52 weeks x $2 = $312).


(Though with HE washers nowadays, the real utility cost is in operating the dryer.)

[deltone]

That is only OP's family. I can see upto 3 loads a week being reasonable. It does take a "neat" person to do this.

1 load for colours.
1 load for whites
1 load for bed linens.

But, OP knows their class (or lack of class) of tenants best.

I suppose, it is possible for a tenant to run a laundry service and abuse the laundry facilities if it was unlimited.

But I do think spending $1,000 to wall-up the laundry area to stop then tenant is not going to be profitable. Also, upsetting a tenant is a counter productive thing to do. (Next thing you know, after they move out, you start discovering things that need fixing $$$).

From this post, I think OP is going to have a difficult time in the long run being a landlord. (Because, this is really a minor issue. What if they smoke? What if they drink a lot? What if they play music/TV loud? What if they bring gues/lovers for the weekend? What if all of the above?)

Some people just shouldn't be landlords. The property that we rent out is an apartment we own but I have no personal attachment to the place as we bought the building for our business so I really don't try to micromanage how the tenants behave. As long as they pay their rent and don't destroy the place, I don't care what they do (as long as it's legal).

Now, that being said, my husband and I are seriously considering buying a place in Florida as the prices are insane but we decided that if we do, it'll just be for our own use, as well as the use of our kids and our friends. We wouldn't consider renting it out to strangers during the time we aren't there as I am the type who would go nuts if they started doing things that I didn't like. I would try to micromanage and that would not be a good thing.

I experienced that 4 years back when we rented our cottage out for a couple of weeks. I had so many do's and don'ts that it would make your head spin. I realized right then and there that I could not rent out our cottage as it would drive me nuts worrying about things, big and small. We rented it out the one time and then pulled it from the cottage website.

I understand that the OP is just trying to save money but I do believe that this is a case of picking your arguments carefully and it's human nature that if you p*$$ someone off, they will get back at you, one way or the other.

[Maymybonneliveforever]

We are a family of 4 and do 5 loads a week,

1 load for 8 bath towels and 6 face towels.........we all take showers everyday.
1 load for bed linens, we can't do all bed linens in one week so we spit them up.
1 load for whites
2 loads for colours.

I don't know how a family of 3 can do two a week but then that's up to you.

I can't see your tenants doing one load a week, unless it's one per person a week for a total of three per week?


As for bringing in friends and families laundry, I've never had that happen since I felt I treated my tenants with the greatest amount of respect and they also treated me the same so there was never an issue of abusing any privilege. If they do indeed miss-use then that is a lack of respect between you and your tenant which needs to be addressed. By limiting the amount of laundry to one per week, that's could be the beginning of a bad relationship. Again, it's your house, therefore do as you please.

[sq380]

We are a family of 4 and do 5 loads a week,
I can't see your tenants doing one load a week, unless it's one per person a week for a total of three per week?


As for bringing in friends and families laundry, I've never had that happen since I felt I treated my tenants with the greatest amount of respect and they also treated me the same so there was never an issue of abusing any privilege. If they do indeed miss-use then that is a lack of respect between you and your tenant which needs to be addressed. By limiting the amount of laundry to one per week, that's could be the beginning of a bad relationship. Again, it's your house, therefore do as you please.

Its one load per tenant a week, so yes 3 loads a week.

Put this way, I have put in this system for years, and it has never failed me. I do treat them with greatest amount of respect, I even allow them to have friends stay over once in a while and use my patio to host guests. This one girl, I seem to have problems with, she abuses everything, from wasting toilet paper to leaving the washroom floor wet after showering, she even went upstairs and used my entertainment system without permission. Good thing she only has a few more months left on her rental term and shes out.

In the meantime I found a solution, where I can just lock up the fuse panel and have the breaker to the washer and dryer off, they will need to ask for permission in order to do laundry, I will have to do this until this girl leaves. If they think I am limiting their laundry options there is a Laundromat 2 blocks down, where they can go when they want.

[deltone]

Its one load per tenant a week, so yes 3 loads a week.

Put this way, I have put in this system for years, and it has never failed me. I do treat them with greatest amount of respect, I even allow them to have friends stay over once in a while and use my patio to host guests. This one girl, I seem to have problems with, she abuses everything, from wasting toilet paper to leaving the washroom floor wet after showering, she even went upstairs and used my entertainment system without permission. Good thing she only has a few more months left on her rental term and shes out.

In the meantime I found a solution, where I can just lock up the fuse panel and have the breaker to the washer and dryer off, they will need to ask for permission in order to do laundry, I will have to do this until this girl leaves. If they think I am limiting their laundry options there is a Laundromat 2 blocks down, where they can go when they want.

OMG, you ALLOW them to have friends stay over?? How generous of you. Are you their dad (or mom)? Wasting toilet paper?????? Are you serious?? LOL

There is no way someone could do one load of laundry a week unless they don't change their clothes, don't change their bed linens and use one towel a week, and even that wouldn't work as I don't know anyone who throws their towels, sheets, whites and darks all in the machine at the same time.

Do you dictate how many showers they are allowed? As someone said, your house, your rules but frankly I don't understand how you have any tenants with those rules.