Add'l Rent for W/D?
Our tenant is requesting that we add a W/D to his apartment. How much additional rent would be reasonable to charge? Hook-ups are already there, we just need to order and install it. They pay for electricity, but we still pay for gas until we convert over a meter. Also, do you think it is…
Our tenant is requesting that we add a W/D to his apartment. How much additional rent would be reasonable to charge? Hook-ups are already there, we just need to order and install it. They pay for electricity, but we still pay for gas until we convert over a meter.
Also, do you think it is OK to have tenant pay for W/D and we will deduct a monthly amount off their rent? We are strapped for cash at this time.
rob,
yup you are seriously alone on this.
I love my little portable washer in the kitchen, it is easy and convenient for me to do laundry while I am doing other kitchen things at the same time. I love the smell of the detergent and fabric softner, nothing gross about that.
Then when it is all done washing I get the pleasure of sorting all the clothes on my kitchen table and then opening my window and hanging them on the clothes line, only to wait till the next day to take them off the clothesline and fold them all on my kitchen table in my kitchen and then finally put the clothes away…..
You should charge at least $50 extra a month for having a washer/dryer. Other options include buying one on Craigslist. I got a great thintwin for a tenant that was only three years old after his broke down. EAB appliances on Nostrand also has the best prices on appliances so check that one out.
I do 2-3 loads 4-5 times a week and some things I dry a little longer than a hour.
Wow, I’m speechless…15 loads a week! Do you have 7 kids or are you running a guest house?
But I stand by my calculations…if you’re drying for over an hour (!!) you’re running the dryer on low heat, so using less gas per unit of time.
The difference of Apt A and Apt B, otherwise identical except for Apt A has a washer dryer (and maybe one less closet a result of washer-dryer space) is that Apt A can charge about $100 more a month and get it. Easy. There are plenty of tenants who won’t even consider a place without a washer-dryer, for instance parents of young children (who wants to schlep their stuff to the laundromat and back twice a week?)
The difference of Apt A and Apt B, otherwise identical except for Apt A has a washer dryer (and maybe one less closet a result of washer-dryer space) is that Apt A can charge about $100 more a month and get it. Easy. There are plenty of tenants who won’t even consider a place without a washer-dryer, for instance parents of young children (who wants to schlep their stuff to the laundromat and back twice a week?)
you consider how much extra it will cost you, but also consider how much it will save the tenant… hard to know how much they will use it. with a free W/D in the apt, it is quite possible to do laundry twice as often (with miniature loads), if not more, than if one has to go out to do it. as a landlord, and as a previous renter, i’d say $75-$100/mo. extra.
but as just a landlord, i’d actually agree with henrycurtis and install it in the basement instead. if it’s a small building, i’d put in a free W/D (not coin-op), a decent little folding table and storage rack, and a communal laundry basket. that way, you don’t have as much to worry about in terms of potential leaks, and you have easy access for maintenance. Then I’d charge an extra $60/mo. to each tenant (assuming all agree, you can do it given the leases, etc.).
FYI rent stabilization rules for a new or new replacement appliance are 1/40 of the price permanently added to the base rent. They then also get a yearly increase as provided as they become part of the base rent. Electricity is normally seperately metered and water and hot water have an added cost to the landlord(that is why it becomes a permanent part of the base)
i think you should. great amenity for the next renter too. you’ll get your money back for sure.
$100 is what we charge in your situation. Because besides and the gas and electric, it’s the extra hot water usage we charge for. And since water prices in general are going up, this is what seems to be appropriate in the market right now. If you want the tenant to pay for the machines and installation, then I would just charge an extra $50 per month.