16 Sep The Benefits of a Laundry Room | Owner Update
Potential tenants seek the best benefits for their price range when looking for a new home. The primary considerations include the size, price, and condition of the actual unit and the neighborhood where the rental home is located. A close second set of considerations includes the condition and security of the building and nearby shopping and transportation access. A tertiary set of factors includes building amenities like the availability of a laundry room in the building.
Laundry rooms with just one washer and one dryer are fairly useless to a family with children and working parents. In this family, there is no time to run back and forth to the laundry room doing one load at a time. This family needs the services of a Laundromat where several loads can be washed at once. A laundry room can be of real value for a small family, couple, or single person. These tenants see this amenity as a time saver, especially when the building has a secured perimeter that makes it safe to walk from the apartment to the laundry room at night. In order to retain family uses, it is desirable to have two washers and two dryers when possible, for larger family washing needs.
Believe it or not, many tenants DO examine the cost of laundry on-site versus washing at a Laundromat and complete a mental calculation of the money-value of time saved by spending more washing at home. Laundry room rates can be higher than the local Laundromat but should not be exorbitantly high. If the local wash cycle is $2.00, it is possible to charge $2.50 at the apartment site. However, a $2.50 cycle charge would probably drive tenants away to the Laundromat.
Laundry Room Security
Laundry rooms in most buildings were built almost as an afterthought. Their design and location find most of them tucked away in a dark and obscure location of the building. Many laundry rooms in older buildings require the tenant to walk outside the gated safety perimeter and through the alley to reach the laundry room. This can be a dangerous and risky venture at night in many city areas.
The laundry room cannot be relocated, so the path to the laundry room needs to be made as safe as possible. Exterior building lights that stay on all night will ensure a bright, well-lighted path for the on-site laundry room tenant. Bushes and shrubs should be trimmed in a way that makes it difficult for potential street vagrants and criminals to hide. If the laundry room entrance is located on the side yard between buildings, it is often a good idea to install a fence to secure the side yard from unauthorized access. This fence will make it difficult for someone to ‘jump out,’ surprising the tenant.
The door to the laundry room must have a working entry lockset and keys that allow quick access. The door should be able to be locked once someone is inside. An additional security measure would include a steel security screen door. If installed, this door would allow air circulation while maintaining security.