Centralized Laundry Machines vs In-Unit Laundry: Which Option is Best for Your Building?

Amenities are vital towards rental decisions and long-term property performance, and laundry is at the top of the list. But when you decide to offer this amenity to help increase renter appeal and tenant satisfaction, you’ll need to decide between a centralized laundry room or in-unit machines. But the decision carries questions of cost, maintenance, and return on investment.

Automatic Industries helps building owners by renting space in your building and installing washers and dryers and even providing maintenance when needed.

Here’s a look at centralized laundry machines vs. in-unit machines so you can determine what is right for your building.

Central Laundry: Cost-Effective & Scalable

A dedicated communal space for laundry is the most common set-up in apartment buildings. When you enlist the help of managed laundry services, there’s no initial investment, you simply rent the room out to the company who then installs the machines.

These rooms generate income through coin or card systems, provide simplified maintenance because the machines are all in one space, and there’s no need for extensive plumbing or electrical upgrades as there would be with in-unit machines. The process for maintaining and service to the machines is hands-off and left to the company that manages the room.

In-Unit: A Premium Tenant Upgrade

Installing individual washers and dryers can be viewed as a premium feature, giving tenants the option to do their laundry at their own pace without ever having to leave their apartment. But while this option may sound enticing at increasing rental appeal for your building, there is a lot of responsibility and upkeep with these amenities.

For starters, there’s significant upfront costs with purchasing and installing these machines for each individual unit. This can prove to be more difficult with older buildings, and the need to retrofit in order to accommodate these new appliances may inflate the initial costs.

Central vs In-Unit: Water & Energy Usage

You’ll also need to consider water usage. With in-unit machines, tenants are more likely to run them regularly, even running with small loads. This increases water and energy usage, as well as wear on the machine. When tenants have a central laundry room, and their paying to use the machine, they’ll use them more conservatively and effectively use less water and energy.

Comparing Your Options

Deciding on the right option comes down to which is best for your building and bottom line. Central laundry rooms are ideal for existing buildings and avoiding retrofits, as well as simplicity and efficiency in operations, resulting in a low-cost solution with guaranteed revenue.

In-unit machines, however, can prove challenging with the cost of purchase and installation, routine maintenance can be time consuming, and it opens to risk of misuse or unforeseen issues, which could lead to further problems with your building like leaks and water damage.

Get Started on Setting Up Your Apartment Building’s Laundry Machines

If having a centralized laundry room appeals to your needs as a building owner or property manager, you can look to us at Automatic Industries to help you get started. We’re local to New York City, so we can easily determine the best time and way to install machines in your central laundry room. We simply rent the space and manage it, so you can collect guaranteed revenue and not have to worry about upkeep or maintenance.

When you’re ready to get started, let us know how we can help!