# Strange apartment rental cost? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 8, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679 "2021-05-08T19:40:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/1 "2021-05-08T19:40:27Z")
My son is moving into an apartment with a couple of friends and, in addition to first and last month’s rent, security deposit and the like, they are being charged $50/month for the washer and dryer that come with the apartment. Is this a normal practice, and do you consider this to be on the up-and-up? ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/2 "2021-05-08T19:43:15Z")
Are they responsible for the utilities separately, or is that included in the rent? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/3 "2021-05-08T19:47:12Z")
Czarcasm Jr. says that the washer and dryer costs are included in the rent, but are itemized as monthly washer and dryer rental. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/4 "2021-05-08T19:51:40Z")
It was fairly common 20 years ago when I lived in apartments that there was a surcharge if washer and dryer were furnished. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/5 "2021-05-08T19:54:57Z")
I just did a quick search online and it not only seems relatively common, but I also see $50/mo as a pretty standard charge. The obvious alternative is that the W/D are included in the unit and the incremental fee is just rolled into the quoted rent. But two possibilities come to mind: - Making it an additional rental fee keeps the ‘sticker price’ lower – maybe an advantage in a competitive market - It _may be_ that separating out W/D rental gives the landlord some flexibility – hypothetically: that they can stop supplying the appliances at any time – that rolling it into the rent/Lease Agreement may not afford them. I’m not sure about the latter, but I can imagine something like that might exist. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/6 "2021-05-08T19:57:46Z")
When I moved into a unit, they didn’t have any washers or dryers available. It was only after I’d been there for about 6 months that they finally brought them by and installed them, and then my rent went up by… I want to say $35 a month. But, as I said, that was 20 years ago. I think the idea is that some people have their own. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/7 "2021-05-08T19:58:47Z")
So…not as unusual as I first thought. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/8 "2021-05-08T20:53:47Z")
Hadn’t heard of it before but it sounds pretty reasonable if you expect to have a working washer and dryer in your apartment. Back in my apartment days there might be laundry rooms with coin op appliances or you went to the laundromat. Great choice to be able to pay a little extra to have your own machines to use, or to pay less if you needed the money. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/9 "2021-05-08T22:59:51Z")
$600 a year is a lot to spend for a washer and dryer that you then don’t own. Ask the landlord to take their machines out and drop the rent $50 a month. Then go to Home Depot or Lowe’s and buy a washer/dryer pair on their 6 mo. no interest credit deals and have some thing to show for your money at the end of the lease. If they refuse to do that then they are being deceptive about the rent when advertising to undercut the competition to pull you in, then jack up the true rent. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/10 "2021-05-08T23:03:22Z")
I doubt that the landlord would care. But a washer and dryer are around 600 each, so it would take two years to pay for them. Many people who rent don’t stay in one place long, so not having to lug around appliances has its value. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/11 "2021-05-08T23:10:16Z")
Granted. Still sounds tricky unless the renters could opt out. It would stick in my craw though. Home Depot shows you could get a washer and dryer for about $1100 easily. I’d get tired of buying a washer/dryer set every two years. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/12 "2021-05-08T23:16:35Z")
Although not a rental, the two-story condo **DesertWife** and I bought had a washer and dryer nook upstairs – with no machines in it. I bought a pair and getting the dryer up the stairs was easy but the washer took **DW** and I pulling on straps from above while a Very Large friend pushed from below. It went one step at a time with a short breather between each push. When it was put into its spot I declared, still panting, “When we move, this stays here.” Everyone involved concurred. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/13 "2021-05-08T23:43:13Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > If they refuse to do that then they are being deceptive about the rent when advertising to undercut the competition to pull you in, then jack up the true rent. If you can’t opt out then it’s just rent, and if it’s too high then you don’t have to live there. I certainly wouldn’t if it was just a bait and switch. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2021, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/14 "2021-05-08T23:54:52Z")
They may also accounting for increased water expense for using a washer dryer in the building, as opposed to a laundromat. Bringing in your own set won’t account for the extra cost. Does your son also have to pay water? ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/15 "2021-05-09T01:10:42Z")
I’ve heard of apartments where the tenants aren’t allowed use their own W/D. They can either go without or rent a set from the apartment for $50/mo. ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/16 "2021-05-09T01:28:16Z")
Around here it isn’t unusual for an apartment complex to offer W/D rental as an option, with an opt out. A lot of times so many of the tenants just go with it that the leasing agent may not adequately explain it is opt out. It is possible there are some places that even have a W/D surcharge and no opt-out, but I haven’t specifically seen that yet. [I am in the real estate business and have been involved in both residential and commercial rentals.] A lot of apartment complexes have tenants that are frequent 1-2 year stays and that’s it, young people or students, or people not staying long for whatever reason. If you’re a serial mover and renter, moving a washer and dryer adds a not-insignificant amount of hassle to your (frequent) moves. “Free” washers and dryers left in residential units often take significant damage over time, so an apartment complex wanting to offer in-unit W/D and not eat the costs of the damage do the rental thing, it isn’t really as sleazy as it might seem. The alternative (and what we’ve done in apartments I’ve been involved in) is we build out W/D connections in each unit, but also build out a coin op laundry area. That way people have on-site laundry, and you basically just hope to break even on the coins used in it, and those who don’t want to use a communal laundry room do have the option to have their own W/D installed in the unit. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/17 "2021-05-09T01:56:26Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > $600 a year is a lot to spend for a washer and dryer that you then don’t own. But perhaps not more than three guys would spend, pumping in quarters at the laundromat over the course of a year. (not to mention the inconvenience of shlepping your duds back and forth). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/18 "2021-05-09T21:49:20Z")
Way back in 1997, when we moved into our complex, we agreed to an extra $25/month to cover the cost of the owner installing laundry hookups in our back patio area, so we could use the machines we had brought from our previous home. When we moved sixty feet to the east in late 2016, they were kind enough to install hookups in the newly remodeled unit with no additional rental charge (which worked out well for us, as the owners had expressed an intent to remodel all 100 units, and only make laundry hookups an option on end units. Something about capacity of the drain lines to the sewer system that I don’t understand). Still outdoors, which sucks for the machines’ longevity, but it’s still better than schlepping to the laundry room. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2021, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/20 "2021-05-09T22:21:21Z")
Oops, hit the wrong button. $50 a month, split 3 ways, is not unethical, and not only pays for the washer and dryer, but also the risk of water and other damage should the machines malfunction. I wouldn’t mind paying an extra $50 a month in rent if I COULD have a washer and dryer in my apartment, but it’s not set up for that. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2021, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679/21 "2021-05-10T00:52:47Z")
I rent my laundry equipment from my apartment complex (it is optional in my case, but by far the best laundry option available, IMO). In fact, that’s the same amount I pay. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strange-apartment-rental-cost/941679.md?page=2)