Renting - washer and drier standard?

Are washer and drier standard appliances included when renting an apartment in London?  My friend (from London) claims that they are.  I can see washer being standard, but i'm skeptical about drier.

Thanks

Hey, not sure if you're aware of this, but washers in the UK are usually dryers as well (for space reasons)- the washer/dryer combo thing kinda weirded me out when I first got there, but I got used to the idea

Yes but they don't dry very well.  Most places come with a washer but not as many come with a dryer.  Totally depends on the landlord. 

I haven't had a drier at either of the two places I've lived in...and the dryer/washer combo that others have is kack...we all just use an air dryer...ya set it up in the living room...it's the norm in many apartments here!

Most flats I've been in seem to have just a washer, no dryer.  Like onetiger said, it's the norm to use drying racks.

Ugh, okay... unfortunate but understandable... In that case, any idea of the avg. price to have a mens work shirt laundered?

My flat has a drier in every room.  Its called a radiator!

My flat has a drier in every room.  Its called a radiator!

Haha..too true I dont live there (yet!! soon though!!) but thats what we did when I was there...and thats what my fiance's entire family does...he mentioned a drying rack but radiator works great , and besides, if you forget the towels they are toasty warm when you need them! (or if you forget them on purpose, like me  )

Hey, not sure if you're aware of this, but washers in the UK are usually dryers as well

I wouldn't say "usually."   I think "sometimes" would be more appropriate.  As others have noted though, the combo units are far from efficient. 

As many of them use the condensing principle for the dryer rather than having a separate vent outlet, they also tend to use a lot of water during the drying cycle.  That's something else to consider if you're on  metered water. 

Hiya!

Speaking as a landlord, it isn't the 'norm' to provide a drier in a rental property. Like the other posters have mentioned it depends on the landlord and/or type of property. The basic requirement is for a washing machine furnished apartments are let with.

One thing i'll definitley mention is that the Washer/Dryer combo machines you see pull ALOT of electricity - it's one of those things you don't usually hear about as many people prefer the convenience and worry about the running costs later. Make sure you're prepared for this. I'm not saying it'll be astronomical, but it's a significant amount. Maybe things have changed and modern newer appliances are more efficient - just thought to let you know as a heads up.

As for getting your work shirts dry cleaned etc, I wouldn't have thought much more than £5?  guess you'll be running around the local cleaner places !

hope this helps !

Cheers! Dennis!! West London & Slough UK

My flat has a drier in every room.  Its called a radiator!

ha ha, I live in a studio and I have 3 radiators and an electric heater coil thingy in the wall!

I was skeptical about this drying method too. I didn't want funky smelling socks after hang drying like it gets when travelling... or bedding and towels!! I thought for sure it would smell foul and I'd need to head to the laundromat! But nope, I figured out how to fold and hang them on the radiator and they dry up nice and toasty in just a couple of hours... speaking of, the washer just finished spinning... time to hang!

One thing i'll definitley mention is that the Washer/Dryer combo machines you see pull ALOT of electricity - it's one of those things you don't usually hear about as many people prefer the convenience and worry about the running costs later.

The dryer element is typically 3kW, and energized just about the whole time the dryer is running.   If we assume a 2-hour drying cycle (which is by no means a liberal estimate for the less efficient machines) and take electricity at a round figure of 10 pence per unit, that works out to  60 pence per load.   (Based on guestimates, your mileage may vary, offer void in Podunk, Ariz.,  etc.)

If you have Economy 7 installed which provides cheaper power at night, it's worth settting the dryer to run on the cheap rate, which is generally less than half the standard rate.  It might not save that much on a single load, but over the course of a year it can soon add up, especially if you're a family using the dryer very frequently.

we share 1 washer and 1 dryer between 6 flats.

and it takes over 3 hours to do one load of laundry.

it SUCKS

No drier in my flat. Washer dryer combos suck. They basically only make your clothes hot and steamy.

The house I rent didn't come with either washer or dryer, so I bought my own washer/dryer combo. I mostly dry my clothes out of doors on a line, but if it's too cold or wet I'll use the dryer. It's actually not bad. It does take sort of a long time, but I've never had any real problems with it.