Multi-Housing Laundry Equipment Solutions

Multi-Housing Laundry Equipment FAQ's

Program Options:

• What multi-housing programs does HK Laundry offer?

  HK has two separate & distinct programs for our multi-housing customers.

  Purchase - The purchase option is where HK will sell new (or used) laundry equipment to multi-housing customers. These can be small 2-6 family apartment buildings to hotels or large apartment complexes. An HK specialist will work with a property owner to determine the best equipment fit for their needs and requirements of the building. HK has financing options available and also service maintenance contracts. HK can set & install multi-housing laundry equipment, including installing card systems and providing training for on-site management.

  Management -  The laundry room management option is where HK will install new laundry equipment, at no charge, to multi-housing customers and will maintain and service the equipment for the term of the agreement. HK will provide the landlord (or board) the option of a straight monthly compensation or a shared revenue compensation. Straight payment is sent out at the beginning of every month. The owner will receive a check automatically, just like clockwork. The shared revenue compensation is calculated and dispersed quarterly. In the calculations report is the collection date and the amount of each collection.

  HK Laundry will handle all of the laundry room headaches for residents' complaints providing refunds and instructing residents on the proper use of the machines. HK knows that your core business is not managing laundry rooms, so we take on all the headaches, allowing you to get on with your core business.   

Location:

• I have a property in Brooklyn. Can you help me ?

  Unfortunately no. HK is a long-time, established service company, but we do not go everywhere. We are not the laundry room management company for everyone. We understand that with multi-housing, you live or die on the quality and speed of your service. So our multi-housing service area is confined to northern Manhattan (north of 100th Street), the Bronx, Westchester, Putnam, southern Dutchess (up to Poughkeepsie), and Fairfield county in Connecticut. This is the geographical area where we can maintain our service standard of responding to a service call within 24 hours of a business day. We respond to every service call and complaint.   
  For any customer outside our sphere of service influence, we can recommend a quality laundry partner who can best help and fulfill their needs. 

  

Compensation:

• What types of compensation options does HK Laundry offer?

  HK is flexible and does not put customers into any box or category. We offer a fixed monthly payment or a shared revenue option. With a fixed monthly payment, the landlord receives a check at the beginning of every month. This happens like clockwork, and the checks are dispersed automatically. With the shared revenue option, we calculate and distribute the revenue quarterly. With each report, we show each collection's dates and amount. Everything is right up front and easy to understand. If you want a blend of both types of compensation, contact our HK Laundry specialists and let's see what we can come up with that is mutually beneficial for both parties.

• Do you charge management fees?

  In our core DNA, the agreement you signed is the agreement we live by. HK Laundry thinks it is unscrupulous to add additional charges like "management fees." Losing an extra 8% in management fees is just plain highway robbery. We understand that the "big boys" in the industry are trying to bend the rules to their advantage to add more profit to their bottom line. HK likes to think we will gain more revenue by increasing our market share with honest dealings and excellent customer service. Don't believe that bigger is better; try the hunger more responsive, personalized laundry distributor.

  

Service:

• How many service vans do you operate?

  HK Laundry currently has five fully stocked service vans to support our customers. Each van has about $25,000 worth of spare parts, and each van visits our main office and parts depot at least twice a week.  We currently have over $250,000 value of inventory in our parts department to quickly service and repair any machines that are out of service. We also have our technical operations manager, who has over 40 years of experience servicing and installing laundry equipment. We understand that the laundry equipment's timely repair is paramount.

• Will you come out 24/7 to repair machines?

  HK Laundry will respond to a service call within 24 hours of a business day. If the call comes in on Friday afternoon, we will get there before Monday afternoon. We only have technicians on stand-by for emergency weekend service. HK will come out on a weekend only if the sole VTM (value transfer machine) on the property is broken or if a customer's clothes are locked in a washer and cannot open the door. If this happens, please leave a message in the emergency service mailbox, and someone will contact you to get more details. If this is a valid emergency, we will immediately dispatch a service technician to take care of the problem.

• I have a washer that has been out of order for at least a week. What's wrong?

  We occasionally hear this complaint that a washer has been out for more than several days. Someone may have marked the machine out of order, but we never heard that there was a problem. If we don't know of a broken machine, how can we know to send a technician? If you see an HK washer or dryer out for more than a few days, please call 800-229-4572 or email us again to let us know. The sooner we know, the sooner the machine will be fixed.

  

Nuts & Bolts:

• How many washer and dryers do I need?

  The general rule of thumb is for every 8 to 10 apartment units, you will need a washer/dryer pair. More oversized washers and dryers will count for a couple of small machines. An HK specialist will help you determine the exact number of washers and dryers for your building. Part of the sizing equation depends upon many factors, including the physical installation, the building demographic, the number and the size of the apartment units, the closest proximity to a quality laundromat, and resident access to the laundry room.  

  What brand of laundry equipment is best?

  None of the current equipment manufacturers goes out to make a substandard washer or dryer, so the immediate answer is all brands have pros and cons. We exclusively use the Huebsch brand of washers & dryers. Huebsch is an American-made product and was started in 1907 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  Huebsch is a leader in the laundromat industry for the highest customer satisfaction, cutting-edge technology, and the producer of heavy-duty, reliable washers & dryers. What is most important is who the local provider is. Who is going to manage your laundry room? Who are you going to have a long-term relationship with? It's not Huebsch or Speed Queen but HK Laundry or one of the other many laundry equipment providers. Choose the vendor wisely and ignore the brand of equipment.

• Can I add a bigger washer and dryer to my laundry room?

  It depends upon where the machines are going and what utilities are in the laundry room. Extensive laundry equipment is laundromat washers and dryers. The laundromat laundry equipment has specific requirements for proper installation. The washers need to be anchored on the basement floor. Because the "solid mount" washers are constructed differently from the small front load washers, they need to be securely bolted down to the base concrete. The washers also require a gravity drain line. This means that the drain line needs to be at the bottom of the washer (or lower) for the water to drain downhill. This is because there is no pump in these washers. With dryers, a big dryer will require natural or LP gas. They do not make big electric dryers that would work in apartment buildings. When in doubt, contact an HK specialist at 800-229-4572 for help designing and specifying your laundry room.

• What is the biggest mistake that most people make with their laundry room?

  Probably the biggest mistake is not understanding the agreement that they are signing. The hefty 800 lbs. gorilla companies have huge contracts written by "Philadelphia lawyers." These agreements have clauses like "automatically renewals" for an extended period. They also include the "first right of refusal," which means you may be stuck with the same company for another ten-year term. Read the agreement from beginning to end, and then send it to your attorney. A few dollars in legal advice could save you from another ten years of heartaches and nightmares in your laundry room. HK Laundry has a straightforward agreement written in plain English. Everything is clearly stated, and no fine print. 

Amenities:

• How do you determine what extra features go into a laundry room?

  When HK first visits a prospective laundry room, we always ask the super, board member, or property manager, "what is the wish list for the laundry room?" What improvements to the current laundry room do the residents want? This is the one time you can specify improvements you will have for the next 6-10 years. Usually, this falls into a few categories: bigger machines, credit/debit /EBT card acceptance, laundry alerts, or physical Improvements to the actual laundry room (painting, LED lights, new floor, new plumbing, etc.) Once we determine what is on the building's "wish list," we add that into the competitive proposal for review. If your figures do not compare to the competition, but they are falling short on the amenities, then it is up to the board to decide which is more important to the residents of the building. The bottom line is if you want a specific amenity, then let the board know that you want this critical feature. 

  

Accounting:

• How is the money accounted for?

  HK Laundry uses 100% Card Systems in our managed multi-housing operations. This allows HK to monitor the cash received in the VTMs and deposited into the bank. There is detailed record keeping. If the account has a shared revenue compensation, there will be clear records showing the collection dates and amount of each collection. HK holds these records for the life of the agreement.

  How do you calculate the building compensation?

  The amount of money HK can compensate the building is related to the cost of the new laundry equipment, the card system, the installation, the amenities of the laundry room, vend price of the machines, and the length of the agreement. The shorter the agreement, the smaller the compensation because we must amortize all of the costs into a shorter term. HK does not hit home runs; we hit singles every day of the week. We are looking to install the highest quality laundry equipment with the best installation to keep our repair costs as low as possible. That is why we include annual PM in each location.  Once we know all the charges, we add in a small reasonable profit, which we present to the board.

Utilities:

• What utilities are required to install a laundry room in my building?

  Laundry rooms are sized to the number of apartment units in the building. Other factors include if there are washer and dryer hookups in the apartments, the size of the apartments, and the proximity to a good quality laundromat in the neighborhood. Once we determine the mix and the dimensions of the laundry equipment, then your HK specialist can advise you on the size and what utilities will be required. Typically you need electricity, water, drain, and preferably gas to heat the dryers (but we also have a small electric dryer available too).