Rent Something KC

Your Landlord Won't Fix the Washer? Here's What to Do

2 min readCollin
A worn, out-of-order front-loading washing machine sits in a dimly lit apartment laundry room with chipped tile flooring and pale yellow walls showing water stains, with a handwritten "Out of Order" s
A worn, out-of-order front-loading washing machine sits in a dimly lit apartment laundry room with chipped tile flooring and pale yellow walls showing water stains, with a handwritten "Out of Order" s

Got a call last month from a woman in Raytown. Her dryer had been broken for six weeks. Landlord kept saying he'd send someone. Nobody came. She was spending $35-40 a week at the laundromat two miles away, hauling clothes for a family of four.

She asked if I could just put a dryer in there. I had one on the truck. Delivered it the next day.

This happens more than you'd think

Landlords in the KC metro are required to maintain appliances they provide — but "maintain" can mean a lot of things, and enforcement is slow. If your washer dies in January and the landlord takes until March, you've spent $300+ at the laundromat. That's not a solution.

Your options

Option 1: Keep waiting. Some landlords are just slow. If yours has a track record of eventually fixing things, it might be worth another week. But set a deadline in your head.

Option 2: Rent your own appliance. This is where I come in. $30-35/month for a washer or dryer. I deliver, install, and hook it up. When you move out or the landlord finally replaces theirs, I come pick mine up. No commitment.

Option 3: Withhold rent (carefully). Missouri law lets tenants withhold rent in some cases, but the process has specific steps — written notice, reasonable time to fix, etc. I'm not a lawyer. Talk to one before going this route.

A few things to know if you rent an appliance for your apartment

Check your dryer vent situation first. Some apartments in KC — especially older ones around Midtown and Independence — have 1.5-inch drain tubes or no external dryer vent. I can usually work around it, but it helps to know upfront so I bring the right adapters.

If you're above the first floor and there's no elevator, I still deliver. I've carried washers up three flights in Overland Park complexes more times than I can count. It's part of the job.

And no, you don't need your landlord's permission to rent a temporary appliance in most cases — especially if they're not holding up their end. Just make sure your lease doesn't have something weird about it.

Stop bleeding money at the laundromat

At $35-40/week for laundromat runs, you're spending $140-160/month. A washer and dryer rental bundle is $55/month. The math does itself. Send me a message and I'll get you set up.

#landlords#renters#kansas-city

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