They make money for the co-op.
They make it convenient for shrhlders. to do their laundry

What I meant was allowing shareholders to install washers and dryers in their own apartments. (We already have a laundry room with communal washers and dryers.)

You really need to know what your building rules regulations will be for those that are considering installing W&D. Questions such as.

1. Scope of work.
2. Will the building archict be involved.
3. How will the dryer be vented.
4. Who will do the electric and plumbing work?
6. What safety/preventive measures will be required (should the washer leak)
7. Is it possible to tie into a water source and waste line very easily?

You need to do your homework before you consider if is feasable. Good luck MRM.

I echo MRM's list. But I'd add that your shareholders and board need to come to an understanding about the future of these machines.

For example, a recent expensive renovation included a washer and dryer, moved for proper venting, etc. according to an architect's specs... all reviewed and approved properly by the board, as was its right. (There are apartments in the building with w/d, many installed outside proper channels in bygone years.)

But... the following board has now outlawed all w/d in individual units... and gone a step further. If the machine breaks, one can FIX it, but not REPLACE it - though a) in many cases, it will cost less to replace than to fix; b) it may be impossible to fix; c) it could be beneficial to replace with more efficient equipment.

Is this a sound policy? Isn't it a kind of breach of contract for a board to approve expensive plans -- and a year later, turn around and negate a lot of the resale value for the individual shareholder? Would it not have been more prudent for the board to announce that all w/d must meet certain plumbing codes, and if they do not, they must be updated to do so?

I would even understand a moratorium on new installations... but not allowing a shareholder to replace a broken machine seems punitive and a little silly.

i would think that downstairs neighbors be furnished with proof of adequate insurance.
The co-op is not responsible for damage. the w/d owner would have to pay for all the repair work,
you would need a auto-shutoff for the overflow.

Those sort of go without saying, if your board has any savvy at all...

When speaking about allowing washers/dryers in units is a complicated topic.

1) Does your building have suds zone? given what you said about the age of your building, I doubt it.

2) Since your building does not have a suds zone, I assume you also do not have a vent stack for the draining of the washing machine.

3) If you do allow Washer/dryers, who is supervising the work? to make sure that a legitimate plumber is doing the work as per the requirements that the buildings architect put together. Yes, your building should have guidelines that your house architect put together. And your architect would have to approve all requests.

Keep in mind that I have seen many things go wrong such as allowing washer/dryers to be installed without the proper prerequisites to prevent unwanted situations. I have seen custom kitchen cabinets get completely ruined due to suds coming up into the sink from the drain line. All because there is no suds zone/vent stack for the washing machines. Seek professional consultation before you open up a can of worm and then you will have a lot of unhappy residents.

We have a small 12 unit building in which 2 SH have bought portable washers that attach to their sink faucet. We have no rules in place for such appliances--at present there is no problem but if we all get the one, can we be setting ourselves up for waste line back ups and other problems? Who would we consult--there is no building architect.

We have the same issue coming up in our building. People in upstairs units have caused floods into their downstairs neighbors apartments because of a tear in the hose or the machine was filled to capacity and somehow overflowed and they didn't realize it.

Then we had some shareholders who figured if they were in a downstairs unit, it was okay because no one was beneath them if their machine overflowed. One such Shareholder had a major flood because of her washing machine and was upset that her homeowners insurance denied her claim because they ruled the damage to be due to her negligence in having the washing machine in the apartment.

That is something for Shareholders to think about regarding putting them in the apartments.