DeMontfort House Laundry Room Improvements
Customers told us they were frustrated by frequent breakdowns of the laundry room washing machines. Machines were often out of service, causing inconvenience and disruption to daily routines.
Built in 1984, De Montfort House is a 16-storey building, home to 272 households and includes 568 fire doors, two lifts, protected staircases, communal systems and multiple safety-critical features.
Managing a high-rise building such as De Montfort House requires a significant and ongoing programme of safety, compliance and maintenance activity. Due to its size, height and complexity, the building requires a different operational approach to many of Platform’s other homes and schemes.
Customer feedback highlighted issues with the laundry facilities. With many flats having limited kitchen space and not all customers able to accommodate personal washing machines, access to reliable shared laundry services is essential. Action was therefore taken to improve the facilities.
What you told us
Customers told us they were frustrated by frequent breakdowns of the laundry room washing machines. Machines were often out of service, causing inconvenience and disruption to daily routines.
There was also dissatisfaction with paying to use machines that were unreliable or not working. Repeated faults reduced trust in the service, and customers told us they expected dependable, well-maintained facilities, especially where payment was required.
What we did
We took immediate action to improve the service. Broken and unreliable machines were replaced with four new 13kg domestic washing machines.
In response to concerns about fairness and reliability, we removed the pay-per-use system. Washing machines and dryers are now free for all residents to use, until the new expanded laundry service is in place. The new permanent machines will be cheaper to use than previously.
These changes have improved reliability, reduced disruption and created a more accessible and fair laundry service for everyone.
Ongoing improvements
We are continuing to invest in longer-term improvements to the laundry facilities. Architectural drawings have been developed to create a more functional and user-friendly space.
Plans include increasing the number of machines and their capacity, enabling fewer washing cycles, improving the layout, accessibility and overall usability of the laundry room, alongside essential building upgrades to support the new facilities.
These improvements are designed to ensure the service meets residents’ needs both now and in the future.
Looking ahead
Laundry facilities will remain free of charge while the improvements works are carried out. A temporary unit has also been identified to ensure residents continue to have access to laundry facilities during construction.
We are committed to minimising disruption and ensuring a smooth transition to the upgraded laundry facilities.
