DOSM Counts 71,101 Holiday Homes: Check Pickup Work Before Adding Laundry Equipment

DOSM’s July 7 release records 71,101 holiday homes nationwide and estimated revenue of RM2.2 billion in 2025. These are preliminary findings, not a forecast of bookings or an individual operator’s earnings.

The count gives laundry, cleaning and maintenance businesses a reason to examine where potential customers are located. It does not tell a laundry owner how many linen bags will arrive each week, how far the van must travel or when invoices will be paid. Our view is simple: confirm the repeat work before committing to extra capacity.

Timing note: This article was first added on 28 September 2026, using DOSM’s 7 July 2026 release about 2025. It is newly published commentary, not a restored July article.

Image note: AI-generated contextual illustration; not a photograph of a surveyed property or an actual event.

Property counts are not pickup orders

Use a service-area map to identify properties worth contacting, then separate enquiries from agreed work. Ask who appoints the laundry supplier, which items need processing, the collection schedule and the terms for rejected or damaged linen. A property within your district may already have a supplier or handle washing itself.

Keep possible customers outside the committed workload until the arrangement is clear. That distinction makes the equipment decision easier to assess without turning a national statistic into a sales forecast.

Measure contracted pickup volume

Start with the work you already perform or have agreed to perform. Record how much arrives on busy days, which items need separate handling, and where washing, drying or finishing causes a queue. Check whether a late collection can be accommodated without delaying other customers.

A spare machine or a revised collection schedule may address a bottleneck differently from another full production line. Compare those options against the actual constraint. Allow for servicing and operator availability rather than planning every machine at uninterrupted maximum use.

Count route time as working time

A van can spend much of its day collecting and returning linen rather than carrying a full load. Include loading, parking, access arrangements and return journeys when checking route capacity. Confirm how urgent extra pickups would fit around the regular schedule.

Put the customer’s payment timing beside fuel, wages, maintenance and equipment payments. An apparently manageable route can still require cash before an invoice is settled. This is a planning check, not a prediction that the census will increase costs or demand.

Price used equipment with repairs included

Used or refurbished washers and dryers are not automatically cheaper to run. Inspect condition, service records, parts availability and installation needs. Ask what a refurbishment includes and what remains outside it; plan for repair costs and time out of service.

Compare the total usable cost with the machine’s expected role in your operation. A low purchase price alone cannot show whether it will handle the contracted work reliably.

Bring the quotation and workload together

If confirmed work creates a specific equipment need, review equipment financing with the supplier quotation, expected use and repair budget in hand. You can contact Ing Heng on WhatsApp to discuss the plan.

Source: Department of Statistics Malaysia, Bulletin of Holiday Homes Statistics: Economic Census 2026, released July 7, 2026; official media statement. The operational advice above is our commentary, not a DOSM recommendation.