ps- I am a renter and I cant get rid of any appliances or do major renovations such as removing walls etc. I am on a budget- but Im decent at DIYing carpentry/plumbing/ other house maintenance.

Move them to WHERE? Draw the entire room with all dimensions. Include slop sink . Someone clearly added a dryer to a laundry room with an old washer. Too cheap to buy stack kit ....and a set of front loaders.

I'm not too good at this with other people's areas, but I'll try. Get the washer out of the way and move the dryer to the wall where it's vented. Move the washer to where the dryer is now but facing the door we see to the left of the photo. Use appropriately rated extension cords and attach them neatly to the baseboards and out of the way.

And he won't fit between them..............

My bet is the room isn't five feet wide

That's a gas dryer? meaning the gas connection is behind it?

There is so much wrong with this set-up, Im not sure where to start?

You have too many things plugged in one outlet. You have 2 cords spliced together going around the corner?

your dryer hose is way too long and there is too much slack. That other patched cord is sketchy. No idea why your water heater is strapped to the wall? And that’s just we can see.

Where is the dryer venting to?

How much is the landlord willing to spend? Another electrical outlet would allow some flexibility. Is the landlord concerned about local building and safety codes?

Well I have to agree this is a mess and IMO no way to fix it without money and new appliances that stack. If the landlord is not willing to make the space function and be safe I would be looking for another place.

Water heaters are secured in earthquake-prone areas where they might fall. At least the landlord did that. Would you consider buying your own stackable? This situation looks really unsafe.

I take it you are a CA tenant as I see your water heater is strapped to the wall.

I agree with the other posters that this is an unsafe situation and I am very much concerned for you. You have my condolences as a fellow CA resident. I own, but my young adult daughters are/were tenants to what I call slumlords while paying exorbitant rents. It's rough out there as a tenant these days. One feels they should be happy they only pay $2000+ a month for horrible living conditions and shouldn't make waves in case one gets evicted for having put in a repair request. I say many times a week the world has gone crazy here in CA.

Having said that, CA is also a state where photos such as you provided above are of serious interest to the local building code dept and the state attorney general. This is an illegal set-up and a hazard. The landlord, whether he or she likes it or not, is obligated to provide safe living conditions. Your set-up is a disaster waiting to happen. I will take a leap and suggest your rental property is not properly permitted as a rental as this would not pass inspection.

Work needs to be done to bring your laundry room up to code.

You might want to print this thread out and show it to your landlord when you submit a repair request, for your own safety. You also might want to omit my 2nd paragraph to not give a slumlord ideas for his own gain...

Take care

In the meantime, go to the laundromat.

I would tell your landlord that you have been advised that your laundry room set up is a fire hazard. I would think he/she would not want a fire. If he/she doesn’t fix that outlet with appropriate electrical, I would make a visit to your city’s building code department. CA is strict about their codes.