When I moved from my rental home to a newly purchased home in '97, I had to move the '83 Whirlpool washer. To my surprise the hot water hose was just about to burst. It had an ping pong ball sized bulge in the rubber casing right at the washer... a bit scary. Luckily it hadn't burst, and the washer sat on a small enclosed landing that was a step down from the kitchen. So it wouldn't have caused damage to the rest of the home, but it still would have looked bad to the landlady. Those hoses were probably original in '83 (previous tenant), so they lasted about 15 years before showing imminent signs of failure.
As I said before, the laundry closet for my Neptune pair is smack dab in the center of the new home (well, new in 1941), on the same level. So if it flooded, it could cause a lot of collateral damage. Early on I decided on stainless braided hoses and shutting off the water whenever I am finished with the laundry for the day. So far, so good.
If I'm going to be away from home for more than a week or so, I'll shut off the main water to the home, the water heater, and unplug anything not needed to ward off intruders. Things look a little different when you own instead of rent... 'cause any repairs come out of my pocket - don't want to even call the insurance company about it unless it's a major disaster.
