Does our manager think we are stupid? Are we being lied to?

In the business and finance section of y/a they have a renters and real estate category. You might post your question there to see about renters bill of rights. You might also try and post a question in the plumbing section, to see if there is something you can do to beat this. I wonder if you added a buckets of water to the washer if you could raise the water level at least in the wash cycle, maybe not the rinse cycle. I don't know how they would know how many loads of clothes you wash and how many you dry. I bet there is a renter bill of rights in your area somewhere. Maybe search for questions will give you some help. Good luck with this, it sounds like your land lord is trying to take advantage of you all.. Peace be with you.

There is some truth to their theory. Larger loads do break down washers and driers faster if they are not loaded properly. And with it being a community building, it may have been necessary for them to limit the water, to force people to make their loads smaller, especially if they have had to replace the things several times. And it is unfortunate that they do this, because ultimately you end up spending more money.

Personally, I'd install commercial grade washers and driers in a environment like this.

hang your laundry to dry on a line that you set up in your apartment.

hand wash a few clothes more often.

Use vinegar in your rinse water to fluff, soften and remove static cling.

Tell management that they have something funny on their face and should have it removed.