I had my property inspection today by a section 8 inspector.  Property was ready to go the week before. 

Come to find out it failed because the air handler was STOLEN!  really?  No signs of break in. There was a lockbox that the PM said was "tampered with". A police report was filed.  Has anyone heard of such a thing? Why would someone go to that much trouble ?  Its not something you walk in and grab. I can point fingers put unlikely its gonna do anything for me. 

Hi @Billy Maloney Yes, that happens especially on the north side properties. If property sits vacant for more than a few weeks the house will likely get broken into. Those thief do steal A/C and air handlers.. so try to get someone to check on the house every once in a while or leave light on so it seems as someone is living there. Sorry that happen to you but that often occurs especially nearing holidays! 

Thanks Lillie.  They didnt take the unit outside, just the air handler inside. Do they take them to just make a few bucks? 

@Billy Maloney , I have 6 properties being rehabbed in Jacksonville and I have 6 missing condenser units outside..... What  I do now is replace the unit right before closing by stating it as a contingency to close. I am used to it because this is also the standard in Las Vegas also.

I have heard of taking the outside unit but this is the first for inside air handler... Unusual indeed... sorry it happened to you.

@Robert Rayford Yah im getting educated on it now.  We are putting in a new one and having the tenant move the same day. 

@Attila M. Yah it doesnt make alot of sense to me Why take the air handler and not the outside condenser.  Something doesn't add up. 

@Billy Maloney , maybe they stole your air handler and came over to my place to get the condenser unit. I guess thieves shop around too....lol

@Robert Rayford Thats probably it.  lol.   Im biggest mystery is how they got in.  No damage to the property and as far as I know now the keys were in the lock box. So they put the keys back ? how nice of them. 

air handlers have more copper inside them. condensers have less and you cannot scrap them without proof of ownership. they cut up the coil in the air handler into tiny pieces of copper and then take it to a scrap yard.

That makes sense @Mark Fries . Had a feeling it was something to do with copper.  

You guys are stronger men than me...😎

I will not acquire properties in these kinds of neighborhoods even if they paid me to take them.😫

And I’ve been buying in Jacksonville for 7 years now.

All the best.

@Charles A. , I very successful investor who holds about 350 doors told me once. " If you found money in a bag does it matter what type of bag it's in,  a silk bag or old dirty paper bag, all that matters is what you take out of it". I get my hands a little dirtier in these areas then I do in A-C areas but it doesn't bother me. What's interesting with the Jacksonville D-F areas is that they would be B-C areas in some of my other markets. But your correct, they area a headache at times. smh

I have never seen the air handler stolen, that is wild. I have looked at some foreclosure properties and noticed the outside unit stolen.

Hi, living in Jax, it is very common on the northside or anywhere where it sits vacant too long.  Some landlords purchase cages for their condenser unit and if it is brand new it is recommendable. Usually those areas you will see bars on doors and windows as well. Don’t get me wrong, I have seen some neighborhoods in those areas that have cleaned up, just have to have precaution. A duplex I had bought before had to have a complete renovation because they even stripped the walls. 

@Billy Maloney   copper thieves

Billy when I started funding this stuff in 2002.. I started in Detroit.. and the guy I funded had a pretty sharp contractor .. and he was also PM

now they had learned that much of the theft was being done by workers who worked on the houses during the day and came back and stole the appliances etc at night.

so when you rolled up on one of their props.. there was a security guard who checked your ID wrote down your info etc.. before you were allowed on the property.. this cut down thefts a ton.

Next thing is most who own in these areas ( locals who have experienced this for years.)

They put nothing of value in until the day before the tenant moves in.. I know hair on fire.. but AC  water heater etc etc all goes in day before or right before section 8 inspection.

then if its really bad you need to pay someone to stay there until tenant moves in.

But petty theft in these areas is common and will never stop.. many times a home that is vacant for more than 48 hours will get totally stripped and many times its the neighbors.