📉 One Broken Pipe, $11,000 Later…

[Thomas Lorini]

Wednesday morning, I got the kind of call every landlord dreads — our contractor broke a pipe under the kitchen sink during some routine work. No shut-off valve in the unit (of course), so water starts spilling fast.

Contractor rushes to shut off the main valve for the entire 40-unit building… and just like that, no one in the building has water.

We call in a commercial plumber, who shows up a few hours later, opens the valve box, and drops the bomb:

“The 4-inch main shut-off is completely rusted and leaking. It has to be replaced.”

This isn’t a part you find at your local supply store — it had to be specially ordered. So now it’s Wednesday night, and the entire building is without water. We personally delivered a case of bottled water to each of the 40 units to help tide them over.

Thursday, the plumber confirms he found the part — but it won’t arrive until end of day. Estimated repair cost? $11,000. 💸

I greenlight the repair.

Come Friday morning, the plumbers show up ready to go, but they need the city to shut off water at the street.

Surprise: the city had paved over the shut-off access point during a prior project.

So now a city crew has to come out and dig 6 feet deep just to reach the line.

Fast-forward to late Friday… job’s done, water is finally back on, tenants are relieved — and I’m out 11 grand.

👉 Lessons learned:

• Always verify if individual unit shut-offs exist when buying a building

• Set aside reserves for unexpected infrastructure surprises

• Delivering water and communicating quickly with tenants goes a long way during chaos

Landlord life isn't always fun - be ready.