All Forum Posts by: Avi Lah

You are not suppose to be a side on this. I think the pm company has full liability. And they should have good lawyers there which probably can contact to.  

Quote from @Colleen F.:

@Avi Lah  you have to abandon a septic tank as part of a sewer connection so the septic tank should not have worked. Not sure exactly what they do but I thought they fill them with I think sand.  This should have been obvious from the initial connection. Was the basement bathroom done with a permit?

The plumbing company gave me a quote and list of what has to be done: "Remove toilet and many ceramic tiles from floor and shower stall. Cut concrete floor to access piping. Re-pipe under floor so drains run to sanitary sewer. Re-pipe above floor so all drains run to sanitary sewer. The kitchen sink in garage to be eliminated and lines capped. Re-concrete floor. Install a new toilet because the old one needs broken to be removed. Excavate existing septic tank. Pump out tank and crush the lid. Fill with stone to grade. No ceramic tile repair or replacement is included. Also seal existing floor drain." 

And it will have to pass inspection from the sewer authority. 

The bathroom in the basement was already there and likely done with permit. according to the parcel municipal documents, it appears there. 

Quote from @Jonathan Bock:

@Avi Lah

What municipality? 

It would not be likely the seller did not know  and why do you have to connect ? 

Was the sewer authority being paid in the past and who was the seller using in the past for the septic service? 

I’m in a Philly suburb and we have lots of residents who have septic still.  

 This property located in Lancaster county/east hampfield district. 

this house doesn't have any permit to use septic tank. It was installed there before there was main sewer system, disconnected and maybe few years ago when the seller added a full bath in the basement, maybe by mistake the plumber did the repipe connected it to a pipe which lead to a a tank and not the main sewer. 

The sewer authority there (LASA) being paid for years without been connected to the main sewer system.

This is probably why it is important to add special sewer inspection when buying a house. Disclosure or general inspection doesn't says much and reveals seller "secrets"

Quote from @Jess Keller:

In addition to the above comment, is anything documented at the municipality?

Parcel document at the municipality it says the "sewer: public sewer -Lasa " (its in Lancaster PA)  therfore it has to be fixed back to the main sewer system.

Quote from @Stuart Udis:

@Avi Lah Was a seller disclosure completed? The seller disclosure should have disclosed whether there was public sewer or septic. Is public sewer available for connection?

The seller probably was not aware it was connected to a tank. Was not disclosed.

Parcel document- it says it connect to public sewer. 

Observation of the plumber: it was connected to a public sewer but it was changed without permit. He discovered it when did small repair. 

I bought a house last year after inspection 

A general Inspection report showed everything is ok with the plumbing. nothing came up. 

last month I had some warer backout issue coming up from the bath in the basement, ordered a plumber.  The fix the issue and installed a cleanout which was not there

But- Was a big surprise They told me - the sewer pipes connect to a septic tank not to main sewer line without permit. Should be connected to main sewer system and have it inspected. require re-piping the basement so that all plumbing empties into the public sewer line instead of the septic tank which need to be flash out. 

This cost 9k usd + redo the bath in the basement.

Nobody told me that when i bought it. Anything which i can do? Inspection didn't showed that (it was general inspection not a sewer inspection)  the seller didn't know its like that. 

Hi

Me and my partner own 8 houses in Lancaster PA.  (probably 1 I will sell) 

Our plan was to give it to a local property management there.

We gave one house to local property management there to manage and the plan was that they will  manage all our houses there but we came to the conclusion that its better to manage it ourself!.  after tried 2 PMC there. 

We need some tips to manage a properties.

1. Best online  software which you recommend? 

2. Where is the best place to list the houses (need new 6 new tenants!)

3. Is it crucial is to higher a lawyer for the lease? we have a good templates of contracts

4. Best way to choose tenants (credit etc)

Any tip or even a link to podcast can help!  we want to do it right and avoid mistakes as much as possible.

Quote from @Michael Smythe:

@Avi Lah

Encourage you to learn from the mistakes of others - by reading posts here on BiggerPockets about owners not having their expectations met by their current Property Management Company.

To avoid going through the same poor experience, keep reading.

Even if someone give you a referral, don’t make the mistake of assuming that PMC will meet your expectations, just because they met the expectations of the referral source.

We also can’t believe how many owners hire the first PMC they speak with!

Then they complain their expectations aren’t being met!

In our experience, the #1 mistake owners make when selecting a Property Management Company (PMC) is ASSUMING instead of CONFIRMING.

It's often a case of not doing enough research, as they don't know what they don't know!

Owners mistakenly ASSUME all PMCs offer the exact SAME SERVICES and PERFORM those services EXACTLY THE SAME WAY, so price is the only differentiator – and they often select the first PMC they call!

So, the first question they usually ask a PMC is about fees - instead of asking about services and HOW those services are executed.

EXAMPLE: PMC states they will handle tenant screening – what does that specifically mean? What documents do they require, what credit scores do they allow, how do they verify previous rental history, etc.? You’d be shocked by how little actual screening many PMC’s do!

This also leads owners to ASSUME simpler is better when it comes to management contracts.

The reality is the opposite - if it's not in writing then the PMC doesn't have to provide the service or can charge extra for it!

We have a 14-page management contract that we've added our real experiences to over the years, with the intent of protecting both us AND the landlord. Beyond the Monthly Management, Placement & Maintenance fees, all other fees in our contract are IF EVENT -> THEN fees.

We don’t know any PMCs to recommend in the area mentioned, but since selecting the wrong PMC is usually more harmful than selecting a bad tenant, you might want to read our series about “How to Screen a PMC Better than a Tenant”:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/3094/91877-how-to-screen-a-pmc-better-than-a-tenant-part-1-services-and-processes

We recommend you get management contracts from several PMCs and compare the services they cover and, more importantly, what they each DO NOT cover.

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

P.S. If you just hire the cheapest or first PMC you speak with and it turns into a bad experience, please don’t assume ALL PMC’s are bad and start trashing PMC’s in general. Take ownership of your mistake and learn to do the proper due diligence recommended above😊

Thanks for the tips and message. I agree I will have to double check abd verify all the required details. Basically in the end as landlord we want quiet. and put all the houses under one reliable  trusted pmc. 

We own a new 6 houses (recently  bought and need new tenants) in Lancaster PA

In addition to 2 which already has and managed by diffrent pm companies.

It is to much to mange it myself 

looking for a recommendation of a reliable  property management company there

thanks!