All Forum Posts by: Bryan Devitt

I was going to actually answer this and help ... then I got to the part where you were trying to use a break in as an excuse and claiming the management company is somehow supposed to be your personal security company. I'm good, have fun with breaking your lease 

There is zero difference in MA, everything is based off the use and not ownership. A 1-4 family you live in is the same as a 1-4 family that you rent out. The reasons I stated above are the reasons we personally ask about that. Having to work around people living there is a GIANT hassle. If we know it is a rental and the owner isn't pushing us to finish so they can get back in 2 days before we agreed on, we can tackle multiple rooms at once and charge less for a PITA fee. Where is it in MA?

Have a handyman go in and scrape out the out grout that is missing/loose/cracked and either put in new grout or just caulk it all. This will get you your 2 months until they move. Once they move, gut the bathroom and redo the entire thing because if that hole smells and it has been leaking a while, there is probably mold in the ceiling. Nip it in the bud now or it will cost you many thousands down the road. Have said handyman toss a quick patch in the ceiling while he is there, a piece of strapping, small piece of board and a quick 1 coat of mud with tape for now. When the bathroom is redone have the professional handling that properly blend it in while they are there. Has the basement tenant asked for anything? How much do they pay in rent? I would probably apologize and give them a gift card for dinner out and hope that is enough because having someone's shower water dripping on your bed is pretty nasty. This is one of the rare cases when I think the tenant deserves something to help smooth things over 

I am actually surprised it is that quick also. I do love how it is everyone else's fault though. The house "was stolen"? So someone got money for it when they sold it, the buyer didn't pay for it so they were booted, but that is someone stealing something? So if I go to BMW today and buy a car with $0 down and never make a payment, is it stealing when they take it back? I still can't and probably never will be able to understand the entitlement mentality. I see the slippery slope of how it got there one handout at a time, but I don't get how people think they deserve such things and demand that others provide them 

LOL there is ZERO chance you will find a good, quality contractor that will go house to house with you giving you bids on the work until you find one. 203 loans are a nightmare to deal with for the contractor, they have to float a LOT of money for free, which means they charge more for the work. You will probably look at at least 20 houses before you find one that works, each one will cost the contractor probably 2-4hrs of work. If you plan to pay them, be prepared to pay $100/hr from the time they leave their shop/house/site to the time they get back plus any office time they put in for the estimates assuming you're in NY because you never said where it was you were looking

You get what you pay for. Even the cheaper Depot products that look similar scratch if you look at them funny and won't last one turn over 

Licenses vary wildly from state to state, in your state it might not be a requirement for the work he is doing

Find the one you like, contact them directly and they'll tell you who their distributor is to get in touch with 

We need more context. I assume this is in CA? We will ask because it changes how we protect the property, what room(s) we work in at any time, how long it takes, what hours we work, etc 

Those failures generally don't happen with quality doors, just the cheap ones that are usually particle board or MDF where the pin inserts. Sliding doors will fix the issue, but the cost of the removal, new door, installation and paint will add up. Replacing the bifolds with solid wood bifolds will solve most of the issues but most of the costs above are the same. Your best and cheapest bet is to modify them as stated above with a 2x4 as they break. The door can be pulled, cut, 2x4 glued and then clamped. Installed the next day. This spaces out the costs over time and chances are it is the same people breaking them over and over so you won't have to do them all.