All Forum Posts by: Bryan Devitt
Bryan Devitt has started 4 posts and replied 789 times.
Post: Contractors are outrageous
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
@Donna Henry don't ever go to a big box store for install of anything ever. With as much work as you're doing, get a good contractor. Most of the time the extra money you pay them will be saved plus some by using their subs, the jobs will be done right, they'll be done quicker and if anything goes wrong you have someone to address it. Did I mention never have a big box store install anything ever??
Post: Investment Loans that require less than 20% down?
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
@CT Nguyen buy it as a vacation home, the down payment can be as little as 10%. The only problem is needing the income to get the initial loan
Post: Potential renter "injured" during property tour
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
@Scott Gammenthaler talk to a lawyer and get something drafted ASAP saying they won't go after you in the future and this payment is the end of the issue. Don't go through insurance for something this small. They'll pay out $500 and charge you $5k over the next 10 years to make it back.
Post: Landlord is kicking me out to make repairs to ceiling
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
Your landlord is being reasonable, you are not.
The End
Post: Rent credit for no water?
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
Considering that they stayed there, I would probably only compensate 10% of rent but also, if insurance is paying for it ...
Post: Contractors charging fees for pulling permits
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
Originally posted by @Dante Moore:
Originally posted by @Matthew Paul:
The work was done 2 years before you bought the house . You have no relationship with this electrician , he didnt work for you . There could be many reasons why it wasnt finaled , maybe the GC didnt pay him , who knows . The $500 plus the permit fee is normal , why should he work for free . It takes time to fill out the paperwork , and time is money .
Now what would concern me is if the electrical permit wasnt closed out , what other work was done and not closed out . Typically you dont get a use and occupancy certificate until everything is inspected and closed out .
$ 500 is reasonable , its his license on the line
What does it matter if the GC didn't pay him? That's not my issue. He should have taken that up with the GC in 2018. I shouldn't be responsible for paying for his past problems. There isn't any paperwork in Baltimore City its all online. I could actually fill it out in less than 2 minutes but specifically only on electrical permits I'm unable to. How would his license be on the line to close out his own work?
You say it isn't your problem if the last owner didn't pay him, but you want it to be his problem that you bought a building with open permits? He is as responsible for your current problems as you are for his past problems. If a new permit has to be pulled and you don't like his prices, find another electrician and get a better price if you can
Post: Rent credit for no water?
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
Did the tenant live there the whole time? Are they asking for any? Is your insurance covering anything else besides the loss of rent?
Post: Marijuana smell in my rental
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
(restraining the urge to jump to a conclusion) section 8 by chance?
It's Colorado, weed is like alcohol. If it smelled as much when your neighbor had a beer the entire country would smell the same but somehow getting drunk every night isn't stigmatized like having a couple tokes is
Post: Are there any war zones?
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
Thank you. I am too used to the North East. The learning curve for another part of the country is going to be steep
Post: Marijuana smell in my rental
- Contractor
- Oxford, MA
- Posts 806
- Votes 744
You can have a back flow preventer installed on the vent line. Most leak though. You might have to have the pipe extended to vent to the exterior of the building, away from the other vents. Have them tape all seams and install the backflow preventer and it should get almost all of the smell stopped. With that said, second hand smell will do nothing to anyone, the smell travels much further than the smoke