All Forum Posts by: Roy N.

Peter Moser

If the mould inspection & remediation yielded a foundation issue, I would throw that back at the vendor as well ... or adjust the sales price accordingly.

Steven Myers

It happens, my partner of 10yrs and I parted ways last year. I had to buy out his interest ... let's just say it was sufficient enough a 6-unit MFH deal under negotiation had to be abandoned.

Take Jon's advice and get out now ... it will only be more expensive and disruptive the longer you wait.

Dawn,

Three things we have noticed/learned about smooth-top ranges in rentals:

1) Unless your tenant has 'desent' quality cookware with flat bottoms {read: bottoms thick enough not to warp}, their pots and pans will rock on the smooth-top range {rocking pots of potatoes spill more onto the cook-top}. Coil cooktops are more forgiving of rounded cookware.

2) If the cook top is cracked or broken, the replacement cost is usually high enough you may as well purchase a new range. Elements, while more durable (pending the heat source) are typically more expensive to replace. Coil elements are readily available and inexpensive.

3) Tenants - ours anyways - do not appear to be able to clean these cooktops without resorting to highly abrasive substances (steel wool, wire brushes) which brings us back to item #2 above.

While I prefer a smooth cook-top in my own home, I am happy to say we only have one left in our rentals {it came with the building}.

Travis West

Thanks for the terminology correction! I'm always mixing "remediation" and "abatement" and had not noticed I had done so in my earlier post.

Raymond,

Some properties simply do not work from a cashflow perspective; the operating costs are too large a percentage of the revenue (>50%) and there is not (or may not be) sufficient room for upward movement of rent or improvement of the operating efficiency. We looked at one like this last month.

That said, a horrendously deep discount might make such a property "work" - or at least give you a fighting chance at rehabilitation - but I've yet to find a vendor who sees it that way.

Joel,

I know you are a very experienced investor / landlord, but I'll stand and disagree with you on this matter. If you purchase a quality 4 - 6l low-flow toilet, they move just as much - often more - content than the old water-push designs. The key is look at the MAP scores before selecting the toilet.

Now, it is entirely possible to select a poor model and have a poor installation which will result in a poor experience.

Remember, what is thought of as "novel" and low-flow in N.A., is old-hat in Europe and Australia.

In general, I agree with you. However, on occasion, Home Depot and the other big-box stores will source and rebrand a good fixture from a reputable manufacturer. I have purchased both Caroma and Niagara Conservation fixtures as labelled house brands at big-box stores.

We also purchase quality fixtures directly from vendors (i.e. Caroma), but if the opportunity presents itself to acquire them at a lower price because they have been house-branded, why not avail yourself of it.

You are also correct, the finish and glazing are paramount. Low-flow toilet performance will be impacted far more greatly by poor finish than a 5 usg toilet would be. This is probably one of the largest factors in the "common" {mis}perception that low-flow toilets do not perform as well.

Another is your plumbing. If you have old cast iron or galvanised drain lines, you will also have more problems with low-flow toilets as the inside surfaces of these pipes are more likely to not be smooth - or have partial blockages. Less water requires a smooth surface on the inside of the pipe as the water & contents travel against the inside surface and not down the middle of the pipe as many believe.

Finally, another factor limiting the use of the really low-flow toilets here is the 3" trap and drain. If building new, I would consider using 4" plumbing which would allow for effective use of the real low-flow toilets with 4" traps. At the moment, this would probably be cost prohibitive unless you were building a lot of units as toilets for a 4" drain are hard to find [at least in Canada].

Jenny Nguyen

It's hard to hold the former Tenants accountable if the keys have been given to new tenants. It sounds like you will have to absorb the cost of fixing/replacing the door at this point.

The key is to make certain parting tenants do not re-enter the unit following the final inspection.

If you are doing the final walkthrough and things are not right - the tenants want a little more time to clean - reschedule the walk through at a later time.

Jenny,

Was the tenant allowed back into the property following the exit inspection/walkthrough? We usually try to conduct the exit inspection early on their final day in the property. We walk through the property with the Tenant, identify what is deficient. If they choose to correct it themselves (i.e. cleaning), the exit inspection is rescheduled to the end of the day.

Once we complete the exit inspection, keys are collected and the Tenant no longer has {legal} access to the property.

Alton Phouvong

As Tevis suggested, contact a mould abatement service (or a couple) and get quotes on the scale and cost of abatement. I would then factor that into your offer price ... and/or give the vender the option of performing the abatement as a condition of your offer.

I'd go one step further. Any older toilets (20l/5usg or 13l/3.4usg) we replace with a new 4/6l dual flush (there are two "Glacier Bay" {Home Depot} models: Round front ($99 - $114) and elongated ($149) that have a MAP score of 1000 are are made by Niagra ). The water savings (especially if replacing a 5usg flush) will pay for the toilet in 2-4 years.