All Forum Posts by: Ray R.

We had a similar situation trying to figure out what was causing a water leak. Water would appear on a loading dock that was below ground level.

Was it a pipe burst under the loading dock?

Was it an irrigation pipe that broke? We turned off the water, nothing.

Finally, we had a leak detector come out. He figured out it was the fire sprinkler system pipe from outside, a flange was leaking. And they have special certifications, so $$$ to get fixed.

We inherited this tenant. I have a rental and the dryer supposedly just failed. Tenant texted something about sparks. The rent is below market and we have rent control! Since this is not an "emergency maintenance" does this need to be immediately fixed? Appliance guy that stopped by said no power to dryer (208), but he said fuse panel / circuit breaker was OK. It's an old unit, 60 or so years old with I think a fuse panel, probably converted to push button screw in type circuit breakers.  Front loading washer / dryer, I think LG. My guess is dryer is electric, but I am not sure.

My guess on options:

1. Go there to see what is going on with the power. With CoronaVirus I am trying to avoid apartment visits.

2. Lower rent by say $25 or $50 per month.

3. Change terms and say washer / dryer not included

4. Change to top loader, and make gas dryer 120 VAC. Buy off Craiglist. 

Strange one, There should be no way it can get from the tub, into the motor.

What some tenants do with top loaders, is they let the water run, and then stuff more clothes in it, breaking the belt, and sometimes the motor and transmission.

Not sure if this is top or front loader.

Top Loading Washers Are:

- More Reliable

- Wash Better

- Cost less to fix

- Take up more space

- Use more water

@Alexander Smith - Check the local regulations in your area, especially fencing that is required around pools. This may be a code violation issue. And this may be classified as a health hazard, which evictions under most eviction moratoriums are still allowed. And your insurance may not cover the pool. Document everything. And you may want to talk to a lawyer. That is from a legal prospective. 

On the paying the rent, you may want to point out to them the possible damage to ALL of their credit. 

For those of you not in CA, it's way different than most other states. We are one of the worst states for getting sued. And now we have rent control! What the Governor of CA just issued on evictions, plus the judicial council rule, is unfair. And there are stories of tenants taking advantage of it, because they can. At a recent AOA webinar, a speaker mentioned a property in Beverly Hills, tenant has money in the bank, I think the rent is $20K per month, and the tenant decided not to pay. And there is nothing in the state order about ability to pay, so it can be abused. And yes, the tenant is still legally required to pay the rent, but the first possible eviction data is 90 days out from the end of the state of emergency, so at least September. And Evictions to lockoutcan take a LONG TIME. And if the tenant starts playing tricks, it can be a year. That happened to a lawyer that rented a house to a paralegal, and that person stayed there rent free for a year. Amazing the tricks they pulled.

@David J. - CA politics  has lots of big money influencing politics, and landlords make for convenient whipping boys.  It's very hard to get anything built, which limits the supply, especially for new economy multi family units - Class C. And the big boys can jump through all the hoops to get stuff built for larger complexes, paying prevailing wages to avoid lawsuit. And Silicon Valley funded the rent control law put into affect after the initiative was voted down, Gov. Newsom made worse. For the the rent control initiative that was voted down, the same guy, with lots of money from selling AIDS Medicine (claims rent control is somehow related), is back for round 2.

And the chance of what AOA is trying to do working, by applying pressure due to landlords, I give a Zero Chance of working. If AOA focused on issues with stuff going  on with state response and report with CoronaVirus, there is some leverage there - testing in CA and reporting of statistics from https://covidtracking.com/ based on CA state reports is strange. And good luck trying to get county level information, such as growth rates, etc. of CoronaVirus. 

What you can do is remind the tenant that they still owe the rent, and this will impact their credit, and will eventually lead to eviction. There are a couple of sample letters out there. And if they have any health related housing issues, they can still be evicted for that.

@Michael Nugent - What did the rehab include?

Looking at the numbers, I am guessing you sold it yourself.

Some states have special requirements for HVAC they can sell.

Plus are you sure the HVAC you buy is sized correctly?

Unless you have existing ducting (which with new HVAC requirements in some areas may need to be changed), it's a pretty big job.

I would get some quotes from local installers with them buying, understand what needs to be done, before you move forward. You may also need a crane to get the unit on the roof, if it's a roof mount.

And there are different types of HVAC Licenses. One is just to buy refrigerant. You may need to pull permits, inspections, etc. Or get a licensed contractor involved. Or pull them as an owner.

@Elijah Marotta Depends on your state what your rights are, and when you became a tenant after so many days living there. Evictions are a process, and most states have put in place certain restrictions right now. Shutting off the electricity as a way to evict you is a no no, but if the electricity was shut down for a code violation, that is a different matter. Documenting everyone you talk to, and asking for supervisors is a good technique. As well as writing letters.  Letters have a lot more impact.

Most areas have a tenant rights group, find a local one, and CALL.

The challenge with insurance policies, is will they cover what your being sued for?

As an owner, you have a big fat target on you, because tenants think suing is a way to get rich. Some states are worse than others, like CA. 

Make sure your lease and rules are vetted by a lawyer. Fun fact, the laws change every year!