First Time Baltimore City Landlord - What to do 1st, 2nd & Last!

[Kim Coleman]

Hello BP Community.  I hope to be closing on my first Baltimore City investment property soon.  I'm of course overwhelmed by all the various things I need to do get ready for a tenant.  I'd like to query the very knowledgeable BP Baltimore community on steps to take as far as inspections, lead certifications, utilities, stuff I'm not even thinking of!, etc. (beyond obviously making repairs).  This might include order to events, like call city for inspection last, or perhaps it's best to call first.  Any department names you have would help us google numbers or even post them if you have them handy.

I've read many posts in the last few months that touch on some or all of thesee topics but looking to compile a more comprehensive list for me and others investing in Baltimore City.  If this already exists somewhere, please do point it out.  I searched and didn't find what I've described above.  Thanks in advance!

[Joseph England]

Congratulations @Kim Coleman! 

Its up to you but I would recommend doing a vacancy policy for the insurance. It depends on your insurance company but the vacancy and rehab policies are best suited for anything that might happen during the rehab and while its vacant.

You only have to register the property with Maryland but you will need to complete the lead testing first because the lead certificate number is required for "Part C" of the property registration. 

Majority of the homes in Baltimore city were built during the time when lead paint was widely used. Over the years when the properties were updated and rehabbed the lead paint was usually just painted over. Because of this it can very difficult hard to get a full lead "Free Certificate". Most of the time unless you completely gut the house to get rid of any surfaces that existed when lead paint was used  it will be difficult to get a full lead free certificate. If you continue to paint over the current surfaces the best you will most likely get is a "Full Risk Reduction" lead certificate.

When you choose to complete the lead testing is a strategy onto itself. Some rehabers will prefer to do the lead testing at the beginning to know exactly what they need to fix. Other rehabers will prefer to do the testing at the end after the renovations are completed and just fix anything that comes up.

When I submit the HUD 1 and the memo to the city to get the water changed to my companies name I also ask for the properties' complete billing cycles for the previous 2 years. I do this for two reasons. First if there is any discrepancy with the first water bill I have the bill to show the meter reading dates and consumption rates. Second if there is a drastic change in the water bill i can look back over the history and compare to similar occupancy statuses to determine if there is a problem with the water that we have been unable to detect(ex. leak in the main water line coming to the house from the street(which you would have to pay for)).

This is what I have learned so far in my limited experience. I hope it was helpful. Let me know if you have any other questions.