All Forum Posts by: Benjamin Amaral

 Thanks@Adam Bartomeo! I wasn't sure what the deal is with the SSN. That is really helpful to know going forward.

I responded to him yesterday and let him know that the application / credit / background check was non-negotiable. Additionally, he reported a significant portion of his income comes from a side business he has, and he offered to provide me with "a couple of invoices." I also let him know that I would need 3 months of bank statements showing deposits going into his account from the business. He did not respond. Thank you all! Much appreciated.

@Jonathan Greene I appreciate the feedback. I am going to come down a little on rent. I spoke with someone local, and he acknowledged I listed my units at the top of the range, but thought I would get more interest after the election. I don't know if I agree, but found it to be an interesting thought. I think coming down $100 on rent will go a long way to bring in more interest from some stronger candidates. In the meantime, I do have a couple of showings this week.

I just finished a total gut and rebuild of a duplex after a fire, and listed my 2 units a week and a half ago. Very few hits at this time. I am asking for top of the market rent, which certainly has something to do with it. I own this duplex in NH and it's a poor time of year to rent. I have a Canadian applicant, along with his American girlfriend, who want to tour the units and apply. The tenant advised me his girlfriend would submit an application, but not him. He stated he doesn't want his credit report to take any more hard inquiries. He said he's been through the wringer trying to apply for units. He has his Canadian credit report he can provide to me. He said he doesn't yet have a SSN and is working on his citizenship. He has been in the US for over a year. Having not yet verified his income, he would well qualify. He is the only one of the couple that has income right now, with is wife due to start bringing in a small income within a couple of months once she graduates from school. He made the comment that once he establishes a residence, he can then apply for his SSN. Again, he has been here for over a year. Prior to NH, he was living in NJ with his girlfriend. I'm not sure yet if he was on that lease or not.

Definitely some red flags here for me. I will not accept anyone who does not submit an application (I used apartments.com). So he would have to agree to that. Obviously, other people are rejecting him right now. Without a SSN, I'm not sure what the background check would pick up. Maybe he does have a SSN and is not being honest about that. However, it's possible this could all make sense, minus not wanting to submit an application, which he would have to do. I don't know what the deal is with immigration status, being a Canadian, and trying to obtain citizenship and a SSN. Does anyone have any insight into this applicant? I don't want to bother showing him the unit if anyone can give me clear insight into this situation that makes it a 100% no go.

I have been working with a GC since June 2023 on a gut and rebuild of a duplex in NH. This is my first time working on a rebuild or working with a GC. The gut was necessary due to a fire that occurred and the water damage from putting out the fire. I received an insurance pay out and lost rental income through September 2023, which has since ended. The GC provided an initial very rough turn around time of 3-4 months to completion, which would have been to the end of October at the latest. We are now upon April 2024, and at the rate things have been going, still have a ways to go (finish ducting for forced hot air, insulation, sheet rock, paint, flooring, kitchens, bathrooms, finishes, and anything I am missing to bring the units to whole). I have caught the GC in a couple of lies about the status of why there have been major delays, and I'm guessing there have been more along the way. Currently, the ducting and furnaces should have been completed and fired up a few weeks ago, which should have been knocked out in a few days by the plumber, but the process is still ongoing and being piecemealed together. HE indicated he only has one sub for each category he subs, so there is just one plumber he uses for all of his projects. It feels like the GC is treating this major gut rebuild as an after though, or side gig, and not prioritizing it in relation to other jobs he has. He has indicated he has 40 employees that work for him, and he has multiple projects going on at one time. There are many details left out, but to keep it relatively concise that is the gist of the situation. I am considering hiring a mediator to attempt to encourage him to move more quickly, or possibly firing him and finishing the rest myself or hiring another GC to finish the project. I would need to research how quickly I could do this myself or how long another GC may take to complete the rebuild. I am in the Rochester/Somerthworth/Dover area. The GC commutes from Concord, NH, in case that is relevant.

I have learned my lesson to vet the GC selection much more thoughtfully and thoroughly going forward. I will not make that mistake again! Considering where I fund myself now, I am wondering your thoughts on the following:

1. What would you recommend as next steps to obtain the goal of finishing the rebuild as quickly as possible?

2. If you recommend mediation, would you point to any specific mediation association? A friend from Oregon recommended I reach out to the equivalent of the CCB (Construction Contractor's Board) in NH, but it does not look like we have an equivalent association.

I appreciate any input in advance!

Thanks Scott! That thing is a beast. My tree is a pretty massive outward sprawling tree that unfortunately could not be tamed with that piece of equipment. I wish though. It's good to know something like that exists.

The more feedback I receive the more I just want to cut the thing down. The wind is blowing outside now and this tree is living rent free in my head.

 Thanks Steve! Our situations may continue to mirror themselves. TBD! 

That was considerably decent of you to do what you did for your neighbor. How did you handle the the BMW situation?

@Michael Gessner I appreciate it! In my current situation, if you were me, would you reimburse the tenant for the windshield replacement cost from the 2nd storm? I'm 100% going address the issue moving forward, but I'm still teetering back and forth between what to do now in regard to the current car damage

@Michael Gessner Thanks Michael. I 2nd your opinion. I absolutely don't want this to happen a 3rd time. Unfortunately, it won't be an easy tree to take down. It's a big tree and it's in close proximity to me and my neighbors adjacent drive way, as well as a side street. More reason to take it down, vut this tree could take $5,000+ to be removed. I will see what the arborist says. If he thinks it's a healthy tree then it may make sense to have it pruned/trimmed instead of removed, depending upon the actual cost of removing it. I will heavily rely upon the opinion of the arborist and do what I have to do.

 Thanks Matt. I mostly agree with your sentiment. At this point however, I do clearly feel obliged to have someone assess the tree ASAP, even if that's opening up some level of acceptance there is an issue. If something were to occur a 3rd time, in my opinion, this would cross from a gray area to negligence on my part (with the exception of a severe storm or weather event similar to the first storm). The 2nd storm was a storm with peak wind of 40-50 MPH, but not on the level of the 1st storm (90  MPH). The fact that something did come down a 2nd time does trigger a rationale person to think there's a chance the tree is compromised more than is apparent to the eye.

Thanks Nicole. I did have something in the lease to address this: "The Landlord is not responsible for any car damage resulting from fire, theft, casualty or any other cause with respect to the car and its contents."