All Forum Posts by: Bob H.

I wonder if anyone would think of post-tensioned slabs as a more recent development that fits into this category. The slabs may be less likely to crack than concrete poured with older techniques, but they are a plague for anyone who wants to remodel in a way that requires moving drains, etc.

You do get "sign people" -- those who call for the most basic details, such as the rent amount, and may not be close to qualified. I used to have signs and get a few callers, but I use them less in recent years -- partly because I do remote management. On the sign I put number of bedrooms, phone and my website so they can look up the rest. 

Whatever you do, don't leave the oven next to the refrigerator. That seems like a bad place for a heat source.

Recently I get many more responses from Zillow and its companion sites Trulia and Hotpads than from Craigslist, but I always post in both systems. I don't see any decline in prospect quality on Craigslist.

One thing that can happen with Craigslist, which I've seen personally just once in 20 years, is that a scammer can copy your ad, substitute different contact information and claim to be out of town. Then the scammer lowers the rent and offers to send keys in exchange for a deposit sent by untraceable Western Union wire. People lacking skepticism may fall for this, but they could be fooled on other platforms, too.

You should find out whether the replacement siding is available. If the contractor just doesn't think it's available and isn't making an effort to find out, it may be that he wants to make money on the new siding job.

If you divide the heating bill among the tenants without giving them a way to control all the usage they pay for, it may create friction among the tenants.

This reminds me of the house I rented long ago in college in Missouri. My roommate and I, on the second floor, paid 35% of the bill, as did the first-floor tenants, and the basement tenants paid 30%. We got tired of the tenants on the first floor leaving windows open while the heat was on. We conspired with the engineering students in the basement to install a replacement thermostat on the second floor. Our engineering friends disconnected the regular thermostat on the first floor and connected our new one, so the open windows no longer cranked up the furnace. Our problem was solved until the landlord somehow found out. :)

Lime-Away, CLR or the generic version of Lime-Away sold at Dollar Tree will take off mineral deposits better than vinegar.

A pic from above would help.

I think you'll end up removing the black grout on the edges, but first try taping it with an edge-holding tape, such as Frog Tape, and then paint the outside half of the grout with the wall paint, making the grout visually thinner. If that doesn't work, maybe you could cut off that grout and, with careful knife work, dig out a little slit under the edge of the tile -- enough to insert a modified metal or plastic edging. You would need to cut the edging so that there is only a narrow piece to insert under the tile.

As for the outlet, leaving it covered violates the electrical code, I think, and of course leaves you missing an outlet. But I'm not sure you mean it's covered up; maybe the tile is just too close to where the screws for the plate go. Either way, you __might__ be able to use an angle grinder to cut away the excess tile instead of removing entire pieces. Make a test "wall" with some spare tile and wallboard or cement board first, and practice on that.

Rent a truck that has a lift on the back so the refrigerator can remain upright and does not have to be lifted manually. If rolling the refrigerator over a nice hardwood floor or another kind of floor that a could be damaged, have two pieces of thin Masonite hardboard, about 3 feet by 4 feet, so you can roll the fridge onto one, then move the other into the path, until you get to the destination.