All Forum Posts by: Curt Bixel

I think the term landlord may have bad connotations, but I think it has a solid place in legal language.  Lessor and Lessee probably have the same solid place.  I would not want to trade a word with a better connotation than landlord if it has the possibility of worse usefulness in court due to ambiguity.  

This would be for a rental property that is a duplex.

Is it possible for me to serve as my own GC and pull permits for a smaller scale rehab in Columbus, Ohio?

I am building an area for a first floor washer and dryer in a duplex I am rehabbing.  I could go without a partition wall in one place, but I would like to have one simply to make the washer and dryer a bit less visible.  I know the standard wall is about 4.5 inches thick, and for various reasons, it would be better to have one that is as thin as possible.  

This wall will not be structural in any way, and will have absolutely no utilities.  It will be 8 feet tall, and 42 inches wide.  

I am curious if I can simply use a piece of good quality sanded plywood, an inch thick for this wall?  I would cap the end with a 2 x 3 piece of hardwood with rounded corners so that it wouldn't hurt if you bumped into it.  (Bumping into the corner of a piece of solid plywood can be unpleasant.  

Brandon, thanks for the reply.  It was my understanding that some new rules have been put in place in Columbus.  

My understanding was that, as soon as I had my next vacancy, and put an add on Zillow, someone with Section 8 would apply for my apartment, and, as soon as that happened, I would be required to go through the whole Section 8 process with inspections etc.  

I have considered Section 8 before, but had planned to do it on my own timeline.  

Thanks Stephen.  I am trying to figure out the rules.  After a few experiences like what you cite above, I have settled on asking for first month's rent, last month's, and security deposit at signing with no exceptions.  This has worked well for the past few years, as it very much increases the likelihood that my new tenants will not be living on the edge of the financial abyss.  Thus, they can absorb an unexpected car repair without missing the rent.

I am not sure if the new policies would still allow me to do this, as there seemed to be one part of the law that would mandate that landlords accept the security deposit in little bits over 6 months of time.  

Even if the city would guarantee the full security deposit, that would still interfere with my attempt to make sure a tenant had at least the small amount of reserve to make sure that their unexpected problem did not become my unexpected problem.

I also wonder about the section 8 qualification process.  I have never been through that process, and, although my properties are all in exceptionally good shape, I am worried about the disruption to my business that might ensue if I am forced to go through this process.  

Last time I tried to do someone with money problems a favor, they left me with $5000 rent owed, and when I went into the property to get it ready for the next tenant, it had been destroyed, (not maliciously, but destroyed nevertheless) it cost me $22,000 to get the property ready for the next tenant.  

Lesson learned.

I am curious if anyone can point me to a good source of information about the new section 8 rules for Columbus Ohio.  I have a few rental units that will likely come available this summer, and I am not quite sure how best to proceed. 

I just read something about the section 8 requirements, and it seems like it would be pretty easy to pass.  For example, they want to make sure your windows have actual panes of glass in them and that they have locks.  It also shows that the toilet should flush.  Those seem like pretty easy hurdles to clear.  

At the same time, I have heard a lot of bad things about section 8, and it seems like an extra complication to deal with.  

I want to make sure I have a good understanding before I venture into this area.  

I am looking at vinyl siding for a rehab I am doing in Columbus.  I have found a product called "5 inch lineal" that would seem to be a great option for trimming out the exterior of new windows.  I will post a picture of it below.  

I can get pretty much everything I need to side the house in less than a week.  The lineal, however, looks like it has a shipping date in late July.  

I wonder if anyone might have any ideas for how to get this quicker.  I only need about 80 feet of it.

Trenton,

If I could find this sort of vinyl trim, I would strongly consider doing this.  For some reason, however, I cannot seem to find anything like this.  

I am in mid rehab on a home built in 1910.  The windows and current trim are in bad enough shape that I am pulling both the windows and the exterior trim and installing new windows with a nailing fin and integrated J-channel.  After the new siding is installed, I am hoping to trim out the windows on the front.  

Since I will be removing the original trim from all over the house, I will certainly have enough trim that is still in good condition to find enough to trim out the few windows on the front with the original style trim.  I could also do a fairly good job in matching the trim with some new PVC trim or Polyurethane trim.  (I did not really like any of the decorative trim options that could have been included in the manufacturing process of the window.)

My question is how would the old trim, or the new PVC trim be attached?  I am that after the vinyl siding is property installed into the J-channel, that the trim could simply be attached by placing screws through the face of the trim, through the vinyl siding, and into the wood underneath.  This would be easy, but I am concerned that this would interfere with the movement of the siding that is supposed to be allowed as the siding expands and contracts with changed in temperature.  

Also, I wonder if there is any way to plug the triangular gaps that occur between the siding and the back of the trim boards.  I am sure you could fill this with caulk, but this might also prevent the desired movement of the siding that is supposed to allow for thermal expansion and contraction.