All Forum Posts by: Daniel Cullen

I use the forms here b/c they have the bed bug, radon, etc. forms all in one place:

https://1030north.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/2018-Chicago-Residential-Lease.pdf

Typically, a renovated home only has to comply with current codes if it is being subjected to more than a 50% rehab. Have you looked up the property on the D.O.B. website to see what violations it may have and which permits have been pulled on it? It's quick and easy: https://webapps1.cityofchicago.org/buildingrecords...

PM me with the property address and if it's listed I'll go over the photos with you. I travel through the Chicago area 6 days a week and I may also be able to drive by the place 'in my travels'. 

-Keep your basement laundry sink or bathroom sink water at a slow stream. This will keep water slowly moving through your plumbing system preventing freezing and burst piping. Even if your home is new construction the piping between the street/well and your home can still freeze regardless of interior home insulation.

-Run your dishwasher at night when temperatures are at the lowest. This will move more water through your plumbing system when you need it the most to prevent freezing pipes.
-If your house doesn’t have the best insulation in addition to the above suggestions you can leave the sink cabinets open to increase airflow around the plumbing to avoid a burst pipe.
-Avoid doing laundry when temperatures are at the coldest and if you can wait a few days it will save you some money. When you operate your close dryer, warm air from your house is being pushed outside. This warm air is replaced via exterior cold air which will cool down your house requiring your furnace to operate more often.

Tuesday night through Thursday we all will experience temperatures and wind chills that our homes' heating systems are NOT designed for. -20 to -30-degree temperatures with wind chills into -40 and up to -50+.
Newer homes will struggle to maintain temperature and older homes will NOT maintain temperature and the temperature WILL drop while the heating system is working at full capacity.
1. Please raise the temperature in your home on Monday, 2 to 4 degrees above your normal setting.
2. Take all programmable thermostats out of setback mode and set on a permanent HOLD.
3. If you have a furnace; replace the filter.
4. Keep garage doors closed.
5. Limit opening exterior doors.
6. Make sure air vents and radiators are not blocked or obstructed.
7. If you have a 90%+ furnace and boiler: You must keep the intake and exhaust clear of ice and snow. During these cold temperatures, ice can build up. A 90%+ furnace and boiler have 2 white PVC pipes; an exhaust pipe and an intake pipe that are generally on the side or back of your home. In some instances, they are on your roof, do NOT go on your roof to clear the pipe.
If the temperature in your home is dropping and your radiators are HOT with boiler systems or you have HOT air coming out of your vents with furnaces DO NOT PANIC. Please make sure that your heating system continues to operate.
If the temperatures drops in your home, it will not be able to recover until temperatures rise and the windchill diminishes. Our heating systems cannot overcome temperatures -20 to -30 with wind chill up to -50+. They are sized to operate at 0 degrees outdoor. Put your thermostat on hold 70 degrees or higher.
To help minimize temperature loss you can boil water, make soup, or stews; they help introduce humidity and warmer temperatures into your home. DO NOT USE YOUR OVEN or a GRILL TO HEAT YOUR HOME.

Give me a shout Shannon. I'll swing by, document the roof installation defects, and provide a digital report. No charge for a Bigger Pockets member in my area as long as I can slot it into any other site visits I'll be doing over the next few days. I think the roof will be fully melted by tomorrow. 

I like your idea in general. One thing to consider is the potential impact on your property insurance policy. You may want to check with your carrier as part of your due diligence. 

Thanks for posting. I'm considering that avenue as well and I'm looking forward to some cogent responses. 

If you haven't yet closed on the property or even if you have it is in your best interest to get a foundation repair contractor out there stat. That basement is a nightmare whether it's living space or not. The extremely damp conditions will infiltrate to the unit/s above and will drastically reduce the useful life of everything in the bsmnt. incl. the water heater, furnace, electrical panel, etc. Start with gutters/downspouts and exterior grading in order to reduce the seepage and moisture intrusion. Then consider installing a perimeter drainage system and sump pump if the bsmnt. is still wet. Not only does the bsmnt. in it's current condition represent a potential health hazard and maintenance problem it also detracts from the value of the property and will complicate a future sale. 

If you pull out the bottom drawer of a kitchen or bathroom cabinet and put the roach/rodent glue trap at the bottom of that cabinet before reinstalling the drawer then you're sure to catch them if they're there. Do it when the tenant isn't looking so that they can't remove and replace the trap with a clean one. 

https://chicagorealtor.com/wp-content/uploads/2018...

If the defect the plumber found is something which poses a direct health risk to occupants then he may very well be a 'mandated reporter' so to speak. Did he provide a more detailed explanation of the issue?