All Forum Posts by: Dar Fornelli

We bought a duplex this March, inherited tenants and have had no issues since. Two sisters occupying each side of the duplex. We get a call this past week that they think they have roaches... We send pest control to take a look, and it turns out to be bed bugs. They want $1000 per unit to spray twice, mattresses/box springs thrown out, the works. 

My question is... who's on the hook for this expense? The leases we inherited do not say anything about pest control. One side of the duplex lease expired and we put them on a month to month agreement on our own lease which states pest control after first 30 days of lease is their responsibility. That lease was signed 2 months ago...

This property is in Kansas City, Missouri. Anyone with experience please help me out! Going to be a big ding to the cash flow if this is our responsibility. Based on what I see for MO law, I have to get the issue taken care of, but it leaves room for interpretation on who has to pay, in my opinion. 

Renovating a 4-unit apartment building here in Kansas City. We have an old bituminous roof, not sure how many layers, and have a few active leaks. Flat roof, ~2000 SF. It looks like the main issues are at pipe boots, but there are numerous cracks in the roof and the roof is generally in marginal shape at best. 

We're gutting the entire building, so we're trying to control budget as best we can. Would you repair the roof, add another layer of asphalt, or go full boat with a tear-off and new roof? 

Earlier this week we distributed rent increase notices to tenants at a property we purchased a couple of months ago here in Kansas City. The leases we were provided by the seller had all expired and were now on month to month agreements. We were shocked to hear from several of our tenants that the leases we were given were not the most recent copy. 

After making some calls to understand who failed to disclose the correct lease agreements, the property manager informed us that she had signed new lease agreements with several tenants after we put the property under contract. One of the leases signed in February of this year is valid through June 2019. The property manager said that she typically does not consult the Owner when leasing the property, and had never disclosed these new leases to the previous Owner or listing agent. 

What should we do now? The current rents are drastically below market, and our financials were based on upping rents to market in the coming months. 

My fiance and I have ramped up from one to fifteen units here in Kansas City since the start of 2018. In an effort to scale our business, I'd like to start focusing some time and money on a direct mail campaign. 

I've read plenty of books and articles, but would love to buy someone lunch/coffee/beer who has had success with direct mail here in KC. Give me a shout!

Another option I've considered is insulating between floors. I haven't run the numbers, but high level it seems like costs could be comparable to demo ceiling gyp/plaster, insulate, put up new rock, and refinish hardwood floors vs. cost to purchase/install carpet or laminate flooring every few years. Anyone done this or am I just crazy? 

Thanks Quinten, see everyone next week!

About to close on an early 1900s 3-story building in Kansas City that was split into six apartments some time ago. Apartments all currently have nasty carpet and/or resilient flooring covering the original hardwood floors. 

What advice do folks have on pros/cons of hardwood floors in an apartment? My  main concern is noise projecting to units below without any padding to deaden the sound.  I'll be ripping up all the flooring regardless and installing lifeproof plank in the kitchens/bathrooms at a minimum. 

What would be the ramifications of not collecting a W-9 and subsequently not issuing a 1099 for subcontracted work? Can those forms be retroactively issued if you have an invoice with a check paid against it? Would these expenses no longer be tax-deductible? 

Appreciate everyone's input on this. I did a little more research over the past couple of days and have learned a lot. As Tom mentioned, under/over sizing the chimney liner could be just as dangerous as doing nothing. 

I've included a link below to the sizing guide I found most helpful. It's actually fairly straight forward to size your exhaust duct size / chimney liner if you can pull a tape on your exhaust run/rise and sum the btu/hr from the equipment you need to vent flue gas from. Choose the right table based on your equipment and duct configuration and boom, you've got your liner size. 

I think I'm going to end up giving this a shot myself. I work in the construction industry and have renovated a few places myself so this doesn't seem like an overwhelming project. 

http://www.hartandcooley.com/files/assets/files/13...

 Here's what I found in case anyone else has the same issue: 

http://www.woodlanddirect.com/316Ti-Chimney-Champion-Easy-Flex-Chimney-Liner-Kit-6in?gclid=Cj0KCQiAq6_UBRCEARIsAHyrgUwb_y2WtZ95NR_kxR5MwdgAhluH1TEFNrgwmLI_22m2OuwU6rc8i-MaAlh3EALw_wcB