All Forum Posts by: Elizabeth L.

@Mark F. @Frank Chin  Hi, was wondering if either of you have dealt with this, I have an issue that came up recently after my renovation was complete that I'm afraid could cause me a huge problem. My two family home is actually zoned for 2-4 units so when my contractor didn't end up using my plans from the architect to save money, I don't think the apartment was built up to code because we didn't have any inspections. So now it probably won't appraise because they will see this when they see the new unit with no permits and inspections. I will need to have my architect come back to evaluate what was done and try to draw up  new plans to bring this place up to code, hopefully without tearing it down. This is a pretty sticky situation. Do either of you have any experience with this? This is my fault for not having this built correctly and I'm afraid of what this has caused. 

Question about renovations, if you've already done work and didn't pull new permits, what's the fastest way to fix the construction work done so everything would be up to code? Would a contractor know where to start, or would it take new plans from an architect that need to be submitted to the city? Will the city make you tear down any work already done? 

@Jared Shoemaker @John Errico  hi, one more question for the both of you, for your 3 unit rentals, does each unit have their own water heater or does anyone share? And if they share, how does that work with billing? 

Thank you 

@John Errico thank you John that was really helpful, for my situation it sounds like I better not contact the PSEG construction department any further so I don't raise any red flags. My plumber is confirming how everything is set up today. Right now all 3 units are going to be on one gas meter so I think I'm going to put the gas in my name and then split it among the tenants. The new basement apartment will take over the electric account which I was paying, but besides that there's no whole house electric mete after they move in. I don't want to cause any issues with PSEG so I'll just leave it as is. 

That's amazing you went through a legal 3 family conversion, I heard that process is near to impossible. My "ground floor" basement apartment is actually legal so I got lucky I just had to "finish" it. 

@Lloyd Spencer yes I currently pay sewer and water in Union City and it's not cheap, and now that I'm gaining a third unit I need to find a way to lower my expenses. I also found out now I need to add a gas meter for the boiler. The third unit only has an electric meter. 

That's a huge bill for your 2 family! WOW  I don't want to end up with that. Thanks 

@Joe P. Hi Joe, I have on more question if you know. Have you ever had to add a new gas meter? My new basement that's now an apartment only has an electric meter, but there's no gas meter for the basement. The appliances are all electric but my contract installed a boiler so there's baseboard heating for the whole place. I called PSEG and they gave me a number to their construction department so I have to call them today. Thank you 

@joe 

@Joe P. thanks Joe, I'm going to ask a contractor if they know about installing them, otherwise I can always bill back the water but it's just getting too expensive because two of the units are getting their own WD so my water bill is going to go up. 

I can include the extra cost in rent but I'm not sure how much to ask for. I'm adding a 3rd unit so it's hard to tell right now. 

Hi, does anyone have experience with installing a sub-meter for their rental property so you can bill your tenants for water? I'm looking to do this for my 3 family home in New Jersey but don't know where to start. Do you need to find a contractor that can do this? Are there heavy regulations that I need to check with for the city? 

Thank you 

Thank you, that totally makes sense, it's my fault for not writing it up in a detailed contract, lots of lessons learned here. I will definitely have to pay for it so I'm going to see how the shower curtain looks in the end. Thanks 

Hi, I'm going through my first renovation and had a quick question as I'm less experienced in renovations. My contractor is doing a builders grade rehab on my bathroom so the deal was to replace the existing bathroom. The original shower had a sliding door on it, but this new stall shower has no door, they're saying to use a curtain because that's builders grade and a new shower door would be custom so it's expensive. Does that sounds accurate? I just find a curtain for a shower stall very tacky, and I'm trying to get maximum rent for the new apartment. I see plenty of shower door options at home depot, what do other landlords use for rentals and what is the least expensive route to go? 

Thanks!