All Forum Posts by: Flavio Zanetti

@Account Closed knowing your goal / strategy might help people make you some recommendations and advice.

@Jared M., I would try to look for city records that show if this is a duplex/multi or just a house with an in-law. Also check to see if permits were pulled for the construction of this new garage apartment; if they were not, and they were done out of code, read illegally, you or current owner may incur into having to remove it which will definitely delay your purchase.

This is where I would start...

@Alex Rice, welcome to the forum - another fellow MA resident, great! I am in Somerville and invest mostly in the Boston region where positive cash flows are hard to come by these days. My token of contribution here is to say that for Dorchester, depending on where you go you will find better deals on C, D neighborhoods; however as far as Medford, we have already missed the boat and numbers don't make sense out there anymore unless you get deals off MLS.

Good luck and feel free to reach out - I am always open to get together for a cup of coffee the next time you are in Somerville.

Flavio

@Mark Ferguson what areas are you looking? Central? Tampa and region?

I also have interest down there for the very same reasons

Thanks,

Flavio 

Alex T. I will ping you via inbox you the name and number of my GC. Great guy to work with! I also have some other folks (carpenters) I can recommend you if needed. Always important to help a fellow BPer! Flavio

It will definitely be helpful if you add numbers on here @Marques Hardin

Good luck on your investments!

Flavio 

@Nicholas Miller, this is a tough experience I am sure many try to avoid as much as possible. But I would be careful and check Indiana laws, perhaps even consulting with an attorney if it's legal - I am gonna suggest it is not. 

In Mass, we can legally ask prospective renters the following only:

• income and current employment
• prior landlord references
• credit history
• criminal history

Our rental rental application include a full release of all credit history and CORI and we try to use CORI information with caution however, that means we offer the prospective tenant or tenants an opportunity to explain any past issues. When we did this in the past, on both occasions, folks sort of went look for a place elsewhere. I would also suggest you to check your state Sex Offender Registry and my wife and I decided NOT to rent to someone that was previously convicted of any sex crimes. This is the portion of the law you are eligible to 

Also, here we cannot ask the following:

• race, color, national origin, ancestry, or gender
• children
• sexual orientation
• age
• marital status
• religion
• military/veteran status
• disability, receipt of public assistance, etc.

I am assuming it will be the same for you guys in IN. I believe if you deny a renter's application it should be based on financial reasons, such as questionable credit, income or rental history - those are the three I am aware of landlords friends and folks we know using so. Needless to say, careful screening of future tenants, while they can get expensive, they will avoid the hefty costs of evicting a problem tenant in the future.

Hope this helps!

Flavio

Great post with lots of information! @Derreck Wells, you clearly has more knowledge on this than most of us and I thank you for posting them here... 

I have some follow-up questions:

Originally posted by @Derreck Wells:

"It is illegal in MA to rent a dwelling to a family with kids if you don't have a lead certificate on file with the state." 

Where did you get this from? Can you please cite? This is what I have taken notes previously: 

"Can an owner evict of refuse to rent to a family with children under six if there is lead paint in the home? 

No. An owner cannot evict or refuse to rent to anyone because of lead paint. Discrimination is against the law and carries penalties. 

From: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/prog...

Originally posted by @Derreck Wells: 

"It's not advised against, it's flat out illegal and you can get fined or worse, if you do rent to a family and the child gets lead poisoning, you can lose the building to the tenant on top of the fines and civil lawsuit. Also, eating lead paint does not case cancer. Lead poisoning causes a whole host of problems, but cancer isn't one of them."

...

"I'm actually cringing reading that. Again, that would be illegal, not to mention extremely dangerous. If there has been a lead inspection and the landlord then scrapes the paint, they are performing "Unauthorized Deleading" (UD) and it's illegal and will result in large fines and the house being flagged as having UD done to it." 

I am an electrical engineer by training and not a lawyer, therefore my wording my not be the most appropriate, and I do apologize in advance for that; however, what would you do if you cannot remove all the lead paint, read remove all wood from the house if you purchase a house with tenants in it already?  You can also face a civil suit for discrimination in MA. 

I also know there are companies that will remove lead without removing all house wood, perhaps you are one of those here listed: http://www.mass.gov/lwd/docs/dos/lead-asbestos/lea... even though I could not see your name there.

Originally posted by @Derreck Wells: 

"So, I'll repeat, please don't listen to Flavio. Flavio, please stop telling people to do illegal stuff. Educate yourself on the lead laws or just don't comment on these posts. You can get someone in a lot of trouble."

I am not Derreck. I am just going by what de-leading companies have told myself and fellow landlords too - some are also members here. For example, encapsulation as a technique to remove lead is 100% legal in Massachusetts: 

What is Encapsulation?

Encapsulation is a legal method of containing lead paint hazards under the Massachusetts Lead Law. An encapsulant is a special liquid coating that provides a long lasting, effective barrier over lead paint. Regular paint is NOT an encapsulant. Home owners must have a lead inspection by a Licensed Massachusetts lead inspector BEFORE they apply encapsulants as a deleading method.

From: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/prog...

Bottom line: it's always good to be well informed and follow the law. However, it can get confusing sometimes as we can see here!

Flavio

@Jorge Rullan - great point!

I am also interested in hearing more about folks making it with short term rentals...

Cheers,

Flavio

It might be different in NH than MA. Down here landlords are advised not to rent to families with children if the house has lead paint as it's known to cause cancer if a child eats the paint. 

Worst case scenario, you would have to scrap and repaint all the wood in the house: doors, trims, etc.

Good luck on that multi!!!

Flavio