All Forum Posts by: Walter C.

Quote from @Chris Seveney:

@Walter C.

Other question I have is

How did you vet this tenant?

I will admit, not really. Just by word of mouth from the previous tenant, who was a roommate of this one. And so far, he has kept up with the rent. 

With the current one, it looks like I will have to educate him a little on the concept of "decluttering", even though I am not exactly good at that myself. I am giving him about a month to correct this issue, before the next exterminator visit. If the whole situation does not improve, then I plan to tell him to move out in 30 days.

Has anyone experienced a tenant who is very uneducated? I am currently dealing with one, and now, the issue is going to be on cleaning up the apartment. And I mean, really clean it up, as the pest problem has gotten really bad. Adding to that, he does not speak English, so I had to use Google Translate to communicate.

I wonder... am I going to have make some type of "how-to" guide on cleaning the apartment? I am planning to write down some things that need to be done, and show him, but I am not sure if he will understand the concept at all. I feel like I am dealing with a kid.

I have hired a local exterminator, to spray all the residential units. I have posted multiple notices on their doors throughout the week, in their native language, with help from Google Translate, as constant reminders. I tried to get copies of keys of all rooms, but was only able to get some of them. 

They are not the only ones new at this, as I am new at this too. I have been told by the local pest company, that the chemicals that they will be using, is harmless to kids and pets. And not even a need to vacate their place while the exterminator is there. But I still recommended them to do so, as I want to be safe than sorry.

Fingers crossed on this!

Thanks for all the responses so far. I am leaning towards a local exterminator. Now, I am working on getting the word to all the tenants, and trying to get them to clean up before the visit. And I am very dependent on Google Translate.

Richard, it was renting to several people, and they put locks on their bedroom doors after that. 

I am wondering... should I have a copy of key to every room within the apartment? I wonder if this would be an invasion of privacy. With 1 unit, there are 2 people living there, with their respective bedroom being their own mini-apartment. Now, I did run into a problem when these people were either sleeping or out at work when I had an inspector come in, and their doors were locked. And I did tell them ahead of time, but apparently, I did not do it enough. Not helping matters, is that they don't speak or understand English. And now, I will need access to their room for pest control.

Speaking of which, do you go with a local or national brand like Orkin or Terminix? And should I give the tenants some information in their native language on preparations beforehand and other things to do when an exterminator arrives and after?

Also, I am thinking about having all the residential units treated at the same time, as they are all overdue.

I know this is all over the place, but I am trying to figure out how to do all this without going insane.

Also, I face the possibility of a lawsuit filed against me, by the commercial tenant, for the lost business during the cease order. 

I believe that it is a requirement for any 3+ residential units, as I have read it somewhere. 

My building has a commercial unit, which makes it a requirement regardless of number of units.

Originally posted by @Lana Lee:

Originally posted by @Walter C.:

Thanks for the welcome, Joseph! Yes, the tenants are back in the building, after the cease order was lifted. I was able to address all the listed violations, but oh man, this inspector just seemed to have it out for me. It's a long story, which I may share it someday, if anyone wants to hear.

 We sure want to hear your story. It's better to learn from someone's experience then from books. 

I got my popcorn. Ready to read:-)

 
Hey Lana, I will someday share a much more detailed version. But since some things remain unresolved, I can't get into them for the time being.

The short version, is that I had received only about 1-month notice to install a fire alarm system. Well, considering how slow L&I tends to be, that was just not possible. Talked to a few contractors, who say exactly that. I tried to ask the inspector for more time multiple times, but he would not give it. Thus, issued the cease and desist order. When finally installing the fire alarm system, the inspector still won't lift the cease order because of the CO issue (and after hearing each time, it was all about people's safety). And coming back for a 3rd inspection, because of a small detail (beyond my control), he still won't lift the order.  The whole ordeal took a month to solve, but the aftermath is still pending. 

Thanks for the welcome, Joseph! Yes, the tenants are back in the building, after the cease order was lifted. I was able to address all the listed violations, but oh man, this inspector just seemed to have it out for me. It's a long story, which I may share it someday, if anyone wants to hear.

Hi, my name is Walter, and I am learning to being a landlord, of buildings that my parents owned for a long time. I am from the Philadelphia area.

Just recently went through a difficult time, having to deal with a difficult inspector and having a cease & desist order on one of my buildings for a month, resulting in resident tenants being forced out and commercial tenant having to shut down their business. And I am sure anyone from the Philly area can understand, L&I are very unhelpful, to say the least, to help me resolve the problem. So I had to get a lawyer to help me through this whole mess. It has definitely been a learning experience for me. Still trying to figure out when to start collecting rent, after giving 1 month free, due to the cease & desist order.

Having read some of the threads on this forum, it looks like this could be the place to get some help in being a landlord, as I have found some really helpful info here. I am sure that I have many questions that will come up in the future.