All Forum Posts by: Kathleen Leary

Look for a plumbing supply house - "real" plumbers don't shop at HD, y'know. Take your parts & pieces, plus a photo & throw yourself on their mercy. I'll bet the guys can help you out - if they don't have the part, they can tell you exactly what you need to do to fix it.

I've had that site bookmarked for quite a while - it's a great go-to. But I will tell you (sorry to say!) it's practice, practice, practice. I'm certainly no pro, but my work ain't half bad - AFTER doing acres of drywall installation/mudding!

Nothing screams "DIY" louder than a crappy paint job over lumpy drywall - take your time, do it right & get the tools you need to do the job. 

Good luck!

Sorry to say, but if the pee is around the edges of the room, you may have to pull out the baseboards & possibly replace them. (This is in addition to the above suggested replacements & sealing - oil-based Kilz is going to be your new BFF.) You may have to pull some lower drywall, too, if male dogs or cats have hit that. 

Also check floor registers/vents, under thresholds, under the edges of vinyl sheet flooring & definitely double-check closets. (I've got kid pee in one of mine - I don't even want to know what led to that!) If you've got laminate flooring or vinyl tiles, liquid can easily seep through the cracks there, too.

Just a heads-up for some places you might not have thought of - good luck!

You've probably already put on the stain, but if you haven't, you might consider sealing the wood first. Pine, being soft, tends to take stain in differing amounts, creating a blotchy effect, especially since it's just been sanded. Putting down a sealer first creates a nice, even surface for the stain. One traditional product is shellac; there are other things that also work well.

Something to consider - it only takes a little more work to get a tip-top job. Good luck!

This state has limits on security deposits & pet deposits - bah! 

First thing - check with your city/town as to how many animals are allowed per household. Then see if they have to be licensed (in many cases, they are). And look into the "unrestrained" situation. I'm betting these folks are in violation of at least one of these ordinances.

And then act on it. These tenants are turning your yard into a turd factory.

BTW: I have (too many!) cats myself, but I live out in the country. And it's my house.

Good lord . . . if they had a big dinner party, would you let them knock $100 off the rent because their grocery bill was too high that week? Utilities are one expense that tenants have some control over. That thermostat doesn't set itself. 

They are stomping hard on your bank account - if you're okay with that, fine. Otherwise, get this under control immediately!

Oh, dear - so sorry for the mess you've got to deal with! But you've got the chance to spiff up the unit & (hopefully) make a bigger buck on it in the future.

Although I KNOW there are responsible pet owners, in my price range they're mighty scarce. Three dogs in a one-bedroom? FIVE dogs in a two-bedroom? Yep, & I can detail every bit of damage they did. That doesn't even take into account what the assortment of unsupervised kids did, including peeing on the floors (Well, the dogs get to do it . . . ).

Anyway, for me, it's just easier to say "no" than to deal with it. Lazy? Maybe . . . maybe not.

In this state, a walk-through (noting condition of the property & any damages or repairs that need to be done, etc.) must be done within five days of signing the lease/rental agreement. Both parties sign, etc. 

Even if you don't include any of the "extras" mentioned in other posts, check & see if this is a legal requirement in your area & what the time limits are.

I provide a notebook with information about utilities, trash, recycling facilities, city service/offices, ordinances, phone numbers for assorted purposes, etc. It stays with the property & is updated as needed. It also includes copies of instruction manuals for appliances, etc. 

It's some work to put it together initially, but it's a CYA I wouldn't do without.

Just to point out the discrepancies in permitted occupancy rates, the town in which my property is has the following ordinance: 

Any (ANY!) number of persons may occupy a dwelling, provided they are related. I'm not sure how far down the kinship tree that extends, but that means you could put 20 people in a 2-bedroom house. (My 800-sq. ft. SFR used to have 10 people living in it!)

If persons are unrelated, only four may occupy a dwelling. This means a six-bedroom house could only have four people in it. 

I'm not certain what happens when one of the four has a relative living with them . . . gets too complicated. Point being, there are all sorts of different local requirements that may be more or less restrictive than the HUD guidelines.

Personally, I'd consider putting an anonymous bug in the ear of the local housing authority . . . that 's just blatantly wrong.