All Forum Posts by: Kevin Farrell

 In C  and D multi unit properties I try to get ahead of the problem by inspecting every unit and doing perimeter spray. I do 1/3 of the units each month so that I see every apartment once every 3 months. The perimeter spray nearly eliminates migration from unit to unit. Many times when I find BB, the tenant is not even aware of them yet. Then I treat the units where BB are found.

As a landlord there is not much you can do to prevent BB. If the law in your state allows a BB clause in the lease, you should have that. There is a catch to that - if I inspect your vacant property before you rent it, I may not find evidence of BB. The new tenant may find them after they move in. The BB are hiding in some woodwork but haven't been there long enough to leave any visible signs. And the previous tenant never mentioned anything on the way out. (But they might have left a perfectly good mattress at the curb!)

BB come into the home on people. You can not look at a person and tell if they have BB on them just by general appearance. You can not tell if they have BB by how dirty their apartment is. It's who they know and where they go. 

Jason,

I am a Pest control professional in Indianapolis. What I have done in cases like this is to arrange to do the extermination and have the landlord pay out of the deposit with tenant agreement. Also, it is important to let tenant know that they can not "move away" from bed bugs. It is best to get them exterminated prior to moving.

One more thing. Get more quotes. I do a 3 bedroom home in Indy for $700 with a written guarantee. Shop around for a better price.

All landlords should take note: if you have not dealt with bed bugs yet, you will.

@Jack B The fogger is a waste of time and money. Please use professional help on this to prevent spreading to other units.

It is common for tenants with a BB problem to move out and not tell the landlord. Unless you know where to look you may not see signs of them during clean out. Get a reputable pest control guy in there to identify the problem. I own a Pest control business in Indianapolis and 80% of our business is treating BB. If you found beds left in the unit or at the curb, the previous tenants may have had the problem.

I do free inspections for landlords here in Indy in cases like this. First I look for BB under carpets and behind baseboard trim. Then, If there is no evidence of BB infestation on any of the furniture, then BB may have been in the home when they moved in.

If there are BB hire someone to exterminate them and guarantee it in writing. Good luck.

I own a Pest Control business in Indianapolis. I see this all the time. Tenant makes a complaint of bugs biting. Pest control shows up but tenant refuses to let him in. Tenant complains that management isn't taking care of the problem quickly enough. Usually there are other complaints that are flimsy that are added to the list of reasons to let him out of the lease.

For my multi unit clients I do a free inspection to identify the problem. If tenant refuses me I call the office while standing right outside the tenants door. I request the manager to join me at the unit (if the manager is on site). That usually does the trick. These types of complaints are usually vague and not consistent with BB infestation. If I can not find evidence of BB in the unit, I suggest to treat the whole unit. I make this suggestion in front of both the tenant and manager. The manager always agrees and says do it immediately.

I see this pretty often in C and D apartments. Take the suggestion from others to inspect inside the unit. And spiders do not bite repeatedly . . .

Thanks to Chris M. and George for more advice from the lenders. I need to look for some lenders here in Indianapolis. It's on my to do list.

Adam - thanks for recommending Anthony Chara.

Ralph, thanks for the practical information. That is exactly what I needed to know.

Chris, good to hear from the lender side. I like to keep things straight with the IRS so no worries there.

New investor here and looking for duplexes to start but I really would like to go to larger multi-family deals. While I can think of a few ways to work my first purchase, I got hung up while thinking about future loans. I have a mortgage on my current home. I am certain that I can qualify for a conventional loan for a duplex with 20% (estimated) down. After that my debt to income ratio will not look good to conventional lenders anymore.

Do most people cross this line very early in their investing and go to other money sources? I haven't seen this aspect discussed and I am very curious what you folks have experienced. If you have a link to this topic on BP or elsewhere, please let me know where to look.

I need a good mentor in multi-family investments in Indianapolis.

Thanks,

Kevin