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All Forum Posts by: Mitch Polatin

Mitch Polatin has started 10 posts and replied 27 times.

Post: Rented our SFH - do i need to update? Insurance

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

Hello, we have a single-family home in Florida and one in California, we used to reside in both of these, but just moved out of them over the last year or so. These are now rented. I kept our insurance as is in regards to homeowners, but now I’m realizing I probably should’ve updated it? I may be wrong, but it seems it’s difficult to get landlord insurance? Or you need to have owned the property for years?

Any help is appreciated. 

Post: Difficult Tenants and a Broken Fridge 3 Month ordeal - HEL

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

@Julie Hartman

Thank you all.

The issue is. The only fridges that fit are $10k. I can’t find anything used.

Their lawyer called and said they will withhold rent until a comparable fridge is installed. I want them to leave. I can get more $.

This is in Florida.

And I can’t prove the fridge works when they keep saying it’s broken and taking photos of leaks etc.

I’m so stuck. Anyone in Florida I can pay to help me get a fridge?

Post: Difficult Tenants and a Broken Fridge 3 Month ordeal - HEL

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

@Julie Hartman

Thank you all.

A few things. They threatened to want out of the lease and I offered them a no penalty out because I can rent it for more money — but they backed down.

This is a 48-inch built in refrigerator. This is what I figure my options are.

- buy new and wait — $10k or so

- get this fix to stick but sounds like it may not? I don’t know if they are sabotaging it but they certainly aren’t helping.

- I read somewhere people sometime buy a smaller non built in and then “fit” it with some extra paneling from the kitchens. Anyone know if this is possible?

I’m fine spending $5k to be done but twice that is a lot.

Thanks for any advice!

Post: Difficult Tenants and a Broken Fridge 3 Month ordeal - HEL

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

Please Help. Going insane.

We leased out our Home in Boca Florida, for $8k a month plus a month, on a two-year lease. The first week or two, the refrigerator started leaking. This is a $12,000 built in 48 inch refrigerator. But older. I sent people to fix it, and the first people that came to fix it said they would never go back to my house again the way the tenants treated them, very rudely and mean and speaking down to them. I found someone else to come fix it, he came with his people and seemingly fixed it. But he did say to me, the woman in the house who is very rude to us, will not be happy until she gets a new refrigerator, she doesn’t want to fix the refrigerator. But I did not want to spend $10,000 on a new refrigerator, and they are not easy to come by these days.

After no complaints for a week, I paid half the money to fix it $2000, there was some more leaking so the guy came in and patched it up, and then another week later I paid an additional $2000, for $4000 total fix. The guy gave me a receipt and all that and is a pretty well respected individual, but he told me it would be permanently fixed.

Well a couple weeks later, things started happening small things, leaks and it stopped working, and I brought an extra refrigerator for the tenants to use during the fix. Let’s just say the guy keeps coming in and fixing it for free, but small things keep happening to the refrigerator, which has the guy suspicious the tenants or maybe doing something.

It is now been three months, I paid $4000, and this guy and his team have been back to my house at least nine times to fix the refrigerator. Each time they send me a video saying it’s working perfectly, and then a couple days or a week later I got a video from the tenant saying it is not working. I seriously don’t even know who to believe anymore.

Add this to the fact that three people from the appliance place will not go back to the house anymore because the way they’ve been treated by the tenants, which seems to be somewhat racially motivated with them yelling and talking down to the employees.

I understand the tenants are frustrated and the refrigerator is not working consistently, but now I’ve sunk 4000 into a fix, and they have their lawyer calling me demanding I buy a new one for $10,000.

The guy who fixes the refrigerator assures me it’s one minor thing he can go in to patch up and then it will be fine, no extra cost to me, but the tenants will not allow him back in to the house to fix it and are demanding a new refrigerator.

I totally get their frustration but I’m looking for options where I don’t have to buy something for $10,000, because the guy I paid $4000 to stands by his work and says he gets it working anytime there’s an issue, but now they will not let him in the house.

Help! I’m losing my mind.

Post: The Longest BRRR EVER!! (maybe) 6 years total

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

@Zack Bruce Lindsay

What a story.

Post: RE Agents - how is lack of inventory affecting your income?

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

Lake Wobegon effect here.

Somehow all the Realtors on BP are in the top 2% and having record and “amazing” years.

Good to hear.

Post: Looking for a CPA in South Florida (Vacation Rental Business)

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

You can see my review on here and online at several sites and we have filed a complaint with Palm Beach County regarding @Lance Lvovsky - so beware. We have even contacted Marcum Group LLP his employer.

Pm me for details.

He was incredibly rude to my wife and had her in tears. The way he deals with women is appalling.

Beware.

Post: In search for CPA familiar with tax strategies in the NYC area

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

@Basit Siddiqi

You can see my review on here and online at several sites and we have filed a complaint with Palm Beach County about @Lance Lvovsky - so beware. We have even contacted Marcum Group LLP his employer.

He was very confused about New York Tax law and it cost us a lot of money and the way he treated my wife had her in tears for 2 days.

Post: Real estate accountant

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

You can see my review on here and online at several sites and we have filed a complaint with Palm Beach County about @Lance Lvovsky - so beware. We have even contacted Marcum Group LLP his employer.

PM me for details or look at my review.

The long and the short of it is, @Lance Lvovsky price doubled from our estimate, and he didn’t tell us or explain it, just sent us a final bill with no itemization. Which is shady but fine and I was going to pay it, but when he knew that I had questions he went directly to my wife and emailed her and got her to pay without her realizing we still had some more documents to complete. So he fully took advantage of my wife and had her in tears for two days. 

His email to my wife has been sent to Palm Beach County and his employers.

Just be careful out on this site.

Post: Help: Terrible Experience with Tax “professional” I met here

Mitch PolatinPosted
  • Rental Property Investor
  • Boca Raton, FL
  • Posts 27
  • Votes 12

Any help is appreciated. I met a tax person on this site. And we had a terrible experience. I dont know if I’m allowed to name the individual? I just didn’t want anyone else to get played. I’m also filing a complaint with the State of Florida.

Major issues

-unresponsive once we paid the down payment

-quoted a price

-months later got a bill that was more than double. More than $1,200 more than anticipated.

-I wrote him that I would’ve appreciated some notice, as with any business I appreciate some notice if my price is going to double.

-zero transparency other than “it was more work than I thought.”

-I never threatened not to pay, and said I would, I just wanted some explanation or itemization on costs.

-this is one of the worst parts, he then sent an email just to my wife, saying we had to do one more thing, but he wouldn’t do it until we paid him in full. So my wife assumed I had chatted with him and paid him in full. And then after we paid, he said based on our attitude he doesn’t want to help us anymore and won’t finish or tax documents for us.

Should I warn people? He was predatory in this site and scammed us.

Thanks!

I guess you learn and move on. Any advice is appreciated.