All Forum Posts by: Randy Landman

That could just be the shower head.  If you're rehabbing it, were you planning on upgrading the shower head anyway?  Even if the warranty company replaced it, which I kind of doubt, they are not going to put a nicer one in than what you already had.  If a shower fixture upgrade is already in the plans then try out the new shower head and see.  If that doesn't fix it then it is probably a clogged cartridge.  The price varies from brand to brand.  Some may be only $20, others are $70.  Plus you may need a cartridge puller tool for another $15.  If your going to pay a plumber to replace the cartridge, then yes the warranty company would probably be cheaper.  If it is an older house, then you could have some pipe problems which would definitely be something to call the warranty company about.         

Some people want to rent if they are new to the area.  They want to get a feel for what neighborhoods they like before they buy.  So they rent for a while. 

Others have jobs or are in industries that move them around a lot.  If you're not going to stay put for more than 2 or 3 years, you probably should rent. 

Sorry Pat, I will not be selling you my POPERTY, or my property for that matter.

Yes the HVAC guy is running a business which does have expenses.  But so are we.  A landlord should be shopping around for contractors that are going to give them the best price and service, just like the HVAC guy should be doing with his suppliers.  It's the free market.  I'm shocked he didn't charge a service fee.  He can't be all that bad of a guy if he diagnosed it for free without a service fee.  Maybe you should check with some other companies in your area to see what they would have charged.  Maybe he was in line with your market.  Or maybe you can find someone else that would be cheaper that you can use next time.  I've always thought that an HVAC company would take into account how much property a landlord owns and give you a discount in hopes of getting a lot of repeat business.  So far I haven't found that company.  Ross, if you're handy enough to fix it yourself and you just need someone to diagnose it, then try out www.justanswers.com .  You can pay a small fee, usually $35 to $40 plus tip, to asked certified HVAC techs, plumbers, and electricians to diagnose your problems.  You can send pictures and have a back and forth exchange with what steps to take to diagnose and fix the problem.  I even got my outboard motor correctly diagnosed from a marine mechanic on justanswers last week when the local mechanic couldn't figure out the problem.  It's a great service for a DIYer.         

What do you mean by "issues with the shower." If it's ugly, then no they're not going to fix it. If the drain is stopped up, or the water doesn't work then give them a call. But you have to decide if the problem is worth the service call fee.

I find a good bathroom fan helps to cut down on moisture and mold problems.  I've been installing this one by Broan lately. 

http://www.lowes.com/pd_10064-14-QT140LE_1z0z4ih__?productId=3747685&Ns=p_product_price|1&pl=1&Ntt=broan

It uses a 6 inch duct instead of a standard 4 inch, so it sucks a lot more air.  You can wire it directly to the light, that way if someone is using the bathroom they will never forget to turn on the fan.  It's pretty quite and I have had no complaints when doing that.  Or you can install a humidity sensing switch like this one. 

http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-IPHS5-1LW-Humidity-Sensor-Control/dp/B00H3QQD64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1435501004&sr=8-1&keywords=humidity+switch

That way the fan will come on when the humidity level is high and keep blowing until the humidity level is reduced.  Even if the person has left the bathroom and turned out the lights, then fan will stay on until the humidity is gone.   

There are some fans that have the humidity sensor right on the fan, but hey cost a lot more.   I like the features on this one, but $377 is a bit too much for a cheap rental.  Maybe on a high end unit it would be ok.   

http://www.lowes.com/pd_539628-14-XB110HL_1z0z4ih__?productId=50061657&Ns=p_product_price|1&pl=1&Ntt=broan

I also have been using some mold killing primer in bathrooms.  I don't know if it works or not, but I figure it's worth a try.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_617619-90-276049___?productId=50290469&pl=1&Ntt=mold+primer

Many older bathrooms will have windows in the showers in my area and I prefer to remove them when I get a chance.  They are a maintenance headache.  Water sits on the window sill and warps the wood.  Replacing the wood sill with a piece of granite or stone helps.  But I'm always caulking them, and they lead to water and mold damage behind the shower surround.  I have 2 left and as soon as those tenants move those windows are coming out. 

I use the caulkless tub surrounds.  We love them.  Easy to install, low maintenance.  Menards has a great selection of them.     

 Thanks Steve.  That looks like it would work.  The problem I had was specific to Jacuzzi brand toilets.  I have 2 of them and they both did it.  The model I have has super high pressure and a very tiny clip to hold the hose on the fill tube.  After about a year or so of use the clip will work its way off and the hose will spray everywhere.  When I went to Lowes to get a larger clip, the guy said "you must have a Jacuzzi toilet, we see a lot of them do that."  Anyway getting a larger clip, like the one in your link, and zip tying it to the fill tube works.  Now I zip tie all of them, no matter what brand they are.  Zip ties are cheaper than water damage.     

Oh and on the home warranty discussion.  We've had them when we get the seller to pay for it for a year.  In general I have found them to be frustrating and not worth it.  I have to first check out the problem myself so I know what to tell the warranty company.  Then call and make an appointment, usually several days out.  Then wait around for the repair guy.  Often times the cost to fix it myself would have been not much different than the $75 fee, and I could have fixed it on the first day rather than leaving the tenant with something  broken for a few days.  I called them once for several pluming issues.  They sent out 2 companies, one for the drains and one for the water lines.  The drain guys wouldn't fix anything because the leaking sink was not leaking while they were there.  I had to take it apart and replace the washer myself.   A hose in the toilet tank was coming loose due to high pressure and spraying water all over the floor.  Their suggestion was to turn the water valve down to decrease the pressure, which would also double the time it takes for the tank to fill.  So I had to get a new larger and stronger clip to attach the hose to the fill tube and I zip tied it into place so it no longer comes off.  (A routine thing I do to all my toilets now).  The plumber was suppose to replace a hose bib, but instead reattached the handle with a screw he found laying in the rocks beneath it.   Then the warranty company called the next week and told me that missing parts were not covered and that should not have been a covered claim, but they would pay it anyway.  Then why are you calling me???  But the reason the screw fell out in the first place was because the hose bib was stripped and it ended up falling out again the next year.  So eventually I ended up replacing the thing myself for $25.  I paid $75 for all of that and had to fix all three things myself in the end.   We did get a dishwasher control board replaced and a hot water heater, so we got our moneys worth (well definitely since we didn't pay for it, the seller did).  But the renewal for a duplex was over $750 so we didn't renew.  In the 2 years since then nothing at that building has broke that cost me over $75 to fix myself, so $1500 was saved by cancelling.   

Thanks for sharing Owen. I think it is important to share both our success stories as well as the reality of what can and will go wrong. Sorry that some have missed your point. It's good for new or potential investors reading the blog to see the reality of our business. I had termites at one property this year, ouch. Took out a chunk of my reserves, but that's why we have them. The tenant had just used bug spray and a vacuum to get ride of the swarm and didn't bother mentioning it to me. Luckily I noticed some dead ones they missed during a routing inspection of the utility room the following week. I don't think they found any wood so no permanent damage. That is why I do routine inspections. I typically have one service call every month or two for all of my units combined, but this week that same unit had 5 service calls in 5 days. Clogged toilet, broken screen door handle, clogged condensate pump flooding the floor with water, failed blower motor in the air handler, and pilot light blew out on the hot water heater. So much for my week off. If I was only making $100 a door I would be making less than minimum wage per hour this month. Luckily most of those were free to fix myself so I'm only out $200 in repairs for the week. So for all the potential investors out there reading the blog, being a landlord is not just sitting around and waiting for the rent check to come in the mail.

You could try an Ozone generator.