All Forum Posts by: Ronald Bowser

@Mark J. Roofers you can try Justin at Lehigh Valley Exteriors, Google will get you the number.  We have used him for a number of jobs and he is reasonably priced and reliable.

Hi @Yacine Rimmo, if her lease is expiring in the near future, you could simply non-renew with the proper notification.  There of course is no guarantee they'll leave, and then you will have to follow the normal eviction procedure.  Eviction filings are literally resuming tomorrow.  There is expected to be quite a large number of filings, so your best bet is to call the magistrate and ask about their availability.  Our team member who handles the filings is planning to go tomorrow, but she has to call first to determine their availability and ensure she can get in.  They of course have procedures in place for safety and will be restricting the number of people who can enter at one time.  If I can try and help with anything else, just let me know and good luck!

Hi @Yacine Rimmo, we have been dealing with the SWEEP fines as well and trying to determine the best way to equitably bill back to the tenants and get the issue resolved.  It got so bad at one property that tenants were taking pictures of their trash out at the correct time and texting them to us.  One of those pictures showed the same bag out for pickup on time, that was then in the pic with the fine, so the collector "missed" it.  I called the office and was basically told it is the tenant's responsibility to call if their trash is missed.  I wasted some time arguing the point, but didn't get very far.  

I also appreciate that Allentown is trying to keep the city clean, but it feels like a bit of a cash-grab to be honest.  We manage a couple hundred properties in Allentown and were being overwhelmed with the fines.  So far our best solution was to write a communication to the tenants explaining the SWEEP fines and that if their trash is "missed", that they should contact us or the city and report it to avoid the fine.  That seems to have helped a bit, there seems to be a decrease in the number we receive, but we're going to keep working at it and reminding the tenants.

$150 per violation adds up, especially when you can literally prove the trash was out where it was supposed to be and on time.  It is $375 per unit for annual trash pickup... 2.5 violations and your annual bill doubled.  Thinking about the situation got my blood boiling again, haha... let me know how you make out or if you come up with a good solution... good luck!

I think student-housing will be rocky this year with all of the unknowns, but Lehigh has restricted the amount of on-campus housing for students.  We have definitely seen an uptick in students looking for housing outside of the usual radius right around the campus.  This upcoming school year definitely comes with unknowns, but with any luck things will return to normal soon enough.  Could be my wishful, optimistic thinking, but I think after this year things will normalize and student-housing in the area will continue to be a solid investment.

I hope the above helps.  Depending on the who is responsible for utility costs impacts the amount.  I knew I had this handy from last year, so thought I would share.  It is specifically for the city of Easton, PA so may be slightly different depending on which city the property is located.  Good luck and let me know if I may be able to help with anything else.

Yes, @John C Walton is correct.  A clear CO is required by Slatington for occupancy and a renter's permit is also required for any new tenant moving in.  We are in the process of rehabbing a 3-unit in Slatington and the zoning office is much more lax than those in Allentown or Bethlehem that we are used to, but it is definitely required.

Hi @Jay Shah,

The CO is required by the city and is typically geared towards safety issues (fire alarms, graspable railings, functioning windows, etc.) and while they will flag serious issues they find, it should not be considered a thorough inspection like one would get performed by a 3rd party inspection service.  I wouldn't consider it a red flag necessarily though, especially with the current state of things, the seller may just not want to deal with it since the city isn't currently performing inspections.  If you are getting a 3rd party inspection, I would rely on that, as it will be much more thorough.

You will need to get the CO satisfied to legally have a tenant, and some lenders will have issues if there is no CO at the time of financing.  Since there is a tenant in place, you will have a period of time to get all repairs completed and brought to code, but they will not make them leave or anything unless they deem it unfit for habitation.  

I hope this is helpful, but let me know if I can try and answer anything else.

@Yacine Rimmo Yes, a metal scrapper is a good way to go, they can get it cut up and removed easily enough.  One thing to ensure is that it gets properly emptied prior to removal and that the fill valve is properly capped once removed.  I believe the city of Allentown will require it anyway, but I have heard horror stories, fiction or non, about oil companies having the wrong address or doing a routine fill-up that was never canceled, and dumping gallons upon gallons in to basements with no tank.  So just make sure it is properly capped to avoid that nightmare.... pretty straight-forward otherwise.

Hi @Vidit S.  Typically, the electric meter is separated out by units, but in the event it is not we would want to incorporate some sort of set amount per month to charge the tenants.  This of course needs to be clearly stated in the lease.  Perhaps it would be worth the expense to have the property properly metered, electric is a very common tenant expense, so having to absorb that cost as the owner is obviously not ideal.  That cost could be baked into the rent, but without any incentive for the tenants to moderate their electric usage, it could be a costly situation for the owner.

I would recommend looking into costs to have it metered properly first and if that is not effective, have a set amount built in to the lease that the tenant will pay each month.  Finally, the owner could just absorb the costs for electric and hopefully have an increased rental rate to offset those expenses.

I hope this is helpful, but if I can try and answer anything else, just let me know.