I can’t diagnose your issue from the pics (though it seems repointing needed) I can say that there are contractors in this area who will immediately jump to the $35k+ solutions when they see deferred maintenance on these types of foundations.

But they probably have to diagnose their problems first.So what is the real reason 95% of the people fail in as real estate investors?

I made adjustments, and it paid off when I found great tenants for the third-floor unit.Improvements Add Up: From installing a shared washer and dryer to renovating my unit’s kitchen, every improvement added value to the property and increased its appeal.Stay Financially Savvy: Refinancing my mortgage and renting out the garage spaces were big wins that helped offset costs and improve cash flow.Expect the Unexpected: Maintenance surprises (like a flooded toilet or diagnosing strange sewer smells) are part of the journey.

@Nicholas Stout Normally when I hear landlords make the conscientious decision to "convert" their properties to Section 8 rentals, they have a real estate problem wrongly diagnosed as property management or tenant issues.

That's a lot for a guy with wife diagnosed ADHD.

I am diagnosed with PTSD.

We have our maintenance tech go out to diagnose and fix the problem.

I found similar patterns between all 5 companies: namely, they had taken on too many units, were over-charging me for things I didn't need, and weren't handling issues correctly (they would send out vendors who didn't know what they were doing, mis-diagnose issues etc.)No disrespect to the PMs on this chain or BP in general, but any third-party manager won't perform exactly the way you would like them to simply because of the constraints they are faced with as far as having so many units and owners to keep tabs on. 

YOU know your property better than a tenant.So, if anything it sounds like your response didn't pass the smell test here.This cost is on you because you didn't know your property and weren't able to diagnose this issue over the phone.

. - OP offers to send handyman to diagnose the lower unit’s issue,  no one suggested this.- OP has not indicated they will involve HOA even though multiple replies suggest doing so.OP asks for advice, but seems to ignore it.