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Showing posts with label tenant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tenant. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Tools of the Real Estate Investment Trade.

Tenant Electrical Tampering

When I started out as a Landlord, I was very naive about how tenants could damage your investment property and get away with it.

One of the hidden problems is your electrical outlets. They can be tampered with or damaged very easily without the Landlord's knowledge.

I had a tenant set up a tent on the back patio of one of my investment properties to repair engines. I noticed he jury rigged lighting from one of the outlets in the back bedroom. I wasn't happy about it but didn't say anything.

After the family moved out I went over the property to detect the repairs needed for the next occupants. I noticed that outlet used for outside electricity wasn't working properly but I didn't know why. I remember my Dad, who an electrician, using a tool to check the current status of each outlet.

This instrument not only checks but reports back through a series light combinations the existing status.

Advantages

This little tool provides the owner or Landlord the following advantages:

  • Check current state of electrical outlets before tenant moves out. Use security deposit to implement repairs.
  • Before purchasing an investment property, check existing status of the electrical network inside the potential investment property. Have Seller do repairs instead of the Buyer.
  • The tool is easy to use.
  • Very inexpensive.
  • No need for an Electrician. DIY (Do-It-Yourself).

Outlet Status

Below is a table that displays the Outlet Status when the three prong is plugged into a standard 110 volt outlet:

OUTLET TESTER STATUS CHART
STATUSINDICATOR
OPEN GROUNDOFF ON OFF
OPEN NEUTRALOFF OFF ON
OPEN HOTOFF OFF OFF
HOT/GROUND REVERSEDON OFF ON
HOT/NEUTRAL REVERSEDON ON OFF
CORRECTOFF ON ON

This little tool can save time and money and that my friends is the bottom line to managing your investment portfolio.

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Written by Bob Burns.
 
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Saturday, October 8, 2011

Top 20 Most Common Reasons Why Units Fail
Section 8 Inspections.


One of your hats that you wear as a real estate investor is being a landlord. As a landlord, your job is to maintain the properties and keep them rented.

Keeping your properties fully occupied throughout the year increases your cash flow and provides a better return on your investment ROI but can be a difficult task! The longer a Unit remains unoccupied the less ROI landlords are going to have.

Below are several channels available to landlords to find qualified tenants:

  • Retail Market - Newspapers, Word of Mouth, Church, For Rent Signs on property, internet, etc...
  • Multiple Listing Service MLS - Database Realtors use to find rental properties for their clients
  • Section 8, Plan Ocho, Sec 8, Plan Eight, Plan 8, Section Eight - Government subsidized rental payment plan.


The more channels you have, the greater possibility of finding a qualified tenant for your unit. SPEED is essential for success. Any delay will hurt ROI.

Section 8 will eliminate a lot of the drawbacks of being a landlord but you have to follow HUD's guidelines to be successful.

One part of the guidelines is the unit or property must pass an interior and exterior inspection. If you fail the inspection, more delays and your ROI will be affected. Being prepared for the inspection will help make the rental transaction a smooth process.

From my experience with Section 8, below is a list of items that will fail a HUD inspection:

  1. Smoke alarms missing or not working.
  2. Lack of ventilation in bathroom.
  3. Outlet covers missing or broken.
  4. Infestation by bugs or vermin.
  5. Absence of handrails where 4 or more consecutive steps.
  6. Utilities disconnected (must be connected).
  7. Hazards (i.e. tripping as a result of floor covering or exposed electrical wiring.
  8. One window in each room must open and have a screen.
  9. Chipping paint on the outside of the building – gutters, outside surfaces of building.
  10. Hazardous hole or trash in the yard.
  11. Door not sealed properly (light can be seen coming through).
  12. No hot or cold running water.
  13. All windows must have sash cords or balancers and must stay in the open position without assistance.
  14. All ceilings must be at least 7 feet in height in areas used for living, sleeping, etc….
  15. All steps to landing or basements have handrails.
  16. Baths without windows must have power fan or gravity vents in high rise buildings.
  17. Open electrical distribution box must be covered with appropriate cover.
  18. Windows in bedroom too small and will not qualify as areas for sleeping.
  19. Security bars (rejas) can’t be opened from the interior will not be allowed to remain.
  20. All bedrooms must have a built in closet.
I provided pictures of potential failure points below. Can you identify what would cause a failed inspection item?

Click on each image to view a larger photo!


Section Failure Item Gap between Ground and House

Section Failure Item Chipped Paint

Section Failure Item Ceiling Stain

Section Failure Item Door Jam

Section Failure Item Water Heater Drain Pipe

Section Failure Item Circuit Breaker

Section Failure Item Rejas Door Lock
Have you any experience with Section 8 inspections? Share them with US!

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Written by +Bob Burns.
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Saturday, August 6, 2011

Landlords, use HUD's Housing Quality Standards Checklist for your Section 8 property inspections.

HUD's Section 8 department has a program called the Housing Choice Voucher Program. This is the most popular of all the available programs Section Eight or Plan Ocho provides.

There are three parties involved when a voucher transaction occurs:

 

  1. The Property Owner or Land Lord.
  2. The County's Section 8 representatives.
  3. Tenant or Voucher Holder.

Each side has different responsibilities to allow and maintain the rental agreement. I intend to discuss each party's responsibilities over time but today I am reviewing the Land Lord's.

As you may know or may not, HUD has a list of HUD's HOUSING QUALITY STANDARDS CHECKLIST. Before a Tenant can move into a property, HUD must perform an inspection of the UNIT (rental property). A HUD certified inspector and the Land Lord schedule an appointment to inspect the UNIT (rental property). The inspection entails checking:

  • Mechanical.
  • Plumbing.
  • The UNIT's Interior.
  • The UNIT's Exterior.
  • Stairways.
  • Other.

For more inspection details, make sure you visit our HUD's HOUSING QUALITY STANDARDS CHECKLIST page.

If you should fail the initial inspection, the Land Lord has 15 days to correct the all the faults discovered by the HUD inspector and reschedule.

After you pass HUD's initial inspection, your potential Section 8 Tenant can move in after their paper work has been processed.

HUD is not finished!!!!!

In addition to the initial check, HUD performs a yearly inspection of the UNIT and provides their findings to the Tenant and Land Lord. Each violation will be accountable to either the Tenant or Land Lord. The letter will mention what date these violations must be corrected to avoid further action by the Housing Authority.

From my experience with my own properties, I only failed a HUD inspection once and that was beyond my control (hurricane damage).

Do you have any experiences with Section Eight or Plan 8 inspections that you would like to share with us?

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Written by +Bob Burns.
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