Are Tenants Calling at 2:00 a.m.?
Perhaps a dozen or so years as a landlord has toughened my hide, but calls in the middle of the night still send my heart racing. It took me a few years to come up with a workable solution to tell tenants what they could and could not call me [...]
Old is New… or the Evolution of Green
The High Efficiency Toilet
When my great-grandparents built the “new house” in 1923 they included modern plumbing… for women and small children, the facility for men and boys remained the one with a crescent moon silhouette cut in the door. The new bathroom was a “green” system: bath and flush water [...]
Can You Fix It Yourself?
This morning I’m heading out to a rental property to correct a leaking sink drain and hook up the water supply line for a couple of swamp coolers. My plumber would be happy to do these things….at $65/hour…so off I go with my trusty landlord toolbox.
If you are comfortable taking [...]
More Water Bill Issues… OR… ”How the landlord paid to fill the swimming pool”
We have had a lot of positive feedback on our blog “Who Pays the Water Bill”, so water bill issues must be a hot topic. Here is another one that will help you realize that no matter how long you own rental [...]
“I swear that paint chip looked like a light gray in the store…” my cool bachelor tenant is explaining to me as I stare in disbelief at the bedroom I agreed he could paint in his apartment….it is mauve!
Once again, dear blog friends, I am sharing with you my years of landlord experience, so that [...]
Getting “Green” Can Put Cash in Your Pocket
Energize your remodeling and maintenance budget with funds and rebates from Stimulus Package programs and government funding…there are likely hundreds of these programs cropping up across the country. Xcel Energy (Colorado, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Dakota, South Dakota, New Mexico and Texas) is offering a rebate of up [...]
Water Conservation for Rental Properties….Save $ and Water
Those of us who own duplexes, four-plexes and multi-unit rental properties take a deep breath before opening the water bills.* Of course, a portion of each unit’s rent is budgeted for water, but water bills are still one of our least predictable expenses.
Leaking toilets and old toilets are [...]
Beware of Rental Fraud on Vacant Properties
This article was in the Denver Post Monday, June 15, 2009. It details how criminals (yes, I am going to call them criminals) are targeting vacant properties with a rental scam. This is an unfortunate by-product of our challenged economy right now.
After reading this news article, you may be [...]
Old is New… or The Evolution of Green:
The Rain Barrel
My great grandparents had a cistern. By the time I remember it an upgrade had occurred, an octagonal concrete top with the access being child-proofed, more or less, mostly as in “if I catch you with that open I’LL…” The cistern was filled with rainwater from [...]
Security Deposit Deduction or “Pay Up Now”?
A situation arose recently with one of my rentals that I am hoping I handled well. This is a garden level apartment in a four unit building. When the building was remodeled an ejection pump was installed just for this unit to provide proper plumbing waste disposal. Our Lease/Rental [...]