April 1, 2025 • 39 mins
We are lucky enough to have a general contractor who has been a part of our team for over 15 years.
This week on the podcast, we will be discussing all of the tips our contractor, Jim, has shared that have helped us stay on top of inspections, preventative maintenance, and what to know about hiring general contractors.
This episode covers everything you need to know to protect your investment and maintain tenant satisfaction.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
✅ Why using a licensed general contractor is crucial for safety and compliance
✅ Where to find reputable contractors and get multiple estimates
✅ The difference between being an additional insured vs. an interested party
✅ How to handle tenant communication during renovations
✅ Why detailed contracts and written agreements are essential
✅ Tips for working around tenant schedules and minimizing disruptions
✅ How routine inspections help prevent costly repairs
✅ Key maintenance tips learned from years of working with contractors
Resources & Free Download:
📌 Watch our DIY Garbage Disposal Fix Video & Insinkerator Garbage Disposal Universal Wrench
📌Newsletter to see before and after floor photos
📌KwikSet Rekey Set & YouTube How to Video
📌Porc-A-Fix Porcelain Sink Repair & How We Repaired Our Sink Video
📌 Check out the kitchen faucet we use
📌 Watch our video on reinforcing TP holders
📌 Listen to Episode 4 fo
Connect with Us:
🌎 Visit our website
📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.
👆Click HERE for our FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s
🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447. We love questions and love letters!
📩Email us at: Stacie@YourLandlordResource.com, Kevin@YourLandlordResource.com
➡️ Review the Podcast on Apple or on Spotify or YouTube
✔️Course Waitlist: From Marketing to Move In, Place Your Ideal Tenant
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kevin (00:00):
We know a lot of landlords who stopped installing
garbage disposals because of theissues, and if they had just
learned a little about themaintenance and then in turn
told their tenants, they wouldbe able to offer them in their
units.
And no garbage disposal meansbacked pipes, so take your pick
on which you'd rather deal with.
(00:23):
Welcome to Your LandlordResource podcast.
Many moons ago when I started asa landlord, I was as green as it
gets.
I may have had my real estatelicense, but I lack confidence
and the hands-on experienceneeded when it came to dealing
with tenants, leases,maintenance, and bookkeeping
after many failed attempts.
Fast forward to today, Kevin andI have doubled our doors and
(00:44):
created an organized.
Professionally operated rentalproperty business.
Want to go from overwhelm toconfident if you're an ambitious
landlord or maybe one in themaking.
Join us as we provide strategiesand teach actionable steps to
help you reach your goals andthe lifestyle you desire.
All well building is streamlinedand profitable rental property
(01:05):
business.
This is your landlord resourcepodcast.
Stacie (01:12):
Hello there, landlords.
Welcome back to the YourLandlord Resource Podcast.
So you all know that we have ageneral contractor who does
pretty much all of our work.
Uh, his name is Jim and he, hedoes everything.
From large jobs like replacingstairways and building decks to
smaller projects like replacingwindows and, you know, repairing
(01:35):
dry rot.
He Installs all of our flooringand all of our appliances in
recently has been converting allof our old fluorescent like
light strip bars in the kitchensto more efficient recessed LED
cans, which has been a reallynice update for our units.
Jim also handles all of ourrepairs when anything comes up
(01:58):
with a tenant.
And the nice thing about Jim isthat, and I'm not being an
ageist here, but he's an olderguy and where he can do
everything, he prefers smallerjobs like we tend to have.
He would love to retire, buthe's a guy who needs to stay
busy and our smaller projectsare perfect for him.
Kevin (02:19):
So Jim works for us up at our Sacramento sixplex, but he's
also done work at our cabins upin the mountains, you know, in
the Tahoe area, as well as ourhome down here in the Bay Area.
Stacie (02:31):
Yeah.
And when we owned the Chicohouse, he spent quite a bit of
time up there remodeling thattoo.
Kevin (02:36):
Yeah.
I mean, he truly is a jack ofall trades.
He holds his contractor'slicense where he can basically,
in theory, build bridges orsomething like that.
But what we love is how he keepsup on the building codes.
When he does work at our places,he knows all the codes, so if we
were ever to sell the property,or God forbid something happens,
(02:59):
the work was done compliant tothe codes.
For the most part, we prettymuch just replace items.
So when we replace the singlepanel windows in Chico with all
double paned ones, it was windowfor window.
Now he found quite a bit of dryrot to contend with, but
honestly, the place was over ahundred years old, so it was to
(03:20):
be expected.
When he built a new deck at ourcabin last year, the old deck
was not supported correctly andthe gaps in the railings were
like, what about a foot wide, Ithink.
He ended up adding propersupports as per the code here in
California.
The railing spigots were fourinches or less to keep a child
(03:40):
from falling through.
And this deck was originallybuilt with the cabin itself the
year I was born, 1959.
So, needless to say, codes havebecome much stricter in those
last 66 years.
Stacie (03:53):
You, you think?
Kevin (03:54):
Wow.
It's been that long, huh?
But long story short, handymenare great for small jobs, but
when it comes to something thatcould be a safety issue for one
of your tenants, try to use alicensed general contractor to
complete the work.
Stacie (04:10):
Yeah.
Or at least licensed specialtyinstallers.
Like for windows and decks anddoors.
You know, electricians andplumbers, things like that.
You know,'cause we use thosetechs too.
Now, with all that said, we havelearned a lot from our
contractor Jim, over the lastdecade.
Not only actual building tips,but also tips on how to find a
(04:32):
general contractor and what toknow when signing a contract
with them.
You know, he gave us a lot ofgood tips when we were looking
for help back in Idaho.
He's also very knowledgeableabout tenant laws with regards
to entry notices andcommunication.
So those are some of the thingsthat we're gonna be discussing
today.
Kevin (04:51):
And I think we should start with tips on hiring
contractors.
Don't you think?
Stacie (04:56):
Uh, that sounds good to me.
Kevin (04:57):
Alright, let's go.
Now, you landlords might not beas lucky as Stacie and I with
regards to having a contractorpretty much at our disposal.
So when you have a large projectcoming up, like say you wanna
replace your older windows withmore efficient ones, or you may
wanna remodel a kitchen or abath, his first tip is to get
(05:18):
multiple estimates.
Don't settle on the first quoteyou receive.
Obtain estimates from at leastthree different contractors to
ensure you're getting a fairprice.
Now, how do you find thesecontractors?
As we often say, by joining arental property association in
your area, a lot of the timethey have contractors who are
(05:39):
members and do exactly the workyou are looking for to be
completed.
You could also ask otherlandlords in your area who they
use.
Real estate agents are greatreferences because they often
have contractors go in and dorepairs and updates to
properties, they're gettingready to list.
Online or Yelp is another place,but sometimes I get a little
(06:02):
weary.
I mean, reviews can be hit andmiss.
A perfectly good contractor canget a bad review if the person
they're working for is prettyfinicky.
Now, sometimes city buildingdepartments will have a list of
contractors they deal with mostoften, which is good because if
you need a permit, thecontractor already has a
(06:22):
relationship with the city andknows how to get permits
processed quickly.
State building licensedepartments should also have a
list, you can narrow down bycity.
Is the Better Business Bureau,is that still a thing anymore?
Stacie (06:37):
I believe it is, but I think the contractor has to be
registered with them.
At least that's the way it wasmany years ago when my late
husband and I own that lightingstore.
And it's more of a marketingthing.
I, I think it was kind of morelike a, a Yelp.
It just wasn't online back then.
Kevin (06:54):
Oh, okay.
And of course, you can alsodrive around your neighborhood
and look for work beingcompleted.
I mean, a lot of times they'llhave a signup with a phone
number.
Stacie (07:05):
I've also heard of people stalking the pro counter
at Home Depot as well.
You know, you can always go upand ask any contractor there for
their card and see if they cando the work that you need
completed.
I mean, we found Jim from ourpainter.
Our painter, who had done workfor my brother way back in the
day suggested Jim to do some dryrot work that we needed done
(07:25):
before he could paint oursixplex.
Kevin (07:28):
And the rest they say is history.
Stacie (07:31):
Exactly.
But my point is roofers,painters, window installers, et
cetera, often will know ageneral contractor who can do
bigger scopes of work for you.
You just need to start askingaround and before you know it,
you'll find a contractor to getbids from.
So regardless of where you heardof this general contractor from,
(07:52):
you do need to verify theircredentials and their insurance.
You know, Jim told us when wewere looking for someone back in
Idaho, that we needed to makesure that their license was up
to date and that they holdproper insurance.
And if you do move forward withthem, ask them to add you onto
their policy as an additionalinsured.
(08:13):
Now I wanna clarify somethingthat we likely were a bit
confusing on in previousepisodes.
When you're using a licensedcontractor who holds insurance
and they're going to be doing asizable job, which will put them
or their crew on your propertyfor days at a time or more, you
want to be added as anadditional insured.
(08:35):
This means that if they getinjured on your property or if
the work they perform causes anissue like a fire or a flood,
their insurance will cover theliability without you having to
involve your property insurance,as long as the damage is related
to the contractor's work.
Essentially, you're able tobenefit from their policy
because you're covered by it.
(08:57):
This is a very common practicewith contractors.
We are listed as additionalinsured on Jim's policy.
We are listed as an additionalinsured also on our painter's
policy.
And conversely, when we havediscussed renter's insurance in
other episodes, which everylandlord should require, we have
(09:18):
said that as owners, you shouldbe added as an interested party
or additional interest on yourtenant's renter insurance
policy.
And that's where you are onlygoing to be informed of the
policy status.
So if it cancels due tononpayment or they don't renew
it, but they continue on as atenant with you, after that
(09:38):
first year, you're gonna receivea notice of cancellation.
Or even when they do renew it,they're gonna receive a notice
that it's been renewed.
And this is all very importantto know and it saves you a lot
of time from having to track itdown.
Many tenants will say thatthey're gonna get a new policy
per the requirement, and thenthey let it lapse.
(09:58):
And if you're not an interestedparty, how are you gonna know if
that policy lapsed or not?
Now, I'll say quickly that whenit comes to rent's insurance,
landlords usually are not addedas additionally insured, like we
just explained with contractors.
Often it increases the tenant'spremium and it can also create a
(10:19):
conflict of interest with thattenant.
So landlords should have theirown liability insurance.
All right, so let me justclarify one more time.
So for contractors, you wannaask to be an additional insured
party so your property iscovered for any issues that
arise while they're working onyour property.
For renter's insurance, you arean additional interest or an
(10:42):
interested party fornotification purposes only.
Whew.
Kevin (10:48):
And all that, because we told you to check their
credentials and insurance,right?
Stacie (10:52):
Yeah, exactly.
Kevin (10:54):
Now still, while you're basically interviewing the
contractor to make sure they'rethe right fit, you'll wanna make
sure they will provide a writtencontract.
This contract should define thescope of work, the timeline of
the work to be performed, apayment schedule, which is very
important, and theresponsibilities of each party.
(11:15):
Responsibilities, meaning youmight have to move anything that
is in the way of the contractorgetting the work done.
It could mean your pets have tobe contained.
If the work involves a neighbor,they might require you to get
everything set with theneighbor's side of what's
getting done.
I mean, think of fencing or treework being performed on a
property line.
(11:36):
Make sure that there will be noliens that can be set on your
property by subcontractors thatthe GC uses.
The contractor for really largejobs can put a lien on your
property just in case they don'tget paid.
If the contractor uses thesubcontractor, which is common.
So think about when we remodeledour bathroom in the studio
(11:57):
apartment.
I mean, not a huge job, so nolien was set, but that's just an
example.
Jim did the demo and framedeverything back up.
Then he called a sub to come outand waterproof it by putting tar
all over the place.
When that was done, he hired atile guy to come in and install
and grout the tile.
Now those subs usually get paidby the contractor, not the
(12:20):
property owner.
If the contractor fails to paythem after you have already paid
the contractor for that service,you don't wanna have to deal
with a lien on your propertyfrom the sub.
I mean, it just creates anightmare.
Alright, moving on.
Once you have selected thecontractor, communication is the
key.
Just like we say with tenants,that you should keep records of
(12:43):
all communications, do the samewith contractors.
Document everything.
Any changes to the scope of workand payments to invoices need to
be noted.
Stacie (12:55):
Now I think we should touch on how to handle tenants
that are living in unit whilethe work is being done.
From a simplistic point, likesay you have someone working on
a leaky faucet, and then thetenant comes in and asks them to
also go and fix their brokenblinds, or a bedroom door that
doesn't close properly, you needto know how your contractor or
(13:17):
your handyman is supposed tohandle that.
If they're professional, theyshould know that they can only
repair the work that has beenreported, not do any add-ons by
the tenant at the last minute.
But it's always good to have aplan in place with anyone who
works on your rental for whenthis happens, because eventually
it will.
Jim always tells our tenants tocontact us in writing, usually
(13:39):
via text, so that we have arecord of what needed to be
done, and if we can also approveit while he's still there, he'll
handle it.
Of course, if it's somethingdire, like the front door lock
isn't working, or there's ashower head leak that's spraying
water everywhere when it's inuse, you know, he'll just call
himself and make sure that hecan move ahead with that repair.
(14:01):
But when the contractor is doinga larger job and there's a
tenant in place, how should youhandle that?
Say there was an undetectedwindow leak because there was a
table under the window and itgot missed during the
inspection.
Now your contractor has to go inand repair the leak and the
damaged drywall under thewindow.
You will have to communicatewith the tenant about access,
(14:24):
timing, noise, messiness, allthat stuff.
And it's much better that you dothis communication so that if
there were any issues, you canthen communicate it with the
contractor.
We have done this several times.
With the pest control companywhen we had issues with rodents
and termites, which is a littlebit more of an urgent issue.
(14:46):
But if there is work to becompleted that there's no huge
rush, try to work with thetenant to plan around their
vacation.
We did this with some updates weneeded to do for a tenant's
bathroom exhaust fan.
It required that the old fan beremoved and a new one installed,
but the removal of the old fanand the installation of this new
(15:08):
one meant that Jim had to cutdrywall and do taping and
mudding and texturing, and thenhe had to paint the whole
ceiling again.
He also added some recess lightsin there while he had that fan
out.
So this tenant was gone for theweek of 4th of July.
We had it planned with Jim for acouple months, so we had time to
(15:28):
get all of our ducks in a rowbefore that work began.
And a little side note here, ifyou've ever done drywall work,
no matter how hard you try tominimize that dust, it gets
everywhere.
And because of this, we paid ourhouse cleaner to come in and
clean his entire apartmentbefore the guy returned so that
(15:48):
he didn't come back to a mess.
So the tenant got an update tohis unit, did not need to be
inconvenienced, and came back toa unit that was cleaner than the
way he left it.
And this is all because wecommunicated clearly about
everything that was to go on.
The bottom line is when you haveto do work in a unit that's
occupied, please be considerateof their needs.
(16:12):
If they work from home, find atime when the work can be
performed and not disrupt them.
Give them plenty of notice incase they have to find another
place to work.
And in extreme situations wherethey can't stay when the work is
being completed.
Like when we had to tent thecomplex for termites, or the one
time we had to turn the wateroff for an entire day and night,
(16:34):
give them a reasonable creditback for them to stay elsewhere.
Maybe they'll choose to take acouple vacation days and head
out of town.
Maybe they'll go stay with afriend or maybe they'll go to a
hotel and be very happy to getback home.
A lot of coordination goes intomaking sure everyone is on the
same page and treated with therespect they deserve.
(16:55):
Stuff happens and most of thetime people are reasonable about
the inconvenience, but that onlygoes so far if you're demanding
about it.
Be kind.
Recognize that while yes, you'redoing something necessary, it is
a disruption to their livingexperience.
Kevin (17:14):
This is also so why when you have deferred maintenance,
and no judgment, we all havestuff that needs to be
completed.
This is why when a tenant exits,you want to capitalize on the
vacancy to get any bigger, messyprojects done, so you don't have
to inconvenience the tenant.
Alright, before we get into thetips we have learned from Jim
(17:34):
over the years, I want to take aminute to discuss regular
maintenance.
You've heard us say a bunch oftimes, and likely we sound like
a broken record, but you guyshave to do regular inspections.
And when we do our inspections,who is right there with us?
Stacie (17:52):
I know this one, Jim, the contractor.
Kevin (17:54):
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
When you say that, it soundslike a kid's show.
Jim the contractor.
Yeah, Bob the builder.
Right.
Yeah, so we hire him for a halfday to walk the units and check
for leaks and issues that heknows how to spot.
I mean, we're looking forevidence of pets or unauthorized
(18:14):
roommates and issues withcleanliness that might lead to
pest issues.
Jim is looking under sinks andbehind toilets.
He's checking windows and doorsand all the faucets.
Anyway, you can listen toepisode four to understand what
we do and why.
You can listen atyourlandlordresource.com episode
(18:37):
4, or go to the link in our shownotes.
That's episode four with thenumber 4.
But the more you get into ahabit of inspections, the more
your tenants will understand theimportance, and they'll come to
rely on it.
When the tenant is on board forrepairs and maintenance that
makes your life and the work ofyour contractors so much easier.
(19:00):
And with repairs andmaintenance, landlords, you will
need what?
All right, Stacie is looking atme like she has no idea.
Stacie (19:09):
I don't.
Kevin (19:10):
Okay.
Money.
Stacie (19:12):
Oh.
Kevin (19:13):
Remember that?
Stacie (19:14):
Money's always good.
Kevin (19:16):
When you have a team who does work for you, the worst
part for them is when you don'thave enough money to pay for the
work needed.
Then they have to do a jobsubpar to their level of work,
and you don't get as good aquality that you and your
tenants deserve.
And of course, we're talkingabout reserves here.
You should be putting away a setamount of rent each month to
(19:39):
hold funds for repairs,maintenance, and big items like
a new roof.
It's okay to shop around and getthe best price for a contractor,
but if you have a job you needcompleted and not enough money
to pay for it.
I mean, that creates a lot ofstress for you as well as your
contractor when they have torework the bid to fit your
(20:00):
budget.
If you'd like to learn moreabout what we have to see on
reserves, head over to episode28.
We break it all down for you,and you can find it at
yourlandlordresource.com/episode 28 or by going to the
link in our show notes.
But those reserves will reallycome in handy for unforeseen
(20:23):
repairs and also allow you tocomplete plan maintenance to
your rental property.
Improvements are great, but ifyou don't have enough money to
pay for them, then you will findyourself in a difficult
situation.
I mean, no improvements meansyour rental rates may suffer.
Why would someone rent your oldnineties looking unit when they
can get one way more updated for50 or even a hundred dollars
(20:46):
more a month?
Keep those reserves plentiful soyou can keep your rents at
market rate and be able toattract the best tenants.
Stacie (20:55):
Yeah, and I'm, I'm proud to say that we've done well with
that.
And we just did a big update toone of our units in Idaho and
where the rents actually havefallen a bit, we still would
have done those updates becausewhen we go to sell that property
at some point, we don't wannahave to discount it by a whole
lot because it's already prettyupdated and it won't have a lot
(21:17):
of upgrades that are needed.
But that's neither here northere.
I think we should talk about thetips that we have learned by
listening and following Jimaround all these years.
We've touched on each of theseat some point, and it's always a
good reminder.
And the first thing I wanna talkabout is garbage disposals.
If you have garbage disposals inyour rentals, remind tenants to
(21:39):
run those every night.
Ever since we have done this,the leakage and replacement of
garbage disposals has prettymuch diminished.
So in our unit binder and in anaddendum of our lease, we put
instructions for use.
When the tenants rinse theirdishes, even a few grains of
rice can sit in the bottom ofthat disposal and cause it to
(22:01):
rust out.
And that rust eventually turnsinto a hole, and before you know
it, there's a leak under yoursink.
Another thing about disposals isto only run it with cold water.
Why is that?
Because the motor of thedisposal gets hot.
And if you're running hot waterthrough that with the already
hot motor, you're gonna causethat motor to overheat and it's
(22:24):
gonna wear out faster.
The last thing that Jim did forus was teach us how to clear a
jammed disposal.
He got under there and he showedus exactly where to put the
little wrench that comes withthe disposal when you buy it,
and how to turn it, and wherealso to reset the unit.
We then created our own video tosend out to tenants when they
(22:46):
text with an issue and ninetimes outta 10, that video does
the trick.
And they are thrilled that theyget to fix something on their
own.
Kevin (22:54):
And they're also happy that we didn't have to come out
to their unit.
Stacie (22:58):
Yeah.
Well, I think we're just asthrilled about that.
Kevin (23:00):
Absolutely.
Stacie (23:02):
So with every new garbage disposal comes a small
wrench and you essentially crankthe motor manually if something
gets stuck in there that can'tbe removed by a hand from above.
Oh my God.
Please cut the power to the unitbefore putting your hand down
inside of it.
But anyway, this wrench is to beused outside the unit at the
(23:24):
base, under the sink.
We use InSinkErator, branddisposals.
I believe it's a Badger fivemodel, and they come with a
universal hex wrench.
And if they're tossed during theinstallation, you can certainly
buy'em online.
We'll link'em in the show notesalong with that video that we
made so that you can check'emout.
(23:44):
The bottom line is we werereplacing disposals left and
right.
And where, yeah, it's kind ofjob security for Jim, we were
paying around 350 bucks a popfor those replacements.
Now that we've implemented thesechanges in instructions, we have
not had to replace one in threeto four years.
Kevin (24:03):
You know, you just jinxed us, right?
Stacie (24:05):
Yeah, probably.
Everything else seems to begoing out, it's about time for
those disposals to go now too.
Kevin (24:11):
So when Jim replaces the disposal, he uses blue tape to
tape the wrench to the side ofthe kitchen cabinet so it
doesn't get tossed.
And we also keep one in our workbag and a couple in back stock
just in case.
But those tips that Stacie justmentioned about garbage
disposals has been a lifesaver.
We know a lot of landlords whostopped installing garbage
(24:33):
disposals because of the issues,and if they had just learned a
little about the maintenance andthen in turn told their tenants,
they would be able to offer themin their units.
And no garbage disposal meansbacked pipes, so take your pick
on which you'd rather deal with.
When we do inspections andturnovers, Jim always lays paper
(24:54):
towels, I mean specifically, youknow, those blue work towels, in
the cabinet and under each ofthe sinks and the disposal.
He then lets the water run for awhile while he walks the unit.
When he comes back, if there isa leak, he can see if the towel
is wet.
Sometimes it's hard to tell if asmall leak is happening, and
(25:14):
this helps him to be able toidentify it quickly.
As we are talking water lines,Jim replaces them every five
years.
The water lines to all sinks,and the water supply line to all
toilets.
Because the newer ones are madeof more plastic and they tend to
fail quicker.
Not usually five years, butanywhere from six to eight
(25:37):
years.
So we like to be on the frontend of those and change them out
every five years.
We have even had plumberscontact us through Your Landlord
Resource and thank us forletting you all know.
I mean, it's one of their mostcommon repairs.
Okay, what else?
Stacie (25:54):
Appliance is a big one.
Kevin (25:55):
Oh yeah, good one.
Alright, appliances.
Besides the fact that you shouldnot put expensive appliances
into your units, do not installones with a lot of bells and
whistles.
These little doodads tend to goout and when they do, the tenant
wants it back pronto.
And here's a case in point.
(26:16):
The refrigerators that werethere on the property when we
purchased it, had ice makers andwater dispensers.
I mean, tenants loved them.
But the compressor to run thewater to the fridge often broke
after a few years and cost about$350 to fix.
And this was way back, whatabout 2010?
(26:36):
So I know those prices have goneup.
Not to mention the leaks thatcan happen if the fridge is
moved and the waterline cracksor gets partially dislodged.
More is not always better whenit comes to appliances.
Now we do know a lot of plumberswho do not recommend pull down
faucets, and Jim is alsogenerally on board with this and
(26:57):
that's because the adjustablewater line that runs down
through the faucet arm oftencracks or springs a leak.
Stacie (27:04):
Yeah, that happens all the time.
And, and no matter what qualityfaucet that's been installed.
Kevin (27:09):
Right.
But you know what?
We still install'em.
And here's why.
We found a kitchen faucet onlinethat costs about 40 bucks.
It's on Amazon and we'll link itin the show notes for you.
But the bottom line is it looksreally nice, the tenants love
it.
So far, so good on thedurability.
(27:30):
Now, for that cost, we canactually replace the entire unit
in one fell swoop, rather thanpay Jim to go out and diagnose
the problem, order a new sprayassembly, and then go back and
repair it.
That cost is about the same asthe non pulldown faucet.
So for us in this situation,it's a better deal.
(27:51):
We always keep one on hand justin case.
And honestly we have beenreplacing the Delta and Price
Pfister faucets out with thisone.
Stacie (28:00):
Yeah, so far so good.
You know, again, I hope we'renot jinxing ourselves.
But I wanna circle back toappliances.
So one tip we were given by ourappliance repair person was to
always know the make and modelof all the appliances in your
rental unit.
When you call them with aproblem, the first thing they're
gonna ask you to tell them iswhat's the make of the unit?
(28:24):
And after describing theproblem, like say the dryer no
longer spins, or your waterheater or your heater is having
a problem.
If you know the model numberoften they can pick up the part
in advance and repair it rightthere on the spot.
This saves them time and youfrom having to make arrangements
for the repair on two separatedays and your tenants are gonna
(28:46):
really appreciate this.
Kevin (28:48):
Yeah.
That was helpful recently whenwe had to get that stackable
washer and dryer repaired.
Okay, a couple more small ones.
Electricians recommend that youlabel your breaker box by
number.
Stacie (29:01):
Yeah.
Well, electricians nowadayspretty much do that already.
Not so much in the, in the olddays.
So that's what they're saying ison the older units, you wanna go
back and do that.
Kevin (29:12):
Okay, so let's say the kitchen is breaker number one,
the bathroom is breaker numbertwo, and so on.
On the back of the platecovering your switches and plugs
use a Sharpie to write thatbreaker number.
That way when you have to go inand change out a light fixture
or replace a failing GFI plug,know which breaker to flip and
(29:33):
cut the power.
And if you're not doing thework, whomever is, will really
appreciate this.
Time is money.
So the more time it takes themto diagnose the issue, the more
you pay.
Stacie (29:46):
Yeah, and this is a similar tip to the one that our
painter gave us.
Now we're in a place where allof our units are painted the
same color, so we're good onthis.
But for those of you withdifferent colors on different
walls, or use a variety ofcolors throughout all your
different units, you can alsowrite the paint color on the
back of an electrical plate.
(30:08):
So when you hopefully go in totake those plates off when
you're painting, you can takethe color name and get more to
match.
Don't worry if you use KellyMoore.
All paint stores, at least sofar, Lowe's, Home Depot, Dunne
Edwards and Sherwin Williamshave the Kelly Moore paint
formulas to be able to matchthat paint, and we were shocked
(30:30):
that it was a perfect match.
Kevin (30:32):
Yep.
I mean, shocked and relieved Ididn't have to fully repaint
every unit over again if itdidn't match.
Now I want to throw in a couplesimple money saving tips jim has
turned us on to.
If you have hardwood or LVPflooring and they get a scuff or
a gouge that shows, you know,like a white or black mark and
(30:54):
you can't, for the life of youget that mark out, there is a
product called Fill Stick andit's made by Mohawk Flooring.
Essentially it's like a crayonthat comes in a variety of
colors for your floors.
Stacie (31:08):
Yeah, you guys, real quick story on that one.
So we have a couple of studioapartments and one tenant had
asked permission to have hisweightlifting kit in the unit
and had a rubber mat under it,and we didn't think it was any
problem.
However, when he moved out,there were a couple of long
white, I guess you'd say, scuffson the LVP flooring.
(31:30):
We have no idea if it was theweightlifting stuff or something
else, but it was right in themiddle of the room.
Very easy to be seen andnoticed.
So when Jim was in there doingsome deferred maintenance, after
the guy had moved out, he asked,do you want me to fix the scuffs
on the floor?
And Kevin and I were a littleconfused and we were looking at
(31:50):
him like, you mean take thedamaged plank out and replace it
with another piece?
And he goes, no, for like fiveor seven bucks, I can buy a fill
stick and see if I can make itless noticeable that way.
You guys, the results wereamazing.
He sent us before and afterphotos, and I'm telling you, you
really had to look hard to seewhere that scuff was.
(32:11):
He said you can use it onbaseboards and trim as well.
But we haven't needed to do thatyet.
It also can be used on furnituretoo.
Kevin (32:20):
Yeah, that was really nice.
Uh, do we have a way thatlisteners can see that?
Stacie (32:24):
Yeah, so I'll put it in the newsletter for this week.
And then I'll make thatnewsletter public and link it in
the show notes along with thelink to the Mohawk fill stick so
that people can check'em out.
Kevin (32:36):
Okay, perfect.
Okay, the next maintenance tipJim turned us on to was Kwikset
rekey sets.
Now, I'm a little embarrassed toadmit this, but for many years
we hired a mobile locksmith tocome out and rekey the units
when people moved out, and thatwas to the tune of$75 plus the
(32:57):
cost of any additional keys wehad made.
So one day we're going over themaintenance that we had to get
completed for the turnover of aunit.
And Jim says, you want me tochange the locks too?
I mean, I must have looked alittle confused and I asked if
he knew how to do that.
I'll say he got a good laugh outof that.
(33:18):
He told us that our locks areKwikset brand, and that brand
has a rekey system that anyonecan do, that it's super cheap
and easy.
It would take him less thanthree minutes to re-key it.
And you guys, this was beforeAmazon became so popular, so you
still had to go out to ahardware store to get what you
needed.
So he said he would pick up acouple kits for us the next time
(33:40):
he was at the Home Depot.
And the long and short of it isif you have a Kwikset easy key
system, you can rekey your locksyourself for under$10.
Stacie (33:52):
And you'll know if you have this rekey system if on the
front of your doorknob next tothe keyhole, there is a tiny,
small, rectangular hole.
Uh, this is where a Kwiksetspecial tool gets inserted and
allows you the option to changeyour locks.
So we'll link the product andI'm gonna link a video in the
(34:13):
show notes so that you can seehow easy it is to do this.
Kevin (34:17):
Yeah, and we just turned kid number two onto this for his
new rental in Idaho.
He didn't have Kwikset locks butdecided to install them for the
front door and the back garagedoor, keying the two doors the
same to keep it easy for histenants.
Okay, what else?
Stacie (34:34):
Well, this one wasn't necessarily recommended by Jim,
but by the local Miracle Methodguy.
We had a chipped porcelain sinkin one of our kitchens, and we
were not in a place where wewanted to replace it yet.
And when I called Miracle Methodto see if they could come out
and repair it, because that'swhat they do, I was floored when
(34:55):
the guy told me that it wasgonna cost$750 for a kitchen
sink repair.
Kevin (35:02):
I mean, isn't that what we paid for the Idaho Miracle
Method to come out and fix ahole and recoat the entire
fiberglass shower insert?
Stacie (35:10):
Yep.
And that that we did justhappened in December.
This sink repair in Sacramentowas like five years ago.
So I mean that's like highwayrobbery.
I mean, God.
But no, the guy was really niceand he recommended a product
called Porc-A-Fix.
It's a repair kit for porcelainsinks that comes in a variety of
(35:31):
colors.
And this sink was a Kohler brandand it was white.
So I went on my trusty Amazonsite and ordered the color I
thought was the closest.
You guys, the process takes acouple days because you have to
apply the product, let it drycompletely over 24 hours, and
then sand it down.
And if you missed any spots ordidn't put enough on, then you
(35:53):
have to go and do it again.
There's a definite learningcurve.
But for less than$20 and someelbow grease I was able to
repair that sink and you'd neverknow that there was a ding that
was exposed all the way down tothe cast iron base.
You know, we have people whoding our sinks and tubs all the
time, and before we call MiracleMethod now, or a re glazing
(36:16):
company, we always see if we canuse Porc-A-Fix to repair it
first.
I actually made a video of theprocess while I was doing it so
you guys could check it out andI'll link that and the products
in the show notes for you.
Kevin (36:30):
Now, just to clarify, that is to fix porcelain sinks
and tubs, correct?
You can't use that onfiberglass?
Stacie (36:37):
Correct.
Porc-A-Fix is for porcelainrepairs.
There are fiberglass repairkits, but if I remember
correctly, those were superinvolved and beyond our level of
expertise.
Kevin (36:51):
Oh yeah.
I mean, we did look into those.
Not only expertise, but we had atight timeline in Idaho, so
that's why we hired MiracleMethod to go out there.
And hey, they did a great job.
I mean, we were very happy withthe way the insert looked
afterwards.
No idea how well it will hold upwith this next tenant, but it
saved us a bundle from nothaving to replace that shower
(37:13):
insert that had holes thatwould've created a nasty mold
and dry rod issue over time ifwe had left it.
Alright, one last tip, and thisis if you're remodeling a
bathroom.
If you can, remove the drywallwhere the toilet paper holder
will go and put a wood supportbetween the studs.
(37:34):
I mean, this was a big help atkeeping those holders from
coming loose from the wall.
I mean, I don't know why tenantsseem to think they can use
toilet paper holders as a way tohelp them stand up after using
the toilet, but man, oh man.
If our toilet paper holders arenot screwed into the wall with
wood backing, they always comeloose.
(37:55):
I mean, even with the bestanchors.
We got to the point of justbuying free standing toilet
paper holders and not puttingthem on the wall anymore.
Jim has done these wood supportsbetween the studs in two of our
bath remodels, and what a hugedifference that makes.
I believe we did a social mediapost on it.
(38:15):
We will try to link that in theshow notes so you can see how we
did it.
Stacie (38:20):
Okie dokie, you guys, that is our show for today.
I hope you've enjoyed these tipsfrom the perspective of our
contractor.
These are all things that wehave learned over the years from
working with Jim.
And I'm sure there's a lot moregreat tips, and as we learn
them, we will be sure to sharethem with you.
If you enjoy this episode, wouldyou do us a favor and leave us a
(38:41):
kind review of the podcast sothat other landlords will find
us too?
If you wanna hear more, followor subscribe to the podcast so
each week, the episodes aredownloaded right to your
favorite podcast platform.
And we'd love to stay in contactwith you.
If you have a question or youwanna suggest a subject for a
podcast, you can text us at 6 50 4 8 9 4 4 4 7 or email us at
(39:09):
stacie@yourlandlordresource.com.
That's Stacie with an IE orkevin@yourlandlordresource.com.
All those links will be in theshow notes as well.
Also in the show notes, you canfind links to all the downloads
that we offer and how to sign upfor our free newsletter.
There's also links to ourprivate Facebook group that's
(39:30):
just for landlords and oursocial media accounts.
That's about it.
Thanks again for tuning in, anduntil next time, you've got this
landlords.
We know a lot of landlords who stopped installing
garbage disposals because of theissues, and if they had just
learned a little about themaintenance and then in turn
told their tenants, they wouldbe able to offer them in their
units.
And no garbage disposal meansbacked pipes, so take your pick
on which you'd rather deal with.
(00:23):
Welcome to Your LandlordResource podcast.
Many moons ago when I started asa landlord, I was as green as it
gets.
I may have had my real estatelicense, but I lack confidence
and the hands-on experienceneeded when it came to dealing
with tenants, leases,maintenance, and bookkeeping
after many failed attempts.
Fast forward to today, Kevin andI have doubled our doors and
(00:44):
created an organized.
Professionally operated rentalproperty business.
Want to go from overwhelm toconfident if you're an ambitious
landlord or maybe one in themaking.
Join us as we provide strategiesand teach actionable steps to
help you reach your goals andthe lifestyle you desire.
All well building is streamlinedand profitable rental property
(01:05):
business.
This is your landlord resourcepodcast.
Stacie (01:12):
Hello there, landlords.
Welcome back to the YourLandlord Resource Podcast.
So you all know that we have ageneral contractor who does
pretty much all of our work.
Uh, his name is Jim and he, hedoes everything.
From large jobs like replacingstairways and building decks to
smaller projects like replacingwindows and, you know, repairing
(01:35):
dry rot.
He Installs all of our flooringand all of our appliances in
recently has been converting allof our old fluorescent like
light strip bars in the kitchensto more efficient recessed LED
cans, which has been a reallynice update for our units.
Jim also handles all of ourrepairs when anything comes up
(01:58):
with a tenant.
And the nice thing about Jim isthat, and I'm not being an
ageist here, but he's an olderguy and where he can do
everything, he prefers smallerjobs like we tend to have.
He would love to retire, buthe's a guy who needs to stay
busy and our smaller projectsare perfect for him.
Kevin (02:19):
So Jim works for us up at our Sacramento sixplex, but he's
also done work at our cabins upin the mountains, you know, in
the Tahoe area, as well as ourhome down here in the Bay Area.
Stacie (02:31):
Yeah.
And when we owned the Chicohouse, he spent quite a bit of
time up there remodeling thattoo.
Kevin (02:36):
Yeah.
I mean, he truly is a jack ofall trades.
He holds his contractor'slicense where he can basically,
in theory, build bridges orsomething like that.
But what we love is how he keepsup on the building codes.
When he does work at our places,he knows all the codes, so if we
were ever to sell the property,or God forbid something happens,
(02:59):
the work was done compliant tothe codes.
For the most part, we prettymuch just replace items.
So when we replace the singlepanel windows in Chico with all
double paned ones, it was windowfor window.
Now he found quite a bit of dryrot to contend with, but
honestly, the place was over ahundred years old, so it was to
(03:20):
be expected.
When he built a new deck at ourcabin last year, the old deck
was not supported correctly andthe gaps in the railings were
like, what about a foot wide, Ithink.
He ended up adding propersupports as per the code here in
California.
The railing spigots were fourinches or less to keep a child
(03:40):
from falling through.
And this deck was originallybuilt with the cabin itself the
year I was born, 1959.
So, needless to say, codes havebecome much stricter in those
last 66 years.
Stacie (03:53):
You, you think?
Kevin (03:54):
Wow.
It's been that long, huh?
But long story short, handymenare great for small jobs, but
when it comes to something thatcould be a safety issue for one
of your tenants, try to use alicensed general contractor to
complete the work.
Stacie (04:10):
Yeah.
Or at least licensed specialtyinstallers.
Like for windows and decks anddoors.
You know, electricians andplumbers, things like that.
You know,'cause we use thosetechs too.
Now, with all that said, we havelearned a lot from our
contractor Jim, over the lastdecade.
Not only actual building tips,but also tips on how to find a
(04:32):
general contractor and what toknow when signing a contract
with them.
You know, he gave us a lot ofgood tips when we were looking
for help back in Idaho.
He's also very knowledgeableabout tenant laws with regards
to entry notices andcommunication.
So those are some of the thingsthat we're gonna be discussing
today.
Kevin (04:51):
And I think we should start with tips on hiring
contractors.
Don't you think?
Stacie (04:56):
Uh, that sounds good to me.
Kevin (04:57):
Alright, let's go.
Now, you landlords might not beas lucky as Stacie and I with
regards to having a contractorpretty much at our disposal.
So when you have a large projectcoming up, like say you wanna
replace your older windows withmore efficient ones, or you may
wanna remodel a kitchen or abath, his first tip is to get
(05:18):
multiple estimates.
Don't settle on the first quoteyou receive.
Obtain estimates from at leastthree different contractors to
ensure you're getting a fairprice.
Now, how do you find thesecontractors?
As we often say, by joining arental property association in
your area, a lot of the timethey have contractors who are
(05:39):
members and do exactly the workyou are looking for to be
completed.
You could also ask otherlandlords in your area who they
use.
Real estate agents are greatreferences because they often
have contractors go in and dorepairs and updates to
properties, they're gettingready to list.
Online or Yelp is another place,but sometimes I get a little
(06:02):
weary.
I mean, reviews can be hit andmiss.
A perfectly good contractor canget a bad review if the person
they're working for is prettyfinicky.
Now, sometimes city buildingdepartments will have a list of
contractors they deal with mostoften, which is good because if
you need a permit, thecontractor already has a
(06:22):
relationship with the city andknows how to get permits
processed quickly.
State building licensedepartments should also have a
list, you can narrow down bycity.
Is the Better Business Bureau,is that still a thing anymore?
Stacie (06:37):
I believe it is, but I think the contractor has to be
registered with them.
At least that's the way it wasmany years ago when my late
husband and I own that lightingstore.
And it's more of a marketingthing.
I, I think it was kind of morelike a, a Yelp.
It just wasn't online back then.
Kevin (06:54):
Oh, okay.
And of course, you can alsodrive around your neighborhood
and look for work beingcompleted.
I mean, a lot of times they'llhave a signup with a phone
number.
Stacie (07:05):
I've also heard of people stalking the pro counter
at Home Depot as well.
You know, you can always go upand ask any contractor there for
their card and see if they cando the work that you need
completed.
I mean, we found Jim from ourpainter.
Our painter, who had done workfor my brother way back in the
day suggested Jim to do some dryrot work that we needed done
(07:25):
before he could paint oursixplex.
Kevin (07:28):
And the rest they say is history.
Stacie (07:31):
Exactly.
But my point is roofers,painters, window installers, et
cetera, often will know ageneral contractor who can do
bigger scopes of work for you.
You just need to start askingaround and before you know it,
you'll find a contractor to getbids from.
So regardless of where you heardof this general contractor from,
(07:52):
you do need to verify theircredentials and their insurance.
You know, Jim told us when wewere looking for someone back in
Idaho, that we needed to makesure that their license was up
to date and that they holdproper insurance.
And if you do move forward withthem, ask them to add you onto
their policy as an additionalinsured.
(08:13):
Now I wanna clarify somethingthat we likely were a bit
confusing on in previousepisodes.
When you're using a licensedcontractor who holds insurance
and they're going to be doing asizable job, which will put them
or their crew on your propertyfor days at a time or more, you
want to be added as anadditional insured.
(08:35):
This means that if they getinjured on your property or if
the work they perform causes anissue like a fire or a flood,
their insurance will cover theliability without you having to
involve your property insurance,as long as the damage is related
to the contractor's work.
Essentially, you're able tobenefit from their policy
because you're covered by it.
(08:57):
This is a very common practicewith contractors.
We are listed as additionalinsured on Jim's policy.
We are listed as an additionalinsured also on our painter's
policy.
And conversely, when we havediscussed renter's insurance in
other episodes, which everylandlord should require, we have
(09:18):
said that as owners, you shouldbe added as an interested party
or additional interest on yourtenant's renter insurance
policy.
And that's where you are onlygoing to be informed of the
policy status.
So if it cancels due tononpayment or they don't renew
it, but they continue on as atenant with you, after that
(09:38):
first year, you're gonna receivea notice of cancellation.
Or even when they do renew it,they're gonna receive a notice
that it's been renewed.
And this is all very importantto know and it saves you a lot
of time from having to track itdown.
Many tenants will say thatthey're gonna get a new policy
per the requirement, and thenthey let it lapse.
(09:58):
And if you're not an interestedparty, how are you gonna know if
that policy lapsed or not?
Now, I'll say quickly that whenit comes to rent's insurance,
landlords usually are not addedas additionally insured, like we
just explained with contractors.
Often it increases the tenant'spremium and it can also create a
(10:19):
conflict of interest with thattenant.
So landlords should have theirown liability insurance.
All right, so let me justclarify one more time.
So for contractors, you wannaask to be an additional insured
party so your property iscovered for any issues that
arise while they're working onyour property.
For renter's insurance, you arean additional interest or an
(10:42):
interested party fornotification purposes only.
Whew.
Kevin (10:48):
And all that, because we told you to check their
credentials and insurance,right?
Stacie (10:52):
Yeah, exactly.
Kevin (10:54):
Now still, while you're basically interviewing the
contractor to make sure they'rethe right fit, you'll wanna make
sure they will provide a writtencontract.
This contract should define thescope of work, the timeline of
the work to be performed, apayment schedule, which is very
important, and theresponsibilities of each party.
(11:15):
Responsibilities, meaning youmight have to move anything that
is in the way of the contractorgetting the work done.
It could mean your pets have tobe contained.
If the work involves a neighbor,they might require you to get
everything set with theneighbor's side of what's
getting done.
I mean, think of fencing or treework being performed on a
property line.
(11:36):
Make sure that there will be noliens that can be set on your
property by subcontractors thatthe GC uses.
The contractor for really largejobs can put a lien on your
property just in case they don'tget paid.
If the contractor uses thesubcontractor, which is common.
So think about when we remodeledour bathroom in the studio
(11:57):
apartment.
I mean, not a huge job, so nolien was set, but that's just an
example.
Jim did the demo and framedeverything back up.
Then he called a sub to come outand waterproof it by putting tar
all over the place.
When that was done, he hired atile guy to come in and install
and grout the tile.
Now those subs usually get paidby the contractor, not the
(12:20):
property owner.
If the contractor fails to paythem after you have already paid
the contractor for that service,you don't wanna have to deal
with a lien on your propertyfrom the sub.
I mean, it just creates anightmare.
Alright, moving on.
Once you have selected thecontractor, communication is the
key.
Just like we say with tenants,that you should keep records of
(12:43):
all communications, do the samewith contractors.
Document everything.
Any changes to the scope of workand payments to invoices need to
be noted.
Stacie (12:55):
Now I think we should touch on how to handle tenants
that are living in unit whilethe work is being done.
From a simplistic point, likesay you have someone working on
a leaky faucet, and then thetenant comes in and asks them to
also go and fix their brokenblinds, or a bedroom door that
doesn't close properly, you needto know how your contractor or
(13:17):
your handyman is supposed tohandle that.
If they're professional, theyshould know that they can only
repair the work that has beenreported, not do any add-ons by
the tenant at the last minute.
But it's always good to have aplan in place with anyone who
works on your rental for whenthis happens, because eventually
it will.
Jim always tells our tenants tocontact us in writing, usually
(13:39):
via text, so that we have arecord of what needed to be
done, and if we can also approveit while he's still there, he'll
handle it.
Of course, if it's somethingdire, like the front door lock
isn't working, or there's ashower head leak that's spraying
water everywhere when it's inuse, you know, he'll just call
himself and make sure that hecan move ahead with that repair.
(14:01):
But when the contractor is doinga larger job and there's a
tenant in place, how should youhandle that?
Say there was an undetectedwindow leak because there was a
table under the window and itgot missed during the
inspection.
Now your contractor has to go inand repair the leak and the
damaged drywall under thewindow.
You will have to communicatewith the tenant about access,
(14:24):
timing, noise, messiness, allthat stuff.
And it's much better that you dothis communication so that if
there were any issues, you canthen communicate it with the
contractor.
We have done this several times.
With the pest control companywhen we had issues with rodents
and termites, which is a littlebit more of an urgent issue.
(14:46):
But if there is work to becompleted that there's no huge
rush, try to work with thetenant to plan around their
vacation.
We did this with some updates weneeded to do for a tenant's
bathroom exhaust fan.
It required that the old fan beremoved and a new one installed,
but the removal of the old fanand the installation of this new
(15:08):
one meant that Jim had to cutdrywall and do taping and
mudding and texturing, and thenhe had to paint the whole
ceiling again.
He also added some recess lightsin there while he had that fan
out.
So this tenant was gone for theweek of 4th of July.
We had it planned with Jim for acouple months, so we had time to
(15:28):
get all of our ducks in a rowbefore that work began.
And a little side note here, ifyou've ever done drywall work,
no matter how hard you try tominimize that dust, it gets
everywhere.
And because of this, we paid ourhouse cleaner to come in and
clean his entire apartmentbefore the guy returned so that
(15:48):
he didn't come back to a mess.
So the tenant got an update tohis unit, did not need to be
inconvenienced, and came back toa unit that was cleaner than the
way he left it.
And this is all because wecommunicated clearly about
everything that was to go on.
The bottom line is when you haveto do work in a unit that's
occupied, please be considerateof their needs.
(16:12):
If they work from home, find atime when the work can be
performed and not disrupt them.
Give them plenty of notice incase they have to find another
place to work.
And in extreme situations wherethey can't stay when the work is
being completed.
Like when we had to tent thecomplex for termites, or the one
time we had to turn the wateroff for an entire day and night,
(16:34):
give them a reasonable creditback for them to stay elsewhere.
Maybe they'll choose to take acouple vacation days and head
out of town.
Maybe they'll go stay with afriend or maybe they'll go to a
hotel and be very happy to getback home.
A lot of coordination goes intomaking sure everyone is on the
same page and treated with therespect they deserve.
(16:55):
Stuff happens and most of thetime people are reasonable about
the inconvenience, but that onlygoes so far if you're demanding
about it.
Be kind.
Recognize that while yes, you'redoing something necessary, it is
a disruption to their livingexperience.
Kevin (17:14):
This is also so why when you have deferred maintenance,
and no judgment, we all havestuff that needs to be
completed.
This is why when a tenant exits,you want to capitalize on the
vacancy to get any bigger, messyprojects done, so you don't have
to inconvenience the tenant.
Alright, before we get into thetips we have learned from Jim
(17:34):
over the years, I want to take aminute to discuss regular
maintenance.
You've heard us say a bunch oftimes, and likely we sound like
a broken record, but you guyshave to do regular inspections.
And when we do our inspections,who is right there with us?
Stacie (17:52):
I know this one, Jim, the contractor.
Kevin (17:54):
Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.
When you say that, it soundslike a kid's show.
Jim the contractor.
Yeah, Bob the builder.
Right.
Yeah, so we hire him for a halfday to walk the units and check
for leaks and issues that heknows how to spot.
I mean, we're looking forevidence of pets or unauthorized
(18:14):
roommates and issues withcleanliness that might lead to
pest issues.
Jim is looking under sinks andbehind toilets.
He's checking windows and doorsand all the faucets.
Anyway, you can listen toepisode four to understand what
we do and why.
You can listen atyourlandlordresource.com episode
(18:37):
4, or go to the link in our shownotes.
That's episode four with thenumber 4.
But the more you get into ahabit of inspections, the more
your tenants will understand theimportance, and they'll come to
rely on it.
When the tenant is on board forrepairs and maintenance that
makes your life and the work ofyour contractors so much easier.
(19:00):
And with repairs andmaintenance, landlords, you will
need what?
All right, Stacie is looking atme like she has no idea.
Stacie (19:09):
I don't.
Kevin (19:10):
Okay.
Money.
Stacie (19:12):
Oh.
Kevin (19:13):
Remember that?
Stacie (19:14):
Money's always good.
Kevin (19:16):
When you have a team who does work for you, the worst
part for them is when you don'thave enough money to pay for the
work needed.
Then they have to do a jobsubpar to their level of work,
and you don't get as good aquality that you and your
tenants deserve.
And of course, we're talkingabout reserves here.
You should be putting away a setamount of rent each month to
(19:39):
hold funds for repairs,maintenance, and big items like
a new roof.
It's okay to shop around and getthe best price for a contractor,
but if you have a job you needcompleted and not enough money
to pay for it.
I mean, that creates a lot ofstress for you as well as your
contractor when they have torework the bid to fit your
(20:00):
budget.
If you'd like to learn moreabout what we have to see on
reserves, head over to episode28.
We break it all down for you,and you can find it at
yourlandlordresource.com/episode 28 or by going to the
link in our show notes.
But those reserves will reallycome in handy for unforeseen
(20:23):
repairs and also allow you tocomplete plan maintenance to
your rental property.
Improvements are great, but ifyou don't have enough money to
pay for them, then you will findyourself in a difficult
situation.
I mean, no improvements meansyour rental rates may suffer.
Why would someone rent your oldnineties looking unit when they
can get one way more updated for50 or even a hundred dollars
(20:46):
more a month?
Keep those reserves plentiful soyou can keep your rents at
market rate and be able toattract the best tenants.
Stacie (20:55):
Yeah, and I'm, I'm proud to say that we've done well with
that.
And we just did a big update toone of our units in Idaho and
where the rents actually havefallen a bit, we still would
have done those updates becausewhen we go to sell that property
at some point, we don't wannahave to discount it by a whole
lot because it's already prettyupdated and it won't have a lot
(21:17):
of upgrades that are needed.
But that's neither here northere.
I think we should talk about thetips that we have learned by
listening and following Jimaround all these years.
We've touched on each of theseat some point, and it's always a
good reminder.
And the first thing I wanna talkabout is garbage disposals.
If you have garbage disposals inyour rentals, remind tenants to
(21:39):
run those every night.
Ever since we have done this,the leakage and replacement of
garbage disposals has prettymuch diminished.
So in our unit binder and in anaddendum of our lease, we put
instructions for use.
When the tenants rinse theirdishes, even a few grains of
rice can sit in the bottom ofthat disposal and cause it to
(22:01):
rust out.
And that rust eventually turnsinto a hole, and before you know
it, there's a leak under yoursink.
Another thing about disposals isto only run it with cold water.
Why is that?
Because the motor of thedisposal gets hot.
And if you're running hot waterthrough that with the already
hot motor, you're gonna causethat motor to overheat and it's
(22:24):
gonna wear out faster.
The last thing that Jim did forus was teach us how to clear a
jammed disposal.
He got under there and he showedus exactly where to put the
little wrench that comes withthe disposal when you buy it,
and how to turn it, and wherealso to reset the unit.
We then created our own video tosend out to tenants when they
(22:46):
text with an issue and ninetimes outta 10, that video does
the trick.
And they are thrilled that theyget to fix something on their
own.
Kevin (22:54):
And they're also happy that we didn't have to come out
to their unit.
Stacie (22:58):
Yeah.
Well, I think we're just asthrilled about that.
Kevin (23:00):
Absolutely.
Stacie (23:02):
So with every new garbage disposal comes a small
wrench and you essentially crankthe motor manually if something
gets stuck in there that can'tbe removed by a hand from above.
Oh my God.
Please cut the power to the unitbefore putting your hand down
inside of it.
But anyway, this wrench is to beused outside the unit at the
(23:24):
base, under the sink.
We use InSinkErator, branddisposals.
I believe it's a Badger fivemodel, and they come with a
universal hex wrench.
And if they're tossed during theinstallation, you can certainly
buy'em online.
We'll link'em in the show notesalong with that video that we
made so that you can check'emout.
(23:44):
The bottom line is we werereplacing disposals left and
right.
And where, yeah, it's kind ofjob security for Jim, we were
paying around 350 bucks a popfor those replacements.
Now that we've implemented thesechanges in instructions, we have
not had to replace one in threeto four years.
Kevin (24:03):
You know, you just jinxed us, right?
Stacie (24:05):
Yeah, probably.
Everything else seems to begoing out, it's about time for
those disposals to go now too.
Kevin (24:11):
So when Jim replaces the disposal, he uses blue tape to
tape the wrench to the side ofthe kitchen cabinet so it
doesn't get tossed.
And we also keep one in our workbag and a couple in back stock
just in case.
But those tips that Stacie justmentioned about garbage
disposals has been a lifesaver.
We know a lot of landlords whostopped installing garbage
(24:33):
disposals because of the issues,and if they had just learned a
little about the maintenance andthen in turn told their tenants,
they would be able to offer themin their units.
And no garbage disposal meansbacked pipes, so take your pick
on which you'd rather deal with.
When we do inspections andturnovers, Jim always lays paper
(24:54):
towels, I mean specifically, youknow, those blue work towels, in
the cabinet and under each ofthe sinks and the disposal.
He then lets the water run for awhile while he walks the unit.
When he comes back, if there isa leak, he can see if the towel
is wet.
Sometimes it's hard to tell if asmall leak is happening, and
(25:14):
this helps him to be able toidentify it quickly.
As we are talking water lines,Jim replaces them every five
years.
The water lines to all sinks,and the water supply line to all
toilets.
Because the newer ones are madeof more plastic and they tend to
fail quicker.
Not usually five years, butanywhere from six to eight
(25:37):
years.
So we like to be on the frontend of those and change them out
every five years.
We have even had plumberscontact us through Your Landlord
Resource and thank us forletting you all know.
I mean, it's one of their mostcommon repairs.
Okay, what else?
Stacie (25:54):
Appliance is a big one.
Kevin (25:55):
Oh yeah, good one.
Alright, appliances.
Besides the fact that you shouldnot put expensive appliances
into your units, do not installones with a lot of bells and
whistles.
These little doodads tend to goout and when they do, the tenant
wants it back pronto.
And here's a case in point.
(26:16):
The refrigerators that werethere on the property when we
purchased it, had ice makers andwater dispensers.
I mean, tenants loved them.
But the compressor to run thewater to the fridge often broke
after a few years and cost about$350 to fix.
And this was way back, whatabout 2010?
(26:36):
So I know those prices have goneup.
Not to mention the leaks thatcan happen if the fridge is
moved and the waterline cracksor gets partially dislodged.
More is not always better whenit comes to appliances.
Now we do know a lot of plumberswho do not recommend pull down
faucets, and Jim is alsogenerally on board with this and
(26:57):
that's because the adjustablewater line that runs down
through the faucet arm oftencracks or springs a leak.
Stacie (27:04):
Yeah, that happens all the time.
And, and no matter what qualityfaucet that's been installed.
Kevin (27:09):
Right.
But you know what?
We still install'em.
And here's why.
We found a kitchen faucet onlinethat costs about 40 bucks.
It's on Amazon and we'll link itin the show notes for you.
But the bottom line is it looksreally nice, the tenants love
it.
So far, so good on thedurability.
(27:30):
Now, for that cost, we canactually replace the entire unit
in one fell swoop, rather thanpay Jim to go out and diagnose
the problem, order a new sprayassembly, and then go back and
repair it.
That cost is about the same asthe non pulldown faucet.
So for us in this situation,it's a better deal.
(27:51):
We always keep one on hand justin case.
And honestly we have beenreplacing the Delta and Price
Pfister faucets out with thisone.
Stacie (28:00):
Yeah, so far so good.
You know, again, I hope we'renot jinxing ourselves.
But I wanna circle back toappliances.
So one tip we were given by ourappliance repair person was to
always know the make and modelof all the appliances in your
rental unit.
When you call them with aproblem, the first thing they're
gonna ask you to tell them iswhat's the make of the unit?
(28:24):
And after describing theproblem, like say the dryer no
longer spins, or your waterheater or your heater is having
a problem.
If you know the model numberoften they can pick up the part
in advance and repair it rightthere on the spot.
This saves them time and youfrom having to make arrangements
for the repair on two separatedays and your tenants are gonna
(28:46):
really appreciate this.
Kevin (28:48):
Yeah.
That was helpful recently whenwe had to get that stackable
washer and dryer repaired.
Okay, a couple more small ones.
Electricians recommend that youlabel your breaker box by
number.
Stacie (29:01):
Yeah.
Well, electricians nowadayspretty much do that already.
Not so much in the, in the olddays.
So that's what they're saying ison the older units, you wanna go
back and do that.
Kevin (29:12):
Okay, so let's say the kitchen is breaker number one,
the bathroom is breaker numbertwo, and so on.
On the back of the platecovering your switches and plugs
use a Sharpie to write thatbreaker number.
That way when you have to go inand change out a light fixture
or replace a failing GFI plug,know which breaker to flip and
(29:33):
cut the power.
And if you're not doing thework, whomever is, will really
appreciate this.
Time is money.
So the more time it takes themto diagnose the issue, the more
you pay.
Stacie (29:46):
Yeah, and this is a similar tip to the one that our
painter gave us.
Now we're in a place where allof our units are painted the
same color, so we're good onthis.
But for those of you withdifferent colors on different
walls, or use a variety ofcolors throughout all your
different units, you can alsowrite the paint color on the
back of an electrical plate.
(30:08):
So when you hopefully go in totake those plates off when
you're painting, you can takethe color name and get more to
match.
Don't worry if you use KellyMoore.
All paint stores, at least sofar, Lowe's, Home Depot, Dunne
Edwards and Sherwin Williamshave the Kelly Moore paint
formulas to be able to matchthat paint, and we were shocked
(30:30):
that it was a perfect match.
Kevin (30:32):
Yep.
I mean, shocked and relieved Ididn't have to fully repaint
every unit over again if itdidn't match.
Now I want to throw in a couplesimple money saving tips jim has
turned us on to.
If you have hardwood or LVPflooring and they get a scuff or
a gouge that shows, you know,like a white or black mark and
(30:54):
you can't, for the life of youget that mark out, there is a
product called Fill Stick andit's made by Mohawk Flooring.
Essentially it's like a crayonthat comes in a variety of
colors for your floors.
Stacie (31:08):
Yeah, you guys, real quick story on that one.
So we have a couple of studioapartments and one tenant had
asked permission to have hisweightlifting kit in the unit
and had a rubber mat under it,and we didn't think it was any
problem.
However, when he moved out,there were a couple of long
white, I guess you'd say, scuffson the LVP flooring.
(31:30):
We have no idea if it was theweightlifting stuff or something
else, but it was right in themiddle of the room.
Very easy to be seen andnoticed.
So when Jim was in there doingsome deferred maintenance, after
the guy had moved out, he asked,do you want me to fix the scuffs
on the floor?
And Kevin and I were a littleconfused and we were looking at
(31:50):
him like, you mean take thedamaged plank out and replace it
with another piece?
And he goes, no, for like fiveor seven bucks, I can buy a fill
stick and see if I can make itless noticeable that way.
You guys, the results wereamazing.
He sent us before and afterphotos, and I'm telling you, you
really had to look hard to seewhere that scuff was.
(32:11):
He said you can use it onbaseboards and trim as well.
But we haven't needed to do thatyet.
It also can be used on furnituretoo.
Kevin (32:20):
Yeah, that was really nice.
Uh, do we have a way thatlisteners can see that?
Stacie (32:24):
Yeah, so I'll put it in the newsletter for this week.
And then I'll make thatnewsletter public and link it in
the show notes along with thelink to the Mohawk fill stick so
that people can check'em out.
Kevin (32:36):
Okay, perfect.
Okay, the next maintenance tipJim turned us on to was Kwikset
rekey sets.
Now, I'm a little embarrassed toadmit this, but for many years
we hired a mobile locksmith tocome out and rekey the units
when people moved out, and thatwas to the tune of$75 plus the
(32:57):
cost of any additional keys wehad made.
So one day we're going over themaintenance that we had to get
completed for the turnover of aunit.
And Jim says, you want me tochange the locks too?
I mean, I must have looked alittle confused and I asked if
he knew how to do that.
I'll say he got a good laugh outof that.
(33:18):
He told us that our locks areKwikset brand, and that brand
has a rekey system that anyonecan do, that it's super cheap
and easy.
It would take him less thanthree minutes to re-key it.
And you guys, this was beforeAmazon became so popular, so you
still had to go out to ahardware store to get what you
needed.
So he said he would pick up acouple kits for us the next time
(33:40):
he was at the Home Depot.
And the long and short of it isif you have a Kwikset easy key
system, you can rekey your locksyourself for under$10.
Stacie (33:52):
And you'll know if you have this rekey system if on the
front of your doorknob next tothe keyhole, there is a tiny,
small, rectangular hole.
Uh, this is where a Kwiksetspecial tool gets inserted and
allows you the option to changeyour locks.
So we'll link the product andI'm gonna link a video in the
(34:13):
show notes so that you can seehow easy it is to do this.
Kevin (34:17):
Yeah, and we just turned kid number two onto this for his
new rental in Idaho.
He didn't have Kwikset locks butdecided to install them for the
front door and the back garagedoor, keying the two doors the
same to keep it easy for histenants.
Okay, what else?
Stacie (34:34):
Well, this one wasn't necessarily recommended by Jim,
but by the local Miracle Methodguy.
We had a chipped porcelain sinkin one of our kitchens, and we
were not in a place where wewanted to replace it yet.
And when I called Miracle Methodto see if they could come out
and repair it, because that'swhat they do, I was floored when
(34:55):
the guy told me that it wasgonna cost$750 for a kitchen
sink repair.
Kevin (35:02):
I mean, isn't that what we paid for the Idaho Miracle
Method to come out and fix ahole and recoat the entire
fiberglass shower insert?
Stacie (35:10):
Yep.
And that that we did justhappened in December.
This sink repair in Sacramentowas like five years ago.
So I mean that's like highwayrobbery.
I mean, God.
But no, the guy was really niceand he recommended a product
called Porc-A-Fix.
It's a repair kit for porcelainsinks that comes in a variety of
(35:31):
colors.
And this sink was a Kohler brandand it was white.
So I went on my trusty Amazonsite and ordered the color I
thought was the closest.
You guys, the process takes acouple days because you have to
apply the product, let it drycompletely over 24 hours, and
then sand it down.
And if you missed any spots ordidn't put enough on, then you
(35:53):
have to go and do it again.
There's a definite learningcurve.
But for less than$20 and someelbow grease I was able to
repair that sink and you'd neverknow that there was a ding that
was exposed all the way down tothe cast iron base.
You know, we have people whoding our sinks and tubs all the
time, and before we call MiracleMethod now, or a re glazing
(36:16):
company, we always see if we canuse Porc-A-Fix to repair it
first.
I actually made a video of theprocess while I was doing it so
you guys could check it out andI'll link that and the products
in the show notes for you.
Kevin (36:30):
Now, just to clarify, that is to fix porcelain sinks
and tubs, correct?
You can't use that onfiberglass?
Stacie (36:37):
Correct.
Porc-A-Fix is for porcelainrepairs.
There are fiberglass repairkits, but if I remember
correctly, those were superinvolved and beyond our level of
expertise.
Kevin (36:51):
Oh yeah.
I mean, we did look into those.
Not only expertise, but we had atight timeline in Idaho, so
that's why we hired MiracleMethod to go out there.
And hey, they did a great job.
I mean, we were very happy withthe way the insert looked
afterwards.
No idea how well it will hold upwith this next tenant, but it
saved us a bundle from nothaving to replace that shower
(37:13):
insert that had holes thatwould've created a nasty mold
and dry rod issue over time ifwe had left it.
Alright, one last tip, and thisis if you're remodeling a
bathroom.
If you can, remove the drywallwhere the toilet paper holder
will go and put a wood supportbetween the studs.
(37:34):
I mean, this was a big help atkeeping those holders from
coming loose from the wall.
I mean, I don't know why tenantsseem to think they can use
toilet paper holders as a way tohelp them stand up after using
the toilet, but man, oh man.
If our toilet paper holders arenot screwed into the wall with
wood backing, they always comeloose.
(37:55):
I mean, even with the bestanchors.
We got to the point of justbuying free standing toilet
paper holders and not puttingthem on the wall anymore.
Jim has done these wood supportsbetween the studs in two of our
bath remodels, and what a hugedifference that makes.
I believe we did a social mediapost on it.
(38:15):
We will try to link that in theshow notes so you can see how we
did it.
Stacie (38:20):
Okie dokie, you guys, that is our show for today.
I hope you've enjoyed these tipsfrom the perspective of our
contractor.
These are all things that wehave learned over the years from
working with Jim.
And I'm sure there's a lot moregreat tips, and as we learn
them, we will be sure to sharethem with you.
If you enjoy this episode, wouldyou do us a favor and leave us a
(38:41):
kind review of the podcast sothat other landlords will find
us too?
If you wanna hear more, followor subscribe to the podcast so
each week, the episodes aredownloaded right to your
favorite podcast platform.
And we'd love to stay in contactwith you.
If you have a question or youwanna suggest a subject for a
podcast, you can text us at 6 50 4 8 9 4 4 4 7 or email us at
(39:09):
stacie@yourlandlordresource.com.
That's Stacie with an IE orkevin@yourlandlordresource.com.
All those links will be in theshow notes as well.
Also in the show notes, you canfind links to all the downloads
that we offer and how to sign upfor our free newsletter.
There's also links to ourprivate Facebook group that's
(39:30):
just for landlords and oursocial media accounts.
That's about it.
Thanks again for tuning in, anduntil next time, you've got this
landlords.
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