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235

I may have just survived the worst weekend of my life. If you laugh, you owe me advice.

Hubby and I bought our first home on thursday evening. During the walk thru we noticed chinaman soynigger left all his furniture, clothing, FOOD, even his daughters tennis trophies. On Friday I got garbage bags and got to work cleaning.

I found evidence of rats, multiple species of roaches and countless bottles filled with strange black fermenting liquids. The smell was so bad I voluntarily wore an n95 mask, latex dish gloves, and wrapped my head in a scarf to make sure nothing fell in my hair. Hubby couldn't stop puking, so the dirty work was up to me. Not an easy task considering the scattering roaches, strange dried mushrooms, and bizarre rotting fish smell that I still haven't located.

I left the house to get groceries and noticed there was water streaming out the side of my house. Are you ready for this?

Soynigger didn't purge water from the outside spigots,they froze and defrosted. Water was traveling between the wall, thru insulation and escaping through a brick expansion slot. I couldn't locate the interior valve for the spigot, because it was hidden behind drywall. I knocked the drywall out with a screwdriver, tightened the valve and nothing. didn't work. My basement is filling up with water, my back yard is a skating rink. At this point my new neighbor has come over to complain, and I decide to call an old church friend who is a plumber. He walks me through the next few steps over the phone.

I find the water main, it's rusted open. I find a pipe and try to lever it, no luck! I call hubby, as he turns the handle I can see the metal stem twisting.

I call plumbers, nobody is available. They tell me to call my water company, I still don't know who it is. I decide to ask the neighbors, who give me the number...which leads to a voicemail box. I call the fire department.

Four white men show up, access the situation and tell me that my plumbing is all kinds of messed up. The previous owner bypassed the water meter for the second floor (tennants upstairs). These not at all toxic men spend ten mins in my basement and find a way to get it shut off. They remember to turn off the water heaters and heat. Advise me to get my tennants out of the house tonight, and give me the name of a local plumber they all trust. Hubby was out buying a wet/dry vac, even told me which one he should buy.

I get to meet my tennants for the first time. They're all illegal pageets, one of whom is unemployed. They were so happy I put them in a hotel room that they started sending me evidence of the rat and mouse infestation that the previous owner refused to remedy. After I forward their messages to my agent, she calls me immediately. "Sometimesage, go check the electricals in the kitchen and living rooms". What do you know, everything on the rat infested wall is not working. The previous owner ran a series of extension chords behind the cabinets, under the carpet and into another room to get the refrigerator to work.

I have a plumber coming tomorrow to fix the hose pipe.

Seller did not disclose infestation caused electrical damage, rat infestation, roach infestation, or plumbing problems. My home inspector also did not find any of this. The FHA inspector did not find this, this was never discovered in the C.O. My agent sent me a snip of the contract where he claims that the units are totally separately metered. To add insult to injury, the tennants security deposit and rent payments have not actually showed up at my doorstep yet.

I am thankful for the fire department, they came and accomplished more in a few mins than I could accomplish in hours. It was the only reprieve I have.

Please wise poalers, what do you think I should happen next?

I have to move into this house in a month. I'm worried and open to suggestions.

I may have just survived the worst weekend of my life. If you laugh, you owe me advice. Hubby and I bought our first home on thursday evening. During the walk thru we noticed chinaman soynigger left all his furniture, clothing, FOOD, even his daughters tennis trophies. On Friday I got garbage bags and got to work cleaning. I found evidence of rats, multiple species of roaches and countless bottles filled with strange black fermenting liquids. The smell was so bad I voluntarily wore an n95 mask, latex dish gloves, and wrapped my head in a scarf to make sure nothing fell in my hair. Hubby couldn't stop puking, so the dirty work was up to me. Not an easy task considering the scattering roaches, strange dried mushrooms, and bizarre rotting fish smell that I still haven't located. I left the house to get groceries and noticed there was water streaming out the side of my house. Are you ready for this? Soynigger didn't purge water from the outside spigots,they froze and defrosted. Water was traveling between the wall, thru insulation and escaping through a brick expansion slot. I couldn't locate the interior valve for the spigot, because it was hidden behind drywall. I knocked the drywall out with a screwdriver, tightened the valve and nothing. didn't work. My basement is filling up with water, my back yard is a skating rink. At this point my new neighbor has come over to complain, and I decide to call an old church friend who is a plumber. He walks me through the next few steps over the phone. I find the water main, it's rusted open. I find a pipe and try to lever it, no luck! I call hubby, as he turns the handle I can see the metal stem twisting. I call plumbers, nobody is available. They tell me to call my water company, I still don't know who it is. I decide to ask the neighbors, who give me the number...which leads to a voicemail box. I call the fire department. Four white men show up, access the situation and tell me that my plumbing is all kinds of messed up. The previous owner bypassed the water meter for the second floor (tennants upstairs). These not at all toxic men spend ten mins in my basement and find a way to get it shut off. They remember to turn off the water heaters and heat. Advise me to get my tennants out of the house tonight, and give me the name of a local plumber they all trust. Hubby was out buying a wet/dry vac, even told me which one he should buy. I get to meet my tennants for the first time. They're all illegal pageets, one of whom is unemployed. They were so happy I put them in a hotel room that they started sending me evidence of the rat and mouse infestation that the previous owner refused to remedy. After I forward their messages to my agent, she calls me immediately. "Sometimesage, go check the electricals in the kitchen and living rooms". What do you know, everything on the rat infested wall is not working. The previous owner ran a series of extension chords behind the cabinets, under the carpet and into another room to get the refrigerator to work. I have a plumber coming tomorrow to fix the hose pipe. Seller did not disclose infestation caused electrical damage, rat infestation, roach infestation, or plumbing problems. My home inspector also did not find any of this. The FHA inspector did not find this, this was never discovered in the C.O. My agent sent me a snip of the contract where he claims that the units are totally separately metered. To add insult to injury, the tennants security deposit and rent payments have not actually showed up at my doorstep yet. I am thankful for the fire department, they came and accomplished more in a few mins than I could accomplish in hours. It was the only reprieve I have. Please wise poalers, what do you think I should happen next? I have to move into this house in a month. I'm worried and open to suggestions.

(post is archived)

[–] 7 pts

You're a slum landlord now. You will learn some things you never suspected before. You will also learn why those who criticize landlords for being greedy bastards are morons without life experience. My advice, repair what you must and no more. Find out which of your tenants will pay the rent, and start getting rid of the others (which can be a nightmare, by the way). To own the kind of building you bought, you must possess a very thick skin. Otherwise, your tenants will eat you alive.

[–] 0 pt

Find out which of your tenants will pay the rent, and start getting rid of the others (which can be a nightmare, by the way).

If you need to get rid of them all, have the place develop even worse problems so they just leave on their own. It's already half way there.

[–] 0 pt

Excellent advice.

I made a priority list and am going to start from the top down. If the Tennants don't like me ignoring small problems they can leave.

[–] [deleted] 2 pts

I'm a previous landlord.... I recommend clearing out your second story tenants asap. Make that a priority. After it's empty, you and hubby buckle down with YT DIY vids and make any repairs you guys can, then bring in pros to make the ones you can't. Bring your rental unit into compliance to start financing this investment. Clean up your living space the best you can. Seal off unfinished rooms, and 'camp' if you have to while you focus on the upstairs... you've made an investment decision and now it's time to find out if you have what this takes... RIDE OR DIE, BABY.......

you can pm me for anything specific. I've got decades as a many unit landlord.

[–] 0 pt

Awesome thanks for your advice!

The plan is to get tennants out asap, finance the reno (high standard per comps) and get it rented for $500 less than the newest properties in town.

[–] 2 pts

I hate to be a bearer of even more bad news, but if they are illegal unemployed Pageets, you now have squatters that you will be paying a hotel bill for until they can move back in and continue to not pay rent. I feel sorry for you because this purchase decision was a financial disaster. If you did not purchase this home with an LLC or S-Corp in place you are most certainly heading for personal bankruptcy. Have your lawyer immediately sue the Home Inspectors Errors and Omissions policy.

[–] 0 pt

Don't feel bad for me, they've actually been paying!

They sent the receipts for every payment they've made, including the security deposit.

Its not ideal, but they're paying. As long as the money is paid I have bigger issues to deal with.

[–] 1 pt

This assumes no framing issues are found during the process below.

Priorities:

  1. Lawyer

  2. Evict

  3. Prepare your Anus

  4. Get a dumpster and strip the upstairs unit of cabinets, carpet, drywall, insulation, and toilets. You may need to remove and throw away the interior doors. Possibly resilient flooring (linoleum)/tile depending on filth/damage level. This is necessary to remove the rat's nests/feces, to bait the insides of the wall cavities for roaches, to make repairs to the electrical and plumbing, to inspect for dry rot, and remove any contamination that is in the drywall/insulation. Failure to do this will leave you with reoccurring stank that fresh paint will never get rid of.

  5. Get a pump sprayer that can handle bleach. SPRAY ALL OF THE EXPOSED FRAMING with 50/50 bleach solution. Then do it again. Mind the ventilation.

  6. Everything below this point may (probably should) take a professional.

  7. Plumbing repairs. This includes the main line in from the street, with a new shutoff. Brazed copper is best, but more expensive then PEX, which is cheaper but sucks for reasons. A compramise may be PVC for cold and CPVC for hot. Check your local building codes if you try to do this yourself.

  8. Electrical repairs. May require new wiring if a branch circuit is fried inside the wall. Also allows for code updates/more plugs in the kitchen/bathroom(s). Might as well pull any sub-panel if it does not take modern breakers. The old style of breaker costs nearly 100/each and suck.

  9. Insulate the walls. Use the white fiberglass, it has no formaldehyde and is less itchy. Check youtube for instructions and WEAR A RESPIRATOR if you do this yourself.

  10. Drywall, taping and textureing. Again check youtube. It's heavy, dirty, and awkward, especially overhead.

  11. Insulate the attic. If you do this yourselves, don't step through the fresh drywall.

  12. Paint. Can be reversed with 13.

  13. Trim, cabinets, and interior doors if you chose to toss them.

  14. Top out the plumbing and electrical

  15. Second round of painting for the trim/doors.

  16. Floor finishes. Probably should be done by a professional.

  17. Get drunk and christen the repaired unit by shagging on the new kitchen cabinets.

  18. Rent out to employed people with decent credit.

  19. Start over downstairs.

OR: Burn it down and pay to get a new building built with the money from your lawsuit.

[–] 0 pt

Got a quote this afternoon to gut the house, minus the bathroom and windows.

After its gutted the exterminator will start. Then the electrician Then we move in.

Hubby will make me plywood cabinets and shelves to get us through until the infestation is under control.

[–] 0 pt

Contractor told us we have all metal framing, including the main floor supports.

No attic, interior doors also need to be replaced

I'm hoping the wood floors are salvageable, my neighbors floors look nice.