ADA regulations require that a business owner have a certain number of handicapped parking spots. According to Adaptive Access, this number depends on how many parking spots a location offers. For small businesses with only 25 parking stalls, only one accessible parking space is necessary. As the number of parking stalls increases, though, so does the number of required accessible parking spots. At the maximum, for locations with more than 1,000 regular parking spaces, handicapped parking spaces must account for 20 spots, plus one for every extra hundred spots.

When deciding on the location of a handicap-accessible parking spot, there are a few rules that a business owner needs to observe. The accessible parking spots must be the closest parking spot to the store. At some businesses, the closest parking spot may not be suitable for an accessible parking spot. For example, the closest spot may be located on an extreme slope, or the ground may have large cracks in it. If this is the case, than the accessible spot needs to be as close as safely possible to the business’ entrance.

The pathway from the handicapped parking space to the store must also be accessible to customers with disabilities. A handicap-accessible parking spot cannot be located on the top floor of a garage unless there is a ramp or elevator that leads to the store entrance. An accessible spot may also not be positioned in a spot where there is an extreme slope. If the path to the store crosses in front of any vehicular traffic, than the area must feature a clearly marked pedestrian-crossing zone.

Each handicap-accessible parking spot must be at least eight feet wide. Handicap-accessible parking spots must have two five-foot wide pedestrian loading zones, into which a wheel chair or electric scooter can easily fit. Two adjacent handicapped parking spaces can share one loading zone. According to the Florida Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the parking spot must be outlined in blue, and needs to be repainted as necessary so that it is always clearly defined. Loading zones must be painted with diagonal stripes to denote that they are not parking spots.

The international handicap symbol should be painted on the pavement furthest from the curb so it is easily visible as a car approaches the stall. You can use the 39 inch (1 meter) international handicap parking stencil which is made to Federal ADA specifications. However, you should verify size requirements with your local zoning office as state specifications can vary and change without notification. For example, California requires the 36 inch handicap parking stencil and Florida requires the 60 inch handicap pavement stencil.

Handicap parking stencils are available in a range of sizes. A 21 inch is typically used in stadium row seating and the 72 inch is typically used at airports and large facilities.

ADA regulations say a handicapped parking spot must always have a handicapped parking sign placed in the front of the spot as well. A handicapped parking sign needs to be posted at a height so that it will always be viewable and mounted high enough for other cars to see – generally speaking, the parking sign needs to be posted five feet off the ground. The parking sign must also show the international symbol of accessibility. Once inside, you should include handicap bathroom signs.

For every eight handicapped parking spots, at least one spot needs to be accessible to vans. The van-accessible handicapped spot must still be eight feet wide, but the loading zones must be eight feet wide instead of five feet. The parking sign also needs to clearly designate that the spot is for vans, though regular vehicles with a permit may park there.

Designing a parking lot with handicapped accessibility in mind is key. Not only will it prevent a business owner from being fined, but it will also go a long way to pleasing any handicapped customers a business may have.

Daniel Keane has been owner of Alphabet Signs located in Wilmington DE since 1991. Daniel graduated Drexel University College of Business Administration in 1983. Membership includes International Sign Association and United States Signs Council. Alphabet Signs has over 3000 quality products in 50+ sign categories at discounted prices: http://www.alphabetsigns.com/

Author: Daniel Keane
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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In most states, counties, cities and towns across the U.S. pest control is the responsibility of the landlord, period, end of discussion; Even if the tenant is responsible for originally bringing the pest onto the premises or creating the conditions conducive to pest infestation. The tenant is viewed, by many, whether rightly or wrongly, as the innocent, little guy who is dominated by the big, evil, money-hungry landlord. Property managers should keep in mind that this isn’t going to change any time soon. A growing number of government agencies are putting tenant-protection regulations in place which mandate scheduled, inspections of properties, by government agents. Those agents are looking for violations of rental property statutes where the health and safety of tenants are concerned. In these times of shrinking tax receipts and revenues, they’re sure to be interested in enhancing their agencies’ cash flow by levying any and all fines that they can, within the law. In some parts of the country an uncontrolled pest infestation can cost hundreds of dollars per violation, per day! One source recently told me that in some parts of California such fines can cost a landlord in excess of $1,000.00 per day, per infested unit. In one case a management company was threatened with fines of $1500.00 per day!

But fines are not the only concern when it comes to pests. Creatures such as rodents, cockroaches, bats and feral birds carry and transmit dozens of diseases that can infect humans. If a tenant is infected by exposure to uncontrolled pests a property owner may be sued for large sums of money. In our ever-increasingly litigious society there plenty of plaintiff’s attorneys waiting to take cases and go for large settlements or awards, “on behalf of,” any clients who desire generous compensation.

The last leg of this three-legged stool and possibly the one with the biggest impact over time, is reputation, which affects the marketability of rental units. Once a property, management company or property owner gets a bad reputation because of serious vermin (and other pest) problems, rehabilitation of that image will be difficult, to put it mildly. The resulting rise in vacancy rates can be devastating to the bottom line. I personally know of more than one case where entire buildings had to be vacated and treated from top to bottom to eliminate cockroaches and other pests. Following that, the properties had to be renamed and remarketed to rehabilitate them into profitable ventures.

To summarize: Cutting costs by cutting pest control services can have a serious and expensive impact, beyond the original investment in these vital services. It seems to me that the much wiser approach is to continue retaining the services of a pest professional; A decision that will help guard against expensive, future losses.

http://www.pestcontrolcenter.com

Author: Harry Case
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The eviction process (called “unlawful detainer” in California), however, can work smoothly, quickly, and stress free if it’s done right. The eviction process can result in the tenant being lawfully removed from the premises in a month or so if the case goes by way of default or in about six to seven weeks if the case is contested through trial. That may seem like a long time when a landlord’s property is not generating any rent. However, when one considers that an ordinary, non-eviction lawsuit in California can take sixteen months or more to litigate, unlawful detainer cases, by comparison, move at light speed.

In an effort to de-mystify the unlawful detainer process, the following is a brief procedural overview of the California eviction case:

- Serving Notice: Every unlawful detainer case begins with a notice. The most common notice is the 3-day notice to pay rent or quit which the landlord serves when the tenant fails to pay rent by the time specified in the lease. A 3-day notice to pay rent must be done correctly. If the notice is defective in content, the court could dismiss the landlord’s case and make the landlord start over.

Other common notices are the 30-day or 60-day notice to quit which are served when the landlord elects to terminate a month-to-month lease. A 30-day notice is used when the tenant has resided at the property for less than one year. A 60-day notice is used when the tenant has lived in the property for one year or more. One caveat, if you have a tenant who has lived at your property for years, consult with an attorney before terminating the tenant’s month-to-month lease. If you live in a jurisdiction with rent control or eviction control ordinances, special rules may apply.

A 3-day, 60-day, or 90-day notice may be required to initiate an eviction case against a tenant who remains after foreclosure. A 3-day notice is also required when the landlord seeks to evict a tenant who is not complying with other terms of the lease besides the payment of rent such as having unauthorized pets or having more people residing at the premises than the lease allows.

- Filing the Lawsuit: When the period of time set forth in the notice expires-whether it’s 3, 30, 60, or 90-day notice-and the tenant remains, the landlord may file the eviction case. Once you file the lawsuit, it has to be served on the tenants in a manner authorized by law. After the tenant is served, he has 5 days to file an answer to the unlawful detainer complaint. If the tenant timely files an Answer, the landlord should immediately request that the case be set for trial. If the tenant fails to file an Answer, then the landlord should immediately request entry of the tenant’s default.

- Trial: If the tenant timely files an answer and remains on the premises, then a trial will be necessary. By law, the trial must occur within 20 days of the landlord’s request. Should the landlord prevail, the court will give him judgment for possession of the premises plus all past due rent through the date of trial, costs, and attorney’s fees if authorized by the lease agreement. Once the court gives judgment to the landlord, the process is not over. The landlord must present judgment and enforcement papers to the court and Sheriff so that an lock-out can occur.

- Issuance and Service of Writ of Possession; Lock-Out: Whether by default judgment or judgment after trial, enforcement of the judgment begins with the landlord obtaining a writ of possession from the court clerk. The writ is then given to the Sheriff who enforces it. If the tenant does not move out, the Sheriff will remove the tenant and give possession to the landlord who may then enter, change the locks, and re-rent the property. After lock-out, the tenant has no rights relating to the premises and is a trespasser.

- Money Judgment: The landlord’s remedy in an unlawful detainer action includes a money judgment against the tenant for all rent, costs, and attorney’s fees if authorized by a written lease. This money judgment can be collected just like any other judgment. Often times, the judgment is uncollectible in the near term but may be collectible later on. In other cases, collection efforts may prove beneficial right away if the tenant has assets or is working.

If the landlord knows where the tenant banks, a bank account levy may be worth a try. If the landlord knows where the tenant works, a wage garnishment should be served. Liens can also be filed and recorded which can give the landlord rights ahead of other creditors and coerce payment by hindering a tenant’s ability to get credit or loans. An experienced attorney can select the best collection methods.

Howard F. Burns, Esq. is a lawyer in San Diego, California specializing in real estate litigation and landlord representation in evictions. Mr. Burns has been a lawyer in San Diego for over 20 years during which time he has successfullly represented landlords in hundreds of eviction cases. If you have further questions, you may contact Mr. Burns at (619) 243-1757 or visit his website at http://www.lawofficeofhowardfburns.com

Author: Howard F Burns
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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While you are away most neighbors are not going to check all your plumbing to make sure nothing is leaking. Your neighbor is probably not going to check for pest invasion, leaking roofs, security light outages, double check all the doors and windows to make sure everything is locked and not tampered with, if you are gone for a few months I doubt that they will check your refrigerator for expired food. If you have ever come home to a stinky refrigerator I am sure you will appreciate this.

Not just anybody can go through a house and check these items. It takes training and a special eye and ear to catch potential problems. Did you know with plumbing leaks in ceilings and walls can, for the most part, be detected with a Doctors stethoscope. Most people do not take the time or even think about listening to their house for leaks. The bigger leaks you can hear at night when you are laying in your bed and your home is quite. If you stay still and listen you will hear which of your toilets have a bad flapper and also if you have any water running. Water leaks don’t get better by themselves. The sooner you can find them and fix them, the cheaper the bill.

A good house sitting service can save the home owner a lot of money on problems that the home owner was not even aware that he had.

My friend Pete and his wife Kris bought a ten year old house in Calimesa California. They thought that their new home was great. After living in their home for about two years, they notice a water stain on the drywall next to the floor. They called the plumbers to come out and fix the problem. The plumbers traced the leak in their wall to about twenty feet from where the original leak was detected. The plumbers told Pete and his wife that the whole wall was saturated with water and needed to be replaced. The plumbing bill came to about twelve thousand dollars.

Pete and Kris turned the bill over to their house insurance company. The house insurance company refused to pay the plumbing bill claiming, the leak was a “pre-existing condition”.

The point I am making is that the common person who isn’t trained to catch these problems, probably won’t catch them until the problems become major problems. A good house sitting service can save you money!

Timothy Fay, Owner

I started Crestline Home Watchers with you the customer in mind. We can customize a check list of duties that will meet your specific needs. Whether it is having your home well maintained, or having champagne on ice waiting for you. We are behind the scenes to make your life more comfortable.

If you have a vacation home in the Lake Arrowhead-Crestline area and need more info log on to http://crestlinehomewatchers.com

Author: Tim Fay
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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There are several good reasons why every owner of a vacation home needs a good house sitting service.
One of the biggest villains to vacation homes is water. Nothing destroys a house faster and causes more damage than water.

Several years ago the house I own in Crestline had a water pipe burst in between the first and second story. By the time I realized that it was leaking it had already made a whole in my ceiling above my bed about the size of a basketball. Fortunately I was able to fix the ceiling myself however the plumber charged me about three hundred dollars to fix the leak located in between the floor and the ceiling.

A month later I had the dishwasher hose burst. The water leak also put a whole in my ceiling in my bedroom. Just about the time I got that fixed we had another pipe burst at another joint just down from the first leak. That left me with three holes in my bedroom ceiling. I was getting tired of fixing busted pipes with no end in sight. When I bought the house a few years earlier I was told that the original owner replaced all the original plumbing with copper pipes so why all the leaks?

I was asking my plumber the same question when he decided to check the water pressure. He told me that the water pressure for a home should be between 65 and 80 pounds per square inch (PSI). He put the meter up to my water outlet and my water pressure measured 120 PSI. My plumber installed a water pressure regulator and set the PSI to 75. I haven’t had any trouble with busted pipes and it’s been about eight years since I have had any leaks.

The reason I told you that story is because water leaks are a very common problem from pipes bursting, especially in mountain communities, to water heaters leaking. If you don’t have a reliable service performing regular check ups you are asking for trouble. This is just one area where a house sitting service pays for itself many times over.

The problems I encountered at my Crestline home was costly and inconvenient but as I look back and realize just how bad it could have been if we hadn’t been home for a few weeks. The costs would have been a hundred times worse. Whether you are just leaving your home for a week or for a year, you really need to consider all the benefits that a house sitting service has to offer.

If you have a home in the Lake Arrowhead-Crestline area and would like to talk to us about setting up a “customized house sitting service” please follow this link. http://www.crestlinehomewatchers.com

Timothy Fay, Owner

As a resident of Crestline for over 11 years I have definitely seen the need for a home watch company that caters to the specific needs of its customers.

I bought and fixed up my first home in 1985 and have bought and fixed up 3 more since then. I also have been a landlord for over eleven years. I worked as a finish carpenter for over 3 years and worked as a framer for over 10 years. I also worked in customer service as a trucking dispatcher for over 17 years.

I started Crestline Home Watchers with you the customer in mind. We can customize a check list of duties that will meet your specific needs. Whether it is having your home well maintained, or having champagne on ice waiting for you. Crestline Home Watchers is behind the scenes to make your life more comfortable.

Author: Tim Fay
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Housing is an emotional purchase and any marketer will tell you people make decisions based on emotion. First and foremost you need to make your property as inviting as possible. It goes without saying that you need to make the outside look as good as possible, but take a look inside. Any real estate expert will tell you that a staged home is easier to sell than an empty one, the reason is it is easier for the prospective buyer, or in the case of income property tenants, to see themselves in the home if it has some kind of furniture in it. Staging companies are great resources and might even offer their services for a percentage of the lease. Property Managers or owners of a number of units may find it more profitable to buy a room or two worth of furniture and then store it for when you need it. The cost of furniture and rental space is probably less than the income you would lose if your vacancy extends into more than a couple months.

You can have the home decorated the nicest and have the best sign out front but if people are not driving by they are useless. Open up a classified add and you will see an overwhelming number of ads all saying the same thing ”Charming space with so many beds and so many baths in such and such neighborhood”, what does that tell you. If you own properties and do not have a website what are you waiting for. URL registration can easily be found for under twelve dollars a year, some sites even offer basic hosting with the URL or at the vary least hosting plans are very affordable. If you are not savvy in the ways of HTML there are companies that can build a website for you. Instead of just putting the standard verbiage you can now direct potential tenants to your website where they can view pictures, get community information and download application materials. This also gets the potential prospect imagining themselves in the home before they even view it. How cool is it if you show the place, getting an application right then and there.

Real Estate agents who are looking to sell a house often will hold an open house, a time for people to walk in and view the house. Yet this tactic is not as popular in the rental house, and is a missed opportunity to save time and to get your property rented. Set aside a Saturday or Sunday, advertise it in all of your normal outlets, making sure you set clear start and end times, and then see what happens. While sitting open houses for my wife I was surprised the number of time I was asked if the owner would consider renting the home. It is easier to get people to come to you one day as opposed to driving to the location every time someone wants to see it. Some marketing strategies save you money and some save time, open houses could save both. The day of put signs up directing people to your property, make sure you have all the necessary forms that potential tenants will need to apply for a lease.

Unfortunately not all advertising is free, and sometimes you need to pay to place an ad. Advertising is an investment and as such you need to make sure the money your spending is well spent. If you are not asking everyone who calls, to inquire about your properties, how they found out about the home; if you take only one tip and use it make this the one. Keep a tally of calls that come in, calls that lead to showings and calls that lead to signed leases. If you find that 95% of your signed leases are referred from one particular ad in a certain magazine, you can start to eliminate ads in magazines that do not get you the same exposure, this means you save money. Tracking referral sources also allows you to put the optimal message out there, or allows you to target which property you market in which publication. You may even find out that your best marketing tool is a good old lawn sign. Never waste money on an ad that does not work.

The bottom line is you do not necessarily need to spend money to make money. There are opportunities to take advantage of no cost to low cost advertising. If you do need to spend money, you need to make sure you are getting the most return on your investment.

Mike Carroll is Director of Marketing for Holte and Associates property management serving Southern California, as well as consults for companies through The Carroll Marketing Group

Author: Michael K Carroll
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Seal Beach, California was established in 1915 with a population of 250. The town was first established under the name Bay City before being changed to Seal Beach. It offers the longest beach south of San Francisco. The beach is unique with its seals but also with the sightseers who visit the town, the people who go there to picnic, the adults who dance in the pavilion or dine at the restaurants and so on and so forth.

With the foundation of Pacific Electric Railway, Henry Huntington had brought to Seal Beach, California many people who displayed interest to invest their money in the community. These people wanted to buy a strips of land along the beach, which was a rare commodity. As the population of Seal Beach, California was increasing, the people continued to enjoy the beauties that town had to offer.

During World War II the growth slowed down a bit, but the postwar years ushered in improved incomes and industry. Many more people decided to settle down in the area and trade was developing very quickly.

Some years later, somebody decided to make Seal Beach, California a conservation area. They closed the gambling houses and the amusement park. The purpose of all these prohibitions was to stop sea drilling, inshore erosion, and other environmental threats.

At that time, the population of Seal Beach, California had grown to 25,000. Although the size of the population had decreased, the way of life in Seal Beach was quite pleasant. The people were living in a comfortable and quiet place rather than a noisy industrial town. A place where you can relax in peace and where you can enjoy the environment. Seal Beach, California welcomes all tourists who want to go surfing and shopping, or who want to dance and listen to music. The beaches also offer lovely playgrounds and picnic sites.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning property. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Seal Beach California [http://www.thepropertyprince.com/real-estate/real-estate/the-history-of-seal-beach-california.html]

Author: Morgan Hamilton
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The economy will get better but there are a lot of us taking whatever job we can to survive. The single family housing industry has been and continues to get crushed in many markets abroad. The banking industry is near annihilation and the auto industry has imploded. No career is completely safe. However, the good news is, there is at least one industry that is actually growing vibrantly thanks to the “housing bubble.” The Apartment Rental Industry

the result of foreclosure and the credit crunch is shifting thousands upon thousands of families into rental housing.

While some Apartment Companies are downsizing to emulate the economic conditions many are actually thriving in this challenging economy. More good news is that a college degree is usually not required for employment for most positions, but the pay will generally be as high if not higher than most entry level degreed careers 1st year. Also, there are various positions available that would have crossover skills from many different careers.

The various positions include; apartment community managers, assistant managers, apartment leasing consultants, auditors, accountants, recruiters, assistants, property maintenance, housekeeping, etc. The position of “Apartment Leasing Consultant” is probably the most abundant and you will generally get a salary along with commissions for every apartment you lease.

Hardworking, honest go-getters can earn near $50K annually leasing apartments in vibrant markets!

Whether you are looking for a change of scenery or want to stay put, locations all over the U.S. offer careers waiting for talented hungry career oriented individuals. Of course there will most likely be more opportunities in the worst hit housing markets like areas of California including; San Francisco, & Sacramento, and in many parts of Florida including; Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Daytona Beach. While these areas have historically had higher living costs, they are now very attractive for the vibrant person looking for a fun filled life of beaches & sunshine. Some other large cities hardest hit across America as well are, Cleveland, Reno, and Detroit.

There are a few Apartment rental locations that historically offer the lowest rents in the nation, and should definitely be considered in these low budget times as well. For a huge city, Houston Texas arguably has the lowest rents and overall costs of living in the nation compared to its peers. To state the obvious, the larger the cities will have more job opportunities in most cases.

It’s also important to note that Houston Texas has no zoning ordinances meaning that builders can build apartments anywhere in the city and most anytime they want creating a thousands of rentals and apartment job opportunities. Last count there were well over 400,000 apartment units in the greater Houston area. Houston has revitalized its downtown area and now features a light rail system in the epicenter of thousands of employers near many Houston Apartment communities with an abundance of fine dining establishments and top rated night life.

Other large cities with ample job opportunity and lower rents that need consideration are Oklahoma City, Birmingham Alabama, Memphis Tennessee, Cincinnati Ohio, and San Antonio Texas.

Whether it’s Houston, New York City, California, or Florida, apartment jobs are abundant during this economic downturn and the right companies can offer stable employment and high salaries for those who demonstrate the talents necessary to help the industry continue grow and prosper.

Author: David K Johnson
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Ask Questions

“When do you want to move in? What’s going on that you need to move?”You can ask that. Fair Housing doesn’t eliminate having an understanding as to why they’re moving. You’re developing a little sixth sense here. If they need to move tomorrow and say, “I need to move by this weekend,” ask questions.

“What do you mean you need to move? What’s going on?” You can ask questions. Find out why they’re in such a hurry.

We get a lot of this. We get kids calling us up right now saying, “I’m coming to Philadelphia in January for college. I’d like to look at your property tomorrow.”

Why waste my time for something that won’t be here two weeks from now? It certainly won’t be here in January. Ask that question and eliminate them. You’ll get some kids that don’t understand the process. They may call three months ahead of time and waste your time. Ask questions. Feel them out a little bit.

Make Sure They Know the Area

Make sure they know where they property is. We get a lot of out of state people who will call based on price alone. It’s a really rough area and I can tell they’re coming in from a high priced university. They’re coming from California from some really nice area.

We kind of express some concerns that they might not know that area that well and maybe they should go and drive the area first and make sure they’re comfortable with it. Ask questions and make sure they know the area.

If you can and don’t have staff to do it, show the property yourself. Then you’ll develop that sixth sense, that sense of whether you want them to do it.

This is a time saver and you’ll notice in the write-up it’s in all caps. You do this always. It’s not 92% or 98%, but 100% of the time. Call the person an hour ahead of time and confirm the meeting. It’ll save you an enormous amount of time. It is unbelievable how many people won’t show up for apartment showings.

If you don’t do this one little step you’ll probably have a third of the people that will never show up. Maybe even half won’t show up in some areas. They may drive by and not like it, who knows. You want to make sure.

Author: Mike Lautensack
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I personally manage my own single family homes and condos within a 400 mile radius. Yes, you heard it right – within a 400-mile radius! I live in Orange County (Southern California), and manage my own properties as far east as Phoenix, Arizona.

Because of my “hard-nosed” landlording techniques I rarely have trouble with my tenants, and many times I don’t hear from them for years at a time. I also don’t necessarily trust other property managers to screen my tenants as thoroughly as I do, since nobody has more at stake than I do when it comes to selecting the right tenants.

So what does “hard-nosed” landlording entail?

First, I thoroughly screen the prospective renters’ applications and call them on any discrepancies I encounter, so they know right up front there’s no messing around. I explain how to screen tenant applications in a separate article, called “Tenant Screening – Don’t Let Them Lie To You“. If I find even one little discrepancy, I will grill the prospective tenants until I am satisfied that the item in question has been explained to my satisfaction.

Second, I give the renters a small monthly discount on their rents, as stated in the lease, in exchange for mailing or depositing the rents before the 1st of each month, and for taking care of minor maintenance issues. The tenants first obtain my permission, then purchase what’s needed and perform the repairs. The receipt is mailed to me, and the amount renters spent is taken out of the next month’s rent. I don’t allow the tenants do any major work on the property – we don’t want to cross into the employer/employee territory, especially if the tenants get hurt on the property while doing repairs. However, I do tell them up front that if they do NOT report major maintenance problems as soon as problems are discovered – I will hold the tenants responsible for any damage caused to the property.

Third, late fees start accruing on the 2nd of each month, and the eviction paperwork (3-day Notice to Pay Rent or Vacate) is served on the 3rd. After someone is served once, I usually start receiving direct deposits and/or the rent checks early.

On a side note, the monthly rent discount has to be paid back the month the tenants are either late with their rents, or when they call me for silly maintenance issues. And did I mention you can always bump the rents up a little, before offering a discount?

So what is “hard-nosed” landlording? It is all parties understanding exactly what is expected of them. It is tenants knowing that paying rents on time is their highest priority, and not having to go through the monthly “ritual” of explaining why rents will be late, while the landlord serves them with the “3-Day Notice To Quit”. And, “hard-nosed” landlording is peace and quiet for the landlord, knowing that the rents will be paid on time, and that the property will be properly taken care.

Author: Angella Raisian
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While re-purposing buildings is not a new concept, its popularity had been on the slide as real estate investors opted for new construction. As prices have been spiraling out of control and developers are becoming reluctant to shell out the initial cost of new construction, they’re turning to architects to redesign older buildings for new uses. Re-use on the grandest scale for everyone involved on these projects.

Take the Eastern Columbia Building for example. Built in 1930, just as the Great Depression was getting into full swing, the towering 13-story structure is a stunning example of the art deco period. It was first built for the Eastern Columbia Outfitting Company as a department store to the stars. In the 1950s, it was used for office space. The building is located in downtown Los Angeles, California, and offers 147 units of two bedroom condominiums to young professionals.

Much of the original features remain, including the gold leaf and turquoise terra cotta on the outside of the building. Inside, in the lobby, the terrazzo floors and antique elevator doors have been refinished. The rooftop boasts a brand new pool.

This concept is not lost on the Ballet Austin dance company. Previously, the dance company was scattered throughout the city in four locations, with offices here, production facilities there, meeting rooms and dance studios in yet another space. When renovation was finished in September of 2007, Ballet Austin found its home in the Butler Dance Education Center and Community School: a renovated building that had previously housed a printing company.

The building was a 34,000 square foot industrial metal monstrosity, but the Austin based Bommarito Group was excited about the project. Its original purpose – light industrial – was advantageous as the printing press area, which comprised about two thirds of the building, was already soundproofed. The rest had to be outfitted to accommodate a wide variety of activities – from administrative to technical and production staff, not to mention the dancers themselves and their visitors or parents.

The ballet company isn’t the only organization to follow the re-purposing path. The old Palmer Auditorium, built in 1959, has been renovated to house the Long Center for the Performing Arts. The Arthouse contemporary arts organization took a building that had been used first as a theater in the 1920s, then a department store, then it became an art exhibit hall in the late 1990s.

Re-purposing fits right in with Austin’s stated goal of becoming the most sustainable and environmentally friendly city in the nation.

Author: Joe Cline
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I separated all accounts over $4000 and took a hard look at them to determine why there were so many high balances. The answer was that landlords allowed tenants to go month after month paying little or no rent, before they were eventually evicted or the tenant skipped out. This is obviously a sign of the times.

I assume landlords are allowing tenants to live in their units for three to four months without paying rent for one of two reasons:

1. Compassion – Times are tough and some landlords are trying to help their tenants through a rough period. I admire anyone who would help someone out.

2. Low Occupancy – The rational is that if a landlord has empty units he cannot rent, then a promise to pay from a current tenant is better than an another empty unit.

Of course, how you handle a tenant who is delinquent on rent is up to you. Speaking from experience, I can tell you that once a tenant becomes two months behind, the likelihood that he will get current and stay current on rent is very slim. If I had a dollar for every story I have heard from landlords about them bending over backwards for a tenant only to get burned in the end, I could take a very nice vacation.

From a collection standpoint, the higher the balance, the tougher the debt is to collect. Not only is it tougher to collect, the landlord is out a lot of money, and is now emotional about the debt. By the time the landlord gives the collection account to an agency, he or she is upset and wants the account collected immediately. Now the agency has a client whose expectations are way too high. Logically, if the tenant would not, or could not, pay when he actually lived in the rental unit, how likely is it that he will immediately pay a collection agency?

I am not suggesting that the debt will never be collected. However, if it is collected, it will most likely take some time. The circumstances that got the tenant into a difficult financial situation must change, and he must be motivated to improve his credit rating before he will pay. Again, reporting tenant debt to Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion is very important if the debt is ever to be collected.

As I have said in previous articles, it is a mistake for a landlord to assume the debt they are owed by a previous tenant will never be paid. You have three options: go to court, turn the account over to a collection agency as a non-judgment, or simply report the debt to all three major credit bureaus yourself. Any of these three options could result in recouping some of the money you have lost.

Author: Bill D Gray
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Credit card currency-exchange fees

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I wonder to myself if the property owners have actually asked themselves some key questions:

• Am I actually saving money doing it myself?
• Am I prepared for the responsibility?
• Do I have all the tools I need such as Applications, credit and background checks, leases, eviction forms, notices, repair and cleaning resources?
• Will the cost of doing it myself actually save me money or will it cost more?

As a full time professional property manager, I know from experience how difficult and costly it is to manage rental property.

How do I know this?

Because I do it for a living, I have unique insight into the activities and costs associated with managing income properties. My time is valuable! Why would you as an income property owner want to invest the aggravation, effort and time it takes to make a few extra dollars a year renting a property yourself, when you can hire a reputable company to do it!

It’s a no brainer to me. Isn’t your time worth more then $10.00 per hour or $33.58 per month or $403.00 a year for one property! What am I talking about? Let’s take a look at how I arrive at these figures… Before we begin to look at the costs associated with property management, let’s set a few ground rules and identify and define some terms.

Fees

Property management companies charge anywhere from 5-35% for their services based on:

• The rental term – Short, mid or long term
• Services offered – Concierge, housekeeping etc
• Repair services – On staff or hired as needed
• Local market – Some areas receive higher management fees then others. Example: Los Angeles California may charge 20-30% fees for long term rentals where my market area charges much less.
• Other factors

Property Management services in my area for mid and long term rentals run approximately 10% of each month’s rent. Sometimes, an additional first month’s rent fee is charged to cover initial setup costs.

Lease Terms

I classify lease terms as:

• Short term rentals – Less then 1 month
• Mid term rentals – 1 to 6 months
• Long term rentals – 7 months to 1 year

Variables for renting in my market area depend on several factors:

• The season – Being a primarily tourist oriented area; we go through several tourist oriented seasons where our residency swells.
• Transfer in and out of Military personnel and families
• Construction increases

The Seasons

Let’s break down the type of renters by season so we can estimate and gauge the types of renters we will typically have in a given season:

• Winter - During this season we get several types of renters which include “snowbirds”. “Snowbirds” tend towards mid term rentals. They come to our area during the winter months and their primary residences are often the northern United States and Canada.
• Spring - The spring season brings short term renters in the form of “spring breakers” as well as families taking advantage of breaks during the school year. An interesting aspect to spring is the semi annual transfer of military families to one or more of our local military bases.
• Summer - This season consists primarily of short term renters and midterm renters. Visitors from all over the world travel to our area during summer and stay anywhere from 2-3 days to 1-2 months. While visitors from the United States tend towards short term, European visitors lean more towards 2 weeks or more.
• Fall - This is an interesting season and often the time of year local residents change residences. It is also part of the semi annual transfer of military families to one or more of our local military bases.

Vacancy ratio

An important factor to consider in estimating the costs to run an income property is the Vacancy Ratio. Vacancy ratio is defined as the amount of time a rental property is vacant compared to the amount of time it is not.

Vacancy ratio is governed by not only the seasons as mentioned above, but also:

• The price of the unit
• Amenities – Pool, spa, allow pets, etc.
• The local economy
• Marketing
• Availability of the unit
• Other factors defined by the area

In my area we typically see on average a vacancy ratio of 2-4% for small multi-family long term rentals (duplexes and triplexes). However, during difficult economic times we could expect to see ratios as high as 6-7%! I’ve recently seen vacancy ratios as high 10-12% for several areas.

For ease of calculation, we will use a 5% vacancy ratio since it is in the middle of the vacancy ratios we expect to see in my market area. These may or may not reflect the ratios other areas experience. It is advisable to seek the assistance of a qualified property management company in the local area for accurate data.

Let’s get to it…

Now that we have a few guidelines to work with, we can make some educated estimates:

• Vacancy ratio
• Expected rental terms
• Property Management Costs

Using these guidelines, let’s look at the average costs to use a Property Management company. In our example we will use a 2 bedroom 1 bath apartment which typically rents for $700.00 per month utilities not included and no pets allowed.

The property management fee of 10% will provide the following services:

• Marketing and advertising – general (lawn sign, website, print, etc.)
• Tenant screening/Application services – Background and credit checking
• Unlimited unit showing – Using an average of 5 pre-qualified tenant showings per Unit before is rented.
• Online transaction processing for tenant and owner
• Monthly accounting report
• Monthly Unit inspections for the first 3 months
• Tenant notifications – Failure to conform to Lease, 3 day rental notices and late payment notices, etc.
• Tenant evictions – NOTE: Only the beginning of this process is included. Expenses for full tenant evictions are typically paid by the owner.

Our formula for calculating rental income will be:

Rent * term = Gross Rent minus Vacancy Ratio = Net Income:
$700.00 * 12 = $8400.00 – $420.00 = $7980.00 annually

We expand on this formula and include a property management fee of 10%

Rent * term = Gross Rent minus Vacancy Ratio = Income – Property Management Fee = Net Income:
$700.00 * 12 = $8400.00 – $420.00 = $7980.00 – $798.00 = $7182.00 annually

Note: This article is not intended to be an investment strategy article. The intention of the article is to identify whether it is worth the cost to use a property management company for a rental unit. Therefore, our example uses a simple calculation of net income and not Net Operating Income which is much more complex and used for investment strategies.

In our example calculation we see that without any negative impacts affecting a rental unit, the property management company made a whopping $798.00 per year on 1 unit. Let’s now put a price tag on just some of the services we’ve identified being offered by the property management company using average pricing:

Application services – Application forms will cost approximately $5.00 for 5 forms

Marketing and advertising – Lawn sign – $15.00, Website – $40.00 per month, Newspaper advertising – $40.00 per week

Tenant screening – Background check – $15.00, Credit check – $15.00

Unit showing – $10.00 per hour, 5 showings (1 showing per hour) = $50.00 (This is an extremely low rate and used simply to provide a guide. I’m sure your time is worth much more then $10.00 per hour).

Tenant notifications – Notification forms will cost approximately $5.00 for 5 forms, Hourly cost for 1 notification – $10.00 (includes travel time)

We will omit the remaining example property management services as typically they would not be provided by an owner anyway. Without including the advertising costs, when we add up these costs we have an expense of $155.00. If we use our vacancy ratio of 5% (or 6 weeks) and calculate our advertising costs we will need to add in $240.00.

The cost for an owner managed unit not using a property management company is then calculated as:

Rent * term = Gross Rent minus Vacancy Ratio = Income minus simple operating costs = Net Income or:
$700.00 * 12 = $8400.00 – $420.00 = $7980.00 – $395.00 = $7585.00 annually

Wow, a property owner who does the renting of a unit by themselves makes $403.00 more a year or $33.58 more a month then if they hired a qualified property management company!

However, I am not aware of too many property owners whose hourly employment rate is $10.00 per hour considering someone who makes $10.00 would find it difficult to obtain financing to purchase income property!

The question then becomes, how much is your time worth?

If your time, aggravation and effort to rent a property yourself are worth the added income of $403.00 per year or $33.58 a month, then by all means you should not hire a property management company! If on the other hand, less aggravation and effort and your time is worth more then $403.00 a year, you should consider using a property management company to take care of your income property.

A qualified property management company not only saves you time, effort and aggravation but also saves you money.What would happen if the unit would have been vacant longer then 6 weeks? The advertising costs would have eliminated all or part of that $403.00 a year you made!

Is it really worth it? I don’t think so.

If you own rental property, do yourself a favor and hire a reputable, qualified property management company.

Services such as:

• Tenant screening – Background and credit checking
• Application services
• Unit showing
• Online transaction processing with tenant and owner reporting
• Monthly account reporting
• Electronic funds transfer

Are all part of most property management companies standard services.

In addition, property management companies have professional full time staff to help you with all your needs: from creating the most efficient advertising campaigns to tenant screening and background checks to advice for repairs and staging to get the most income for your rental units.

Author: Rhonda Rowe
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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1. 2916 Camino Capistrano Unit 11A, San Clemente, CA

Over 500,000 single family homes purchased between July 2003 and June 2008 will have their assessments reviewed. Once complete, the homeowners will be notified of the results and at that time if they disagree with the assessment, can file an application for review. There is no charge for this review.

According to the Los Angeles County Assessor’s website, “Various private companies are sending mailings to property owners offering their services to pursue a reduction in their property taxes. These companies may charge hundreds of dollars to file for a reduction in value on behalf of the property owner. Some companies are even imposing late fees if the application is received after an arbitrary deadline. Be aware that solicitations from private companies offering to pursue a reduction in property taxes must clearly indicate that they are NOT a government agency and that their services are NOT approved or endorsed by any government agency. Failure to provide such notice is a violation of California law. If you or someone you know receives an illegal solicitation, please contact the Los Angeles County Department of Consumer Affairs by phone at (800) 973-3370 or visit their dca.lacounty.gov/ website.”

This is a slick operation. Apparently, the letters are being sent from address identifying itself as Property Tax Reassessment, Tax Adjusters or Tax Review, on official looking paperwork. The address is a box number and the phone number goes to an answering service. They will provide a reassessment for a charge of $179 and a $30 penalty for any requests after Feb. 26, 2009. Unassuming recipients are sending in the fees promptly to avoid the costly penalty charge. Based on different reports, the costs vary from $95 to over $200.

There is nothing illegal about charging to complete a reassessment form, but these scammers are representing themselves as a government agency and implying that the homeowner has to pay to apply for a review.

Not limited to L.A. County, similar complaints are coming from the San Francisco and San Mateo County assessor’s office. At least half of the assessments that are reviewed are lowered due to declining property values, so it is well worth the effort to the homeowner to dispute the assessment. They can do this at no cost, by completing the Decline-In-Value form which is readily available (assessor.lacounty.gov/extranet/guides/prop8.aspx )online or at one of the Assessor’s (assessor.lacounty.gov/extranet/contactus/districtOffice.aspx) District Offices. Generally, the review is based on comparable properties in the area and may require some research on the part of the homeowner. If they require assistance, all they need do is contact a local realtor specializing in their area, and the information will most likely be provided free of charge.

Author: Lynn Bulmer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: PCB Prototype & Manufacturing

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If a tenant cannot persuade its landlord to release it from its lease obligations in difficult economic times, then it may shortly face the unenviable path of bankruptcy. Consequently, landlords and tenants need to review the documentation to recall the status of guarantees. If the tenant principals signed no guaranty, or if only one spouse in a marital community signed, there may be no reason to file for bankruptcy relief.

Recall that a guaranty signed by a single spouse is binding only on the separate property of the signing spouse, not upon the separate property of the spouse not signing, nor on that (unsigned) spouse’s undivided interest in the community property of the Arizona-based guarantor. (The same applies if the guarantor principal is a resident of California, Washington and several other western states.) Many marital communities have little separate property that is reachable by execution on a judgment.

If there’s no effective guaranty the tenant may have little incentive to file bankruptcy, but if the tenant wants to protect significant equipment or inventory from execution or seizure and sale under a landlord’s lien (or liens or interests of other parties [see below]), then a bankruptcy may be in order.

What should the landlord do if it has a reasonable certainty that bankruptcy is forthcoming? Before answering that question, how best will the landlord read the tenant who asserts it intends to do so? There are a few behaviors that signal a bankruptcy is forthcoming. Closing the premises (“going dark”) or failing to communicate with the landlord after it has changed the locks after a tenant monetary default usually a good sign that bankruptcy looms, except in the case where a tenant has moved all its wares and operates from more than one location-in that instance, closure may be only an indication of consolidation of inventory or services. Handing the landlord’s representative a business card from the office of a bankruptcy attorney may be another indication of imminent action. The seizure of a tenant’s inventory, equipment or trade fixtures by a secured lender or equipment lessor is a sign that filing is highly probable. Another is the tenant’s announcement of severe curtailment of operating hours, or reduction in staff to levels well below the usual complement of personnel at the premises.

While tenant lockouts (when available as a landlord remedy) without termination of the lease are effective to get the tenant to make up back rent, CAMs or other lease sums when money is available, they are pointless when the tenant can’t catch up the delinquency(ies) in performing the lease and a bankruptcy seems inevitable. If there’s no reasonable hope for the tenant catching up on its obligations, review carefully the landlord’s remedies section of the lease. If termination is an option without notice to the tenant, the landlord has to consider the option of ending the lease by notice to the tenant of summary termination.

The automatic stay of bankruptcy under Section 361 of the Code does not apply when a landlord’s asset is not property of the bankruptcy estate. If the landlord cancels the lease properly, prior to the date of the bankruptcy filing, this ends landlord’s risk that the tenant will consume up to 120 days-with no compensation to landlord in the meantime–to assume (or assume and assign) or reject the lease in the bankruptcy where the tenant seeks to reorganize under Chapter 11. (Of course, in a Chapter 7, the bankruptcy trustee will have control of the premises until it makes a determination whether the lease has any liquidation value, an unlikely circumstance in the significant majority of bankruptcy filings. Also, in the present financial environment, it would be rare indeed for a Chapter 11 debtor to be able to find an assignee for the lease obligations, unless it was in connection with sale of its operating business.)

So, should the landlord fire the bankruptcy-beating termination “silver bullet” when it appears likely that the tenant will soon be in federal court, to defeat the imposition of the automatic stay? Well, not always. The landlord has to calculate several things in the decision matrix. How long can the tenant hold on before filing bankruptcy? After all, from the date of termination forward, the landlord cannot recover future rent through the scheduled expiration date of the lease, so is limited in recovery to the delinquent rent and other charges amounts prior to the date of the tenant’s filing. Terminating the lease too soon costs the landlord potential rent payments for some period.

Another consideration is who has competing claims to the non-leasehold assets of the tenant. There may be equipment lessors; or conventional lenders with perfected security interests in certain assets (or the FDIC, if the lender has itself faced insolvency); or the SBA who guaranteed a business loan and took a security interest; or a franchisor or analogous asset-provider. Another factor is this: Did the tenant remove all its personal property out of the landlord’s premises-or does a lot of it remain parked inside the premises, even if the tenant has “gone dark?” In addition, there has to be a review of the lease file to see if landlord has signed a subordination of its statutory lien position against the personal property. Or-wait-does that even matter, if the lease had been terminated by the landlord? Recall that when the lease is terminated, there is no landlord-tenant relationship; and in that case, how can there be a “landlord” lien prescribed by statute? If a former landlord foregoes its landlord status, there goes the lien.

The last situation becomes a dilemma for the landlord. If it has canceled the lease before the property of the tenant is finally removed, the automatic stay impacts the landlord’s options with respect to those trade fixtures. While there may be an available landlord administrative claim in Chapter 11 for the property’s ongoing premises occupancy after the filing, for storage costs, that will not do much to position the premises for re-letting.

So did the landlord’s lease happily recite that (a) upon termination of the lease, any property of the tenant remaining within the premises is deemed to have been abandoned by the tenant and (b) that this “convention” would survive termination of the lease? If the landlord is not so well-positioned, then the landlord will want to consider the following course of conduct:

- Research whether there are other parties with a status of owner, lessor or secured party with respect to the personal property;
- Decide whether to terminate the lease prior to a bankruptcy filing;
- With a high-quality still or motion camera, take a photographic inventory of all tenant property within the premises (this avoids liability in the face of future allegations of theft, destruction or damage to tenant’s property or personal effects of employees of tenant);
- If the landlord has decided to terminate the lease and there’s more strategic space available to the landlord, move the personal property of the terminated tenant to that more salutary location, carefully, minimizing damage or loss to the property. Re-video the personal property after the move is completed, documenting the condition of the inventory of goods.

My clients gripe about this responsibility for remaining tenant personal property more frequently than any other aspect of bankruptcy (except that tenants should not be allowed to use it in the first place to re-order their business lives). First, they believe that the ipso facto principle is “just wrong,” so they should not be responsible for any dimension of the tenant’s future, because the lease provides that a bankruptcy is a material default and the tenant and its principals deserves everything they get from the moment of filing forward. Second, there’s a major disconnect between the idea that landlord had the right to terminate the lease before the bankruptcy filing date but not to throw the tenant’s property into the nearest dumpster or on the sidewalk with a “free stuff-help yourself” sign on the top of the heap. Of course, that ignores the possibility that there are other stakeholders in the property’s ownership, in addition to the fact that there may be some recovery to the landlord via an administrative claim. And, most of all, it ignores the reality that the termination of the real property right of tenant does not give the landlord license to ignore the automatic stay of the Code with respect to other debtor assets contained within the leased premises.

Author: Michael N Widener
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Programmable pressure cooker

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Household uses such as showering, cooking or washing clothes in apartments, condominiums, hotels and motels requires a great deal of natural gas, propane, electricity or heating oil. Large boilers or commercial heaters are placed at one central location in a building and the commodity is provided to residents or guests by pumping it through circulation pipes (also known as circulation lines or loop).

Recent studies have shown that people only create a demand about 15% to 20% of the time. Circulation pipes are hot 24 hours a day, seven days a week – even when there is no demand. When the pipes are hot they are continually losing their energy to the ambient environment.

As much as 50% of the energy required to heat water to an acceptable level in a central heating system is lost in the circulation loop.

The answer is to turn the circulation pump off when there is no demand. One solution is to use a timer that turns the pump off at preset times. Unfortunately this requires someone to guess when there will be a demand (this strategy may work in a small apartment or condominium complex but would leave hotel and motel guests less than satisfied).

A better solution is to monitor usage and only turn the pump on when there is a demand. Of course turning off the pump defeats the purpose of having the circulation line in the building in the first place, providing service in a timely manner.

An on demand pump solves this problem because it replaces the existing low speed pump (typically 2 to 7 gpm) and operates at a higher speed (20 to 26 gpm). As soon as a demand is detected by a flow sensor installed in the make-up line (when a faucet is turned on hot water leaves the system and must be made up by the providing utility) the high speed pump rushes hot water through the circulation pipe in a matter of a few seconds.

In tests performed by the California Energy Commission in 2006 on demand pumps reduced energy consumption by an average of 37% in the buildings tested.

Author: Mark T Franklin
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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1. Swell Sticks around Thursday – Photos from Lowers

The newsletter is also a place for the senior executives to set the tone for the company, or to indicate a new direction or expansion of the company. It can contain seminars that teach additional apartment management job skills to make employees more effective and proud of their work. The newsletter should also contain other opportunities, such as currently open positions and advice about preparation to climb the career ladder within the company. A newsletter should distribute useful information in an entertaining manner throughout the entire company.

One of the current trends for employee newsletters is for the newsletter to have a professional appearance similar to any national magazine. It often includes a table of contents, editorial columns from managers within the company, and in-depth articles. An abundance of pictures is laid out professionally in a beautiful four-color package. Newsletters that appear as if they were run off on the local black and white printer are more and more a thing of the past.

Though a newsletter frequently meets a number of different criteria, each apartment management company has a particular motivation for producing the newsletter. One company in California contains detailed information about the workings within the various levels of the company. Employees want to know the current company status, and its immediate and long-term plans. Most articles address the company goals in some manner, and show how each position is integral to achieving those goals.

A company in Virginia uses their newsletter to get to know the other employees within the company. They highlight an employee in each area as an individual star, and give details about their job description and how the employee has achieved excellence in that area. This newsletter includes many informal candid photos and presents a chatty family atmosphere, something like the magazines at the grocery store checkout stands.

Another effective use of a company newsletter is as an information source to others outside the apartment management company. It gives other apartment management companies in the area a good idea of the capabilities of the company and where its major strengths are. It is also a good marketing piece for owners of apartment complexes. It is also a useful tool for prospective employees that have just moved into the area and have an apartment management background.

Determining the success of a newsletter is not difficult. Employees give immediate feedback on individual articles, especially relating to policies and goals within the company that they were not aware of. Many employees get a good-natured ribbing, but also a good deal of satisfaction, seeing themselves in photos. It often generates a feeling of an apartment management community, rather than just a company that they work for.

Consider starting or revamping your current newsletter to put a modern face on your apartment management company. It has many advantages, both within the company and as an effective medium to present the heart of the company to potential clients.

Author: Dave Lindahl
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Absolutely. I have a friend with a second home in Idaho. They have a beautiful home on a small ranch that is for Christmas and summers. Its a short hop from northern California and its a beautiful state with inexpensive land values. They got a lot of land, great views and space for a very affordable price….at least to us Californians!

After being away from the ranch for most of the winter, the family arrived only to find that there had been a leak in the kitchen which had dripped for many months. Well, you can imagine the damage. The leak had wended its way from the P trap below the kitchen sink to flood the lino floors. It then slowly worked its way into the hallway and the floor boards of the first bathroom. The damage was extensive.

The Damage

First the lino had begun to lift up and the floor boards below were wet and molding. The lino had to be removed and the floor boards had to dry. Then a mold cleaner was professionally applied by a local company to be sure the family wasnt exposed.

Then the floor boards in the hallway had to be replaced because they were thoroughly wet and moldy. They would no longer lay flat and simply had to be pulled up and new boards laid down.

The entire house had a wet damp smell that would not go away. A wonderful family experience was ruined because they did not have anyone watching the home during their long periods of absence

The Cure

Get a property manager. There are companies that offer management for vacation homes. They do manage a little differently, because they are vacant for long periods and therefore they must be visited. Property management firms in rural or vacation areas have services designed to deal with the vacation homes special needs. In addition to all the general property management needs all properties require

1. Find one that will visit the property bi weekly

2. Be sure they will visit before and after all major storms to be sure the house is shuttered and that any damage can be assessed and taken care of immediately.

3. Repairs: Be sure to have a cap on all repairs. Any major expenses should be approved and you should be sent receipts for any work done above the allowed amount. Try to keep the amount that does not need your approval below $750.00

3.Vacation Home Rentals: Vacation home property managers will manage holiday or off season rentals by the week or weekend. Some are set up to book rentals for you. You can expect some kind of revenue share or flat fee service, but it may be worth it.

4.Be sure they will provide cleaning services and schedule maintenance

And Buy These Tools

CO Monitor

A CO monitor will help you protect your family from the damaging effects of carbon monoxide and give you the peace of mind in knowing that you are doing your part to protect your family. Low prices on individual carbon monoxide monitors.They genreally run about $50 and can save a life. Having one of thesse in your second home is wise since the system may only be used for a few months a year and can become faulty without your knowledge.

Water Shut Off Valve

Sophisticated water-sensor systems automatically shut off the water supply to a specific appliance or to the entire house when a leak is detected. Basically, they sense when the flow of water is high and will shut off the water to prevent a prolonged leak when no one is living there. Some can be installed by a home owner; for others, a plumber must install the special valves and an electrician must wire the sensors.

Web Based Video Cams

With an internet based video cam installed in your vacation home, you can monitor for break ins and have piece of mind.

Howard Bell for yourpropertypath.com

Author: Howard Bell
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Watch the Wording of Your Ads

The Fair Housing Act (FHA) may appear to be common sense, and most people would never think of discriminating against people of different races or religions, or on the basis of gender. However, it is important to note that the FHA extends beyond the screening process, and into advertising as well. This is where many landlords and property managers make fatal mistakes. After all, there are people who scour the classifieds looking for inappropriately worded ads so that they can pounce on them and threaten a lawsuit. While someone must have standing to bring suit, these scoundrels often work in coalitions to ensure that all of their bases are covered.

For example, if you own a rental property in a predominantly Jewish community, its proximity to the local synagogue could be a major feature. But if your ad says “within walking distance from the synagogue,” you could be sending the message “gentiles need not apply” – even though this wasn’t your intent. And keep in mind that you may not discriminate on the basis of whether a couple is married, whether or not children are to live in the unit, or on the basis of age. Novice landlords may not be aware of these areas of concern, and while it’s a good thing that citizens are more aware of their rights today, it can be a very bad thing for well-meaning landlords who are out of step with the times.

Be Aware of Your Local Laws – And Use Good Business Sense

State law and local ordinances can extend similar protections granted under the FHA to other groups. For example, California, Minnesota, and North Dakota prohibit discrimination based on source of income – in other words, a landlord cannot discriminate against would-be tenants who rely on public assistance. Putting the political perspective of the landlord aside, such discrimination makes very little business sense, since people on welfare or social security are virtually assured of a fixed income.

Some cities make it a crime for a landlord to discriminate against lesbians and gay men. If you are uncomfortable renting to same-sex couples and you live in a community progressive enough to pass ordinances protecting their rights, then you are either in the wrong line of work or the wrong town. There can be little rational argument in favor of discriminating against same-sex couples in an accepting locale.

The Americans with Disabilities Act

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination against the disabled, and also requires landlords to make “reasonable accommodations” to disabled tenants. Who decides what’s reasonable? Typically, judges, if it comes to that. But while most landlords are aware of the ADA and would never stoop so low as to discriminate against a person in a wheelchair, many are unaware that the ADA also protects mentally disabled tenants. A mental disability could also include recovering alcoholics and drug addicts. The downside of this is that these types of people are prone to relapse and if they do, can cause serious problems for you and other tenants. Everyone deserves a second chance, and many recovering addicts go on to be productive members of society. The ones who are unable to recover typically have other problems, and thus it is vitally important that you document additional reasons for rejecting their rental applications if you decide to do so.

The Name of the Game is “Wealth Protection”

If you own rental properties in your own name, you are asking for a world of pain – it’s the equivalent of wearing a giant “kick me” sign on your back. Instead, own your properties in corporate, limited partnership, LLC, or trust form. That way, even if you are the victim of a discrimination suit, or any other type of judgment, your personal assets may be protected against the liens of creditors.

For more information on setting up a proper business entity, check out the Wealth Protection Boot Camp

Author: William Bronchick
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Since 2001, the number of black mold cases has steadily risen. Every year there are billions of dollars in lawsuits. Because of this, insurance companies have stopped carrying mold coverage. The new suits are brought against landlords, builders and property owners.

Unfortunately, many of these individuals do not fully understand their insurance coverage as it pertains to mold. Mold liability suits are on the rise, and you don’t want to be the next one!

So, What Can You Do?

Getting Coverage

Due to these recent mold cases, many insurance policies have included a “mold exclusion” to their insurance policies. If you are lucky enough to have an earlier policy that doesn’t have a mold exclusion, you should hang onto it.

The mold exclusion clauses are making it tough to get coverage for mold. You can often only get mold coverage as a stand-alone policy, and it carries high premiums. You can get it as an add-on to your existing policy as well, but it is often expensive.

If you live in a humid are such as the Pacific Northwest, it may be a good investment to get the extra coverage. Also, if the building property is old, you might want to be covered. Older buildings were built before there were strict guidelines for builders to deal with toxic black mold removal.

You also may be able to reduce the cost of coverage by developing an Operation & Maintenance plan for dealing with mold. Your O&M may include a plan for dealing with mold, a schedule for inspection and training for your employees in dealing with black mold remediation.

Fighting Mold

The best thing you can do is take care of mold problems when they occur and keep the mold out of your buildings. If your properties have a history of mold, you have to keep an eye on them. Talk with your tenants or employees and work on communicating with them. Make sure they understand how to check for mold, and notify you when they do.

If you are a landlord, you can revise your lease to include a section about black mold. Some landlords make their tenants fully responsible for mold cleanup, as long as it’s not a structural problem with the house. A better idea is to simply put a clause in the lease saying that it’s the tenants’ responsibility to notify the landlord of any black mold problems. This will keep you from being legally negligent.

It’s a really good idea to periodically pay for mold testing and inspection. This is expensive, but it may save you from a lawsuit. It also may save your tenants from suffering mold-related health problems.

Note that a high number of these cases have been brought in the states of Florida, Texas, California and the southwestern states. That’s because these places are prone to mold problems. If you are a landlord or developer in these areas, you need to take special care in mold prevention, inspection and removal.

Author: Rich Fuller
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Canada duty tariff

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