Dear Maintenance Men: By Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2
Dear Maintenance Men:
The Rental Housing Community is built upon relationship with landlords, tenants, associations and service providers. We are continually looking to expand the list of quality vendors/affiliate members. Please contact the office with any suggestions you may have for improvements to the Vendor/Affiliate Marketing Program, as well as referrals for future members.
I have a residence built in the early 60's and it has the original cast iron drains. The last time I had a clog, my plumber said cast iron pipes have a 50-year life expectancy. During the auguring process he said they felt rough inside and may backup more frequently. Last year we replaced a ruptured pipe with a plastic pipe. The main drain, part of which is above ground, is rusty and tends to flake away. What are the possibilities for this situation - replace when they fail, replace before they fail, reline the pipes to prevent trouble, or some other option? Long term, what makes sense financially?
we look forward to implementing those ideas and new programs for your association.
I’d like to make the RHAGP your first stop for information concerning your Rental, your tenants and all your landlord needs. Here’s to a happy and successful 2013! ~Elizabeth Carpenter, RHA President
Korey Dear Korey: We recommend calling a plumbing company that specializes in sewer pipe inspections using a camera snake. The camera snake will be able to tell you the actual condition of the pipe and where there are trouble areas, breaks and clogs etc. The snake will be able to pinpoint the location, depth and direction of the sewer line. If part of your system is failing now, chances are the rest of the sewer line is not far behind. The best solution to a damaged or broken sewer line is to replace it with a new pipe. However, this is not always an easy or cost effective solution. The distance to the city sewer may be too great or extensive landscape or property damage may result from the re-piping. If replacing the pipe is not viable, consider using a pipe liner as preventive maintenance or to repair a damaged pipe. The cost to reline a pipe is approximately $130 a foot with a 50-year warranty. Balance this cost against the cost of trenching in a new line with landscape repairs and down time. A pipe liner will be as strong as the original pipe. Dear Maintenance Men: The stench in the rental unit following a nasty eviction was overwhelming. The tenant smoked heavily and collected all sorts of garbage. The unit was a disaster. We have cleaned the unit, including the carpet and painted the walls. The place still smells bad when we show the unit to a prospective resident. Because of the lingering smell, this unit is un-rentable. What do you suggest? Jessica
BUY RHAGP ATTORNEY DRAWN ONLINE FORMS AT WWW.rhagpforms.ORG
Dear Jessica: Rancid smells, nicotine, animal and organic odors are very hard to remove even after painting the walls and CONTINUED ON PAGE
6 January 2013
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RHAGP Update