A few weeks ago, approximately one week after I evicted the tenants from the first floor front unit, I arrived to find a notice from the health department stuck on the front door:
First of all, the unit they went into was vacant and locked, so they must have broken in to gain access to the inside. Secondly, there were no debris around the building -- I had spent over an hour cleaning up the entire yard only a few days prior. Improper wiring on the outside of the building? How is the cable TV and telephone wire my problem? That's the cable and phone company's problem! How is damaged siding a health issue? Side door improperly secured?? It's a brand new door with a brand new lock and deadbolt! Front door damaged? Yes its damaged and I'm going to replace it as soon as I start renovating that unit. The rest of the list refers to things inside the unit that I'm going to renovate and in the meantime, no one is living there -- so why is there such an urgency to repair them for "health reasons"?
I requested a hearing to dispute the claims and after a week or so, I received a letter with the hearing date:
The 8th was this past Wednesday. I went to the health department and met with the health inspector. He told me they were under the impression that someone was still living there and that was why they gave the notice. When I told him I was renovating the place he understood and told me not to worry about the notice. He also told me to get a vacancy permit from him after I'm done the renovations and before I rent the apartment.
I've decided not to sell the Ware Street property and instead put about $10,000 into it and get it rented. I'm replacing two furnaces, one hot water tank, redoing all the plumbing in the basement (the pipes are in very bad condition), fixing several broken windows, replacing old single-pane windows, replacing a couple of doors, buying a couple of new appliances, remodeling two kitchens and one bathroom, and fully renovating (kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom) the first floor one bedroom unit -- $2500 is my budget for the entire renovation of that unit.
My goal is to have the two vacant two bedroom units finished and rented by December 1st and the one bedroom unit fully renovated and rented by January 1st. I'm doing most of the renovations myself, however I'm going to hire contractors do the furnaces, plumbing, and windows. I'll post updates on the progress of all this stuff as it happens.