Rental Property Tips from Our Contractor

We are lucky enough to have a general contractor who has been a part of our team for over 15 years. 

This week on the podcast, we will be discussing all of the tips our contractor, Jim, has shared that have helped us stay on top of inspections, preventative maintenance, and what to know about hiring general contractors.

This episode covers everything you need to know to protect your investment and maintain tenant satisfaction.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 

✅ Why using a licensed general contractor is crucial for safety and compliance 

✅ Where to find reputable contractors and get multiple estimates 

✅ The difference between being an additional insured vs. an interested party 

✅ How to handle tenant communication during renovations 

✅ Why detailed contracts and written agreements are essential 

✅ Tips for working around tenant schedules and minimizing disruptions 

✅ How routine inspections help prevent costly repairs 

✅ Key maintenance tips learned from years of working with contractors

Resources & Free Download: 

📌 Watch our DIY Garbage Disposal Fix Video & Insinkerator Garbage Disposal Universal Wrench

📌Mohawk Fil Stick 

📌Newsletter to see before and after floor photos

📌KwikSet Rekey Set & YouTube How to Video

📌Porc-A-Fix Porcelain Sink Repair & How We Repaired Our Sink Video

📌 Check out the kitchen faucet we use

📌 Watch our video on reinforcing TP holders

📌 Listen to Episode 4 for more on inspections 

📌

Connect with Us:

🌎 Visit our website

📧 Subscribe to our newsletter.

👆Click HERE for our FREE Landlord Forms and Doc’s

🤳Text Us: 650-489-4447. We love questions and love letters!

📩Email us at: Stacie@YourLandlordResource.com, Kevin@YourLandlordResource.com

✔️Course Waitlist: From Marketing to Move In, Place Your Ideal Tenant

📱 Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, & join our private Facebook group

🎧 Listen & Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite podcast app

Transcript

Kevin: 0:00

We know a lot of landlords who stopped installing garbage disposals because of the issues, and if they had just learned a little about the maintenance and then in turn told their tenants, they would be able to offer them in their units. And no garbage disposal means backed pipes, so take your pick on which you'd rather deal with.

0:23

Welcome to Your Landlord Resource podcast. Many moons ago when I started as a landlord, I was as green as it gets. I may have had my real estate license, but I lack confidence and the hands-on experience needed when it came to dealing with tenants, leases, maintenance, and bookkeeping after many failed attempts. Fast forward to today, Kevin and I have doubled our doors and created an organized. Professionally operated rental property business. Want to go from overwhelm to confident if you're an ambitious landlord or maybe one in the making. Join us as we provide strategies and teach actionable steps to help you reach your goals and the lifestyle you desire. All well building is streamlined and profitable rental property business. This is your landlord resource podcast.

Stacie: 1:12

Hello there, landlords. Welcome back to the Your Landlord Resource Podcast. So you all know that we have a general contractor who does pretty much all of our work. Uh, his name is Jim and he, he does everything. From large jobs like replacing stairways and building decks to smaller projects like replacing windows and, you know, repairing dry rot. He Installs all of our flooring and all of our appliances in recently has been converting all of our old fluorescent like light strip bars in the kitchens to more efficient recessed LED cans, which has been a really nice update for our units. Jim also handles all of our repairs when anything comes up with a tenant. And the nice thing about Jim is that, and I'm not being an ageist here, but he's an older guy and where he can do everything, he prefers smaller jobs like we tend to have. He would love to retire, but he's a guy who needs to stay busy and our smaller projects are perfect for him.

Kevin: 2:19

So Jim works for us up at our Sacramento sixplex, but he's also done work at our cabins up in the mountains, you know, in the Tahoe area, as well as our home down here in the Bay Area.

Stacie: 2:31

Yeah. And when we owned the Chico house, he spent quite a bit of time up there remodeling that too.

Kevin: 2:36

Yeah. I mean, he truly is a jack of all trades. He holds his contractor's license where he can basically, in theory, build bridges or something like that. But what we love is how he keeps up on the building codes. When he does work at our places, he knows all the codes, so if we were ever to sell the property, or God forbid something happens, the work was done compliant to the codes. For the most part, we pretty much just replace items. So when we replace the single panel windows in Chico with all double paned ones, it was window for window. Now he found quite a bit of dry rot to contend with, but honestly, the place was over a hundred years old, so it was to be expected. When he built a new deck at our cabin last year, the old deck was not supported correctly and the gaps in the railings were like, what about a foot wide, I think. He ended up adding proper supports as per the code here in California. The railing spigots were four inches or less to keep a child from falling through. And this deck was originally built with the cabin itself the year I was born, 1959. So, needless to say, codes have become much stricter in those last 66 years.

Stacie: 3:53

You, you think?

Kevin: 3:54

Wow. It's been that long, huh? But long story short, handymen are great for small jobs, but when it comes to something that could be a safety issue for one of your tenants, try to use a licensed general contractor to complete the work.

Stacie: 4:10

Yeah. Or at least licensed specialty installers. Like for windows and decks and doors. You know, electricians and plumbers, things like that. You know,'cause we use those techs too. Now, with all that said, we have learned a lot from our contractor Jim, over the last decade. Not only actual building tips, but also tips on how to find a general contractor and what to know when signing a contract with them. You know, he gave us a lot of good tips when we were looking for help back in Idaho. He's also very knowledgeable about tenant laws with regards to entry notices and communication. So those are some of the things that we're gonna be discussing today.

Kevin: 4:51

And I think we should start with tips on hiring contractors. Don't you think?

Stacie: 4:56

Uh, that sounds good to me.

Kevin: 4:57

Alright, let's go. Now, you landlords might not be as lucky as Stacie and I with regards to having a contractor pretty much at our disposal. So when you have a large project coming up, like say you wanna replace your older windows with more efficient ones, or you may wanna remodel a kitchen or a bath, his first tip is to get multiple estimates. Don't settle on the first quote you receive. Obtain estimates from at least three different contractors to ensure you're getting a fair price. Now, how do you find these contractors? As we often say, by joining a rental property association in your area, a lot of the time they have contractors who are members and do exactly the work you are looking for to be completed. You could also ask other landlords in your area who they use. Real estate agents are great references because they often have contractors go in and do repairs and updates to properties, they're getting ready to list. Online or Yelp is another place, but sometimes I get a little weary. I mean, reviews can be hit and miss. A perfectly good contractor can get a bad review if the person they're working for is pretty finicky. Now, sometimes city building departments will have a list of contractors they deal with most often, which is good because if you need a permit, the contractor already has a relationship with the city and knows how to get permits processed quickly. State building license departments should also have a list, you can narrow down by city. Is the Better Business Bureau, is that still a thing anymore?

Stacie: 6:37

I believe it is, but I think the contractor has to be registered with them. At least that's the way it was many years ago when my late husband and I own that lighting store. And it's more of a marketing thing. I, I think it was kind of more like a, a Yelp. It just wasn't online back then.

Kevin: 6:54

Oh, okay. And of course, you can also drive around your neighborhood and look for work being completed. I mean, a lot of times they'll have a signup with a phone number.

Stacie: 7:05

I've also heard of people stalking the pro counter at Home Depot as well. You know, you can always go up and ask any contractor there for their card and see if they can do the work that you need completed. I mean, we found Jim from our painter. Our painter, who had done work for my brother way back in the day suggested Jim to do some dry rot work that we needed done before he could paint our sixplex.

Kevin: 7:28

And the rest they say is history.

Stacie: 7:31

Exactly. But my point is roofers, painters, window installers, et cetera, often will know a general contractor who can do bigger scopes of work for you. You just need to start asking around and before you know it, you'll find a contractor to get bids from. So regardless of where you heard of this general contractor from, you do need to verify their credentials and their insurance. You know, Jim told us when we were looking for someone back in Idaho, that we needed to make sure that their license was up to date and that they hold proper insurance. And if you do move forward with them, ask them to add you onto their policy as an additional insured. Now I wanna clarify something that we likely were a bit confusing on in previous episodes. When you're using a licensed contractor who holds insurance and they're going to be doing a sizable job, which will put them or their crew on your property for days at a time or more, you want to be added as an additional insured. This means that if they get injured on your property or if the work they perform causes an issue like a fire or a flood, their insurance will cover the liability without you having to involve your property insurance, as long as the damage is related to the contractor's work. Essentially, you're able to benefit from their policy because you're covered by it. This is a very common practice with contractors. We are listed as additional insured on Jim's policy. We are listed as an additional insured also on our painter's policy. And conversely, when we have discussed renter's insurance in other episodes, which every landlord should require, we have said that as owners, you should be added as an interested party or additional interest on your tenant's renter insurance policy. And that's where you are only going to be informed of the policy status. So if it cancels due to nonpayment or they don't renew it, but they continue on as a tenant with you, after that first year, you're gonna receive a notice of cancellation. Or even when they do renew it, they're gonna receive a notice that it's been renewed. And this is all very important to know and it saves you a lot of time from having to track it down. Many tenants will say that they're gonna get a new policy per the requirement, and then they let it lapse. And if you're not an interested party, how are you gonna know if that policy lapsed or not? Now, I'll say quickly that when it comes to rent's insurance, landlords usually are not added as additionally insured, like we just explained with contractors. Often it increases the tenant's premium and it can also create a conflict of interest with that tenant. So landlords should have their own liability insurance. All right, so let me just clarify one more time. So for contractors, you wanna ask to be an additional insured party so your property is covered for any issues that arise while they're working on your property. For renter's insurance, you are an additional interest or an interested party for notification purposes only. Whew.

Kevin: 10:48

And all that, because we told you to check their credentials and insurance, right?

Stacie: 10:52

Yeah, exactly.

Kevin: 10:54

Now still, while you're basically interviewing the contractor to make sure they're the right fit, you'll wanna make sure they will provide a written contract. This contract should define the scope of work, the timeline of the work to be performed, a payment schedule, which is very important, and the responsibilities of each party. Responsibilities, meaning you might have to move anything that is in the way of the contractor getting the work done. It could mean your pets have to be contained. If the work involves a neighbor, they might require you to get everything set with the neighbor's side of what's getting done. I mean, think of fencing or tree work being performed on a property line. Make sure that there will be no liens that can be set on your property by subcontractors that the GC uses. The contractor for really large jobs can put a lien on your property just in case they don't get paid. If the contractor uses the subcontractor, which is common. So think about when we remodeled our bathroom in the studio apartment. I mean, not a huge job, so no lien was set, but that's just an example. Jim did the demo and framed everything back up. Then he called a sub to come out and waterproof it by putting tar all over the place. When that was done, he hired a tile guy to come in and install and grout the tile. Now those subs usually get paid by the contractor, not the property owner. If the contractor fails to pay them after you have already paid the contractor for that service, you don't wanna have to deal with a lien on your property from the sub. I mean, it just creates a nightmare. Alright, moving on. Once you have selected the contractor, communication is the key. Just like we say with tenants, that you should keep records of all communications, do the same with contractors. Document everything. Any changes to the scope of work and payments to invoices need to be noted.

Stacie: 12:55

Now I think we should touch on how to handle tenants that are living in unit while the work is being done. From a simplistic point, like say you have someone working on a leaky faucet, and then the tenant comes in and asks them to also go and fix their broken blinds, or a bedroom door that doesn't close properly, you need to know how your contractor or your handyman is supposed to handle that. If they're professional, they should know that they can only repair the work that has been reported, not do any add-ons by the tenant at the last minute. But it's always good to have a plan in place with anyone who works on your rental for when this happens, because eventually it will. Jim always tells our tenants to contact us in writing, usually via text, so that we have a record of what needed to be done, and if we can also approve it while he's still there, he'll handle it. Of course, if it's something dire, like the front door lock isn't working, or there's a shower head leak that's spraying water everywhere when it's in use, you know, he'll just call himself and make sure that he can move ahead with that repair. But when the contractor is doing a larger job and there's a tenant in place, how should you handle that? Say there was an undetected window leak because there was a table under the window and it got missed during the inspection. Now your contractor has to go in and repair the leak and the damaged drywall under the window. You will have to communicate with the tenant about access, timing, noise, messiness, all that stuff. And it's much better that you do this communication so that if there were any issues, you can then communicate it with the contractor. We have done this several times. With the pest control company when we had issues with rodents and termites, which is a little bit more of an urgent issue. But if there is work to be completed that there's no huge rush, try to work with the tenant to plan around their vacation. We did this with some updates we needed to do for a tenant's bathroom exhaust fan. It required that the old fan be removed and a new one installed, but the removal of the old fan and the installation of this new one meant that Jim had to cut drywall and do taping and mudding and texturing, and then he had to paint the whole ceiling again. He also added some recess lights in there while he had that fan out. So this tenant was gone for the week of 4th of July. We had it planned with Jim for a couple months, so we had time to get all of our ducks in a row before that work began. And a little side note here, if you've ever done drywall work, no matter how hard you try to minimize that dust, it gets everywhere. And because of this, we paid our house cleaner to come in and clean his entire apartment before the guy returned so that he didn't come back to a mess. So the tenant got an update to his unit, did not need to be inconvenienced, and came back to a unit that was cleaner than the way he left it. And this is all because we communicated clearly about everything that was to go on. The bottom line is when you have to do work in a unit that's occupied, please be considerate of their needs. If they work from home, find a time when the work can be performed and not disrupt them. Give them plenty of notice in case they have to find another place to work. And in extreme situations where they can't stay when the work is being completed. Like when we had to tent the complex for termites, or the one time we had to turn the water off for an entire day and night, give them a reasonable credit back for them to stay elsewhere. Maybe they'll choose to take a couple vacation days and head out of town. Maybe they'll go stay with a friend or maybe they'll go to a hotel and be very happy to get back home. A lot of coordination goes into making sure everyone is on the same page and treated with the respect they deserve. Stuff happens and most of the time people are reasonable about the inconvenience, but that only goes so far if you're demanding about it. Be kind. Recognize that while yes, you're doing something necessary, it is a disruption to their living experience.

Kevin: 17:14

This is also so why when you have deferred maintenance, and no judgment, we all have stuff that needs to be completed. This is why when a tenant exits, you want to capitalize on the vacancy to get any bigger, messy projects done, so you don't have to inconvenience the tenant. Alright, before we get into the tips we have learned from Jim over the years, I want to take a minute to discuss regular maintenance. You've heard us say a bunch of times, and likely we sound like a broken record, but you guys have to do regular inspections. And when we do our inspections, who is right there with us?

Stacie: 17:52

I know this one, Jim, the contractor.

Kevin: 17:54

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. When you say that, it sounds like a kid's show. Jim the contractor. Yeah, Bob the builder. Right. Yeah, so we hire him for a half day to walk the units and check for leaks and issues that he knows how to spot. I mean, we're looking for evidence of pets or unauthorized roommates and issues with cleanliness that might lead to pest issues. Jim is looking under sinks and behind toilets. He's checking windows and doors and all the faucets. Anyway, you can listen to episode four to understand what we do and why. You can listen at yourlandlordresource.com episode 4, or go to the link in our show notes. That's episode four with the number 4. But the more you get into a habit of inspections, the more your tenants will understand the importance, and they'll come to rely on it. When the tenant is on board for repairs and maintenance that makes your life and the work of your contractors so much easier. And with repairs and maintenance, landlords, you will need what? All right, Stacie is looking at me like she has no idea.

Stacie: 19:09

I don't.

Kevin: 19:10

Okay. Money.

Stacie: 19:12

Oh.

Kevin: 19:13

Remember that?

Stacie: 19:14

Money's always good.

Kevin: 19:16

When you have a team who does work for you, the worst part for them is when you don't have enough money to pay for the work needed. Then they have to do a job subpar to their level of work, and you don't get as good a quality that you and your tenants deserve. And of course, we're talking about reserves here. You should be putting away a set amount of rent each month to hold funds for repairs, maintenance, and big items like a new roof. It's okay to shop around and get the best price for a contractor, but if you have a job you need completed and not enough money to pay for it. I mean, that creates a lot of stress for you as well as your contractor when they have to rework the bid to fit your budget. If you'd like to learn more about what we have to see on reserves, head over to episode 28. We break it all down for you, and you can find it at yourlandlordresource.com/ episode 28 or by going to the link in our show notes. But those reserves will really come in handy for unforeseen repairs and also allow you to complete plan maintenance to your rental property. Improvements are great, but if you don't have enough money to pay for them, then you will find yourself in a difficult situation. I mean, no improvements means your rental rates may suffer. Why would someone rent your old nineties looking unit when they can get one way more updated for 50 or even a hundred dollars more a month? Keep those reserves plentiful so you can keep your rents at market rate and be able to attract the best tenants.

Stacie: 20:55

Yeah, and I'm, I'm proud to say that we've done well with that. And we just did a big update to one of our units in Idaho and where the rents actually have fallen a bit, we still would have done those updates because when we go to sell that property at some point, we don't wanna have to discount it by a whole lot because it's already pretty updated and it won't have a lot of upgrades that are needed. But that's neither here nor there. I think we should talk about the tips that we have learned by listening and following Jim around all these years. We've touched on each of these at some point, and it's always a good reminder. And the first thing I wanna talk about is garbage disposals. If you have garbage disposals in your rentals, remind tenants to run those every night. Ever since we have done this, the leakage and replacement of garbage disposals has pretty much diminished. So in our unit binder and in an addendum of our lease, we put instructions for use. When the tenants rinse their dishes, even a few grains of rice can sit in the bottom of that disposal and cause it to rust out. And that rust eventually turns into a hole, and before you know it, there's a leak under your sink. Another thing about disposals is to only run it with cold water. Why is that? Because the motor of the disposal gets hot. And if you're running hot water through that with the already hot motor, you're gonna cause that motor to overheat and it's gonna wear out faster. The last thing that Jim did for us was teach us how to clear a jammed disposal. He got under there and he showed us exactly where to put the little wrench that comes with the disposal when you buy it, and how to turn it, and where also to reset the unit. We then created our own video to send out to tenants when they text with an issue and nine times outta 10, that video does the trick. And they are thrilled that they get to fix something on their own.

Kevin: 22:54

And they're also happy that we didn't have to come out to their unit.

Stacie: 22:58

Yeah. Well, I think we're just as thrilled about that.

Kevin: 23:00

Absolutely.

Stacie: 23:02

So with every new garbage disposal comes a small wrench and you essentially crank the motor manually if something gets stuck in there that can't be removed by a hand from above. Oh my God. Please cut the power to the unit before putting your hand down inside of it. But anyway, this wrench is to be used outside the unit at the base, under the sink. We use InSinkErator, brand disposals. I believe it's a Badger five model, and they come with a universal hex wrench. And if they're tossed during the installation, you can certainly buy'em online. We'll link'em in the show notes along with that video that we made so that you can check'em out. The bottom line is we were replacing disposals left and right. And where, yeah, it's kind of job security for Jim, we were paying around 350 bucks a pop for those replacements. Now that we've implemented these changes in instructions, we have not had to replace one in three to four years.

Kevin: 24:03

You know, you just jinxed us, right?

Stacie: 24:05

Yeah, probably. Everything else seems to be going out, it's about time for those disposals to go now too.

Kevin: 24:11

So when Jim replaces the disposal, he uses blue tape to tape the wrench to the side of the kitchen cabinet so it doesn't get tossed. And we also keep one in our work bag and a couple in back stock just in case. But those tips that Stacie just mentioned about garbage disposals has been a lifesaver. We know a lot of landlords who stopped installing garbage disposals because of the issues, and if they had just learned a little about the maintenance and then in turn told their tenants, they would be able to offer them in their units. And no garbage disposal means backed pipes, so take your pick on which you'd rather deal with. When we do inspections and turnovers, Jim always lays paper towels, I mean specifically, you know, those blue work towels, in the cabinet and under each of the sinks and the disposal. He then lets the water run for a while while he walks the unit. When he comes back, if there is a leak, he can see if the towel is wet. Sometimes it's hard to tell if a small leak is happening, and this helps him to be able to identify it quickly. As we are talking water lines, Jim replaces them every five years. The water lines to all sinks, and the water supply line to all toilets. Because the newer ones are made of more plastic and they tend to fail quicker. Not usually five years, but anywhere from six to eight years. So we like to be on the front end of those and change them out every five years. We have even had plumbers contact us through Your Landlord Resource and thank us for letting you all know. I mean, it's one of their most common repairs. Okay, what else?

Stacie: 25:54

Appliance is a big one.

Kevin: 25:55

Oh yeah, good one. Alright, appliances. Besides the fact that you should not put expensive appliances into your units, do not install ones with a lot of bells and whistles. These little doodads tend to go out and when they do, the tenant wants it back pronto. And here's a case in point. The refrigerators that were there on the property when we purchased it, had ice makers and water dispensers. I mean, tenants loved them. But the compressor to run the water to the fridge often broke after a few years and cost about$350 to fix. And this was way back, what about 2010? So I know those prices have gone up. Not to mention the leaks that can happen if the fridge is moved and the waterline cracks or gets partially dislodged. More is not always better when it comes to appliances. Now we do know a lot of plumbers who do not recommend pull down faucets, and Jim is also generally on board with this and that's because the adjustable water line that runs down through the faucet arm often cracks or springs a leak.

Stacie: 27:04

Yeah, that happens all the time. And, and no matter what quality faucet that's been installed.

Kevin: 27:09

Right. But you know what? We still install'em. And here's why. We found a kitchen faucet online that costs about 40 bucks. It's on Amazon and we'll link it in the show notes for you. But the bottom line is it looks really nice, the tenants love it. So far, so good on the durability. Now, for that cost, we can actually replace the entire unit in one fell swoop, rather than pay Jim to go out and diagnose the problem, order a new spray assembly, and then go back and repair it. That cost is about the same as the non pulldown faucet. So for us in this situation, it's a better deal. We always keep one on hand just in case. And honestly we have been replacing the Delta and Price Pfister faucets out with this one.

Stacie: 28:00

Yeah, so far so good. You know, again, I hope we're not jinxing ourselves. But I wanna circle back to appliances. So one tip we were given by our appliance repair person was to always know the make and model of all the appliances in your rental unit. When you call them with a problem, the first thing they're gonna ask you to tell them is what's the make of the unit? And after describing the problem, like say the dryer no longer spins, or your water heater or your heater is having a problem. If you know the model number often they can pick up the part in advance and repair it right there on the spot. This saves them time and you from having to make arrangements for the repair on two separate days and your tenants are gonna really appreciate this.

Kevin: 28:48

Yeah. That was helpful recently when we had to get that stackable washer and dryer repaired. Okay, a couple more small ones. Electricians recommend that you label your breaker box by number.

Stacie: 29:01

Yeah. Well, electricians nowadays pretty much do that already. Not so much in the, in the old days. So that's what they're saying is on the older units, you wanna go back and do that.

Kevin: 29:12

Okay, so let's say the kitchen is breaker number one, the bathroom is breaker number two, and so on. On the back of the plate covering your switches and plugs use a Sharpie to write that breaker number. That way when you have to go in and change out a light fixture or replace a failing GFI plug, know which breaker to flip and cut the power. And if you're not doing the work, whomever is, will really appreciate this. Time is money. So the more time it takes them to diagnose the issue, the more you pay.

Stacie: 29:46

Yeah, and this is a similar tip to the one that our painter gave us. Now we're in a place where all of our units are painted the same color, so we're good on this. But for those of you with different colors on different walls, or use a variety of colors throughout all your different units, you can also write the paint color on the back of an electrical plate. So when you hopefully go in to take those plates off when you're painting, you can take the color name and get more to match. Don't worry if you use Kelly Moore. All paint stores, at least so far, Lowe's, Home Depot, Dunne Edwards and Sherwin Williams have the Kelly Moore paint formulas to be able to match that paint, and we were shocked that it was a perfect match.

Kevin: 30:32

Yep. I mean, shocked and relieved I didn't have to fully repaint every unit over again if it didn't match. Now I want to throw in a couple simple money saving tips jim has turned us on to. If you have hardwood or LVP flooring and they get a scuff or a gouge that shows, you know, like a white or black mark and you can't, for the life of you get that mark out, there is a product called Fill Stick and it's made by Mohawk Flooring. Essentially it's like a crayon that comes in a variety of colors for your floors.

Stacie: 31:08

Yeah, you guys, real quick story on that one. So we have a couple of studio apartments and one tenant had asked permission to have his weightlifting kit in the unit and had a rubber mat under it, and we didn't think it was any problem. However, when he moved out, there were a couple of long white, I guess you'd say, scuffs on the LVP flooring. We have no idea if it was the weightlifting stuff or something else, but it was right in the middle of the room. Very easy to be seen and noticed. So when Jim was in there doing some deferred maintenance, after the guy had moved out, he asked, do you want me to fix the scuffs on the floor? And Kevin and I were a little confused and we were looking at him like, you mean take the damaged plank out and replace it with another piece? And he goes, no, for like five or seven bucks, I can buy a fill stick and see if I can make it less noticeable that way. You guys, the results were amazing. He sent us before and after photos, and I'm telling you, you really had to look hard to see where that scuff was. He said you can use it on baseboards and trim as well. But we haven't needed to do that yet. It also can be used on furniture too.

Kevin: 32:20

Yeah, that was really nice. Uh, do we have a way that listeners can see that?

Stacie: 32:24

Yeah, so I'll put it in the newsletter for this week. And then I'll make that newsletter public and link it in the show notes along with the link to the Mohawk fill stick so that people can check'em out.

Kevin: 32:36

Okay, perfect. Okay, the next maintenance tip Jim turned us on to was Kwikset rekey sets. Now, I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but for many years we hired a mobile locksmith to come out and rekey the units when people moved out, and that was to the tune of$75 plus the cost of any additional keys we had made. So one day we're going over the maintenance that we had to get completed for the turnover of a unit. And Jim says, you want me to change the locks too? I mean, I must have looked a little confused and I asked if he knew how to do that. I'll say he got a good laugh out of that. He told us that our locks are Kwikset brand, and that brand has a rekey system that anyone can do, that it's super cheap and easy. It would take him less than three minutes to re-key it. And you guys, this was before Amazon became so popular, so you still had to go out to a hardware store to get what you needed. So he said he would pick up a couple kits for us the next time he was at the Home Depot. And the long and short of it is if you have a Kwikset easy key system, you can rekey your locks yourself for under$10.

Stacie: 33:52

And you'll know if you have this rekey system if on the front of your doorknob next to the keyhole, there is a tiny, small, rectangular hole. Uh, this is where a Kwikset special tool gets inserted and allows you the option to change your locks. So we'll link the product and I'm gonna link a video in the show notes so that you can see how easy it is to do this.

Kevin: 34:17

Yeah, and we just turned kid number two onto this for his new rental in Idaho. He didn't have Kwikset locks but decided to install them for the front door and the back garage door, keying the two doors the same to keep it easy for his tenants. Okay, what else?

Stacie: 34:34

Well, this one wasn't necessarily recommended by Jim, but by the local Miracle Method guy. We had a chipped porcelain sink in one of our kitchens, and we were not in a place where we wanted to replace it yet. And when I called Miracle Method to see if they could come out and repair it, because that's what they do, I was floored when the guy told me that it was gonna cost$750 for a kitchen sink repair.

Kevin: 35:02

I mean, isn't that what we paid for the Idaho Miracle Method to come out and fix a hole and recoat the entire fiberglass shower insert?

Stacie: 35:10

Yep. And that that we did just happened in December. This sink repair in Sacramento was like five years ago. So I mean that's like highway robbery. I mean, God. But no, the guy was really nice and he recommended a product called Porc-A-Fix. It's a repair kit for porcelain sinks that comes in a variety of colors. And this sink was a Kohler brand and it was white. So I went on my trusty Amazon site and ordered the color I thought was the closest. You guys, the process takes a couple days because you have to apply the product, let it dry completely over 24 hours, and then sand it down. And if you missed any spots or didn't put enough on, then you have to go and do it again. There's a definite learning curve. But for less than$20 and some elbow grease I was able to repair that sink and you'd never know that there was a ding that was exposed all the way down to the cast iron base. You know, we have people who ding our sinks and tubs all the time, and before we call Miracle Method now, or a re glazing company, we always see if we can use Porc-A-Fix to repair it first. I actually made a video of the process while I was doing it so you guys could check it out and I'll link that and the products in the show notes for you.

Kevin: 36:30

Now, just to clarify, that is to fix porcelain sinks and tubs, correct? You can't use that on fiberglass?

Stacie: 36:37

Correct. Porc-A-Fix is for porcelain repairs. There are fiberglass repair kits, but if I remember correctly, those were super involved and beyond our level of expertise.

Kevin: 36:51

Oh yeah. I mean, we did look into those. Not only expertise, but we had a tight timeline in Idaho, so that's why we hired Miracle Method to go out there. And hey, they did a great job. I mean, we were very happy with the way the insert looked afterwards. No idea how well it will hold up with this next tenant, but it saved us a bundle from not having to replace that shower insert that had holes that would've created a nasty mold and dry rod issue over time if we had left it. Alright, one last tip, and this is if you're remodeling a bathroom. If you can, remove the drywall where the toilet paper holder will go and put a wood support between the studs. I mean, this was a big help at keeping those holders from coming loose from the wall. I mean, I don't know why tenants seem to think they can use toilet paper holders as a way to help them stand up after using the toilet, but man, oh man. If our toilet paper holders are not screwed into the wall with wood backing, they always come loose. I mean, even with the best anchors. We got to the point of just buying free standing toilet paper holders and not putting them on the wall anymore. Jim has done these wood supports between the studs in two of our bath remodels, and what a huge difference that makes. I believe we did a social media post on it. We will try to link that in the show notes so you can see how we did it.

Stacie: 38:20

Okie dokie, you guys, that is our show for today. I hope you've enjoyed these tips from the perspective of our contractor. These are all things that we have learned over the years from working with Jim. And I'm sure there's a lot more great tips, and as we learn them, we will be sure to share them with you. If you enjoy this episode, would you do us a favor and leave us a kind review of the podcast so that other landlords will find us too? If you wanna hear more, follow or subscribe to the podcast so each week, the episodes are downloaded right to your favorite podcast platform. And we'd love to stay in contact with you. If you have a question or you wanna suggest a subject for a podcast, you can text us at 6 5 0 4 8 9 4 4 4 7 or email us at stacie@yourlandlordresource.com. That's Stacie with an IE or kevin@yourlandlordresource.com. All those links will be in the show notes as well. Also in the show notes, you can find links to all the downloads that we offer and how to sign up for our free newsletter. There's also links to our private Facebook group that's just for landlords and our social media accounts. That's about it. Thanks again for tuning in, and until next time, you've got this landlords.