Old Business
Tom Ross is our outgoing president, and Russ Cunningham is the incoming president.
We will not have a meeting in December. We start back up on January 9, 2024.
In March, there will be an election for county commissioner and state representatives, so we’ll have them at a meeting before then.
Motion to approve October’s minutes: 1st Russ, 2nd Tom Miller.
Treasurer’s report: we have $1,444.46 currently in our bank account.
Dues are $35 per year. Please pay your 2024 dues to Treasurer Katie Erickson – cash, check (to PO Box 221, Findlay, OH 45839), or PayPal.
Initiative Petitions
Please take a set of petitions and get signatures! Anyone who signs needs to be a registered voter in the City of Findlay (party is irrelevant). There are 3 of them, and we have a summary of talking points available with them.
- Failure to comply with any city ordinance and you can get your water shut off, even if the bill is paid in full. If your tenant fails to comply with any city ordinance, the landlord can get their water shut off.
- Building & maintenance code and zoning changes need to be put on a ballot for the people to decide.
- City council tries to shut down people they don’t like, so we’re asking to speak on any topic we want for 6 minutes (instead of the “4” minutes they sometimes allow).
We are making progress, but we need 1200+ signatures. There are a few of us doing a lot of work on this, and it would be a lot easier if more people would help with the process!
We have been at most public events to gather signatures, but we still need more!
New Business
We have a form on the website for people looking for a rental to share their details of what they’re looking for. Katie receives that and forwards it to the group.
Officer Elections:
We need a vice president! The responsibilities are to book speakers for the meeting, and then go into the president’s role.
We have trustees as well; Jan and Joe Edinger are currently trustees, and Tom Ross will become a trustee as well.
Katie Erickson is staying on as secretary and treasurer (unless someone else wants the treasurer role).
Legislative Report:
Tom Miller represents us at the Ohio Apartment Association, which represents landlords at the state level regarding legislation. Landlords educate the government at the state level, and they want information from us to make good decisions.
There are 20ish bills on the list. Here are a couple of highlights:
- There is a bill to prevent landlords from asking a person’s income. That will never come to the floor for a vote.
- Municipalities can put a lien on a property if a tenant doesn’t pay a utility bill. Some places have all utilities on the municipal level, so a bill is introduced to limit how much the landlord is responsible for. It’s getting close to potentially passing.
- Landlords could get a state income tax credit if we accept companion animals. Service animals and emotional support animals are different from this.
There has been a lot of talk at the state level about rent control, but nothing is actually happening on that yet. We would counter with property tax control and federal charges for large amounts of damages to properties.
Motion to adjourn: 1st Jamie, 2nd Doc
Tips & Tricks – Tom Miller (and from Jack Wasbro)
Tom has been in the rental business for 35 years. He does most of his own repair work but occasionally hires contractors when he gets too busy. He also runs Skillshot Games, working on arcade games. He is also a fire investigator for Liberty Township.
Tom shared this handout with the group, which contains many more tips! Below are his additions to that list, along with tips from others in the group.
Pex: Shark bite – he doesn’t use them unless he has to. They work for Pex, copper, PVC, etc. They often randomly start leaking, especially if you turn the water off and back on. Never put them in a wall because of this issue. Pex will not bust in a place where pipes could freeze. Go with the brass fittings instead of plastic fittings, especially where it could freeze. The fittings are smaller than the pipes, so you may get a little less water flow.
Shutoff valves: Use ¼ turn because the ones you crank more tend to go bad more quickly.
Polymeric rings for toilets (wax rings) are reusable and much less messy. It always maintains a seal, as opposed to wax rings that
2nd sump pump: outlet onto driveway so you know when there’s an issue.
Breaker panel: If you have a 2-wire system (older wiring), make sure you tie the neutral and ground together in the new panel. Know what your municipality looks for when you get power turned on.
Duplex: Verify that all the electricity to each unit goes to that unit if there are separate meters.
If an outlet is loose, it’ll get extra hot. Use #12 for outlet wiring instead of #14, and curl it around the screws on the outlet instead of the “jab” connection. You want more surface area of the wire on the connections.
Which is the right way to install an outlet? Code says ground on the top, but common sense says ground on the bottom.
Gas water heater flue: test it with a match or a lighter. Once the flame gets going, it pushes the air out. Watch the smoke pattern on the match held near the flue, make sure it goes out the flue. Or use a thin piece of paper to check the air movement. Check the rim of the flue that you can touch it while the water heater is running; it should not be hot to the touch. If it is hot, then you may have some gas leakage.
You can put it in your lease that tenants are responsible for smoke detector batteries and maintenance.
Dollar General – blue carpet cleaning product in a metal can, will get grease out of carpet.
Ohio Conveyor -> Tool Supply
AWHR – lease water heaters and they replace it quickly if something goes bad
Tom Ross:
Faucets start to go bad with calcium or fluoride. Soak it in white vinegar for a couple of hours and it’s like brand new.
Wire the bathroom switch together for light and vent so that they both come on together, that way tenants use the exhaust van (which needs to be vented out, not just into the attic).
RMR 86 Pro – buy it online. Kills mold instantly! Just spray it on, no scrubbing necessary. It kills all kinds of mold.
Ozone machine to kill odors.
Vinegar cleans everything.
Jim Gould:
Wet & Forget – spray on siding for cleaning.
High-efficiency furnace – there’s a blower that starts up ahead of time and it has a vacuum switch on it that can get condensation.
Bees – run a shop vac at their entrance hole.
Andrea Adams-Miller:
Remind tenants to leave faucets dripping when it’s very cold. Teach them what a “drip” is.
Kwikset: master key or smart key
Katie Erickson:
Cleaning attachments for a drill, saves on scrubbing
Cleaning cloths, especially for windows – Norwex or E-Cloth brand
Keep a bag of standard tools together for handy fixes.
Sharon Powell:
Goof Off Graffiti Remover – gets rid of paint on siding.
Always check the furnace filter if the furnace goes out.
Bathtub caulk – cotton balls soaked in ½ Clorox bleach and ½ water in a glass jar. Stick it in that area and it’ll clean it.
Mary Ann Gerdeman:
Use shampoo to remove hairspray from walls.
Newer furnaces have batteries in the thermostats, which can cause the furnace to not run if the battery dies.
Medium-sized wet-dry shop vac instead of a plunger for plumbing problems. Clean the toilet tank out with the shop vac as well.
Jared Brown:
If you need a tip, YouTube it!
Linda Bishop:
Copper sulfate down toilets for places with tree roots. You need to flood the line enough to saturate the roots.
Group:
Furnace filters: buy the cheapest ones and have the tenants change them. Some landlords change them themselves just to get in the units.
Countertops: get the cheap Formica. Have Lowes/Menards cut and mull it for you.
Zeb Walters:
Drill attachment for cleaning dryer vent.
Fabric softener and water on the woodwork and it won’t collect dust.
Cat pee or cigarette smoke – smolder incense for 24 hours.
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