Farewell

Farewell

As some of you already know Tim Waggoner has decided to take a job in the construction industry.Congratulations! While we will miss you and have fond memories of working with you, we wish you well and hope you will be successful. Your dedication and fun loving (pictured- not sure who the ninjas are) attitude will be missed by everyone here at Empire but especially by me (his dad). The door will always be open for Tim at Empire.  Godspeed in your new adventure!

Eugene Rental Housing Code

Eugene Rental Housing Code

The City of Eugene enacted the Rental Housing Code in 2005. Ostensibly, the Code was created to protect tenants by creating minimum standards for rental properties and enforcing those standards through a complaint driven process. On the surface, who could argue with a program that will force "bad" landlords into doing there duty to provide quality housing, but the causal relationship between government intervention and the rise in homelessness and affordable housing cannot be ignored. 

The creation of "minimum standards" cannot be decided by a committee, but only truly decided by the tenant. Each tenant must way the value of the product and the commitment of the landlord to continue to provide that product. We all make this decision when making purchases. These "minimum standards" limit the choices the tenants have in the pool of available rentals by raising the "quality" and therefore price. Many tenants financial situation dictates that they can afford only the most basic housing. But since the housing code will eliminate a lot of this affordable housing the tenants is left with housing they cannot afford. This leaves them with charities from non-profits, government housing programs, and when that fails- homelessness.

The Housing Code itself will not directly effect any Empire customers, as we are educated enough to know that maintaining "minimum standards" is not a path to financial security. However, the Housing Code has far reaching effects, since the cost of housing will increase due to the pressure put on housing from lack of supply and regulation such as the Eugene Housing Code. Inevitably, the talk will turn to rent control. The effect of which will be to create a further lack in housing and exacerbating the lack of affordable housing.

The upcoming Housing Board meeting is your opportunity to be heard. I urge available ROA members to submit written testimony to the Eugene Housing Code Advisory board or the attend the board meeting on Tuesday the 17th at 7:30pm at Harris Hall located at  125 E. 8th Avenue, Eugene. Please sign up to give oral testimony.

This article was originally written for the Rental Owners Association of Lane County and adapted for EPM.

Now You're Cookin'

Now You’re Cookin'
by Ed Waggoner, ROA Board Member and Owner of Empire Property Management, LLC

In the whole realm of managing your rental property, not much thought is given to your cooking appliances until the one you have starts giving you trouble. Since it is generally the landlord’s responsibility to provide cooking appliances, be a good landlord and take care the situation right away.

First, we need to think about whether to repair or replace. This is a judgment call on your part, and before you decide, you need to figure in a few items:

·                     How old is the unit? A range can last for 20 years or even more, as we have units that work just fine at 30+ years old. But when they reach 15+ years the advantage of replacing starts to win.

·                     Is the range a self-clean?  This is huge. You, or a cleaning company, can spend hours cleaning an oven. This cuts into your available deposit, and since judges do not clean ovens, your pleas for understanding will not be heard in court.

·                     Is it ugly? Maybe extra money now to upgrade your rental is in order. Not too much, just clean and new is often enough to make your property more rental-able.

·                     How much is the repair? We all know the adage that when the cost of repair is over 50%  of the cost to replace, it’s better to replace. But first, make sure that the cost to replace is the whole cost, not just the cost of the appliance. Meaning, the appliance,
          delivery, installation and haul away. Look at the condition of the unit. Is it almost new and the breakage is just a fluke? Maybe a repair is in order. There are many good and
          professional repair companies in town - and you can always refer to your ROA Bulletin Business Directory.

·                     Can you fix it yourself?  There are many handy landlords, and a lot of the repairs are pretty easy. New range and oven burners are the easiest. (Buy new stove top pans while you’re at it). All in all, a stove is pretty simple, but if it’s electronic, you may want to leave it to the professionals. For how-to videos try youtube.com and repairclinic.com.

After all this, you may decide to replace. So…what do I buy? First, you want cheap, but not too cheap. Then, the unit has to be self cleaning. Next, if you have an older drop-in unit you may want to consider converting to a free-standing range, since most drop-ins are being phased out of production leaving supply low and prices high. I still like the regular coil burners for my rentals (even though I have a smooth top in my house). They are cheaper to buy and cheaper to fix. All major brands will suit you: Whirlpool, GE, Amana, LG and Frigidaire have all been installed with a slight advantage to Whirlpool in repairs costs. The unit does not have to be new. I have installed many good and functional appliances I’ve purchased from Craigslist or St. Vincent de Paul's. If you’re going new, check around at all the major box stores and appliance outlets for prices. There can be a 25% difference in prices from store to store.

Happy Landlording!

This article was originally written for the Rental Owners Association of Lane County and adapted for EPM.