Borer Problem in Staircase

[ivan_nz]

I am a completely newbie in property managment and this is the first house i purchased. To help with the mortgage i rent it out the house through a PM. The life of being a landlord was uneasy even with a PM. Tenants often complain about little things but to date all required maintenances have been carried out. However, im getting a feeling that PM may be associated with their own builders and often look for opportunities to get home owners into getting things fixed by their builders.

Recently there are borer holes *identified on the surface of the stringer and through the staircase. A borer treatment have subsequently been applied. Tenant complained about a small crack on the stringer and the next day PM said to me that the whole staircase needs to be replaced as it is the section of timber that the steps are connected to and it holds the steps in place for fixing staircase to the framing of the wall.

I am currently in a situation where i have been pressured to get it replaced immediately or it will collapse.

With limited knowledge in building construction I’m unable to accurately assess the problem. However, i have never heard of borers can cause something to collapse. Does this sound doggy to you?

anyone know any trustworthy builders could you please provide me with their contact details? I am not trying to avoid the repair but just dont want to get rip off.**************************************


P.s. currently tenants have signed a fixed term contract til next april but im alread piss off by their picky attitute and the PM as well.. is it possible to terminate the contract early and move in myslef?

f m builder who did the building report when i purchase the house but did not state borer problems with the stairs.

Much appreciated for your help.
Ivan

[Philipnz]

Borer holes mean at some stage borer were active, its possible the problem was identified and successfully treated in time years ago. It is also possible they are still active and one indicator is dust piles at the holes.

It is impossible for anyone to tell you over the internet if your stair will collapse. Get an independent inspector or engineer to visit site and if its ok the written report should end this aspect of the issues you are having with the tenant. On the down side if the report identifies a structural problem you will need to fix it and if borer were active in one part of the house there may be more areas to check.

[Maccachic]

My PM gets quotes from more than one company for any repairs.

[artemis]

What is your location?

[DBrown]

My PM gets quotes from more than one company for any repairs.

Yea... sounds dodgy!

[gavinc]

<the next day PM said to me that the whole staircase needs to be replaced as it is the section of timber that the steps are connected to and it holds the steps in place for fixing staircase to the framing of the wall.>

I very much doubt the PM is qualified to make this call.
Get another opinion - You want the name of a builder to check it but do not say what City/Town you are in.

[DazRaz]

Even if it needs replacing, why did they borer treat it if it was so obviously about to collapse. Get a second opinion fast.

[DazRaz]

How many times has this been posted?

[ivan_nz1]

Thanks guys, really appreciate all of your response
re Maccachic, what company are you using?
re Artemis, Newlands Wellington
re DBrown, you reckon? My instinct tells me the same thing. It sucks being presured by my PM and being pushed to use their builder. I felt pretty shit that fact the i have little knowldge about building and that i am unable to evaluate the situation other than being pushed and told to make a decision quickly. At the same time i hope to sort this out quickly as it is a safety issues but i just feeling helpless as to who i can rely upon in terms of truth and opinions

[BigDreamer]

Definitely look for a builder or a handy man to check and confirm. Replacing the whole staircase sounds excessive but at the same time you wouldn't want to be liable for causing harm in case it really does collapse.

[Leftette]

Sounds very doggy to me. Get a builder from the yellow pages. Someone, anyone has to be useful as a second opinion, surely. You don't sound as though you should be in the land lording game though, if I'm honest.

[BigDreamer]

P.s. currently tenants have signed a fixed term contract til next april but im alread piss off by their picky attitute and the PM as well.. is it possible to terminate the contract early and move in myslef?

Only if both the tenants and yourself agreed to terminate the fixed tenancy.

[flyernzl]

P.s. currently tenants have signed a fixed term contract til next april but im alread piss off by their picky attitute and the PM as well.. is it possible to terminate the contract early and move in myslef?

No.

Shows - once again - that for a Landlord the drawbacks of a fixed-term tenancy outweigh the benefits.

[klauster]

For the PM it is easy to make these recommendations as they charge you possibly on top of repair bills their administration fees in addition.

I would instruct your PM to find a mutual agreement to end the fixed tenancy, as they have identified – the house is not safe.

Parallel find the right people as suggested here and get the situation assessed and under control.

[PC]

When tenants first move in they nearly always find something that annoys them.
If possible fix it and they'll be happy.

I doubt a bit of borer will cause your stairs to collapse.
Call the inspection company back and suggest they missed it - ask for then to have a look.

The tenants inspected the property before signing up.
So for stupid requests - say no.
And the PM works for you - don't be shy about telling them what to do.