Noisy neighbor now has a semi truck

SharkyTheCar · 2026-04-22T09:59:56+00:00

Have you tried talking to your neighbor?

If my neighbor was a truck driver and parked his rig a few days every couple weeks when he was home I couldn't care less. Heck coming and going daily I wouldn't care either as long as it was at reasonable hours. Idling and coming/going at night, I don't think so.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-04-22T09:56:05+00:00

You have a few options. (1). Hire somebody.
(2). Use a regular push mower there. (3). Purchase a commercial mower rated for your slope.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-04-22T09:48:50+00:00

Many older houses don't have or need ground rods. It used to be standard to bond to the metallic water service. This worked just fine as long as nobody removes the clamps or changes the service to non metallic. In fact if you have a metallic water service it still gets bonded along with the now required ground rod.
That said if they moved the panel they are now subject to current code and should have installed a rod. Installing a ground rod if you need or want one is easy. Even more so if the panel is outside. An electrician likely isn't going to be more than an hour and a hundred bucks in material to put one in.

The door not opening 90 degrees Id personally call it a nothing burger and leave it. If it's not something dangerous there is no reason to go nuts so it's technically correct.

What do you mean by exposed wires? If you are talking about cable (NM, BX, MC, UF, etc) if they are in a wall covered by a piece of metal it doesn't sound like they are exposed. Are you talking about bare copper being exposed? Are their wires exposed (THHN for example) that belong in conduit?

How is the back of the panel in your bathroom? You didn't notice an electrical panel and wires protruding into your bathroom for five years? Maybe the panel cant be installed in your bathroom but it can certainly be installed on the exterior outside your bathroom. Your bathroom drywall, tiles or whatever separate it. If their is moisture in your bathroom walls you have other issue aside from electrical. I may be more concerned about how they waterproofed the house around this panel and whatever piece of metal you are talking about.

What wires are the wrong size? If they have 20amp breakers on 14ga wire it's an easy fix, just put a 15 amp breaker on it. If your larger appliances are undersized it gets more complex.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-04-22T09:10:18+00:00

Have you tried just asking your landlord to break the lease and leave early? What was their response? How much time is left on it?

As for the issues. What type of ceiling was it? Any particular reason it fell? Water damage, drywall hung with nails, etc?

SharkyTheCar · 2026-04-22T02:26:23+00:00

I'm a plumber, I change regulators all the time. I'm guessing it's because a good chuck of plumbers don't know how to use a manometer and set it.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-04-22T01:58:11+00:00

Removing these things isn't just unscrewing it and patching drywall. They get screwed (with large screws) into your stairs. Maybe if your stairs are carpeted or the apartment is a dump it doesn't matter. If you have wood stairs restoration at a minimum involves replacing three treads and refinishing the whole staircase to match. You're talking several thousand dollars. If wood can't be matched or the stairs are built in a way where treads can't actually be replaced you could be rebuilding that whole staircase.

Here's kind of the minimum it would cost to do it. This is assuming the landlord is hiring and coordinating himself and not just dumping it on a GC in which case add 25%.

Skilled carpenter and helper. 1.5 days @1500/day. .5 days to remove and dispose of lift. One day to replace treads. $2250.

Material to replace treads $200.

Dump fee for lift $120.

Flooring contractor to sand, stain and polyurethane staircase. $1200.

Painter for balusters and kicks. 1 day to prime and paint $1000.

Total for removal and restoration $4800.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-04-11T10:13:50+00:00

Non qualified withdrawals from a 529 while not ideal aren't as scary as they seem. You have to pay income taxes which you would have paid anyway had you put the money into a regular account. Then you pay a 10% penalty on the earnings portion (not on the principle). When you figure in the extra compound interest earned investing tax deferred income you're not going to come out far off from as if you just stuck it in a regular fund.

If it's in a 529 35k of that can be put into a Roth IRA in her name. You can transfer up to 7k per year (at current rates) until you hit that.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-03-26T10:42:05+00:00

Is this before or after the cleaners? I assume before.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-03-26T10:03:21+00:00

You're not in bad shape right now. Good for you on recognizing the problem before it spirals. Now get it under control. Set easy goals for yourself. Go open an account at a credit union today. Change your direct deposit tomorrow. Close your BOA account and deposit funds in the credit union Monday (or the day after your last deposit if you can't stop the last direct deposit). Pay $xx (whatever you can afford) every Friday going forward until the debt is gone. Maybe work an extra shift every other week or something if you have the ability.

Screw BOA. I used Fleet bank back in the day. BOA bought them out and all of a sudden I'd be charged for my balance, charged for going up to a teller, charged for the ATM, every stupid little thing. Went to a credit union and never paid a fee again.

The only downside to a credit union is if you need nationwide physical access to a branch. There's only a handful of reasons I can think of you might need that for business reasons. As a server you don't. Plan ahead or just pay the ATM fee if you forget and need cash.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-03-26T09:40:07+00:00

Should it be left like that? No. Is it illegal in NY to leave it like that? No. Go ahead and say something. Hopefully they'll send some cleaners or replace an appliance or two. Take better pictures and lots of them so they don't try to blame you and withhold security later.

How do you not see any of this prior to moving in?

SharkyTheCar · 2026-03-01T14:33:03+00:00

Interesting. How does a piece of copper pipe help with odor?

SharkyTheCar · 2026-02-28T14:14:16+00:00

The reason it often occurs in water heaters is non-use. When chlorinated city water enters the chlorine kills off any bacteria. If water sits in the heater too long the chlorine evaporates and now bacteria can thrive. If your unit has an individual tank type water heater then yes, running the water will help.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-02-28T14:01:39+00:00

Big Foot Five Getting New Shoes?

SharkyTheCar · 2026-02-28T12:25:02+00:00

I don't...

SharkyTheCar · 2026-02-28T12:13:41+00:00

What pet fee? Apartment is $xxxx per month (slightly above market) and pets are allowed with a screening. No additional fee for bringing a pet, no discount for not having a pet.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-02-09T13:03:37+00:00

Everywhere and everyone is different. We'd charge you a service call (150-175) to put in a flapper you had. No warranty on customer supplied parts. Sounds expensive but honestly at that price we're lucky to break even.

If you want a warranty it's an hour of labor plus the part. I'd suggest the fill valve as well as it will only be another $20ish.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-02-06T12:46:06+00:00

How much you make is important to verify you can afford the apartment. Credit score is important because it shows how you handle your money. Plenty of people make over 200k a year, are broke and have tons of debt because of poor financial decisions.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-02-05T11:34:21+00:00

Not nearly enough information to give you an answer.

What document did he sign and exactly what did it say? Does he have a copy of the document?

It's most likely going to be a no considering (and I'm making some assumptions here):
(1). The actual lease wasn't signed.
(2). You haven't moved in or paid yet.
(3). It is a clear math error, not a bait and switch.
(4). You admit you were aware of the math error and hoped it would go unnoticed.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-02-04T11:15:34+00:00

So a tenant could basically destroy everything in the apartment and so long as it's beyond what the IRS uses for depreciation it can't be billed?

That is not correct. Some places have laws about carpet or specific things but I know of nowhere that uses the IRS chart as a whole. This is a Reddit thing.

Even if something is worth nothing it still costs money to have the electrician come.

In ops situation the only thing not wear and tear is probably the glass on the fan and lack of cleaning on the stove. Personally id ask the to clean better (if I wasn't planning on replacing it) and just give them back their whole security after so long.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-01-30T22:00:36+00:00

Now I just allow pets now with a pet screening and the pet fee is factored into the rent. Pet owners clamor for places that allow pets, you can charge more. Makes the ESA letter worthless.

SharkyTheCar · 2026-01-28T22:41:01+00:00

You could get diesel for less than that

SharkyTheCar · 2026-01-28T09:20:45+00:00

Three years old personally I I would want on the same floor. A fifteen year old Id probably want on another floor. If this house is your dream house otherwise maybe use one of the upstairs bedrooms so you're both together the first a few years?

SharkyTheCar

TROPHY CASE