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At this point, I don't care if the opinions are valid, grabassing, or otherwise.

I got a call this morning from another property management company. Their properties at the beach are infested with raccoons in the attics. The problem is, they are all vacation homes, no owners/renters present, so the property management firm wants to give me keys to all the places, because they don't have the personnel to meet me down there and let me in and out every day while I'm checking the traps.

I don't want the keys. I don't want to access anybody's place when they're not there. It's just problems waiting to happen. While my insurance covers damages and litigation, I'd just as soon not spend months in court if some jackwagon says I stole his wife's jewelry box or some shit.

Am I overreacting? Any other tradesmen ok with going into people's homes without anyone else there?

Sounds like a great place to host an east coast hunt

I've dealt with a few, phone, cable, etc who wouldn't work inside house if I wasn't home. Said it was always about liability.

But being a dirty cop, an empty house makes it easier to get away with whatever shenanigans I got goin on at the time

Whenever you enter an unoccupied house to check traps or for whatever reason, leave your business card with the time and date you were there. If you enter and find something out of order, call the property management company or the police depending on what you find. If the job pays enough it will be worth it.

I manage 70 sites here in Illinois. I have a "hold harmless" section in my contract with my client. Take photos of the "assets in place" the first time you visit. Log your visits, noting any changes, etc. with the conditions of the property. It's the best you can do.

If you want the revenue, protect yourself as much as possible.

Seems odd that they are vacant during peak season, but if they are rentals, doubtful they will have any personal belongings (ie-jewelry, purses, etc...), if nobody is staying there at the time.

gock5 wrote:I manage 70 sites here in Illinois. I have a "hold harmless" section in my contract with my client. Take photos of the "assets in place" the first time you visit. Log your visits, noting any changes, etc. with the conditions of the property. It's the best you can do.

If you want the revenue, protect yourself as much as possible.

I am no tradesman but this sounds like good advice even if a pain in the ass. Get something in writing and CYA as much as possible.

Just do it. 50/50 nothing happens and you make some decent change doin it.

FlintRiverFowler wrote:Just do it. 50/50 nothing happens and you make some decent change doin it.

and if something does happen, it'll make for a good forum topic!!!

Assa, get yourself two chimps and just let them enter the door and shut it until they get the job done. You never have to enter the apartments/houses.

Ho-lee-fuck.


Not one suggestion to abscond with valuables and blame it on the coons???


Pretty disappointed boys.

DeadEye_Dan wrote:Ho-lee-fuck.


Not one suggestion to abscond with valuables and blame it on the coons???


Pretty disappointed boys.

Kind of sad when someone is shocked that our members gave good advice to a fellow member...

I have keys to about 50 properties that are people's homes that I do maintenance on. I used to worry about it but I don't anymore. I also am bonded which is an insurance that covers you for something like that. Also they are vacation places on the beach I wouldn't really worry about it.

If I had been standing there, chimps would have become double super endangered real quick. Real tough taking on an adolescent raccoon 6 on 1. Bastards.

gock5 wrote:I manage 70 sites here in Illinois. I have a "hold harmless" section in my contract with my client. Take photos of the "assets in place" the first time you visit. Log your visits, noting any changes, etc. with the conditions of the property. It's the best you can do.

If you want the revenue, protect yourself as much as possible.

This seems pretty good. It'd only take me about 2 minutes to do a video walk through, I guess. I'll think on it a bit.

Deltaman wrote:Seems odd that they are vacant during peak season, but if they are rentals, doubtful they will have any personal belongings (ie-jewelry, purses, etc...), if nobody is staying there at the time.

Only occupied Friday-Sunday.

assateague wrote:Am I overreacting? Any other tradesmen ok with going into people's homes without anyone else there?

I have to do it all the time, didnt feel comfortable at first but it doesnt bug me now. I always act/work as if im being videotaped, maybe I have been, I dont know.

3legged_lab wrote:

assateague wrote:Am I overreacting? Any other tradesmen ok with going into people's homes without anyone else there?

I have to do it all the time, didnt feel comfortable at first but it doesnt bug me now. I always act/work as if im being videotaped, maybe I have been, I dont know.

Kinky

3legged_lab wrote:

assateague wrote:Am I overreacting? Any other tradesmen ok with going into people's homes without anyone else there?

I have to do it all the time, didnt feel comfortable at first but it doesnt bug me now. I always act/work as if im being videotaped, maybe I have been, I dont know.

X2. I always try to contact the home owner/ property manager after work each day to give a quick report of what I have done.

That.... and leave upper deckers.

My advice: stop being a pussy, and make some money. Get though without an issue, and you instantly become "the trustworthy guy that catches everything but rats".

I walked into a house once and the renter immediately asked me why I stoled her watch. I asked her what she was talking about and she told me I stoled her watch. She even called my Lt. And told him I stoled her watch. People are fucking crazy sometimes. (All because she had a question and didn't like my answer)

Assa, you are missing out on a real profitable situation. Get the keys and sub lease the houses when the aren't occupied. Plus you get the varmit carnage pleasure and change from that. Win WIn man!

Bootlipkiller wrote:I walked into a house once and the renter immediately asked me why I stoled her watch. I asked her what she was talking about and she told me I stoled her watch. She even called my Lt. And told him I stoled her watch. People are fucking crazy sometimes. (All because she had a question and didn't like my answer)

Stoled her watch...

AKPirate wrote:

Bootlipkiller wrote:I walked into a house once and the renter immediately asked me why I stoled her watch. I asked her what she was talking about and she told me I stoled her watch. She even called my Lt. And told him I stoled her watch. People are fucking crazy sometimes. (All because she had a question and didn't like my answer)

Stoled her watch...

BTW, how does your wife like the watch?

Feelin' Fowl wrote:My advice: stop being a pussy, and make some money. Get though without an issue, and you instantly become "the trustworthy guy that catches everything but rats".

It's not even my "real" job, and I'm putting in about 20 hours a week now as it is, between groundhogs under sheds, gassing groundhog holes for farmers, and foxes getting into chicken coops. Not sure I really want the extra time this would take. Checking cage traps around the outside is one thing, but climbing into 20-30 attics a day is getting damn near full time. If I do do it, it's going to be $250 an animal, take it or leave it, no reductions for subsequent catches. Attics are a pain in the ass, especially in summertime, and I hate insulation. I'm getting itchy right now just thinking about crawling through that many 130 degree attics.

130 if you're lucky.

My crews do or 280 stops a week many of them are unattended we have keys and codes to each property.
With my contract I send our references and history statement and point out we have never had a theft issue but if they have anything they are concerned with they should remove it or secure it as we will not be responsible
In thirty five years we have never had a problem or a customer who refused to sign.
Good work is hard to come by I would not turn it down just put the responsibility on them.

assateague wrote:

Feelin' Fowl wrote:My advice: stop being a pussy, and make some money. Get though without an issue, and you instantly become "the trustworthy guy that catches everything but rats".

It's not even my "real" job, and I'm putting in about 20 hours a week now as it is, between groundhogs under sheds, gassing groundhog holes for farmers, and foxes getting into chicken coops. Not sure I really want the extra time this would take. Checking cage traps around the outside is one thing, but climbing into 20-30 attics a day is getting damn near full time. If I do do it, it's going to be $250 an animal, take it or leave it, no reductions for subsequent catches. Attics are a pain in the ass, especially in summertime, and I hate insulation. I'm getting itchy right now just thinking about crawling through that many 130 degree attics.

4 raccoons = $1,000. 8 raccoons = a trip to California to kill a pintail.

>10 rakins=Jim getting fired from his real job for never being there on time.

Don't you work from home on a laptop? Move the office to an attic!