I owned a duplex that had three rental units technically.
- The previous owner definitely just slapped on an addition that was totally illegal and put another tenant in there.
The guy was on a cash deal and his apartment was gross. It was really small with a toilet, sink, small kitchen and bedroom. The guy was basically living in a dorm room with plumbing. He also was a problem. My other renter complains about the smells coming from his apartment. He constantly leaves food out that attracts cockroaches. There was a major leak with his plumbing as well. The guy’s floor was constantly wet and causing damage. The unit was so disgusting that I refused to go in there or hire a plumber. Eventually the guy moved out. Now I am in the process of remodeling his unit. I plan to give his unit another bedroom to my tenant next door. That way I am a true duplex. I have capped the toilet and sink openings and laid down new flooring. The hot water tank turned out to be the reason for the leak. It was too old and was spraying water everywhere. I bought a brand new, much smaller tank and enclosed it in a closet space. I also put down new flooring underneath it and a drain pan. I had to redo all the drywall in the space, spray for bugs and repaint everything. The room actually smells decent now and there is no more standing water. It was so much time, effort and money to get the plumbing in that unit normal again.