Okay, my confession is over and I feel better now. Who is brave enough to be next? --68.63.xxx.xxx

I wouldn't even know where to start. Stick and peel tiles for flooring? Stick and peel tiles to freshen up the appearance of old dated cabinets. I could go on. But, I am 1000% guilty of doing things I would never do to my own home. --68.107.xxx.x

--68.63.xxx.xxx

Never getting a permit............for anything. --196.52.xx.xx

I have to ask,...what type of permit was required and why didn't you get it? Permits are not that expensive. --68.63.xxx.xxx

How about patching 6 inches of PEX in a supply line under a sink... between CPVC and copper? Because that's what I had in the box. --98.122.x.xx

It's not the price of the permit. It's putting up with the inspector. He will destroy your schedule and demand stupid things that are NOT in the code book, costing big $$$. --98.122.x.xx

In my town, a plumbing permit is required just to install an electric water heater. When you get caught without a permit, the city will fine you severely. All rental houses are inspected here on a yearly basis and when the inspector sees a new water heater (or whatever), he then goes looking for the required permit. My plumber pulls a permit for any new installation he does for me. --68.63.xxx.xxx

We hide all the materials/scrap in the backyard of the project house or garage if it has one. Sometimes it takes me months to throw out all the trash on small bulk pickups because I only get a dumpster if it is impossible for me to throw out all the trash myself. I pretty much have a bulk pickup every week for the first 3 months of every project. I make sure Craigslist guys also pickup all my scrap after 5pm-6pm so we never get caught. --196.52.xx.xx

Roy, so far there are no inspections on annual rental properties for me, thank goodness. When I go to a Home Depot to buy a Hot Water Heater they ask me for to fill out some sort of info card and I look at them and say ehhh "No". So far they just smile and never bother me about it. I'm sure this cannot last forever. --196.52.xx.xx

--98.122.x.xx

I have skipped a few permits but not skipped the quality of work, been caught many times and when I go downtown the green sticker is attached to my permit cause the work was fine just the formality of the paperwork. I did once put in a combo smoke alarm/co detector at the request of the fire chief because I asked the inspector if the smoke goes up and the co goes low which location would be effective for a combo unit that he told me I -needed- in order to pass - I told him I should just leave it on the kitchen counter with a cord but he never answered my question about where, I did install a co detector on the wall and a smoke on the ceiling when the chief came back he saw them but said -it is code to have the combo- but agreed they really need to be separate detectors. --76.188.xxx.xx

It's only Cosmetic ! --47.35.xx.xx

You and I both know that permits are mostly a 'money grab' for any city's coffers. My city just needs more money than yours does! And here the most incompetent inspectors are the HUD/Section 8 inspectors. I had one Section 8 inspection in which the inspector counted the number of water drops (in 5 seconds) after the tub faucet handle was turned off. After 5 seconds, if one additional drop came out, that failed the inspection. I am not kidding. --68.63.xxx.xxx

So, guess I need you to identify some "worse sins" before I can comment further. --173.19.xx.xxx

Some of these stories are shocking, like counting the dang drips..... really. --71.51.xxx.xxx

Other than lightly wipe a wall to remove ddust and other loose debris, I don't see why it would be necessary to scrub down a wall that you're going to using a strong primer to cover. --12.156.xxx.xx

Mirror over holes! Just hang it up there and go to lunch! Plastic trim in rentals. Once put up cork board over hole in kitchen wall, ok twice, called it a feature family message center. Had dessert before lunch with that one! --66.87.xx.xx

Things we are certainly "guilty" of doing is painting old gross paneling, nicotined walls and cabinets...but mostly we try to make the rentals as good as our own home without any high-end finishes and cheaper appliances. --50.82.xxx.xx

I could go on and on ... turning on the heat in my name for the day of an inspection ... off the next day. You should see them scramble for the HOT shower. --198.168.xx.xxx

Roy! This ain’t Sunday school, where confession of your sins is good. Well, I have never put Bondo on exterior wood trim just to get another 7-8 years out of wood. I have never changed hot waters out without a permit, never covered a new hot water heater with radiant barrier so the rental inspector wouldn’t notice it’s a new hw heater, I have never put dust and dryer lint on the top of a hw heater to make it look like it’s been there for years. I have never floated a floor instead of having foundation work done. I have never put roll roofing over an attached back porch that was leaking. I have never just used Kilz on a ceiling and no paint because the kilz looked good when dried. No sir, I have never taken a short cut on any house I own..... --75.141.xxx.xxx

None that I disclose! --73.158.xxx.xxx

Father Roy, "Bless me Father,"Didn't know you have been ordained,Had I known,I would definitely have gone to Alabama for the occasion.Especially with the God awful weather we've had here.below 0* temperatures.Coming from the North of Ireland and getting a good grounding in how something should be done,there are no shortcuts,either do it right or don't do it at all.Takes the same length of time to do it properly.As far as permits,I'm with David.The only permits I've gotten was for new construction.When you see some of the inspectors and know their background,that tells it all.One guy was originally a stakeout man for a company ,stakeout where building was supposed to go.Even got that wrong a few times.couldn't hit the nail with a hammer.Pathetic?So Father Roy!Again Welcome.........charlie.............................................................. --174.199.x.xxx

My home needs work inside like paint and a few more grounded outlets. The rentals are perfect. Shoemaker's children go barefoot. I get the required permits because to not do it would slow down a sale if necessary. Yes they make me do stupid things and yes I have to wait for them for a four hour window. Generally they keep homes from burning down around here though. For example, some plumber was running around installing those on demand hot water heaters without telling people that they need to enlarge their gas pipes to make it work under high demand. Inspectors found the guy and got him. Stopped a lot of aggravation for folks. --73.33.xxx.xxx

--68.51.xx.xxx

--68.63.xxx.xxx

Brad, dishes and laundry at home don't help me be free either. --50.32.xxx.xx

Lay sale or clearance flooring vinyl on top of outdated kitchen countertops. Trim with pre-painted wood from the big box store. Huge improvement over dated ugly stuff, and cheap. If it gets worn or damaged, put on another layer. --134.179.xxx.xxx

Cutting costs was not option where annual operating costs were going more then allowed rent increases allowed under the rent control which was designed not to control rents but bankrupt private sector rental housing providers. So had out of necessity had to do two things diametrically opposed one continue to do repairs, renovations while cut every single operating cost which could be cut. First off extended the pick ups for the garbage disposal by compressing down garbage where fewer pick ups during the year. Set up programming on dryer which gave fewer minutes on dry time then reduce temperature a bit down where the amount natural gas was reduced. Shopped frequently at the Habitat for Humanity restores where visit different stores for supplies. Bought new second interior doors which were destroyed by tenants along other types of doors. Bought new end of the line ceramic or porcelain tiles where a bathroom there always enough tiles. Went in the back of store then bought drywall for $5 dollar a sheet where the edges were damaged. Bought pre mixed miss tint paint as well as with a few cans of white was always able to mix a 20 liter bucket. Screened out a lot of lower end tenants as raised the score to over 700 which avoided a lot of the tenants who trashed out rental units. Used ceiling fans, light fixtures can always be made to work. Bought only used appliances on the internet as the average life of a appliance was 3 to 5 years then took to scrap metal place along other scrap metal. When a apartment was trashed out separated out what could be donated charities then what was not recyclable or unusable was taken to the dump. In province of Ontario it is impossible to supply a lower rental unit as the operating costs with damages and arrears will break you. Private rental housing providers are not social agency where some of the government owned complexes are losing over $100,000 a year after rent is collect but they say that is affordable rental housing as someone is not making a profit. Those profiteers are referred as pigs by the extreme left wing tenancy advocate groups. Why not sell your houses then let people live rent free. Come on lets show a example. --147.194.xxx.xxx

Is this string about a confession of past sins or the ones you're getting ready to commit? --64.121.xxx.xxx

Gevans and David, Like you I don’t mess with permits. The quality of the work is the same - I don’t scrimp on safety or quality where it counts. For me it’s a matter of principle. The less any form of city government is in my life the better. I’ve moved interior wall, my contractor has built a front porch & roofed it, my electrician never pulls a permit. The only time I’ve every gone through the permit and in this case deposit process was when I had a 100 yr old stone retaining wall let go and I hired a company to remove the stone and build another wall. --71.213.xx.xxx

I bought a place one time that had a double hung window ... but it was sideways in the wall like a slider --72.95.xx.xxx

Roy,I'm sure you're father was a good man,getting caught was more of a sin! So don't get caught.charlie............................................................... ........ --174.199.x.xx

Same as plenty-mirrors over holes. Touch-up paint that doesn't quite match the original color vs painting the whole thing or two tone paint where bottom half is painted different color than top on purpose so we don't have to paint the top half which hardly ever has anything wrong w it. Turning a shade the other way so I don't have to clean it right then(like just before a showing and you just saw one you forgot). Cheapie light bulbs(if there is such a thing anymore) Have put a security sticker over a bullethole in a window to put off fixing it right away. (Between tenants) --107.77.xxx.xx

DEFINITELY have covered holes with mirrors, bulletin boards, magnetic white boards...but those are FEATURES not sins. --50.82.xxx.xx

I have not been always been clear enough in explaining what exactly is an emergency --24.101.xxx.xxx

Avoiding permits. --74.141.xxx.xxx