My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Nov 19, 2020 8:23 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Sparky [PA]) Nov 19, 2020 8:31 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Nov 19, 2020 8:35 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Allym [NJ]) Nov 19, 2020 8:56 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by m [GA]) Nov 19, 2020 8:56 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Nov 19, 2020 9:19 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by WMH [NC]) Nov 19, 2020 9:28 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Ray-N-Pa [PA]) Nov 19, 2020 9:33 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by plenty [MO]) Nov 19, 2020 9:41 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Nellie [ME]) Nov 19, 2020 9:43 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by MikeA [TX]) Nov 19, 2020 9:43 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by MikeA [TX]) Nov 19, 2020 9:46 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Nov 19, 2020 9:50 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by S i d [MO]) Nov 19, 2020 9:52 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Jim in O C [CA]) Nov 19, 2020 10:03 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Robert J [CA]) Nov 19, 2020 11:06 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Sisco [MO]) Nov 19, 2020 11:53 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Del [MD]) Nov 19, 2020 11:58 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Robert,OntarioCanada [ON]) Nov 19, 2020 12:04 PM
My worst T. is moving out (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Nov 19, 2020 12:59 PM
My worst T. is moving out (by m [GA]) Nov 19, 2020 2:31 PM
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Nov 19, 2020 2:42 PM
My worst T. is moving out (by WMH [NC]) Nov 19, 2020 4:21 PM
My worst T. is moving out (by Gail K [GA]) Nov 20, 2020 12:04 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Nov 20, 2020 6:22 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by RB [MI]) Nov 20, 2020 8:48 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by WMH [NC]) Nov 20, 2020 10:28 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Nov 20, 2020 11:07 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by WMH [NC]) Nov 20, 2020 11:52 AM
My worst T. is moving out (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Nov 20, 2020 7:37 PM
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 8:23 AM Message:
In Nov. of 2018, I rented a house to a single woman who claimed to have no pets. Plus, I will admit that I did not screen her very well since I had several vacancies at the time and felt an urgency to get them rented before the holidays began.
3 months later I was at her house doing a small repair and noticed she had 3 cats. I asked her nicely to get rid of the cats and she said she would. 2 weeks later, I did a surprise visit and noticed more cats in the house and more feces and urine in all rooms of the house,..which did not seem to bother her one bit. The cat urine odor was horrible.
I left the house and made an attempt to evict her but that eviction back fired on me. As long as she paid rent (which she did), I was just going to have to accept her and her cats living in that house.
Last night this tenant called me and said she was moving out this Saturday. I was happy to hear this but this means I will now have a disaster to deal with next week.
Has anyone else here had a similar situation to deal with? How did you get rid of the cat urine odor? This house has VCT in most rooms and carpet in the bedrooms.
--68.63.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Sparky [PA]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 8:31 AM Message:
She is probably moving because the ammonia fumes, filth and contamination in your place are getting to be too overwhelming to stay there. She needs to move to a "fresh" place. Good luck. --73.40.xxx.xx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 8:35 AM Message:
Sparky,
The first thing I will do is open all of the windows and let the house 'air-out' for a few days. There is nothing worse than cat urine. --68.63.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Allym [NJ]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 8:56 AM Message:
I had an overweight female tenant who could no longer scoop the litter box for one cat. She let it go everywhere. Smell was coming into the hall so I paid her to leave. I was about to have a five year state inspection so I told her the apt would not pass and I would be required to evict her. So I had the carpet pulled up. It had dry catfood embedded in it as well as litter, money, paper whatever she dropped. Floor was wood and I had to paint it with Kilz. Still smelled. So I nailed down luan over it and tiled over that with vinyl tile and then put back carpet. I had a tenant waiting for it and it looked like a "new apartment" after it was done. Had kitchen redone and bath got that acrylic tub and tub walls. I wallpapered with an expensive water repellent paper. Fire inspector said it looked like a new apartment. That's what it takes.
PS. Tenant worked for a NJ State Senator who was trying to pass a bill to make landlords take pets. Tenant told what had happened and that bill did NOT go forward and still has not after many years. --71.104.xx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by m [GA]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 8:56 AM Message:
FIRST: stop at H-depot parking lot and pick up half day helper. strip out all carpet and pad- all lights down and run into dishwasher. Then look at walls-- 4 ft up from floor and see if you have to cut that out. Next all cabinets-- cat people like this let the cats walk through the kitchen cabinets in case there hungry. They may also have to go. --99.103.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:19 AM Message:
AllyM,
My female tenant was overweight too but she was just plain lazy about cleaning out the litter boxes. With cat feces and urine on the floor in each room, this did not seem to bother her. Plus, these cats were feral too. If you tried to pet one, they would bite and scratch you.
--68.63.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by WMH [NC]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:28 AM Message:
Ozone Generator helps a lot. --50.82.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Ray-N-Pa [PA]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:33 AM Message:
Bleach on the subfloor will eat soome of the urine away which is good.......
The bad news - it creates an acid cloud so the windows should stay open for a few hours afterwards to air out the gas developed by mixing the two.
Down south that might not be that big of a deal, but we had snow on the ground this week and keeping windows open for a few hours is nuts up here. It is a balancing act.
I concur with M (Ga), the carpets have to go as a minimum. After the bleach its time to Ozone the place. --24.101.xxx.xx |
My worst T. is moving out (by plenty [MO]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:41 AM Message:
Nature's Way available at pet store. Ordix. Ozone machine. If all your efforts fail rent to another cat person. --172.56.xx.xx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Nellie [ME]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:43 AM Message:
I think your VCT tile will likely be a problem too. I expect urine got between and under those tiles. --70.16.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by MikeA [TX]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:43 AM Message:
I have a house I bought years ago that I refer to as the cat house. It was a foreclosure, SPCA took 87 cats out of it when they foreclosed it. The kitty litter was dumped on the floor of the laundry and was probably 1 foot deep in a 10x10 room. I'm not sure I'd tackle one like that again.
I would start by removing the carpet, pad, and tack strip and any other fabrics (curtains, roller shades, etc.). Then wash down the walls and baseboard and scrub the floors with TSP to remove as much of it as you can. Next spray the whole thing down with Odor XIT or Odor-Ban liberally, to the point of saturation. Repeat this step a couple more times. Paint the walls and trim with a sealer. At that point you will have to use your nose. In my case, I found a couple of rooms where I had to pull the baseboard out, spray behind it with Odor-Ban and then replace it and was good to go. --64.130.xx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by MikeA [TX]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:46 AM Message:
Also, put sealer on the floors that had carpet, they will likely be saturated with urine. Hopefully, the VCT made a sufficient barrier to keep it from getting to the sub floor elsewhere.
--64.130.xx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:50 AM Message:
Ray (PA)
This house was one of my no-frills 'economy houses' and one that I made an attempt (10 years ago) to 'pet proof' the house. This meant putting cheap carpet (.50/Sq.ft) in the 2 bedrooms and cheap VCT tiles in all other rooms. Replacing the cheap carpet is nothing. However, the VCT tiles (500 sq.ft) are glued down to the sub-floor and removing them would be a major ordeal. I may have to paint over the VCT with Kilz oil base and then maybe lay some Allure over that.
Or I could do absolutely nothing and re-rent the house to another cat lady. I could advertise it as the 'cat house'.
--68.63.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by S i d [MO]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 9:52 AM Message:
Roy, curious about your eviction....did you try to eviction for a lease violation (i.e. pets?). What did the judge say?
Could you have added an unauthorized animal fee to your lease and applied her payments to it, leaving her short on rent?
We need to find out how to avoid this situation ever again. The 2 minute in-home inspection that would have likely found all these critters (or at least the stench) in her previous residence.
For the cost of the damages you'll end up paying, hire someone to screen her for you if you're rushed for time. --107.216.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Jim in O C [CA]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 10:03 AM Message:
I had to seal the wood floors and replace the carpet tack strips. I painted all the floors and walls with Killz's and then painted a finish coat of paint. For the first few days we had to wear respirators and we still vomited. --99.23.xxx.x |
My worst T. is moving out (by Robert J [CA]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 11:06 AM Message:
A tenant sent me a text message, she's going out of town and wanted me to fix a window -- broken sash. The next day when I opened up the door, the smell of cat pee almost knocked me off of my feet!
I went down to my van and picked up my UV 51 bulb flashlight and special goggles. I returned to the unit and shined my UV light trying to find the source of the stench. Her cat sprays the front door wanting to get out.
I left a clean up kit in her apartment, (UV flashlight, goggles, spray bottle and OdorXit). I followed up my trip with an email, "Job done, window fixed". Please find cat pee kit and remove smell.... --47.155.xx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Sisco [MO]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 11:53 AM Message:
I think that you will be able to deodorize the VCT using the products mentioned above. But I suspect it will take multiple rounds of cleaning. If after 5-6 rounds of cleaning, it still stinks, I would try to seal the VCT with Bin Zinger, then cover VCT with planks. Don't neglect the walls / receptacles from floor to 3' high. --67.43.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Del [MD]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 11:58 AM Message:
Roy - I worked on a similar house. The cat urine had seeped through the OSB flooring and made “ urine stalactites “ UNDER the flooring. I put down new OSB and replaced the first 2 feet of wall drywall and all baseboard trim. Long and expensive job but fixed the problem. --174.252.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Robert,OntarioCanada [ON]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 12:04 PM Message:
The entire floor may have torn up down to base. Consider installing a Schluter ditra membrane then replace with a good grade of commercial porcelain tile which is going outlast other types of flooring. When a animal is sneaked in then it is matter of mopping then the rental home can be rented again without replacing flooring. Once down to base then using a oil base paint to seal up then can decide on what type of flooring to install. Seen many rental housing providers install laminate then after few years replacing all over again. While commercial porcelain is more expensive upfront but will outlast domestic flooring along easy to clean up. --147.194.xxx.xx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Oregon Woodsmoke [ID]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 12:59 PM Message:
First step is to use a black light to locate the urine. That will show you where cleaning is needed. --76.178.xx.xx |
My worst T. is moving out (by m [GA]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 2:31 PM Message:
after you treat the wood with enzyme -- it's where the OOP's paint from h-depot comes in. seal it up.
I do 4 ft up the wall so you don't have to cut tooooo much sheetrock. comes in 4x8 or 4x12 lengths. --99.103.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 2:42 PM Message:
Sid,
When I discovered the feral cats on the 2nd surprise visit, I realized I needed to get this lady out ASAP. The failed eviction attempt here is complicated to explain but the short answer here is: better screening and an in-home inspection visit would have kept me from renting to her in the beginning.
I do not mean to make excuses here, but when you are a one person LL operation and you have 3-4 vacancies all at once and rental income is your only source of income,...sometimes these type of things just happen. You end up renting to the first person who shows up with the full monthly rent and deposit in which 10-15 other applicants could not produce. It is what it is in these Class C hoods.
--68.63.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by WMH [NC]) Posted on: Nov 19, 2020 4:21 PM Message:
Roy, we've all rented to the wrong person before, no excuses necessary. And even the best tenant can go sour on you! --50.82.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Gail K [GA]) Posted on: Nov 20, 2020 12:04 AM Message:
I do animal rescue on the side and cat urine is often difficult to deal with (from a nutrition stand point it's because of the higher protein content of their diet). Luckily my rescues are on tile so cleaning with bleach and water is a daily chore but effective but I understand the concerns.
Best odor eliminator I've found is SCOE 10x (made in Georgia and ordered online). I've used it on carpets where tenants have snuck in dogs. It's about the only product I've found in terms of cleaning where odors did not return.
It's important to follow the directions regarding mixing and then letting it sit for a certain amount of time before using.
Gail --67.173.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Posted on: Nov 20, 2020 6:22 AM Message:
Roy, Get the $25 blacklight on Amazon, not the $12. It will show DRIED urine, not wet urine.
Check the baseboards and remember that urine will soak UP inside the drywall. We had to replace the bottom sheet of drywall in one house. And cats will pee in the floor vents.
OdorXit has some good training info on urine. Bleach will clean but not eliminate the proteins that make urine odor.
KILZ will not block urine malodor molecules. Clean the air ducts - the malodor from urine has coated them.
Wash, seal and paint the walls after the odor source has been removed. Malodor has soaked into the paint thru the air.
And my good friend, the next time you are tempted to gloss over thorough screening, PLEASE remember how much this one turnover cost you.
BRAD
--73.102.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by RB [MI]) Posted on: Nov 20, 2020 8:48 AM Message:
Meeeeeoooooooow. --199.192.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by WMH [NC]) Posted on: Nov 20, 2020 10:28 AM Message:
After reading all about your bad tenant, I just refunded the late fee my tenant just paid me. She paid rent in three segments, but she got it paid, and she included the late fee. Screw that, she paid the rent, it's a pandemic, she works at a restaurant, her BF left...I'm not taking her $35. It's 2020. --50.82.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by Roy [AL]) Posted on: Nov 20, 2020 11:07 AM Message:
WMH,
I am confused now. What does my cat lover tenant and your tenant have in common? I do not see any connection here. I wish I had your tenant though.
RB,
I may have to evict some feral cats from this property. I will have my .22 rifle handy if I hear any meowing. --68.63.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by WMH [NC]) Posted on: Nov 20, 2020 11:52 AM Message:
My exact point. She could be much much worse than just struggling a bit financially right now, 11 months in to the pandemic issues which affect her greatly...I decided to thank her for not being YOUR tenant, at least in my own head LOL!!!! --50.82.xxx.xxx |
My worst T. is moving out (by BRAD 20,000 [IN]) Posted on: Nov 20, 2020 7:37 PM Message:
Roy,
Get the $25 blacklight on Amazon, not the $12. It will show DRIED urine, not wet urine.
Check the baseboards and remember that urine will soak UP inside the drywall. We had to replace the bottom sheet of drywall in one house.
And cats will pee in the floor vents.
OdorXit has some good training info on urine. Bleach will clean but not eliminate the proteins that make urine odor. KILZ will not block urine malodor molecules.
Clean the air ducts - the malodor from urine has coated them.
Wash, seal and paint the walls after the odor source has been removed. Malodor has soaked into the paint thru the air.
And my good friend, the next time you are tempted to gloss over thorough screening, PLEASE remember how much this one turnover cost you.
BRAD
--73.102.xxx.xxx |
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