Where would you look for some day labor ?
 

We got a vacancy in one of our rentals, and want to throw a quick rehab at it. Need to remove some cabinets, gut one room down to studs, and a good general clean up ,rip up some flooring, and some minimal painting etc.
We got our finish carpenter, just need about 80 hours of labor to give the place a quick refresh, and some updates .
We used to do it all ourselves in our spare time, which neither of us have anymore .
Craigslist? Local college? I want to be able to give someone the key, a list, and see them at the end of the week to pay them .

Fred - the short answer is there's a lot of places to find them, but could you trust them? Would you believe they had the skills they say they do? Are you sure that this wouldn't be a recon of your and your families assets to be taken advantage of at a later date?

I know it may sound extreme - but I've been through it.

Sounds like you need more than day labor.
If you want to leave a list and come back at the end of the week.
You could use a crew with tools and an experienced leader.

Cheers Richard

Also, should they slip and fall, you are on the hook. F that. Not worth it, IMO. You save a few bucks now, but you may have to pay later. Be careful with that Fred. Why do you think they are day laborers? That's because they can't get a real job due to their inability to perform a certain task. Responsibility is usually a major factor. Not all are like that, but are you willing to take the risk?

I did that kind of work in high school a few times, found jobs through a teacher/admin friend. Any chance you know a boyscout or church group member or leader?

I advertise on Craigslist when I have spare time.

I get a decent number of inquiries.

You will find a 'handyman' there. Meet at the job site, make sure you trust him.

It might be worth the time to look into/RFQ a few local companies that specialize in that sort of thing. You could start by web-searching phrases like "property preservation", "make ready", "property trash-out", "rental clean-out", etc. for your area.

I agree... better to hire a contractor who does this sort of thing so they have all the insurance/liability covered.
Ask you finish carpenter, he may know someone or could recommend someone he has worked with.

Call a few property management firms and ask for referrals. Most of them are paper pushers and don't know much, but you might luck out. Sometimes a good real estate agent or janitorial or building maintenance company may know of someone. We have guys like that on my contact list, but those have been chance finds.

I'm going through the same scenario. Long time tenant in Reno moving at the end of this month. She is a pack rat and the unit is going to need a complete renovation. I don't trust anyone so I'll do it myself. It's going to take me a few months but that's just the way it is.

Over the years, I've tried using family and people I hire from Craigslist for this sort of thing, but it never works out. I've even paid people to do stuff and they never did the work, and claimed they did (I live 1,000 miles from my rentals in Albuquerque).

I have a new vacancy and am driving the 1,000 miles tomorrow to do the work myself. Not fun, but that's life.

Lame!

No affiliation, but these guys might be worth a call for future trash-outs down there:
Albuquerque, NM | MMJR Junk Removal Service
Yelp Reviews

Might even be able to tackle rehab/make-ready stuff too (carpet/paint/drywall/etc.), or likely have good referrals if not.

Fire station

Unfortunately the old adage is true...if you want something done right - do it yourself.

I would try to get a part time helper to assist YOU in doing what's needed. I know you said you didn't have time - but sometimes you have to make the time.

This might be one of those cases....

Unless you know someone, Spend the money to hire a contractor. There is a reason day help is cheap.

Certain thing you pay for. This is one of them. Get a responsible contractor and pay for it so it gets done and enjoy life a bit. Driving 1000 miles to work on a rental is crazy unless you have time to burn like Motion. I am doing the same thing for a very dear friend now. Her rental manager wants to rape her with all sort of BS and over charge for everything in the book. A simple 50k remodel has turned into a 85K ugly estimate. As much as I dislike doing those type of work, I had to step in and put a stop to this rip off. That manager hates my guts because I give him no fooking kick back. Oh we start after Thanksgiving. My guys hate it.

You can deduct a contractor......

That used to work but the new guys don't want day off work.
Try the entrance to a Home Depot parking lot. The day laborers hang out there looking for work.

I found a good maintenance/handyman/light contractor through a property management person who is a friend of the family. We have a 6 unit apt. building. I have him do the heavier lifting stuff, my wife and I do cleaning, painting, window coverings, etc. The last unit was a "light turnover" and he wasn't involved. I put in a toilet, re caulked, etc. The previous one required gutting the bathroom. I handed that off to him.

Giving a key to day laborers hanging out at Home de Pot?
You must live life on the edge, brother. :eek:

Get them from a referral of some sort. Gardener or housecleaner in the 'hood. Make sure who ever is doing the referral knows you're "in the loop" in the neighborhood. That way they've got some skin in the game.
I've hired from a local "day labor" outfit. Theoretically they're insured through them. We got one fairly skilled guy the other not so much. Was simple demo work. They want to get paid every day - but one of our guys (the skilled one) went on a bender and didn't show the next day. When he showed up the following day he was WAY hung over. My advice is to hold out some pay until the end so they show up every day. If they show up late, hung over or no-show pay up to current and cut them loose. Be ruthless.
Get this book too:
https://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Job-Southwestern-Press/dp/0923176098
Fits in your pocket. Really helpful.

This right here. Come tax time you will appreciate it.

Nah. Go to any bar and you will find a painter. Go early, and wait for the one who shows up after five.

Ha, our last painter was a fugitive from the state of Texas. He , and his uncle got nabbed with a trunk full of cocaine. He posted bail, and fled the state. I guess Texas wont come after him Guy worked his tail off though, completed the job in record time, and gave us a whole bunch of extras . I would hire him again
The last few college kids we had helping were pretty useless . As long as I was there baby sitting, it was all good, but no way would I have left them alone .
All good ideas. I have a buddy who runs a property management company, maybe I can ask him for some leads.
I would love to have a company that does this sort of thing that we could call when we needed. That would make the whole rental thing much easier.
Seems like things always blow up at the worst possible time .
This go around is pretty easy, after a lifetime of bad tenants, we are finally reeling this thing in. The lady that just moved out, was a clean freak. She left the place nicer than when she moved in . We just wanna throw some upgrades at it while it is vacant .

Ha! Thanks for the referral, but a crackhead is OK for weed removal and junk hauling. I have one lined up for today. I also need a plumber, drywall guy, glass & screen guy, etc, etc. Gonna be a long week.

If you are going to be there to supervise I guess. If you would be OK with giving a crackhead access to your property from 1k miles away, you are a brave man. :D

Hence the referral. Not that they would be the best choice, but there is something to be said for "one-stop shopping" for this stuff from the licensed/insured guys, as an absentee landlord. Good luck...