Got burned on a triple net lease in Chicago last fall and now I check everything myself

I took over a lease on a small retail space in Lincoln Park back in September. The previous tenant swore the HVAC was less than 3 years old, turned out it was 12 years and the compressor died in December. Cost me $8,200 to replace because the broker "forgot" to mention the warranty had expired. Now I climb on every roof myself and check serial numbers before I sign anything. Anybody else have a landlord pull something shady after you moved in?

2 comments

2 Comments

caseywest6d ago

That HVAC thing is the oldest trick in the book, I got hit with a "new roof" that leaked on day one and cost me $6,000 in water damage to my inventory before I figured out it was patched over a 20 year old hole.

emma_hart6d ago

oh come on, you can't seriously be acting like this only happens to small business owners lol. every industry has scammers and lazy contractors, it's not some special club for HVAC guys. you probably just didn't do your homework on that roofer, same way someone buying a used car would check the Carfax. $6k in damage sucks but that's on you for not getting a second opinion or a written warranty before handing over cash. the real trick is people who skip the basic due diligence then act like they got singled out by the universe lmao.