CapexClock

Free 10-year CapEx forecaster for small rental owners. Know when every roof, HVAC and water heater needs replacing, and what to save.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

I’m building CapexClock, a free tool for small rental owners.

List your roofs, HVAC and water heaters with their ages. It gives you a 10-year replacement forecast and one number: what to set aside per unit, per month.

No more guessing at 5% of rent.

https://t.co/1k8ZeM62rG

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

A $900 repair on a 17-year-old furnace is often a down payment on the next one.

Before you approve a big repair, check the age. If it's near the end of its life, that money may do more toward a planned replacement.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Your inspection report already lists the age of the roof, furnace and water heater.

Most people read it once, close, and never open it again.

It's the best CapEx data you'll ever get for free. Dig it out and write the years down.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@bavedikian Worth doing: pull the general ledger behind the T12 and look for "capex" that repeats every year. Turns, paint and appliance swaps usually belong in opex.

Then underwrite your own reserve from actual roof, HVAC and water heater ages, not the seller's number.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Look 10 years out, not 1.

A one-year budget says you're fine. A ten-year forecast shows the year the roof, two furnaces and the parking lot all land at once.

You can't save for a year you can't see.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Small landlords: how do you decide how much to set aside for CapEx each month?

A flat amount per unit, a percent of rent, or whatever's left over?

I'm building a tool for this, and the answers I hear are all over the place.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@RaccoonTycoonRE One that comes up constantly with landlords: "updated mechanicals." Updated can mean 12 years ago.

Read the data plates on the furnace and water heater, and ask for the roof permit date. A 14-year-old water heater is a $1.5-3k bill hiding in plain sight.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@mpainter3 Good list. One add: while the roofer and HVAC tech are on site, ask them to note the age and estimated remaining life of each roof, furnace and water heater.

That fall visit is the cheapest way to see what's coming due and how much to set aside.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Six things worth knowing the age of in every rental:

Roof
Furnace and AC
Water heaters
Appliances
Flooring
Driveway or parking lot

Start with the first three. They're most of the money.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@RESimpletonIRR The joke works because the math is real: a $40k roof on 10 units over 20 years is ~$200/unit/year alone.
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Add water heaters, HVAC, and a 50-year-old boiler and $250 is gone before January.
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Backsplashes refi great until the roof leaks onto them.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Every landlord CapEx spreadsheet starts clean.

Then you buy building two, then three, and now there are 9 tabs and a column called "roof??"

That mess is the exact thing I'm trying to fix.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@Drrezazahedi1 Worth splitting the two: routine repairs as a % of rent, capex built from the actual components.
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Roof cost ÷ years of life left, same for HVAC and water heaters, then divide by units. That's usually where a flat 5-10% turns out too high or too low.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Why I'm building CapexClock: property software tracks rent to the penny but has no idea when your HVAC is due.

The biggest bills in a rental are the most predictable ones. They just live in someone's head, or nowhere.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@ewillden Good list. Also: run the heat once before the first cold night so no-ignite calls come early.

Disconnect hoses and flush water heaters.

While you're in each unit, snap a photo of the HVAC and water heater data plates. Install dates matter later.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Boilers tend to fail in January. Not bad luck: that's when they work hardest.

The best time to replace an old one is July, on your schedule, with three quotes in hand. A forecast is what lets you pick the month.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@WilsonReports Worth splitting this in two: the 3-6 month cushion covers bad months, but HVAC, roof and water heaters are predictable.

Replacement cost divided by months of remaining life gives a monthly set-aside per system.

Usually beats a flat % of revenue.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Quick math on a 4-unit:

Roof: $16,000 every 20 years = $67/month
4 water heaters: $1,500 each every 10 years = $50/month

That's $117 a month, about $29 per unit, before HVAC or anything else.

Reserves add up from the parts.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Try it free here. It's built for owners of about 1 to 50 rental units:

https://t.co/36LEONHFZv

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

I’m building CapexClock, a free tool for small rental owners.

List your roofs, HVAC and water heaters with their ages. It gives you a 10-year replacement forecast and one number: what to set aside per unit, per month.

No more guessing at 5% of rent.

https://t.co/1k8ZeM62rG

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@depreciationunc The breaking part gets a lot calmer once it stops being a surprise.

List the age of every roof, HVAC unit and water heater, estimate years left, then divide replacement cost by months remaining. That's your monthly set-aside.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

@theTJSicilian Agreed. One thing that helps: list each big system with its install year and typical lifespan (water heater ~10-12 yrs, AC ~15, roof ~20-25).

Divide replacement cost by years left, sum it, split per unit. That monthly number beats a flat % of rent.

[CapexClock @CapexClock]

Systems installed together fail together.

If every unit got a new water heater and furnace in the same rehab, they'll all come due in the same few years.

Forecast the cluster, not the average.