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A few weeks ago, I was impacted by  layoffs at my previous company.It's the kind of shake-up that makes you pause and reflect, not just on your own next chapter, but on the bigger picture and the state of the industry as a whole.In my case, that reflection and my ongoing job search brought me back to a challenge that's been around since my days as a leasing agent: 👉 Hiring onsite teams.Property management companies are still s ...

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Invoice coding in accounts payable (AP) is far more complex than it appears. At first glance, the process seems simple: an invoice is received, essential data is extracted and then entries are made into the accounting system. However, the reality is a very demanding task, with nuanced choices to be made around the accounting coding, allocation and intricate workflow based on tribal knowledge, leading to errors and financial strain. The informati ...

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I need direction and positive feedback. It’s a shame that I have to preface my request this way when many of our peers tend to respond like the most disrespectful resident we all have.

Having been in the industry for a long time, I don’t know which way to go. I’m a Community Manager living in DFW at a really nice apartment community near downtown, but we have an issue with neighbors smoking in their apartments, which affects the...
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Blaise Lanzi I think, I THINK that if the property as a whole is advertised as a Non-Smoking community then you stand on a firmer ground. If it’s just the lease that says “No smoking allowed”, and smoking laws are, at the same time, governed by Federal Laws, then the waters become quite muddy so to speak - and it being difficult to say whether or not the lease prevails in this case…….. Urgg I don’t know! 🤯. I’ve been in a similar situation in the condominium community I live in (Alabama) but there’s literally only one person in the entire building that smokes, we all own our respective condos, and have just learned to live with it.
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Mike Powers Is it your property or the company you work for ? If you are PM for property, you enforce rules. If company, it isn't yours. Sorry.
No different than a general resident. Decide if you want to live there. It is out of your control.
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Anonymous member Mike Powers I don’t manage the community, I live at another community not under my company umbrella. I’m super nice but hold my residents accountable for their actions. They have complained on me for being tough, but my regional backs me up and residents are happy that I am visible and truly care.
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Shelly Griggs Serve them with a legal notice to remedy as they are not enforcing the lease as being a non-smoking community. Send it to the PM as well as the RM. I hate the smell of cig smoke and would be pissed if I moved into a non-smoking community and had to smell it in my home and they did nothing. My non-smoking communities charge a $500 fee if they get caught then get a legal notice if it happens again, along with another $500 fee.
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Alex Mann Hi! Have you identified the exact unit # that is smoking? If so, they should be able to enforce if and only if they can prove it is happening in the unit. The only way to correct a resident’s behavior if they choose not to cooperate with notices is to remove them from the premises (eviction), and the management company can only work as quickly as the law in their area allows. And while they are doing so, they cannot discuss the details of how they are handling it with you because they still need to protect the privacy of the offending resident. Hopefully they have the unit # smoking and proof.
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Chris Finetto Sounds like a profit center to me, upon move-put start charging for 2 weeks of lost rent to run ozone treatments!
If you can’t join them, beat’em…
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Blaise Lanzi Chris Finetto has a good idea!!! HELL YES!! Maybe if every management company began charging astronomical prices after move out due to air scrubbing and ozonating and painting, it would catch on to not be worth smoking in an apartment especially if the lease clearly states it’s forbidden.
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🤔Is the market facing a downturn? Regardless of where the market stands, protecting Net Operating Income (NOI) is critical.

The goal isn’t just to cut costs—it’s to optimize for resilience.

Here’s how:

🔑 Prioritize tenant retention with smart lease restructuring (e.g., rent relief...

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If your apartment website feels like a digital brochure gathering dust, you're leaving leases on the table. 87% of renters start their hunt on Google. But when giants like Apartments.com dominate page one, how do you get seen?Spoiler: It's not about outspending them. It's about playing smarter with SEO.SEO isn't just "tech stuff." It's your 24/7 leasing agent – working while you sleep to attract renters actively typing things like "pet-friendly a ...

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I'm curious, has anyone in this industry quit a company, because the company they work for, is basically defrauding vendors and pretends they will send out payments to avoid liens and still requests the vendors to keep doing work, knowing full well they have no intention to pay!! Would you leave to avoid being associated for such shady practices??

Stacey Pichette Yes I would absolutely leave. I build relationships with my vendors and we trust each other. I wouldn’t want my reputation tarnished due to their bad business practices.
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Guest Insider As a vendor I find your line of thinking very admirable! I just lost an account because we filed liens
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Anonymous member Well, the work vendors do, keep us operational and occupied with the services they provide. Failure to pay them is abhorrent because Ownership expects all rent to be paid on time, but cant seem to apply that same mentality toward paying vendors!!
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Anonymous member Yes!!! My Regional would just tell me to call other vendors and run them up. I had vendors coming to the property looking for payment. The only way they paid anyone was if they filed a lien on the property. I left after 9 months!!!
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Guest Insider Yes I quit a company that had unethical business practices. I couldn't trust that if they would function in that manner that they wouldn't just fire me for no reason and the housing for my family was tied to the job
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Guest Insider First it’s suppliers then it’s your payroll leave with respect and dignity. This situation is not good to put yourself or your team in.
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Megan Goodmundson Yes you should leave that company. Nothing good will come of it. If they treat their vendors that way they will treat employees bad. Lack of integrity and trust.
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Anonymous member If they are telling you to lie to vendors, I would quit. It’s unethical, plus probably a sign they may be selling or defaulting on the loan and you’ll be out of a job anyway.
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Melissa Smalley Absolutely! I would leave. Terrible business and so not fair to the vendor.
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Guest Insider Yes, I have done so. I was dealing with collectors calling everyday and getting threatened by vendors in person in my office. I was processing all invoices immediately, but the checks getting cut wasn’t happening. I pay my bills in my personal life so I dont have to deal with that kind of crap. I don’t want to do it all day everyday at work. They definitely didn’t pay me enough for that. Spent the following 10yrs with the best company I ever worked for in the industry, so you should leave. There is something better. Your vendors will want to follow you because they appreciate your integrity and they will take care of you because they know you will do your best to take care of them.
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Brent Williams That's got to be so disheartening to actually process the invoices correctly, and when checks don't go out, you have to bear the brunt of the frustration from the suppliers.
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Does anyone have any tips on how to enter in to the compliance side? I’ve been a property manager for 12 years - 6 of those in affordable. Im just looking for a change. I do have a HCCP certification. Would other certifications be beneficial? TIA!

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Recently switched to a different property and just learned they don’t accept any walk in tours. Everything has to be scheduled in advance. Is this how people are serving their customers today? I find it a bit strange why an agent would tell them to schedule it online for a day or two in the future when they are in the office ready to tour and possibly lease.

Guest Insider I worked at one property (lease up) that was extremely busy that appointments were the only way we showed. We simply had no time for walk ins. There is nothing worse than coming back to the office with a hot prospect you’re trying to close and the office is filled with impatient people waiting. Scheduling appointments was the only way we stayed organized, efficient, and was able to gave them the attention they deserved.
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Guest Insider New as in still in lease up mode? Still under construction? There could be many reasons why they need tours scheduled. If they're in lease up mode and have high traffic and scheduled tours already and scheduled move in, they might not have time for walk in tours.
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Anonymous member I think it’s rude for people to walk in expectant for a tour. Leasing agents do WAY MORE than tour. And having their day scheduled creates better functionality. Management should set the tone for the day and walk in tours creates chaos, causes things to slip through the cracks and fail to get followed up on, especially for a high traffic area. And in my experience in the market I’m in (downtown location) we have a bunch of Lookie Lous and people who aren’t moving til 6, 9, 12 months away. To constantly have to drop what you’re doing because someone walks in on a whim is absolute trash and creates unnecessary stress. Gone are the days… BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
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Jennifer Coco I'm in a downtown location and affordable... I wouldn't get anything done if I did walk ins. I call back the anew day to set up a tour. It's harder here because over 2/3 of our traffic is looking for income based, but tax credit isn't the same.
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Stacey Pichette Scheduled tours are great but we definitely take walk ins!
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Anonymous member It depends. We work with shared LC between other sites so we don’t always have someone to show. So we can’t accommodate a walk in every day. Now we do offer self guided tours via an app and they can do that on the spot. It’s hard because people come walk in and want to rush you on the tour just to see it.
Having an appointment sets the tone we want to set aside time for you to ensure we provide you a full experience.
It’s not a bad practice but how you convey that message to customers is important to.
For your new company find some ways to work with this policy. If it’s appointment only but you have some same day time slots available offer those. Or carve out some walk in time daily so you can let people know. It’s also great for the LCs it tells them that their time is important and gives them space to close tours and complete admin stuff and follow ups without constantly being bombarded w walk in tours.
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Josh McKibben No one likes interruptions, but we are in the people business and we need to be ready to perform.
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Guest Insider For a stable property absolutely not! They will just go to the next stop on their list and rent there. Now a lease was lost and left a bad taste in the customers mouth and doubt they would recommend the community to anyone. If our office is open we tour with or without an appointment.
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Anonymous member I personally think this is sad for any community outside of a lease up or construction period for tours. However I have seen and heard of it and still think it is a bizarre practice. That is just pushing your potential residents out the door to your competitors.
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Karen Kossow We take walk-ins at all of our properties. We try to find the right balance between the self-scheduling slots we allow for each hour and the ability to take walk-ins.
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Derek Carrillo created a new topic ' Bulk vs Retail Contracts' in the forum. 4 days ago

Bulk 🆚 Retail Contracts

Whether you’re managing a community or developing multifamily housing, your telecom agreements shape property value, revenue, and resident satisfaction.

1️⃣ Bulk Agreements:

One master contract covers all units.

Benefits ✔️ : Lower per-unit rates, predictable...

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The first 90 days of a lease-up are crucial. Use this window to set the tone, establish your brand, and build momentum toward your leasing goals.To help you hit the ground running, here are the top three marketing moves you should prioritize in the first 90 days of a lease-up—and why they matter.1. Build a Strong Digital Presence EarlyBefore your leasing office opens its doors, your online presence should al ...

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Guest Insider You can’t tell them to “take it down”, but you can make sure that they do not use the property name as part of the page name. We had a few of our nice residents on the page and would give us a heads up if something was brewing that we needed a heads up on. Our community page was set so that nobody could comment unless we first approved it.
You can’t stop them from having a place to gossip- because that’s all it becomes when they set up their own site.
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Jack Dewberry You actually can tell them to take it down. You can’t threaten any consequences like eviction over it but you can tell them or ask them firmly to take it down
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Guest Insider I just think by demanding it’s a bit like poking the bear. I wouldn’t want them to think I was against it- I’d fake it for sure🤣
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Fernando Ramos Jack Dewberry I don’t think you have a legal background for it. They can and if they are smart they could keep it up.
However, I think this is just an opportunity for a property to see the areas they are failing and how they can improve.
I am part of every group that I have lived at and they share screenshots of the emails from management. Legal advices from attorneys that also live in the property.
People will join the group even before they think about moving in. They will see bad and good comments. However. A lot of the threads are get together or even selling furniture or recommendations for restaurants or cleaning companies. It is a good tool to make friends in the property.
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Jack Dewberry Fernando Ramos oh you definitely can’t legally force them to take it down. But the best course of action is telling or just asking firmly to take it down. Not like a email but either phone call or face to face. I’m not saying you threaten with any consequence either. But if they’re confronted and embarrassed they’ll take it down unless you seriously wronged them.
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Guest Insider Yes, best advice i could give is to "mind your business"
Unless residents bring it to your attention directly, leave it alone, it's not your business unless they bring it to you. Often times if you try to join the group, it'll escalate and you'll be constantly defending yourself and it'll look bad on your part. Don't join it and have your staff stay off of it too. It doesn't bring any value to the community when you have those certain people spreading negativity and then comment threads are 60 comments long bc the residents and staff are going back and forth. Not a good look. If some one is truly creating trouble on the page that you end up hearing about, you could speak to you're attorney and inquire about any options within your area or non renew or cure or quit if that's an option. I'm sure there are some circumstances that property pages have been a success but unfortunately just not in my experience. Id love to hear some positive experiences though, maybe there's a good approach...
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Anonymous member We have staff in it but they don’t engage. It is rough though. Everyone tries to be the neighborhood watch, ring leader of community gossip, and of course endless complaints and lash outs about their neighbors’ bad behavior. Very bad for newer residents who come in with a clean slate and get sucked in to the petty drama.
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Guest Insider Anonymous member i agree! They are terrible most times and it eats away at you and the team. That's why I always suggest, don't look and monitor. It'll just keep every one frustrated and defeated. We've just ignored it and if residents bring it up, we tell them we don't encourage it due to negativity and negativity is so contagious, we don't need it in our day to day, but always welcome suggestions if someone wants to bring them directly to our attention.
Maybe find a good positive resident and see if they can post some positive things once in a while to see if more and more will jump on board? That's really tough though.
Hang in there. Hopefully one day majority is residents will see if for what it is and leave the group little by little. Then it'll just be the lonely admin talking to themselves lol
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Jack Dewberry Why not just tell them to take it down? I knocked on the creators door and within 10 minutes it was gone. Even if they hate the property you can convince them to delete the group if they’re not personally mad at you. Don’t live with a toxic facebook group.
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Anonymous member I would check with your attorney, but you need to ask yourself are they libeling or slandering the property employees or operator? Tenants have the right to engage in quiet enjoyment of legal activities.. I understand why you may not want a page like this to be active but legally they very well may have the right to have a Facebook group like this. So below said tell them to take it down. It’s not that simple. For example, if I did not like the way, our homeowners association was being managed, I am legally allowed to create a Facebook group about that and complain as long as I did not commit liable or slander, but there’s nothing to prevent me from complaining about the conditions of the community or the performance of the HOA Board of Directors. this actually happened with our homeowners association a few years ago and the HOA management company said legally we cannot do anything about what they are doing.
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Anonymous member If the name of the Facebook page is similar to the Community name where it could cause confusion to residents thinking it’s an official company/staff sponsored page, you may want to talk to your legal department to send a tactfully worded “ cease and desist” letter to the creator, asking them to take it down .
Secondly , have your staff remove themselves from the page . If residents see the staff on the page, they may think that the behavior on the page is allowed by the staff and that sets a negative tone to the rest of the community.
If posts on the page are slanderous, dangerous behavior or harassing toward your property and staff, then again, consult with your legal department.
In reality, people can say pretty much whatever they want . It’s not illegal .
Typically, Facebook pages, such as this are representative of a minuscule number of residents who have nothing better to do with their time.
And honestly, if these residents are so unhappy living there , why wouldn’t they just...
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Jack Dewberry Tell the creator of it to take it down. I’ve been in this situation. Nothing good can come from it. It’s not going to be a forum where everyone brags about the landscaping and staff. Having a passive role is a bad idea. You need to shut this down tomorrow. And not with an email. With a knock on the door. You don’t want a bunch of residents talking to each other. Any problem they have will get posted into these groups and the rumor mill will spread. We’re actually off Facebook entirely.
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Guest Insider Jack Dewberry this would be good advice if we were allowed to control it. As long as they are not using your branding, they are legally allowed to be in or start any FB group they want...u can non-renew when the time comes in most states without explanation though
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Jack Dewberry Well they don’t to have to remove it of course but they probably will unless they just absolutely hate it there. It’s worth telling them to take it down face to face. An email or call will be ignored. Go with a team of a couple of maintenance guys if you need. People usually will be embarrassed. If they double down then yes no renew
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Anonymous member Reach out to the resident and politely let them know a few rules. Kill em with kindness
Hey resident, we saw the FB group and it's great that you're building community! We don't want to run into and issues or confusion, can you please be sure to put on there somewhere that this is resident run and the staff can't and won't access it or respond. Please don't use any official logos or images so corporate won't come knocking. We would love for you to share posts from our official page and encourage your neighbors to come to the community events! XYZ is coming up soon! If you have any questions or concerns or something comes up that may require our attention, please contact our office.
See how they respond. If they're hostile, now you have a paper trail for them operating in bad faith. They may tell you what's bugging them and open a constructive dialog or they may be a new ally.
You can't really do anything about it, so lean in!
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Guest Insider We've had people post about resident Facebook groups in the past, here is a previous post that has some good comments with advice: www.facebook.com/groups/multifamilysharespace/post…
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Good morning wonderful professionals, I hope everyone is well.

Branded Condos Were Just the Beginning…

In cities like Miami and Dubai, slapping a luxury logo on a glass tower has become real estate’s version of couture: exclusive, glamorous, and built for brand equity.

But a new chapter is...

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Every good entrepreneur wants to capitalize on their efforts, and commercial real estate agents are no different. The entrepreneurial mindset is one in which we are always looking to generate more revenue, so it's only natural that we seek ways beyond our commissions to increase our income. Here are some strategies I have used to generate additional revenue throughout my commercial real estate career.Residential Real Estate Agent Referral Program ...

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I’m trying to find someone I can get some advice from. I have a complicated resident. If you send her one email to kindly draw her attention, she will return the favor with 3, 4 or more emails stating residents rights, uses legal jargon, stating Texas legal resident rights etc. Anyone care to help me out? I’d rather a one on one. I don’t just need help with a current situation but need to figure out how to deal with her and other people like her.

Elysia Troiano Definitely agree with taking the issue and conversation off line. If the bbq is a lease book
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Elysia Troiano Lease violation copy and paste that into a violation notice and offer some times to meet in person
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Anonymous member This was an actual email I sent.
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Guest Insider Anonymous member I have run into the bbq issue myself. After lease violations didn’t work and pleading with the resident to be respectful of their neighbors and getting nowhere. Thankfully our local fire dept was literally a block away from the property. I gave them a call to ask the ‘hypothetical’ question of what they would do about the situation. They happily visited our property on a ‘drive thru’ and located the offending resident’s bbq grill and issued them a ticket. Then they helped the resident dispose of the offending grill. I’m not going to lie, it was nice to know they had our backs on that one.
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Guest Insider Anonymous member don’t email. It gives her opportunity to “reply”
It’s a violation. Put a violation letter to door and send by mail.
It sounds like she “too comfortable” and thinks she can email responses all the time.
Sent an automatic reply to your email only for this resident asking to only call.
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Althea Phoenix When you’re dealing with people in survival mode, especially in property management, it’s important to understand that you’re not just talking to someone about rules — you’re talking to someone who may feel powerless, threatened, or burned out. Their aggressive or defensive response often isn’t really about you or the rule, but about their need for control, dignity, or security in a stressful environment. Sometimes face to face and then following up with an email about the conversation.
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Althea Phoenix 1. Don’t Take It Personally — Even When It’s Personal
Recognize that it’s not about you, even if their tone is harsh or accusing. They’re likely reacting to a bigger emotional load — rent pressure, health issues, job insecurity, or past bad experiences with authority.

✅ 2. Acknowledge, Then Re-direct
Show you heard them before reasserting the rule. People calm down faster when they feel seen.
Example:
“I understand it feels frustrating when rules change or feel unfair. We’ve had to implement this policy based on fire code and for everyone’s safety. I’m happy to answer questions or help find safe alternatives.”

✅ 3. Keep Tone Neutral, Calm, and Brief
Survival mode loves a power struggle. If you sound defensive or annoyed, it gives them more reason to fight. Keep messages short, factual, and respectful.
Instead of:
“As I said before, grills are not allowed. This is in your lease.”
Try:
“Thanks for your response. To clarify, the no-grill policy is based on fire code [or insert...
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Guest Insider yes i’ve seen this many times and it is usually the result of a serious mental illness and it will get worse. We engaged our attorney to handle the situation directly with resident from the point where you are and this prevented communication mistakes by staff. In one severe case, the resident has sued so many businesses that the courts required she get permission before filing more.
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Guest Insider I am big on sending them a copy of their signed lease with the appropriate section highlighted and a lease violation notice with a 1 time warning. Explain that future violations will result in fines/removal of grill/potential non-renewal. Ignore any communications they send regarding their “rights” that don’t coincide with the lease agreement that they signed. If they continue about residents rights then let them know that their attorney is welcome to contact your attorney.
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Guest Insider that is all I would do. Do not entertain the back and forth over their rights. Their rights are outlined in the legal binding contract that they signed agreeing to. If they feel they have rights outside of what is outlined in the lease then they can contact an attorney. If they feel Management isn’t honoring the lease then they can contact an attorney. I have had residents like that and the more you go back and forth, the more they try to twist and feed off of what you say. Or they try to get you to say something offensive so they can go over your head and make you look like the bad guy. If they have a question about interpretation of the lease, I am happy to discuss that but if they argue or say my interpretation is not correct then A. They should have brought this up prior to signing and agreeing to the terms. And B. They can contact an attorney who they can provide a copy of the lease and their attorney can explain to them what their rights are. If Management is holding up their... Show more
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Anonymous member Don’t give special treatment to those problem residents. Continue notifying her as needed and don’t go back and forth. If she does not abide, then begin with lease violations. Let the paperwork speak for itself. If you have a courtesy officer on site, use them as your tool to respond when she is in violation and/or to educate her on the city ordinances of not being able to use a grill on her balcony.
Ps, chat GPT has worked wonders for helping me create email responses and quotes their lease or certain city ordinances. Just saves me time from referring back to their lease so Chat GPT does the work for me.
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Guest Insider Stop replying. Literally. I obviously don’t mean this as common practice and I come from an extremely responsive background, but I learned to ignore those that come full force- they thrive off the demands of your replies and eventually they do give up or lighten the load.
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Guest Insider Let your lease do the talking for you. Send highlighted copies surrounding the issues your resident is bringing up. You can also look up and send local fire ordinances as well, and then ask for a one on one if this person wants to talk it out. Stop the emails because you’re just gonna go in circles with them. The TAA lease allows you to give a lease violation for this and if it continues give a non renewal because in Texas landlords have the right to non renew the lease without cause. You have cause to non renew her lease if everything you tell her is going to be an issue. Emails can also be misconstrued depending on how she is reading your replies, so one on one tends to be the best way to get the point across.
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Mark Craven has liked Mauri Barnes 's Profile 6 days ago
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