Guest Insider's profile| Property Management | Resident Retention

Looking to hear from anyone who's had a great experience with a utility billing vendor - we've worked with both local and national vendors (Conservice, RUM) and have had significant issues with all of them over the years. We're looking for a company that's responsive, gets the details right without...

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A simple message to the higher ups at your local corporate office.
When you have an important corporate visit with all of the big bosses coming in town and it requires “all hands on deck”, searching the bushes for trash, staff coming in very early, the least that can be done is provide the team with a lunch.
Little things like that go a long way in making the employees feel valued.

Jared S. Leese and Chelsea Kneeland

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Michelle Uecke Or ask for recommendations on where to take the other higher ups but don't invite any of your team

Guest Insider Personally, I feel appreciated when the visit is short and told the property looks good. If u had to come in early to make that happen, then ask if u can leave just as early that day or better yet on a Friday. If that is not possible, feel appreciated with your pay check as "treating" the team is not always possible with time constraints and budgets.
That being said, your manager can always ask the regional if they can treat the team to lunch, corporate employees don't have to be a part of it.

Robert Hoop The great thing about working for a company that owns all of their assets is knowing that they can show up at any time and on any day of the week. Our property owner or a member of the corporate staff pops in unannounced at least one per week. This can sometimes be on the weekend. If everything looks great, they let us know. If there is something that needs some attention they let us know. It keeps the staff on point. You will never find trash on our property.

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Writing anonymously because I am in multi family by day but have my own 4 unit property.
One of my renters is a hoarder. I found out when they wouldn’t give me access, changed the locks on me and I noticed no trash was going in their trash each week.
Finally gained access. The apartment is floor to ceiling cardboard boxes.
I non renewed their lease and they held over. I start eviction and I and now two months with no rent and a court mediation... Show more

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Renae Maisano I have had to go this route before but make sure you only discuss the fire hazard and never the hoarding disability. Be prepared to assist with the process. We weekly met with the resident, family and or support people. Our discussed and agreed upon common goal was 3 filled large totes weekly (we supplied the "large" totes) that would go to their off site storage unit, the dumpster and the last went to charity. We supplied the maintenance people to get the totes our of the building to their car for storage and charity site drop off and took the last to the dumpster themselves. We bought all materials and billed the resident back as was also agreed.
Sometimes this is depression, sometimes a cry for attention or might be the inability of the resident to organize or facilitate without direction.
Just know all is not lost but it will take time and attention to correct.

Khara House A few things. FHA has an exemption for four or less units if one of the units is owner occupied; however, you also still need to consider local (state and municipal) fair housing, Olmstead, anti-discrimination, human relations, etc. laws that may impact the exemption. Second, hoarding qualifies for reasonable accommodation to resolve the health and safety concerns, but you also mentioned non-payment; I'm missing why eviction hasn't proceeded for that. Third, you want to be very careful of the line between resolving the issue, researching the issue, and retaliating against the issue. Finally... all anyone here can offer is some basic advise based on the details you've provided, but it very much sounds like you need to seek actual legal counsel to help you in this case. You can see from the different interpretations of the info you've given in the responses so far that this is complex, and may be impacted by factors, policies, and legal considerations folks here can't help with. Check... Show more

A few things. FHA has an exemption for four or less units if one of the units is owner occupied; however, you also still need to consider local (state and municipal) fair housing, Olmstead, anti-discrimination, human relations, etc. laws that may impact the exemption. Second, hoarding qualifies for reasonable accommodation to resolve the health and safety concerns, but you also mentioned non-payment; I'm missing why eviction hasn't proceeded for that. Third, you want to be very careful of the line between resolving the issue, researching the issue, and retaliating against the issue. Finally... all anyone here can offer is some basic advise based on the details you've provided, but it very much sounds like you need to seek actual legal counsel to help you in this case. You can see from the different interpretations of the info you've given in the responses so far that this is complex, and may be impacted by factors, policies, and legal considerations folks here can't help with. Check with your local association for a recommended multifamily attorney if you don't already have one, and see if your association's attorney(s) may offer consultation prior to representation.

Guest Insider Definitely ask an attorney for help. Also, if they get assistance from a “free” attorney, in our area, it goes to the county court and then we cannot represent ourselves anyhow. I feel that our attorney helped to speed the process up a bit. I’m sorry you have to deal with this. We lost close to $15K.

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We found if you have good credit you pay your bills. That was our main criteria. Conventional property

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How do you keep your Service Managers busy during lease ups? Mine doesn't do anything because he thinks everyone else is responsible for tasks.

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Kathy Sweeney Have you given him a list of what you need him to do? At the end of the day, you're the manager. What do YOU want him to do each day?

Guest Insider Kathy Sweeney Yes, he is aware and we have daily meeting huddles. He does what I ask, but does not take any initiative. I do not have time to create a list every day for my Service Manager to complete. He is a co-manager, not a technician.

Valerie Sargent Has he ever done a lease-up before? Perhaps he doesn’t realize all of the expectations from an initiative perspective. Perhaps you could make a list from all of these suggestions and let him know that they are the things he should be focusing on (you might help him prioritize with order and timelines), letting him know that sitting in the office is not getting the tasks completed. If after you make your expectations clear for him to get those things done and he still does not perform, write him up with a performance improvement plan. If things do not improve, he’s not the right fit, and it’s time to go.

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Have you ever gone through a large influx of residents who believe that given what they pay, they should be entitled to being ensured safety & security - even though you can't ensure safety & security (and the lease says so as well)? Have you ever messaged reminders about safety/security and where...

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Guest Insider You might want to start with reading the lease yourself, so you know what it says. That’s something all staff should read and know before having others sign! “-even though you can’t ensure safety & security and the lease probably says so as well?”
Lead me to believe you were asking, and unsure of what’s in the lease.

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Is there any precedent where a resident who has a pet subsequently, after many months, gets an ESA letter from their doctor, but since it was a pet before the letter, it can still be treated as a pet?

Guest Insider Nope. You should not be obligated to refund any fees or rents that were previously paid but once they are ESA The fees and rents should be waived as outlined in the lease agreement moving forward.

Renae Maisano And if you have a pet deposit it would need to be refunded because the "pet" is no longer in the unit.

Megan Goodmundson No. It is now an esa animal and should be treated so as of the date receiving the verification. If there is a pet deposit being held, process refund after verifing and documenting no damage from pet. If a non refundable fee was paid i would consider that non refundable .

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so need some opinions-just moved a woman and 3 kids, everything checked out, and a week later, it seems she has a few "extras" that don't appear to be leaving. Other than the obvious violation for extras and giving the option of, they go or they all go, what would you do? looking more for help with timeframe for these things I think?

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Brenda Sherrill Our lease states guests staying more than two days requires management approval.

Mark Tanguay I have a novel idea... ask her. They may have come to help her move and are leaving tomorrow, or they may think they can stay permanently. You don't know if you don't ask.

Guest Insider On the day they reach the max allowable time to “visit” reach out and ask her the plan. Then send a notice to cure if there’s no action. I think you want to give her an opportunity to do the right thing but only in a reasonable time frame. Good luck.

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We have had so many car break ins and thefts at my community lately. Obviously we all know it’s not the property’s fault but that’s not how residents feel. What can I do to make our residents feel better about this situation? I thought about maybe doing a community event and have our local PD come and talk to residents. Any other creative ideas or suggestions on how to communicate with residents efficiently about this touchy matter?

Guest Insider If this happens and we start to get a rash of car issues like this, we send out an email blast to alert residence of the activity in the area reported and include a list of tips to protect themselves and their belongings. 99% of the time it is the residents leaving their cars unlocked and then the cars are rummaged through, very rarely it is a legitimate break in. Otherwise we are involved in our areas neighborhood watch program called The Good neighbor project which is hosted by the city and police department. When these things happen and people come through the lots and find several unlocked cars it's just going to give them motive to return again. Best practice is for everybody to lock their cars and for Kia's and Hyundai owners we offer flyers to stick in the windows stating that that car is equipped with the new update for security. We also allow residents to place cameras in their Windows looking out to the lot or in the hallways to look at their own door and stoop area. The... Show more

If this happens and we start to get a rash of car issues like this, we send out an email blast to alert residence of the activity in the area reported and include a list of tips to protect themselves and their belongings. 99% of the time it is the residents leaving their cars unlocked and then the cars are rummaged through, very rarely it is a legitimate break in. Otherwise we are involved in our areas neighborhood watch program called The Good neighbor project which is hosted by the city and police department. When these things happen and people come through the lots and find several unlocked cars it's just going to give them motive to return again. Best practice is for everybody to lock their cars and for Kia's and Hyundai owners we offer flyers to stick in the windows stating that that car is equipped with the new update for security. We also allow residents to place cameras in their Windows looking out to the lot or in the hallways to look at their own door and stoop area. The Good neighbor project also has a registry to register your cameras so that they have a map showing where there are cameras available so they can investigate crimes such as these when needed

Guest Insider We had teenagers going through unlocked vehicles until we added lots of new lighting. I’m being honest when I tell you the whole place is lit up bright. Send notices asking residents to keep valuables out of their vehicles and let them know of recent incidents. Having the police talk to your residents is a good idea. It’s out of your control but do what you can, residents should understand and be kinder if they see you’re doing your best.

Guest Insider Reach out to PD and let them know this is going on. Ask them to increase patrol and give you literature to pass on to your residents. Communicate with your residents about locking their doors and not leaving belongings in their car. Let them know you have increased patrols and ask that anyone that sees something suspicious to call the police. The best thing you can do right now is communicate with your residents as a whole. This will pass, it always comes in waves.

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My property is entering Due Diligence for a sale and I have no idea what to expect. What reasons have you all seen of a buyer backing out after the due diligence period? We have been doing absolutely everything we can to prepare but I cannot help but feel some responsibility as a PM to properly...

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Melissa Brown My comment is more of why a buyer may back out, and it has to do with financing or the numbers just not working out to be profitable for the purchaser. Insurance and taxes have dramatically risen in the last few years which makes it harder to meet financial goals. Best of luck to you! Dont stress and keep doing the best you can do every day!

Tracy Hall I have been on 20+ takeovers in my career.
If your current company hasn't offered you a firm position "we are sending you here", walk a thin line and consider options fron the othe other company.
If neither company have made any firm offers, get your resume out ASAP.

Guest Insider 100%, have your resume ready and consider all options...
New Company- when you meet them, ask them their plans, they know if they are considering you or bringing in their own manager, you have just as much right to find out their plan.
Best case: Try to get an opttion with your company and the new owner and be able to pick what's best for you.
But to Tracy's point, get ahead of it, and worry about YOU

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Any members in the group considering changing g their criteria policies to allow those with past evictions after a certain period of time? Given the pandemic and many losing their homes/rentals during that time I wonder if anyone is considering allowing if it was 5+ years ago for example.

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Guest Insider Miles Scruggs maybe take away the pandemic from my original context. Would you have a different perspective on the conversation?

Allie Gartside Miles Scruggs Hmm I can both agree & disagree with this. On the one hand I think of the fact that if I hadn’t of moved states immediately after the shut down. I likely would have lost my apartment. My husbands job was completely shut down and I was literally finishing out my last two weeks.
We talk about this all the time what a blessing in disguise us moving was. He would have lost his job, my jobs hours would have been cut, our rent was about to be raised 8% and we were already overspending every month ON BILLS. We literally did nothing in free time.
But if we stayed we were one paycheck away from homelessness. Before any Covid help was available. Even with what unemployment was and the extra, it wouldn’t have been enough.
But being on the other end and yes seeing residents order tons of Amazon packages and not paying anything towards rent. Or even my half sister who fully took advantage of covid til the very end, there’s where Id agree with you.
I think that I’d make an exception... Show more

Miles Scruggs Hmm I can both agree & disagree with this. On the one hand I think of the fact that if I hadn’t of moved states immediately after the shut down. I likely would have lost my apartment. My husbands job was completely shut down and I was literally finishing out my last two weeks.
We talk about this all the time what a blessing in disguise us moving was. He would have lost his job, my jobs hours would have been cut, our rent was about to be raised 8% and we were already overspending every month ON BILLS. We literally did nothing in free time.
But if we stayed we were one paycheck away from homelessness. Before any Covid help was available. Even with what unemployment was and the extra, it wouldn’t have been enough.
But being on the other end and yes seeing residents order tons of Amazon packages and not paying anything towards rent. Or even my half sister who fully took advantage of covid til the very end, there’s where Id agree with you.
I think that I’d make an exception if the eviction happened in 2020. Consider evictions of 2021, if they could provide like their tax return and the community they were evicted from and request the previous contract they had for payment plan. If they weren’t paying at all, I’d probably deny but if I could see they were paying something each payment schedule then id be willing to work with them. That and see their tax returns for the past 2yrs & that they currently qualify. That they’ve had stability. Because I think if you hadn’t had stability for at least the last 2 years, then yeah something is wrong.

Allie Gartside We have not but if you were too, I don’t really see it as any different than asking for a prospect with poor credit for a higher deposit? You’d just be asking for additional documents to support the eviction was Covid related.
I’d make an exception if the eviction happened in 2020. As well as consider evictions of 2021, if they could provide their tax returns and the community they were evicted from. Then request the previous contract they had for payment plan. If they weren’t paying at all, I’d probably deny but if I could see they were paying something each payment schedule then I’d be willing to work with them.
As well as ask to see their tax returns for the past 2yrs & that they currently qualify. That they’ve had stability. Because I think if you hadn’t had stability for at least the last 2 years, then yeah something is wrong.
But I wouldn’t consider evictions from 2022, 2023 or any from 2024.
I’d probably also ask for a rental referral/verification. We did evict a resident... Show more

We have not but if you were too, I don’t really see it as any different than asking for a prospect with poor credit for a higher deposit? You’d just be asking for additional documents to support the eviction was Covid related.
I’d make an exception if the eviction happened in 2020. As well as consider evictions of 2021, if they could provide their tax returns and the community they were evicted from. Then request the previous contract they had for payment plan. If they weren’t paying at all, I’d probably deny but if I could see they were paying something each payment schedule then I’d be willing to work with them.
As well as ask to see their tax returns for the past 2yrs & that they currently qualify. That they’ve had stability. Because I think if you hadn’t had stability for at least the last 2 years, then yeah something is wrong.
But I wouldn’t consider evictions from 2022, 2023 or any from 2024.
I’d probably also ask for a rental referral/verification. We did evict a resident during Covid but it was not due to Covid. It’s because she was harassing neighbors our maintenance supervisor and assaulted him.
That’s why if you’re going to qualify someone with a past eviction, I’d make sure it was because of the financial impact from Covid.

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Nevada-death of a co tenant, prior to new lease start date, lease renewed effective 9/1/2024, death two days ago, ground for release without penalty?

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Guest Insider Thank you all so much! My sister lost her husband unexpectedly and is scrambling. I was trying to help know her rights while not being there to assist her and know her state laws. We are hoping for compassion from management.

Megan Goodmundson Prayers for your sister and her (your) family as she deals with this loss. ????

Leah Love I hope they are reasonable. I’m so sorry she’s going through this.

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A resident had water/sewer back up damage in her apartment after Hurricane Beryl...possibly due to power loss to the lift station during the storm.  Her apartment is the lowest elevation on property and there was quite a bit of water and sewer backed up in the tub, shower, and bathrooms. The property lost power for a week.  We had a temporary generator hooked up to the lift station within 24 hours of the storm.
Several emails were sent to all residents asking them to report any storm damage to us ASAP.  Emails were also sent asking residents to empty all refrigerators and freezers and to leave the doors open to prevent damage to the refrigerators.  She claims that she was out of town and did not report damages until 10 days after the storm.  She received the emails; however, she never called us to say that she was out of town or requested for us to check on her apartment.  
We had no reason to go in her apartment since no other apartments were damaged.  Our model is next to her apartment and did not have any damage.  No other damage was reported in her building.  
We offered the following:  1) transfer her on-site with no fees and give her first month free in the new apartment to help offset her expenses.  2)  terminate the lease without penalty as soon as she moves all of her things out.  3) Let us make repairs and allow her to stay in a hotel (Paid by her renter's insurance) and move her furniture into the den and living room of her current apartment free from rent until repairs are completed. 
Within 12 hours of receiving the damage report, the bathrooms were steam cleaned.  The baseboards were removed, the carpet and pad was removed from the bedrooms.  The concrete slab was steam-cleaned.  Enzyme treatments were done.  The cabinet bases were removed.  Dehumidifiers were installed and all surfaces were sanitized.
We require renter's insurance.  She doesn't think that she should have to file a claim.  "We should have had an automatic back up generator temporary  for the property".  
The water/sewer back up was limited to two bathrooms and the two bedrooms.  Her rent is just under $3k per month.  What do you think is a fair resolution?  Keep in mind that no damages were reported for 10 days after the storm.

A resident had water/sewer back up damage in her apartment after Hurricane Beryl...possibly due to power loss to the lift station during the storm. Her apartment is the lowest elevation on property and there was quite a bit of water and sewer backed up in the tub, shower, and bathrooms. The property lost power for a week. We had a temporary generator hooked up to the lift station within 24 hours of the storm.
Several emails were sent to all... Show more

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Guest Insider Regardless who was at "fault", the unit should be a "down" unit and she needs to move out of it. Where she moves to is up to her.. It does sound like you need a pump system installed under that unit tho. We just had a similar situation and that's what we had to do. If she is unwilling to move, even if it is a offer of at your companies expense, give her a NTV..

Megan Goodmundson All of those are fair options although I would lean towards getting her out asap. You can mark the unit as “down” and claim rent loss on whatever insurance claim you may have for the storm overall.

Guest Insider She should have renters insurance to pay for her possessions. You've given her three options. If she wants out of her lease, keep your word on your offer.

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Hey Friends
Texas Peeps-My owner is thinking of canceling the Bluemoon membership for leasing.
He is contemplating AI to generate a lease.
For context its for multifamily housing all complexes are over 50 units
Can you all share some highlights as to why keeping Bluemoon/TAA leases is better or share if there is a better option.

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I've just reached 50 new "easy tasks" that'll only take "an extra 10 minutes" a day at work. In case you're not up on your math, that's over 8 hours a day of new tasks to accomplish on top of my previous 8 hours of work.
So, yes, I've had to stop doing most of my job to get my work done.

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Guest Insider Reading your comments about just conflicting meetings alone, it sounds like a meeting with your direct supervisor to help resolve competing priorities would be my first step. Present your calendar and conflicts. Now, if you're saying you have a supervisor that doesn't care, it's up to you to decide what to do about that. Continue towards resolution, which could mean requesting a meeting with your supervisor's supervisor OR that you begin your search elsewhere. It doesn't even make sense to have such obviously overlapping and conflicting schedules. Who the heck is running the show here? We.love to make things more complicated than necessary.

Guest Insider Agreed. I've already said my piece and just get promises for a solution. Those solutions that they're trying to come up with don't include adding any people though, so they've been unable to resolve the problems, but every other "improvement in the process" just takes an extra 10 minutes a day... each.

Guest Insider I worked for an owner that had this saying we kinda made famous behind the scenes, "that takes what, like 5 minutes?" One day he said this to me about a particular process and I asked him to indulge me then, for just 2 minutes. I began the process, and in just a minute or 2 he stopped me. He saw there was no way this could be accomplished in 5 mins and I rarely heard him make thus blanket statement after that. Ask your supervisor to literally show you the process, or, better yet, let you show her so that she can give you any tips for streamlining.

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