Hello fellow property managers! I need some advice on how to handle a...

Hello fellow property managers! I need some advice on how to handle a resident related situation.

We recently have had a few teenage boys from our neighboring communities (not affiliated with our community), jump our pool gate. They jump it after hours, and create a mess, a ton of noise, and I’ve had complaint after complaint that our security team isn’t showing up in a timely manner when called and that the boys are being loud and disrespectful between the hours of 10pm to as late as 2am. (Our security team have other communities they are patrolling as well).

We have one resident specifically that continues to put in complaints (understandably as she faces the pool side) that is requesting I move the patio furniture that’s on the clubhouse patio space inside every night because this is what the teens are using to climb and jump over the fence. (They move the furniture to the gate).She’s also demanding that someone who lives on site patrols the area after hours and deals with it.

I’ve explained that we have cameras, we have security, and I can continue monitoring the situation. I’ve also recommended that she call 911 if it’s a noise issue because they can handle disturbing the peace. The resident has claimed that 911 told her she can’t call about that and they need to notify me the community manager (not sure if this is fabricated.)

At this point I am at loss. I don’t know how to keep these kids from jumping the gates and I don’t like telling my resident “I don’t know what else to do” but I truly don’t know what I can do. I’ve asked the neighboring communities if the description matches any of their residents but they don’t recognize the boys. I’ve reached out to my security team and requested they patrol between the hours of 10pm and 2am. I’ve adjusted my cameras to make sure I can get a FULL visual on the boys. And I genuinely don’t know how to solve this issue.

Hello fellow property managers! I need some advice on how to handle a resident related situation.

We recently have had a few teenage boys from our neighboring communities (not affiliated with our community), jump our pool gate. They jump it after hours, and create a mess, a ton of noise, and I’ve had complaint after complaint that our security team isn’t showing up in a timely manner when called and that the boys are being loud and... Show more

Brent Williams

Guest Insider you have security they need to be more diligent

Guest Insider Get stern with the security company and start getting bids for a new company.

Guest Insider Call your local police and let them now what is happening. Maybe they can come patrol as well. Or maybe they can tell you what to do.
I might also pull a sting and stay as well and call the police yourself when they show up. But don’t confront them alone.
If you are paying this security service they need to do as you ask as well.

Guest Insider This is a security issue. Keep yourself safe and let the security professionals handle it. The resident needs to allow you the time to get the job done. Be sympathetic and remind her after hours she needs to call the police.

Guest Insider First, ask security to patrol there, from 10pm-2am if they’re able. Second, tell the resident again to call the police and report there’s a party happening that shouldn’t be so late and they’ll come out, if they’re not comfortable calling the police we used to have people leave a VM on the security or emergency line and ask them to let one of us know and we would call the police.it got to that point with some of our residents and we just wanted it to end. Third, put up signs that say “trespassers will be prosecuted…etc” something that scares them at the gates. Bottom line is if security can’t show up right that minute, someone, including security needs to call the cops cause they will show up.

Guest Insider Plant pricker bushes around the outside of the pool fence - change the gate to have decorative spikes so it’s hard to climb.

Laura Jordan Razor wire would be good too!! just kidding!! I like the spikes though for the fence

Guest Insider when you close the pool at night pull the furniture away from the fence. and in the edge of the pool so they can't pull it over to climb on it if you can

Guest Insider Security needs to step up, they are being paid to do a job that I’m pretty sure they asked you for. I would contact local PD or sheriff’s office to see if they can patrol the area during that time. I’d also get some signs for your pool gate that says “no trespassing, pool is for our residents and their guest only”.

Guest Insider We had this problem it was a joint effort between me and security as well as having the cops come and talk to the residents on how to report the issue. We also put spikes on the top of the fence they would jump over as well as a horn so security can talk them down. After a few times of the cops showing and kicking them out it's helped A LOT!!!
But would be best to get a guard for the weekends at least for 4 hours so they can be onsite to prevent.
Good luck and hang in there it will get better!

Renae Maisano Hire a resident to patrol the pool area during those hours. Give them a per diem off their rent. Maybe a resident who works midnights or the 2am shift

Forrest White 🤔 This sounds like criminal trespassing to me. It might have been said prior but coordinating with the local law enforcement is a must. Contact them to find out how / what you need to get a criminal trespass in place and then enforced. You must let them know you would be willing to press charges and follow up as well. Cameras are a great tool to document the who/ time/ place if they are placed correctly. Like others have said coordination with you patrol team should aid directly.

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We promote people into titles faster than they can grow into them. Then we act surprised when that person can't actually move anything or lead anyone.Now, job titles are interesting things... Conceptually you would likely expect a job title to denote function, perhaps, seniority and or level of competence in the role. People hang a lot on a title.But have you experienced it? You run into someone who is the "VP of Suchandsuch" who has no real auth ...

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Spent some time this week looking at what campus housing conferences are actually talking about right now. Not amenities. Not unit finishes. Community, engagement, and resident connection as an operational priority, not a marketing line. That's the same shift I think is coming for multifamily. Right now "resident experience" mostly means events calendars and the occasional mixer something a community manager runs on top of an already full plate... Show more

Tom Guyton Hi, “two-way record instead of a one-way checkbox” is the distinction that matters. It’s basically the same failure mode as a survey nobody responds to, the data looks complete because the box got checked, not because anything real happened. The resident-side response requirement is a good filter for that. Only wrinkle I’d watch for: some of the most disconnected residents are also the least likely to generate a reply or request at all, so the metric could end up measuring your most engaged residents more precisely while still missing the ones actually at risk. Not a knock on the approach, just the part I’d want to pressure-test.

Guest Insider That comparison holds because maintenance and lease renewals already carry a schedule, a record, and a budget line every year. Connection usually stays a program because it only gets the first two, tracked informally with no line of its own in the budget. Give it a number, and ownership tends to sort itself out."

Tom Guyton That’s a sharp way to put it. “Give it a number and ownership tends to sort itself out” might be the whole thesis right there. Maintenance and renewals aren’t inherently more important than connection, they just got instrumented first. Curious what you’d actually put on that budget line if you were building it from scratch. Engagement score? Event attendance? Something else entirely?

Guest Insider Something else entirely, Tom. I'd track documented resident touch points per unit per month, logged just like work orders, and see how that correlates with renewal decisions. Event attendance tells you who showed up once. In my view, it doesn't say much about whether the relationship held over time.

Tom Guyton “Touch points per unit per month” is a great unit of measurement, concrete enough to actually put on a budget line like you said earlier. The correlation-with-renewals piece is the part I’d want to see in practice though. Touch points logged by a leasing team can turn into activity for activity’s sake pretty fast, checking a box because it’s tracked, not because it moved the relationship forward. Curious how you’d guard against that if you were the one implementing it.

Guest Insider Same failure preventive maintenance logs had before verification was built in: a technician marking a unit complete without actually doing the work. The fix there was requiring some form of confirmation beyond the staff entry itself, so here I'd only count a touchpoint if it produces a resident-side response: a reply, a request, a follow-up action. That turns the log into a two-way record instead of a one-way checkbox.

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One of the most common questions I receive is:"If the market cap rate is 6% and I find a property trading at an 8% cap rate, have I found a great deal?"The answer is maybe. A cap rate alone never tells the entire story.A cap rate spread is the difference between the market cap rate and the property's cap rate.Example:* Market Cap Rate: 6%* Subject Property: 8%* Spread: 2%At first glance, an 8% cap rate in a 6% market appears attractive. The real ...

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When property management professionals hear the word "accessibility," they often think about the physical features of a community. They picture accessible parking spaces, curb cuts, ramps, elevators, wider doorways, grab bars, and other features that help people with disabilities navigate a property.While those physical elements are important, accessibility does not begin at the front entrance of an apartment community. For many prospective resid ...

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** Link to app is below **

On the topic of AI, Claude is the new shiny penny, several post connecting Claude to a MCP ( Model Context Protocol ) server. Claude can also be a great tool for Application Development. The power of prompting combined with full stack frameworks can create powerful applications.

Had the idea of using Claude to scrape data to create an application for the Nashville market that shows: Market Rents, Total Units,... Show more

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Your online presence; website, Instagram posts, TikTok reels, Stories, Highlights, is the prospects first tour.It sets the tone, the expectations, and the standard for what prospects believe they'll experience onsite.And here's the rule every property should adopt: If we wouldn't proudly post it online, we shouldn't be showing it in person.That applies to: Office appearance Greeting at the door Property appearance Conversations Energy Profession ...

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Industry Resources

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If you've worked in multifamily for more than a week, you've probably been yelled at by a resident.Maybe it was over a delayed work order. Maybe it was a rent increase. Maybe it was something completely outside of your control.One of the biggest leadership lessons I've learned in this industry is that the most effective property management professionals don't take those moments personally—they listen first.T ...

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What do think it cost you in time, money, stress, etc?

Weirdly enough in most cases it’s seen as the “cost of doing business.”

Our sister property management company ran 12+ years with zero evictions, zero property damage, zero late payments. Worth checking out if you’ve dealt with an...

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Guest Insider lost rent until they get out was charged back to the tenant as well as damages , attorney fees, etc

Rich McDaniel II What was the total on that?

Guest Insider the total has been as much as $4000. That was attorney, lost rent, damages

Anonymous member Here where I am in Texas it’s like $130 to file +$20 per lease holder and then probably another $100 or so for the writ of possession.
I handle the evictions, we don’t hire a lawyer unless we have to

Rich McDaniel II Anonymous member how long does that take? What about lost rent?

Anonymous member Rich McDaniel II it really depends from court to court, average time for me is at least a month for the hearing and maybe another few weeks for the constable to come out to do the actual lockout for the resident

Guest Insider yes unfortunately I have. Attorney costs were $750 plus court costs, unit turn, and some of my time

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Backstory- ordered Freon and 4 cases of water for maintenance during high temps and back to back AC calls. Order was not approved because of the cases of water. Just want to leave this here and see how others would handle/respond/feel about this. Thoughts? Input?

Jennifer Lynn I understand wanting to save money, especially in this economy. However, consider the irreparable damage that this denial has now caused to the entire organization over a measely $10. EVERY front end employee is going to feel completely like the company doesn't value them as a basic human being. Given that it has already made it to facebook, I am sure all of the frontline employees already know and are steaming and venting about it to everyone. This is a natural reaction. This leads to lack of loyalty within the organization, diminished productivity and turnover costing much more money in the long run. Whoever denied this request doesn't understand employee psychology at all. I would have approved the request, praised the person for taking care of their employees during an extreme weather event and then given several less expensive options for the future. It's one thing if someone is blatantly misusing funds, it's another thing completely to order extra basic human necessities during... Show more

I understand wanting to save money, especially in this economy. However, consider the irreparable damage that this denial has now caused to the entire organization over a measely $10. EVERY front end employee is going to feel completely like the company doesn't value them as a basic human being. Given that it has already made it to facebook, I am sure all of the frontline employees already know and are steaming and venting about it to everyone. This is a natural reaction. This leads to lack of loyalty within the organization, diminished productivity and turnover costing much more money in the long run. Whoever denied this request doesn't understand employee psychology at all. I would have approved the request, praised the person for taking care of their employees during an extreme weather event and then given several less expensive options for the future. It's one thing if someone is blatantly misusing funds, it's another thing completely to order extra basic human necessities during a heat wave.
Stay safe out there!

Guest Insider Jennifer Lynn but the manager could have planned ahead and prevented their frustration. Interesting that no one sees that perspective….. we have jobs to do and people to hold us accountable. This heat wave didn’t just pop up! I always keep plenty of water, Gatorade and popsicles on hand for my service team, but I spend the money wisely as I would my own.

Jennifer Lynn Anonymous member we keep all those things on hand, as well. I guess the next things to consider are: When was the request put in? Do onsite staff have clear policies on how/when to order items? Is this the 10th time they have requested this same thing and first time it has been denied or first time? Do they abuse their budget or are they generally frugal about things and this request is unusual? All things to consider. Based on the faucet comment, my guess is this is the first time for the request and since it has already been denied which can sometimes take a bit the OP was preplanning.

Guest Insider I'm on the corporate side and would deny the order too.
(I would never say the tap water comment though!)
Denying because of the cost. A case of 40 waters at the grocery is $5 vs $10 for 24 at HDS.
Let's get real. Who wouldn't rather have $10 extra for some nice pens than the convenience of the water delivery.

Guest Insider Should have both.

Guest Insider It wasnt really denied, only from HDS. They could order from HD or pick up at store.

Sherrie Kasprowicz This is bogus! I even keep water onsite at each property for our subs and vendors. Can't expect them to work in this heat without water, nor do I want any of them collapsing on property from heat exhaustion! We're talking ten to twenty dollars a month people come on!

Guest Insider I had a regional that didn’t allow us to buy water or Gatorade at all saying that people should bring their own. So I put a mini fridge in my office and loaded it full of drinks for my team. When she asked for a water, I reminded her that we aren’t allowed to buy that. And then someone said how she couldn’t possibly bring her own because broomsticks don’t have cup holders lol

Guest Insider Proper planning by the Property Manager would have prevented this. I TOTALLY support offering water and other refreshments to our hard working service teams. But it’s not really fair to the owners to pay double because it’s convenient to order from HD. Order from Walmart or go pick it up and have it ready for the hot days. Treat their money as you would your own, and I doubt you’d want to pay double for your own water at home. They didn’t deny because they are ogres, they denied because it isn’t financially responsible and your job is to run a business. Plan ahead so you service teams don’t suffer! Heat waves come with prior warnings. 😎

Guest Insider Anonymous member fair. But the faucet comment?

Guest Insider Who didnt approve it?

Guest Insider Anonymous member corporate accounts payable

Guest Insider I find it odd AP is even involved in those types of decisions

Guest Insider I would use petty cash and get them gatorades too! And in regards to the water comment, next time your regional comes hide all the bottled water and give them tap.

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Industry Resources

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Naming gets all the attention. The workshop, the shortlist, the debate over the finalists, the reveal. It feels like the moment the brand is born.It is not. A name is raw material. What determines whether it means anything is the work that comes after it, and that work gets far less attention than it deserves.Think about what a name is on day one. A word on a sign. A promise that has not been kept yet. If the name is ambitious, something evocativ ...

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Mergers, centralization, technology stacking on top of more technology, and the people in the middle of it all trying to figure out how to keep showing up well for their teams.I've been thinking a lot about what we're actually asking of our leaders right now.Accenture's 2024 Pulse of Change Index found that the rate of change increased 183% over the past four years. 33% in 2023 alone. And multifamily didn't get a pass on any of it. We've got oper ...

Brent Williams

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What NYC's Broker-Fee Law Can Teach Landlords EverywhereBy Aleksei ApasovIf you own or manage rental property outside New York, it's easy to assume the city's broker-fee law has nothing to do with you. I think that's a mistake.Real estate policies have a habit of spreading. What starts in one major market often becomes a model—or at least a talking point—for lawmakers elsewhere. New York just happened to go first, and that makes it an interesting ...

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AI reduces maintenance costs by 25–30% through predictive monitoring in smart buildings. (Source: JLL and PwC, 2025)

The mechanism: IoT-integrated monitoring + AI forecasting catches issues before they become repairs. A failing HVAC unit that would cost $8,000 in an emergency gets serviced for...

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Guest Insider Worth noting for anyone doing the math: the 25–30% figure is on maintenance costs.

The hidden multiplier is on asset lifespan. Units that are maintained predictively have measurably better long-term capital expenditure profiles... fewer major replacement events, better condition at refinancing, stronger appraisal outcomes.

That's a number that doesn't show up in the monthly maintenance budget but absolutely shows up at disposition.

Anyone tracking this across their portfolio? Curious whether the industry is connecting those two data points yet.

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What a neat Father's Day idea! Keep this one in your back pocket for next year!

Chelsea Kneeland

Guest Insider "Detailers for dads" is awesome!

Guest Insider We also did haircuts for fellas and it was enjoyed as well. #PointeGrandApartmentHomes

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Curious if anyone else has noticed this…

I think two things that often limit leasing success are:
1. Not having a show-ready apartment that helps prospects visualize themselves living there.
2. Not getting out into the community and foot marketing consistently.

What’s one leasing strategy that’s consistently brought in qualified traffic for your community?

Brent Williams and Chelsea Kneeland

Guest Insider I always carry property brochures and my business cards in my purse. I've leased apartments in a grocery store checkout and even to the nurse who helped my husband when he was in the ER!

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