The Maintenance Staff stole my...

:dry:
Just HOW do you handle that resident who says: Your employee stole my gold earrings...cash on the dresser...beer out of the refrigerator...WHATEVER?
We have a resident who says our staff took gold earrings that were left out. We feel pretty convinced this is not the case. She has filed a police report, and she wants to call the local news station. Whether she does or not, we have a very unhappy resident who no longer trust our team...and who isn't likely to spread the love about us.
How do you handle these situations?
THANKS!
Mary
Mary Gwyn, CPM
www.AptDynamics.com
Making the World a Better Place One Lease at a Time!

Has the Manager called the Resident and invited her to the Office to meet with her and the Maintenance Supervisor? I have had some success with this method. It seems when the resident comes to the office and we are all just sitting around a table discussing the situation, and the Resident knows we are taking it seriously, and also knows the conversation is being recorded, that helps diffuse it. I have been lucky that usually the MS has a good sense of humor and good people skills and this helps as well. I always make it clear to the resident that I am there to figure out what the true issue is and resolve it once and for all.

I have had some residents with dementia who were not able to comprehend from one day to the next and having that same conversation could drive you nuts. But we need patience dealing with those and time takes care of this because before you know it, they are moved to assisted living by their family when we are truly at a loss as to reassuring that kind of resident.

However, just so no one thinks we never believe the resident, we do an internal investigation whenever anyone accuses an employee of something and it is documented at the Corporate Office.

These things will happen where alligations are made. I always like to ensure that if possible the tenant is there. If not, and we can do it that there are two people from the staff and normally from different departments. Also good to ensure that all you have working have had police reports done for criminal activity.

Now having said all those things what Mindy is saying is also spot on. Once there is ever an alligation, then I also try to ensure that there is never a time when maintenance will go there alone and if possible not the same one which was accused before just to try and head off any future problems.

This will always be a problem if you let techs enter without the resident present.
In your case I suggest you ask the resident to provide your office a copy of the police report and ask your techs. Of course they will all deny any info. Talk to the scheduled tech individually. Yes, some steal but he/she will deny everything.
Later, respond to the resident that you did indeed talk with your staff and investigate, but no one has any info about the missing items (of course!) and suggest she submit this to her renter's insurance.
If the item was inexpensive, I would offer to pay for it in the interest of maintaining goodwill and to end the problem. If the problem liingers it will cost hundreds in time and hassle.
Wanna be right or rich?
Now the real answer:
We changed our standard policy to "no entry without the resident present".
In reality, we changed this for our own protection, not just from claims of theft, but more importantly for our liability and our personal safety.
Entering without the resident present might have been OK in 1962, but not anymore. Now it is asking for trouble, maybe even getting shot.
Our guys used to bang on the door 2-3 times before using a pass key, crack the door open and yell MAINTENANCE 2-3 times before entering. Even with all that ruckus, 20 minutes into a repair a sleepy eyed someone would appear from a bedroom and surprised by our presence. Often the girlfriend called in the request and the night shift boyfriend new nothing about us coming. He was fast asleep and never heard us banging and calling out.
What if he had a gun?
This was not a concern for our men, almost a joke, but it came to a head when we shifted the quarterly maintenance/safety checks to the lease manager - new, young, pretty, and small. Her job included checking the smoke detectors inside bedrooms and she walked into several rooms with men sleeping. That ended that!
People can be crazy and we no longer put our staff at risk of harm.
We setup our website service request page to allow the resident to set their own appointment time. They love it!
If they call in, we call back and set up an appointment. Side note: they provide us a cellphone picture of the problem helping the tech prepare before the appointment!
I know this sounds more tedious, but the residents like it better this way. They feel more respected, feel they have control over their home, and we look more professional. The techs like the appointments - helps keep their day moving.
Hours: we staggered the staff schedule so one tech is on duty until 6. He covers the "after 5" appointments.
Keys: only the maint super has a master for emergencies. No more checking keys in and out, HOPING the tech is honest and HOPING he did not make a copy.
If the resident misses the appointment (happens!) we leave a courteous note and ask them to resubmit/reschedule and we'll give them top priority.
Plus MY life is easier because there are no more complaints about "he took my stuff"!

Best of luck!
-Brad 20,000 Grayson

In addition to the face-to-face discussions previously discussed, another strong defense mechanism for the property manager is a key system that can generate an audit trail both at the door and at a key. Running an audit trail on the resident's lock is a powerful first step in proving that no staff member entered the apartment with a key. Additionally, once the staff have all been issued their keys and they understand that these keys leave a audit trail wherever they go, they will be further encouraged to not pull any shenanigans.