{actor} created a new topic '...

If a resident requests that the property swimming pool stay open to accommodate their water therapy, is that considered a reasonable accommodation? Property owner closes the pool after labor day in order to stop paying the monthly contact cleaning and maintenance fees.

Susanne Chandler Request I’m writing. Only owner has the right to reject it.

Jennifer Coco REASONABLE accommodations. Refer them to the ymca for year long pool service. Follow procedures, but that's an easy decline.

Chris Finetto To fully change business operations is not reasonable. Hard to use the “expense” card because they can then pay for use if they want. The other challenge is all the residents will want to go swimming.
With that said, a few weeks while they find another venue is a kind gesture. YMCA is always available.

Brooke Frederickson If it's still consistently warm in your area keeping it open a few more weeks is a kind gesture to all of the residents. How long does she want it to stay open for?

Maria Johnson Brooke Frederickson, That is something I would have to consider where I live. It doesn’t get cool until October.

Miles Scruggs Chris Finetto if the cost is solely to accommodate them, then those costs can be passed along.

Chris Finetto Miles Scruggs - Right On! I’ve asked residents to donate the funds to a charity of our choice. I took the expense write-down. I’ve provided humanitarian services for disabled people, they agreed to pay - I took it to a different direction.

Guest Insider I would consult your attorney but I don’t think that is reasonable.

Dave Scruggs Decline

Guest Insider You still process it like any other accommodation. If you deny it then, then you deny it

Guest Insider A reasonable accommodation is not reasonable if it causes an undue financial burden to the owner, by definition.

Guest Insider Not a reasonable accommodation.

Brooke Kibler I always say if someone asks, have them fill out the form regardless so you can say you honored their request. Send it to your legal counsel, or whomever makes those decisions and then provide the answer.

Guest Insider Depending on the funding of the property, the owner might have to pay for the resident's access to a pool at the YMCA, city, or spa. Those memberships are reasonable compared to the expenses of a lawsuit. Building a pool onsite could be an undue financial burden.

Miles Scruggs If there is a cost then see if they want to pay the cost. Likely no and case closed. Landlord has zero obligation for costs.

Rochelle Kirk Not reasonable to expect your housing provider to provide water therapy for your disability.

Guest Insider Decline

Guest Insider Nope

Guest Insider No.. sounds like an insurance issue.

Miles Scruggs Our position is that any accommodation that can be solved with money alone, with no negative impact to other residents,is inherently reasonable. Expecting the owner to foot the bill isn’t reasonable. That seems to clarify a lot of requests like these and allows you to say yes!

Guest Insider Medicare supplements now pay for Silver Sneakers...gym membership!

Guest Insider The best thing you can do is accept the request then turn it over to the owners and their Lawyers then provide the resident their response. Anything short of that will just get you in possible legal trouble

Guest Insider Sure. Until the weather changes. It won't be long and you'll have a positive resident experience.

Guest Insider Always consult your fair housing attorneys. States and counties differ and you don’t want to be in in necessary litigation

Renae Maisano I would ask their doctor if there was an alternative

Guest Insider RA’s should always follow up with alternatives, assuming the attorneys agree this is unreasonable for many reasons, including quiet and unmonitored hours to maintain the community. Even if that means to break a lease to move somewhere with 24 hr pool access.

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Multifamily Operators: Is your company currently exploring the centralization of maintenance services across your properties?

Josh Hayes I’d like to see who else is doing this and get some feedback from them.

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Looking for a texting solution for my properties but need to have a language translator platform with the ability to communicate in different languages as our communities are ethnically diverse. Must be able to integrate with our property management software. Appreciate any suggestions.

Read More...

Madeline Nash Key Texting!

Jackie Koehler AI leasing has texting and will support different languages

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

In multifamily, data is king. With an increasingly competitive landscape, decisions are made using accurate and granular data. NER, advertised occupancy, exposure, and concessions–the more specific apartment metrics you can get, the more data you'll have to base pricing decisions on. The problem is, how do you get specific data? What, aside from spending days online comparing listings, or hours on the phone conducting manual surveys, can you do? ...

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Anybody ever seen this one. Wires running out of the electrical outlets into bottles filled with a liquid. They had this set up all over the house. Also had ripped out pages from a Bible taped up everywhere.

Billy Aamodt Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Guest Insider That’s uhh… that’s a new one for me. I have had people do that exact thing with the wires, but never into liquids

Fred Montgomery That’s a new one for me. Prob thinks the ground will ionize whatever that crap is 🤷‍♂️

Guest Insider It is a very reckless thing to do. I’m guessing two wires got cut. But they cant join them using tape or by external means as there will be some resistance that will be developed at the ends and cannot ensure current flow. Hence the two wires are put inside a bottle filled with water, so that no external resistance is developed and current flow is maintained without any means to join the wires.

Kim Chewning I’ve been doing this for 25 years and I keep thinking the day will come when I can say I’ve seen it all… today is not that day! What the heck?!

Guest Insider Or, they don’t have an extension cord lol

Guest Insider Sounds like they may have some sort of mental illness.

Guest Insider What the heck! I have been doing this since I was a kid and I have never ween this. Even with East Dallas properties in the day.

Jill Wintermantel They probably think they are being spied on in some capacity and are doing that to divert the lines of communication. The Bible verses/pages are to help keep them safe.

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Does your maintenance team share in renewal commission?

Read More...

Guest Insider Yes

Sara Sprankles Yes. Our renewals are split amongst all property staff. $100 per renewal

Carolyn Steele Yes

Gary Wilson Removed

Guest Insider Yes they do, and should 🥰

Guest Insider Yes, all team members split. $100 per renewal.

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Love stories like this!!

Brenda Boyd

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Industry Resources

More Industry Resources

Industry Resources

More Industry Resources

Multifamily friends, in terms that of evictions, what percentage of evictions are you seeing at your properties / portfolios?
Please provide region and percentage.
I will go first, B+, Market Rate Portfolio in San Diego, CA has 2.5% of residents in eviction.
Interested to see how everyone is fairing out during these tough economic times.

Read More...

Miles Scruggs Wow that seems high. SE WA and we are at 0.2%. That seems odd to differ by a whole order of magnitude.

Chelsea Santiago I manage 9 communities in the nc triangle, only had one for holdover last month but this month I’m filing on at least four

Guest Insider I’m at a B property in central Texas and I’ve only evicted 2 people in 2 years.

Sarah Yadira Hong Most people I’ve asked in San Diego, CA are between 1.5 to 2.7% of residents currently in evictions.

Guest Insider All my years in So Cal I always saw fairly high percentages for evection. What did help over time was instituting higher security deposits. Example: requiring $750 on approval rather than $250. This process took a long time to implement but it really helped bring down those eviction filings. End result was it brought it from over 3% down to .5 - 1.5% Best of luck to you!

Brandy Blazen 644 units with 1% in eviction located in San Diego.

Cindy Shearer Screening times 3 when accepting new tenants. The last time we had to file eviction at our B property was in 2020.

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

In which areas of your multifamily operation is your company currently utilizing technology to minimize the need for on-site personnel?

If your answer is different from the four options provided, please leave your response in the comment section.

Guest Insider None should be an option

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Hello, I manage a small property management company and until now we have not had a parental leave policy.
Would you mind sharing your company's parental leave policy and/or what your experience was like (good, bad, ugly) taking parental leave in our industry? Many Thanks!

Brent Williams and Amanda Hill

Guest Insider Not that I’ve had my babies while in the industry but I wouldn’t follow the norm.
The first company I worked for, there was no paid leave and I had to file short term disability. After, the state did pay me a portion of my pay for 8 weeks. It was like $200 a week, that was nothing. I took 2 weeks off before giving birth - no pay.
But my employer did say I could take off as much time as I needed. My job would be here when I was ready, I just wouldn’t be paid. Which regardless of the pay, it was nice to not feel rushed back before I was physically or mentally ready to return.
I wasn’t ready to return regardless but I returned after 5 months. I was even allowed to bring my baby in for a few hours occasionally when my husband wasn’t able to be home with him because of work obligations. I was also allowed to leave for his pediatrician appointments and then return to finish my time that I’d missed.
I even had a coworker at the same company and his wife needed to be in bed rest but they had...Not that I’ve had my babies while in the industry but I wouldn’t follow the norm.
The first company I worked for, there was no paid leave and I had to file short term disability. After, the state did pay me a portion of my pay for 8 weeks. It was like $200 a week, that was nothing. I took 2 weeks off before giving birth - no pay.
But my employer did say I could take off as much time as I needed. My job would be here when I was ready, I just wouldn’t be paid. Which regardless of the pay, it was nice to not feel rushed back before I was physically or mentally ready to return.
I wasn’t ready to return regardless but I returned after 5 months. I was even allowed to bring my baby in for a few hours occasionally when my husband wasn’t able to be home with him because of work obligations. I was also allowed to leave for his pediatrician appointments and then return to finish my time that I’d missed.
I even had a coworker at the same company and his wife needed to be in bed rest but they had a toddler. They allowed him to work from home before WFH was a thing.
It wasn’t the best maternity - I would have loved a year off with even 50% of my pay lol. But in terms of American maternity leave it was great. It was great to see the CEO was supportive of families. I think of that company often, it was the best job I’ve ever had in terms of maintaining my mental health and feeling valued by my employer.
My last baby, I was working a new job for the government. I worked right up until 2 days before my due date. I would have had 6 weeks off for maternity leave if I had delivered normally. 8 weeks for a 6 c-section. Then I HAD to return. If I didn’t return, I’d be in the negative for sick hours and vacation time. Which meant I could not take my baby to doctor appointments, could stay home with my kids if they were sick.
I opted for a c-section just to have 8 weeks. My pay once again, was short term disability and it was $200 a week roughly. Again, nothing.
Luckily, my husband got a raise and I didn’t have to go back but I was so upset because I didn’t HAVE to do a c-section like I thought. I only chose it cause I could stay home with my baby longer. My body was also no where near recovered by 8 weeks either.
A woman’s body isn’t actually fully healed and back to normal until a year. Every woman is different too but it could take up to 6 months before a woman’s hormones balance out and that’s not even considering if she ends up with postpartum depression. Not considering if she’s breastfeeding either.
Not to get too political but with the way our country is going and women losing their rights, being forced to have babies. I just really hope companies can put out good maternity and paternity leave policies. Policies that support parents who are healing, their emotional wellbeing, bonding time, breastfeeding/pumping, doctors appointments, childcare etc.
Even though my first job I had a baby at didn’t pay well - them treating me well made all the difference. I’d work for that company again in a heartbeat. My government job with all its benefits, and that paid more - I wouldn’t ever go back. They didn’t actually care about you, or your family. You were just a number. Show more

Not that I’ve had my babies while in the industry but I wouldn’t follow the norm.
The first company I worked for, there was no paid leave and I had to file short term disability. After, the state did pay me a portion of my pay for 8 weeks. It was like $200 a week, that was nothing. I took 2 weeks off before giving birth - no pay.
But my employer did say I could take off as much time as I needed. My job would be here when I was ready, I just wouldn’t be paid. Which regardless of the pay, it was nice to not feel rushed back before I was physically or mentally ready to return.
I wasn’t ready to return regardless but I returned after 5 months. I was even allowed to bring my baby in for a few hours occasionally when my husband wasn’t able to be home with him because of work obligations. I was also allowed to leave for his pediatrician appointments and then return to finish my time that I’d missed.
I even had a coworker at the same company and his wife needed to be in bed rest but they had a toddler. They allowed him to work from home before WFH was a thing.
It wasn’t the best maternity - I would have loved a year off with even 50% of my pay lol. But in terms of American maternity leave it was great. It was great to see the CEO was supportive of families. I think of that company often, it was the best job I’ve ever had in terms of maintaining my mental health and feeling valued by my employer.
My last baby, I was working a new job for the government. I worked right up until 2 days before my due date. I would have had 6 weeks off for maternity leave if I had delivered normally. 8 weeks for a 6 c-section. Then I HAD to return. If I didn’t return, I’d be in the negative for sick hours and vacation time. Which meant I could not take my baby to doctor appointments, could stay home with my kids if they were sick.
I opted for a c-section just to have 8 weeks. My pay once again, was short term disability and it was $200 a week roughly. Again, nothing.
Luckily, my husband got a raise and I didn’t have to go back but I was so upset because I didn’t HAVE to do a c-section like I thought. I only chose it cause I could stay home with my baby longer. My body was also no where near recovered by 8 weeks either.
A woman’s body isn’t actually fully healed and back to normal until a year. Every woman is different too but it could take up to 6 months before a woman’s hormones balance out and that’s not even considering if she ends up with postpartum depression. Not considering if she’s breastfeeding either.
Not to get too political but with the way our country is going and women losing their rights, being forced to have babies. I just really hope companies can put out good maternity and paternity leave policies. Policies that support parents who are healing, their emotional wellbeing, bonding time, breastfeeding/pumping, doctors appointments, childcare etc.
Even though my first job I had a baby at didn’t pay well - them treating me well made all the difference. I’d work for that company again in a heartbeat. My government job with all its benefits, and that paid more - I wouldn’t ever go back. They didn’t actually care about you, or your family. You were just a number.

Chad Christian Certain states have certain requirements. I’d get with an attorney to ensure whatever states you operate in you are within guidelines

Guest Insider 12 weeks 100% pay + STD + FMLA. Mothers can take up to 20 weeks paid and an additional 12 unpaid.

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Industry Resources

More Industry Resources

Industry Resources

More Industry Resources

What’s the correct way to go if military doesn’t pay? TIA!

Read More...

Guest Insider Same way as anyone else

Guest Insider If they are military you can't necessarily evict them. If i recall correctly, you have to do an affidavit saying you know they aren't deployed and they get assigned an attorney. Much easier to call base!

Brenda Sherrill You can call the housing office in base.

Robin Leasing Contact the commanding officer. That has always worked for me.

Stacy Carver Always have them list their first seargent as their emergency contact then call them. They will put a boot in them.

Guest Insider You serve them the required notice as you would anyone else. THEN as a courtesy you can call their housing director who them can contact their command which should be on yur application . The military have the ability to take that three day notice down and get a loan for the rent & when they do that then the $$ can be taken out of their pay. Remember, they rec BAH to cover their rent and utilities and can actually be court marshaled for not using these funds as to what they are attended for

Guest Insider Please be careful contacting their command without express written consent regarding financial matters. You can be responsible legally for providing that type of information as it’s considered their employer.
Check with your state and local laws but you can still give an eviction notice for non payment of rent as you would a civilian.

Guest Insider You would proceed the same way as anyone else. If the matter ends up going to court you will be required to provide an scra certification stating that they are active duty and their current deployment status.

Guest Insider I work for a community in a predominantly military town so almost all of our residents are military, therefore almost all of the residents who don’t pay are military 😂 the housing office is always a really good resource if you don’t know the correct way to proceed with anything when it comes to military. I have Really great relationship with our housing office.
When we go to court to file eviction we already have an Affidavit of Military Status filled out. The only way their military status affects the outcome in court is if they are deployed, then the courts will typically grant a 90 day stay to allow them to come home and take care of things. But yeah otherwise filing on military is just like filing on anyone else 🤷🏼‍♀️ at the end of the day it’s the soldiers responsibility to inform their command if they are in trouble, not ours.

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Multifamily communities experience a surge in activity during the peak leasing season, typically spanning the spring and summer months. During this period, a flurry of new renters arriving, existing residents renewing leases and an influx of prospects seeking living spaces can present challenges for property managers. This chaos can also lead to higher incidences of package theft. Today's renters, particularly younger demographics, love to shop o ...

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

During our time in apartment marketing, I have found that the organizations we have worked with are often so concerned with form leads that they overlook their best leads...Inbound Calls. So far this month we received 392 inbound calls... That's roughly 130 calls a week...As apartment operators, are you truly aware of the number of inbound calls your team receives weekly basis? Do you know how many potential residents' calls are missed? If not, i ...

Matthew C Starrett

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

A BIG THANK YOU to all of our Maintenance folks out there! With out you, our properties would crash & burn in a very short time!! You provide a valuable service to our residents, the owners & the property! You give up your evenings, weekends & holidays, your see our residents at their worst. YOU are there for everyone whether it is a flood, fire or dog poop. You are there to plunge the toilets, clean out the disposal, hang new blinds or fix the... Show more

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

We are looking to provide our Community Managers with a cell phone allowance. Do any companies currently provide a cell phone allowance to Community Managers? If so how much?

Thank you!

Brent Williams

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Prospects are Looking for an Apartment Hookup…Most of apartment searches begin online, just like a lot of dating pursuits. Hey, isn't apartments.com our multifamily industry's version of match.com? Our online prospect is searching for an apartment hookup, right? Meanwhile, we put ourselves out there hoping that the apartment prospect is searching for a "meaningful relationship" that will lead to a long-term commitment…at our community! Think like ...

Brent Williams

Can't comment or like? Make sure to log in or register for a free account!

Event starts in:

Latest Surveys

Multifamily News

New Insiders