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Does anyone have valid tips on how to combat ESA fraud? I request doctor's letters instead of some certificate randomly purchased online, but I KNOW a lot of them (not all) equally as fake and just paid for. I also hate losing valuable market time when I ask for ESA forms and have to wait 2-3 days...

carol adams If you have a letter you can verify it that way. Pet Screening is a great company to use. They do all of the verifying for you

Stacie Tennyson Use Petscreening.com!

Sara Sprankles This is a slippery slope! Be very careful as this relates to disability and you are technically not able ask to verify a disability or need. I would probably ask your local counsel as it relates to your state/county

Chris Peterson Petscreening.com is awesome, and free!!!

eric rivera Chris Peterson who pays for the screening?

Chris Peterson Eric Rivera for ESA or service animals it free to the applicant. For pets (which I use also) it’s $25 to the pet owner. Property manager/owner accounts are free.

Victoria Cowart Eric Rivera only pet parents. Thx for the question.

Kristina Janis Chris Peterson if it's free why are companies charging residents a $25 fee?

Chris Peterson Kristina Janis normally because the person did not click/register correctly and entered the animal as a “pet” or did not provide the supporting documentation needed to approve the animal as support/service. PS charges $25 for pet registration but does not charge for approved service/support animals.

Victoria Cowart Chris Peterson Yaas!

Kristina Janis I feel there are bigger things to tackle.

Miles Scruggs You need to be careful and have a good understanding of the FHA. Basically the way that section of law is written anyone with knowledge of the person and their disability is qualified to affirm their treatment is necessary. So their friend can say they need it, or their mom. Yes the bar is that low....

Cynthia Fox Pet Screening!!

Guest Insider What certificate are you requiring? For the animal? You can only ask if the applicant is disabled as defined by law and if the animal is needed for that disability..as stated above, that can be stated by anyone with an intimate knowledge of their condition. Also...if the disability is apparent, you can't ask for any additional documentation (for example..blind person with a Service Animal). In my opinion, some people WILL lie and have others lie for them, to get a ESA...but I approve them anyway, as long as the need is documented, since I would rather not face a lawsuit. As PM's, we have bigger issues that need addressed than spending our time investigating if the claim is legit.

Guest Insider Outsource it, this way you and your company will be protected from a discrimination lawsuit should the resident beleive that they may have been denied regarding this accomidation we use petscreening.com.

Guest Insider A company called Pet Screening does it for you at resident cost.

Allison Graceffo We have a form that WE send to their Dr and their Dr has to send it back to us directly.

Guest Insider Pick and choose your battles carefully this isn’t one of those battles worth fighting.

Guest Insider We use the “ Reasonable Accommodation Form “.

Guest Insider Pet Screening. They gave their own legal team

Guest Insider We have in our documents when the applicant applies (applicant signs off during the online application process), that we need ALL documents within 48 hours of them applying or they forfeit their Hold money. That helps cut down on fraud, as it is a true animal that provides a service they would have everything they need already.

Guest Insider The Resident pays for the screening. If they are registering a support or service animal its free to the resident.

Alison Hansford Valerie Edmonds Thank you for your honesty. That's exactly what we should do.
Personally, it makes me so angry when people claim they need an Emotional Support Animal just to have a pet. It gives those with real needs a bad reputation because a good portion of those people who lie about it have animals who aren't well-behaved.
Professionally, though, I keep those opinions to myself and approve them for the same reasons you stated.

Guest Insider What you point out is important here. There is a lot of confusion about the difference between ESA's (Emotional Support Animals) and Service animals. The latter falls under FHA and ADA laws, and landlords must be extremely careful about how they handle these requests. My partner and I run a blog about issues independent landlords and property managers face, and we've written a couple articles about this:
landlordgurus.com/emotional-support-animal-housing-laws/ (landlordgurus.com/emotional-support-animal-housing…)
landlordgurus.com/should-i-accept-pets-in-my-rental/ (landlordgurus.com/should-i-accept-pets-in-my-renta…)

An important consideration is whether to accept pets, both because doing so strategically can increase rental income and because it can head off tenants' temptation to manipulate ESA laws in order to get pet into a rental that doesn't otherwise allow them. I fully concur that petscreening.com is a valuable resource!

A few disclosures - we may make a commission on... Show more

What you point out is important here.  There is a lot of confusion about the difference between ESA's (Emotional Support Animals) and Service animals.  The latter falls under FHA and ADA laws, and landlords must be extremely careful about how they handle these requests.  My partner and I run a blog about issues independent landlords and property managers face, and we've written a couple articles about this:
landlordgurus.com/emotional-support-animal-housing-laws/ (https://landlordgurus.com/emotional-support-animal-housing-laws/)
landlordgurus.com/should-i-accept-pets-in-my-rental/ (https://landlordgurus.com/should-i-accept-pets-in-my-rental/)

An important consideration is whether to accept pets, both because doing so strategically can increase rental income and because it can head off tenants' temptation to manipulate ESA laws in order to get pet into a rental that doesn't otherwise allow them.   I fully concur that petscreening.com is a valuable resource!

A few disclosures - we may make a commission on some of the products we talk about on our site, and we are NOT lawyers!  This latter point is important because our content, like any others like it, cannot be substituted for careful consideration of ESA and Service animal laws.  Rental laws are constantly changing, there are local differences, and it is NOT worth risking a costly lawsuit.  We recommend consulting a lawyer when there is any doubt about landlord-tenant laws.

Thanks!  Eli

Guest Insider we also have a form that the resident or prospective resident fills out. We send it to the dr or 3rd party verifier. If we do not receive it back from the verifier we sent it to, then we call to verify that it was filled out by the office.

Guest Insider Absolutely not correct. Needs to come from licensed health provider

Judy Bellack I agree with everyone here who has recommended PetScreening.com to handle these requests for you - they have the expertise and there is no cost to either the operator or the resident/prospective resident as long as we are talking about a service or ESA accommodation request.

There is a bigger picture, however, which is that breed and weight restrictions (as well as rapidly growing pet fees) play a big role in driving fraudulent requests. I wrote a blog posted here on MFI on this very topic that is worth a read:
www.multifamilyinsiders.com/multifamily-...-fraudu… (www.multifamilyinsiders.com/multifamily-blogs/emot…)

You may want to think about whether your current pet restrictions are relevant for today's renter; you'll find a great deal of info on this topic by visiting www.petsandhousing.org/ (www.petsandhousing.org/)

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What is the most important thing to you when choosing an Emergency Telephone provider for your pool or elevator phones?

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Brent Williams

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Managers (at all levels) - what skills do you believe would be most helpful in your role? Please add additional thoughts in the comments.

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When was the last time you called all of your team together, just to say thank you and to say something that you are grateful for about each one of them individually?

Guest Insider Friday, but not individually. Was a text to the team. I am so grateful for them.

Gerry Hunt AWESOME ~ next time try doing it in person. It makes a positive difference!

Guest Insider Gerry Hunt great idea. I really want to do something nice for them. They have been awesome.

Kelly Noble We started doing a monthly drawing for prizes or cash and instead of just tickets tickets out for “good behavior” we give everyone a ticket and they have to to give to someone else and say why they are choosing that person and then we draw for the prize.

Gerry Hunt Kelly this is great! Have you gotten everyone together & personally thanked EACH one & given them a reason why you are grateful to have them on your team?

Kelly Noble Gerry not yet 😉

Leah Love I may not feel like I get a lot right in this world but I feel like I did this regularly and loved/appreciated my staff(s) so much. 20+ years ago I started in multifamily and I still talk to my first employees.

Gerry Hunt Leah this is just one of the reasons that I love you. You live in your heart!

Tracy Jamison Every staff meeting!

Mike Powers Every week informally. Every two weeks as part of bi weekly business operations reviews.
If any manager can't find a positive acknowledgement for something well done by each team member either manager is ungrateful or employee is beyond help.

Gerry Hunt Mike YAY!! If a manager can't find something positive, perhaps she/he has only been trained to see the negative.

Mike Powers Gerry Hunt tragically, the vintage style was management by exception. The negatives received attention. It took 20-30 years to move to focus and recognize success positives as the priority.

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Tips and tricks on lease ups in the dead of the winter?? Traffic has been slow with the cooler seasons. I have brand new townhomes that have been sitting for a month now and no interest. (Not to mention I’m receiving more brand new buildings soon!) We ran a one month free special on them for the...

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Guest Insider Have you heard of “plant your garden”? Of course it’s not a real garden but it’s teaching your leading people to “soft kill” the comps. As a for instance on one of our communities they had the nice large garden tubs- but so did our closes competitor. BUT the competitors tubs had the high powered jets! So I taught all the leasing agents to make a big a huge thing about the size of our tubs BUT to add “and since we don’t have jets you don’t have to worry about the last residents dead skin ending up in yur bath water”! Trust me when I say we had so many people return to say they really liked the property next door but didn’t want to deal with the dead skin issue! 🤩

Guest Insider people don't tend to move during the holidays. run a "new home for the new year" campaign

Guest Insider Lowering the price is not necessarily the best option… ever hear of Mercedes Benz discounting prices ? If you have a great product sell it as a great product. Build value by letting the customer know your property is worth more because of the service, location, floor plan etc…
No amenities is tough but people live in their home not the clubhouse…. Point out quality of construction etc

David Snyder We did two months free and offered waived application fee and half-priced administrative fee. We averaged 12 apps a month from Dec-March.

Gerry Hunt I used social media & marketplace for my clients with great success at a recent lease-up!

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This is the last in a 9-part series of “quick hit” blogs on the quickest way to uncover hidden revenue from leasing based on the presentation Bryan Pierce, Carol Enoch and Donald Davidoff gave at NAA’s 2024 Apartmentalize conference. Up until now, this blog series has focused on a variety of different amenity “fails” that arise essentially from configuration issues, whether accidental or intentional. The key is to be able to look ...

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The holiday season can be a joyous time for communities, but for property management professionals, it also presents unique challenges. Balancing festive cheer with the requirements of fair housing compliance and inclusivity is no small task. Inspections may uncover non-compliance in resident decorations, while staff communication could inadvertently reflect language that alienates or excludes some residents. Addressing these issues promptl ...

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Looking for advice: I am working with a nonprofit affordable housing company and one of the properties is in a high crime neighborhood in a small town of less than 10,000 people. The building has 24 units and has become a magnet for both homeless and addicts looking for a warm hallway to hang out and or sleep in. The property has limited money to spend, but obviously we can’t create a dangerous situation for the current tenants. I am... Show more

Brent Williams

Guest Insider Yes, between your management company and/or owners, supplying Security is under the line, and should be up to them to help you find a way to safety. It’s not “a budget thing”, if so you move things around. It sounds like you and your team are doing an awesome job of trying to keep things secure for what you have the means to do.
Sometimes the above people have to help take responsibility of the asset you’re trying to manage.
It can’t hurt to ask. But, keep up the good work, wishing y’all the best… it’s tough!

Kim Chewning Haha, unfortunately for me I am the above person -I’m working on a short term plan to take the money out of our reserve account, but obviously that is not a long term plan -as in I can’t keep hiring a security guard and use the reserve account to pay for it -thanks for your input. I’ve been doing this sort of work for 25 years and it’s the first time I feel a little like the problem is more than I can resolve- drug addicts are a whole different ball game.

Ryan Pope Do you have vacancy where you could set one up for the police officers? Like a break room they can stop by for snacks, coffee, have WiFi they can use.
Or you could comp an apartment for an officer

Bobbi McDowell Encourage your residence to report to the police any suspicious activity. Also contact your local police department and ask them if they can please walk the property at night. When you reach out to your local police department a lot of times they will work with you because this gets the headaches out of their problems. Good luck I know it's hard to do

Guest Insider I think you would be better off spending money on cameras and lighting. Also certain landscaping helps. Big pricker bushes and things with thorns
No trespassing signs and agreement from the police that they will make arrests for low level crimes
I have also found you can hire off duty cops to “patrol” ie sit there. The on duty cops come and hang with them so you end up with a large police presence. After a few days to a week the problems tend to relocate elsewhere and you can stop

Guest Insider Residents should be calling police.

Tamara Sanchez I would highly suggest you reaching out to your local councilmember to hold a meeting with them and police regarding the growing concerns. We held a few of these at my old property and met with the local police Captain at the time. I was able to establish a relationship with them and people felt more comfortable contacting them. We were able to obtain resources such as backpacks for the children and tickets to events. This eventually went to crap because our management began acting nefariously due to a loan in the complex and lack of assistance and police districting post pandemic. We had an unauthorized individual with a tenant in a severe DV situation, he was possibly trafficking minors and drugs and breaking into residents units. They were not removed from the property until this year.
You are paying taxes and those services are part of living in the community. If you can’t get a hold of them show up to one of the events. Given that it’s a non-profit complex you should be okay... Show more

I would highly suggest you reaching out to your local councilmember to hold a meeting with them and police regarding the growing concerns. We held a few of these at my old property and met with the local police Captain at the time. I was able to establish a relationship with them and people felt more comfortable contacting them. We were able to obtain resources such as backpacks for the children and tickets to events. This eventually went to crap because our management began acting nefariously due to a loan in the complex and lack of assistance and police districting post pandemic. We had an unauthorized individual with a tenant in a severe DV situation, he was possibly trafficking minors and drugs and breaking into residents units. They were not removed from the property until this year.
You are paying taxes and those services are part of living in the community. If you can’t get a hold of them show up to one of the events. Given that it’s a non-profit complex you should be okay getting additional resources and information.

SANDRA RAMIREZ Totally agree with the comment from Frances. You may be able to see if there are any city wide programs that can help with this and request a spot check by the current patrol car in your area. Host a safety meeting and invite your local police and fire department. Get your residents involved

Brooke Nuber-Soldate This may be a bit out of the box, but sometimes the best security is the community itself. I've seen it work in different areas usually near a larger city.
Invite a late night taco/food truck to use your parking lot. The extra people/patrons basically self monitor the area. Nefarious folks won't come around because it's no longer a hiding space but a community gathering space.
I've also seen partnerships with local police to leave a car in the lot as a deterrent. This sometimes comes with a lease arrangement with a cop to live on site for a discounted rate to be on-site after hours security.
Fobs and cameras are good for identifying residents that are unsafe with the exterior doors.

Allie Gartside Second what Frances said. You adjust the budget in other places and owners need to understand that sometimes they need to open up their pockets a bit more.
At the end of the day you have a problem that you are aware of and while attempting to take care of it, it’s not stopping the issue. This is a liability issue and gonna cost you ALOT more if you get sued over it.
You need security patrol. No cameras, gates or fobs are going to stop the homeless or criminals from getting in.
I’m in a relatively safe area but gets hit a lot for burglary in our garages and common areas. Fobs have not stopped the break in. A courtesy patrol that shows up once a night also hasn’t stopped them.
An armed guard or person who is physically there, is what stops them AND leaves the residents feeling safe by the security’s presence.
You don’t likely need 24/7 security but after hours for sure. Then make sure your guards switch up their patrol patterns. I’ve experienced homeless just lying in wait, figuring... Show more

Second what Frances said. You adjust the budget in other places and owners need to understand that sometimes they need to open up their pockets a bit more.
At the end of the day you have a problem that you are aware of and while attempting to take care of it, it’s not stopping the issue. This is a liability issue and gonna cost you ALOT more if you get sued over it.
You need security patrol. No cameras, gates or fobs are going to stop the homeless or criminals from getting in.
I’m in a relatively safe area but gets hit a lot for burglary in our garages and common areas. Fobs have not stopped the break in. A courtesy patrol that shows up once a night also hasn’t stopped them.
An armed guard or person who is physically there, is what stops them AND leaves the residents feeling safe by the security’s presence.
You don’t likely need 24/7 security but after hours for sure. Then make sure your guards switch up their patrol patterns. I’ve experienced homeless just lying in wait, figuring out patrol patterns and then making their move. So every night, switch it up.
Again only so much lighting, gates and shrubs you can.
If you don’t have them already either, get the lock plate covers for your doors so they can’t be pried open.
Send out communications to your residents about not propping doors open. Assist new residents or move outs with a schedule that way they don’t prop doors and leave your building vulnerable.

Bobbi McDowell I had vagrance coming into my property at night to spend the night in the laundry room and other rooms that were accessible during the daytime. I started locking them up and they were only available to go in during the daytime. This stopped a lot of the vagrants

Guest Insider Would you be willing to offer an exempt unit to a police, or sheriff officer? You can hold them to a contract other than the lease, but maybe having actual police presence might help slightly. If not I would at least contact your police chief and city to see what can be done to get you relief. Maintenace doubling as security won’t help, it can be a liability if they get hurt due to crime (because it’s not their job) or if they hurt someone else for the same reasons. I understand you’re saying the police and city have their own issues but if your property is breeding ground for illegal activity, it would be in their best interest to help you because it helps them.

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What was one of your favorite gifts you received in an office gift exchange or from a coworker? Looking for unique ideas for ours. TYIA 😉

Guest Insider A hand held Smoothie Blender and a Stanley Cup.

Guest Insider Amazon gift card, lottery tickets, company branded luggage tag or other swag, yeti or nice tumbler, battery charging pack, of course alcohol always seems popular, free PTO coupons

Mya Estrada Great question!! Feel like a lot of people are probably wondering this same thing.

Brooke Nuber-Soldate A literal white elephant figurine for white elephant was quite the hit.

Michael Dvorscak I once gave a coworker a pint of 5 O clock Vodka and cockroach I caught. It was a White Elephant exchange.

Nicole Coschigano My team gave me a sterling silver toggle bracelet w/ a thick heart charm.

Tracy Jamison A coffee mug warmer or a plug-into-the-wall scented wax warmer (doesn't take up space on my desk). Less than $15. Do have to remember to turn them off though.

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Hello all,
Looking for info on breed restrictions. What management companies are accepting all breeds? Are you requiring any additional insurance at all due to allowing all breeds? TIA

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Katrina Avila RPM

Chris Hurst Preston Communities

Karen Kossow Paradigm Management (we're DC Metro based). We don't require additional insurance but do require insurance for those at affordable communities who have pets (in our jurisidictions as the pet is optional, we can require renters insurance for those who opt to have pets).

Guest Insider Lexington, no additional insurance required. I also know MAA does it.

Guest Insider We have no weight limits or breed restrictions. This is per my owner show is very pet friendly.

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Lauren Niziol is friends with Tiffany De Alva

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We know that brand voice is tricky—how do you determine it, and how do you stay consistent? What is the right path to take? Take your own personal brand voice for starters. What everyone really needs is a worksheet. Hard-hitting (but fun) questions to guide a brand into its truest shape. Walk through the various bits and bobs with us—and note how it may shift based on the personal or professional side of things and see how your brand voice can co ...

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Gift ideas for staff members for Christmas, inexpensive but meaningful?

Guest Insider Lottery tickets, favorite things baskets. I always have all employees fill out a favorite things sheet at hire then annually. Really helps me and their managers when getting gifts they will actually want.

Ursula Gerson You could have ornaments made on Etsy or give everyone a lottery ticket!

Guest Insider We decorated stockings so I am filling those on Christmas Eve. Maintenance are getting Yeti coffee cups, my assistant manager is getting a bar set and my leasing is getting a spa set. I only have 4 so I am letting myself spend a bit more

Guest Insider I do gift cards and cash. Can’t go wrong

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This is the eighth in a 9-part series of “quick hit” blogs on the quickest way to uncover hidden revenue from leasing based on the presentation Bryan Pierce, Carol Enoch and Donald Davidoff gave at NAA’s 2024 Apartmentalize conference. For our penultimate (yes, I love that word) amenity fail, we turn to floorplan offsets (also called square footage adjustments) that are too high or too low. In our experience, this single fail rep ...

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As we approach 2025, the commercial real estate (CRE) sector is staring down the barrel of a massive wave of loan maturities—a challenge compounded by the current high interest rate environment. What does this mean for multifamily investors? Key Takeaways: • $100 Billion+ in Loans Maturing:Approximately 15% of conduit CRE loans may fail to meet refinancing standards, even with rates below 6%. • Sector-Specific Risk:While office spaces face t ...

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