October General Membership Meeting Recap

The Apartment Association of Orange County (AAOC) marked its final General Membership Meeting of 2020 with the presentation of its second annual, Halloweenthemed “Property Management Horror Stories” discussion panel. This year’s panel of multifamily professionals featured Frank Alvarez, AAOC president and Operations Director & Co-Owner of Buffalo Maintenance, Inc.; Jessie Childers, Regional Property Supervisor of Santa Fe Management; and Terence Carney, Partner with the law firm of Wesierski & Zurik, LLP.

Carney kicked off the program by discussing the current COVID-19 environment and the related nightmares it is causing rental-housing providers, including the handling of evictions and the collection of rent in the aftermath of Assembly Bill 3088. He stressed the need for patience and caution, particularly with evictions, and that the eviction process is not really going forward at this point. Not only is there a backlog of eviction filings, but hearings are going “virtual” in some cases and it has become a heavily “pro-tenant” climate. Carney recommended using AAOC’s AB 3088-compliant operational forms to document COVID-related tenant rent issues and ensure that rental housing providers are operating within the perimeters of the law. He also pointed out that nuisance and damage to property evictions can move forward but advised to check if your city has any specific eviction moratorium conditions in place.

The panel discussion then shifted to the issue of subletting. Childers stressed the necessity of staying on top of your properties, ensuring that the people on the lease are the only people living in the unit, and that vacant units are truly vacant. She shared a story in which an onsite manager was indulging in this questionable practice and the importance of stating in the lease that subletting is not allowed. Alvarez acknowledged that this continues to be a problem and stressed the need for continual verification of units. All three panelists agreed, even if you have someone overseeing your property, it is essential that you remain involved and aware of the goings on.

Alvarez further emphasized the importance of thorough property inspections. He pointed out the need for not only checking traditional living spaces, but also garages, laundry rooms and maintenance areas, placed where he has found unauthorized occupants in the past. “There is nothing that replaces a good yearly visual inspection of every single unit and common areas,” said Alvarez.

Creepy crawlers then became the next topic of discussion, with Carney proposing that a full investigation of the issue and identifying the origin of pest problems was critical. Alvarez added the need for seeking professional pest assistance and thoroughly documenting the remediation process. He recommended treating units that share

Frank Alvarez, David Cordero and Jessie Childers (top) listen as Terence Carney (bottom) discusses AB 3088 and the nightmare scenario it is presenting for the rental-housing industry.

common walls with one another, not just focusing on the source apartment, as pest infestations tend to spread out.

Another discussion point involved completing repairs and renovations while tenants are occupying their units. Childers pointed out that minor maintenance work is being deferred in her units during COVID. Carney recommended health and safety protocols be implemented and timelines provided if projects are going to take place. He said the important component is to keep tenants informed and to provide timeframes for completion.

The final discussion topic focused on apartment units being used as shortterm rentals, such as Airbnb. It panel discussed potential problems and recommended that rental property owners and operators verify with their particular city if short term rentals are even allowed. An growing number of cities have adopted ordinances that prohibit or heavily regulate this industry.

The evening concluded with an announcement about the format and location of AAOC General Membership Meetings in 2021. While the goal is to resume “in-person” meetings at some point next year, continually changing state and county COVID health policies and guidelines makes it difficult to predict when that can happen. At this time, AAOC is looking to implement a hybrid model that will offer limited capacity seating for the “in-person” meeting at the AAOC Office in Santa Ana while the “online” meetings will continue to be presented via Zoom. Keep your eyes open for further updates via email, social media, and in the December and January issues of Apartment News.

Finally, AAOC would like to extend a sincere thank you to Contemporary Information Corporation, Remote Ally/Virtual Guard Post, and Southern California Edison for their sponsorship of the October General Membership Meeting. These meetings and other AAOC events would not be possible without the generous support and sponsorship of our Product & Service Council members.

We look forward to seeing you at the next AAOC General Membership Meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 — definitely online and hopefully inperson, as well.

Director’s Message — continued from 6

will share their experiences and offer suggestions on the questions you should be asking of yourself and prospective management companies to ensure you make the best-informed decision.

I look forward to seeing you online for AAOC’s Day of Education on Wednesday, November 18, 2020. To purchase an all access “day pass” to attend every webinar or to purchase individual webinar admissions, visit at www.AAOC.com. If you have any questions, please call AAOC at (714) 245-9500.

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