IHM-News - Fall 2022

President’s Message

Hello IHM Members

I hope everyone had a Happy, Healthy, and Blessed Thanksgiving. Considering the last couple of years, I believe we all had many things to be thankful for this year. It was so nice to have our entire family together for the turkey dinner.

The entire IHM team is so excited about the success of our Chat Room sessions throughout this year. The participation has been excellent, and the feedback has been very positive. Our three remaining sessions for this year are “Duty to Accommodate” on October 19th (for which we already have 76 registrants) and November’s Stress Management (I’m sure we can all use some help with this one). The December Chat Room will be called an “Open Forum.” We ask you to submit your questions in advance (on any subject), topics you would like to discuss, challenges you are facing, success stories and suggested topics for our 2023 Chat Room sessions.

We are looking forward to the December open format, and if successful, we will incorporate it every year for our year end session. Please participate and submit your questions. We want to ensure we have the experts on board who can answer your questions and address your concerns. I’m sure it will be fascinating and entertaining.

We are also very excited about the new Accreditation Program for Co-op employees. The Committee is working with enthusiasm and diligence to develop and prepare the materials. We will have four core courses - Property & Building Administration, Property Maintenance, Human Relations, and Financial Planning. The participants will also have to complete two electives (from our extensive list of subjects) and will then be granted a Co-Operative Accreditation (with some qualifications of industry experience). We will keep you posted as the program develops.

The Conference Committee is putting together the plans for next year, and we are leaning towards the first part of May, so hopefully, we can have a little nicer weather for the Golf Tournament. We have the location narrowed down to a couple, and once we have made the final choice, we will let you know. We are making some exciting changes to the format so keep looking for updates.

It’s getting a tad colder as each day passes. Make sure your buildings are ready for the colder months that will soon be upon us. I know most of us don’t enjoy the winter months as much as the summer, but let’s ensure we are ready for what is coming.

Enjoy our beautiful Fall months - put a sweater on, play those last few rounds of golf, go for pleasant strolls by the lake or on a path, rake the leaves into big piles and jump and play in them (with your children or dogs in my case) and enjoy the outdoors. And capture the beauty of the colours as the leaves change from green to brilliant red, orange and yellow. Be safe everyone.

Jimmy Mellor, FIHM IHM President

CORRECTION

How was IHM created?

In the 1970’s (not 1940s as indicated in the Summer 2022 Newsletter), a large scale public housing development necessitated the need for an accepted accrediting body for professional housing management in the Province of Ontario. Working with housing representatives from the Provincial Government and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, the IHM steering committee’s efforts led to the creation of the Institute of Housing Managment - Canada (IHM).

Reducing Chronic Homelessness Through Collaboration, Community Partners

By Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness in Housing

not only provide direct support to chronically homeless individuals for finding housing, but they also work to ensure that they remain housed.

The City of Ottawa made some targeted changes to their system that left a major impact. These changes included reaching and holding a 10 percent or greater reduction in the number of people experiencing chronic homelessness since June 2021. As of May 2022, they are reporting a 19 percent reduction.

Several housing-focused system improvements played a significant role in reaching this milestone. But the city emphasized that the collective efforts of community partners was invaluable to their success. “This achievement is truly a testament not just to the city, but to all the community partners and homelessness response agencies that work tirelessly to reduce and resolve homelessness in the Ottawa community,” said Paul Lavigne, the City of Ottawa’s Manager of Homelessness Programs and Shelters.

Housing-Focused Outreach and Shelter

Ottawa’s street outreach and shelter services have both shifted to a robust housing-focused approach. This strengthened their By-Name List and housing outcomes for sheltered and unsheltered individuals. The staff and leadership within Ottawa’s shelter sys-

tem and outreach services have been vital to their success.

“The city’s housing-focused approach first seeks to understand clients’ housing needs and preferences and then match them to services, assist them in becoming document-ready, and support them to find housing,” Lavigne explained.

Under this model, significant efforts are made to help clients who arrive at contact shelters to maintain housing or divert from shelter. Furthermore, with expanded resources, street outreach services have tripled their impact on the unsheltered population since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Housing First Team Approach

The redevelopment of Housing First team roles identified in a 2019 assessment by the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness (CAEH) led to key improvements in Ottawa’s system and supported their efforts in reaching this milestone. The city’s approach for housing searches was redeveloped in 2015 and evolved again in 2019. This is when the city shifted the role of Housing Specialists to work in tandem with the housing-based case managers to form Housing First teams. Housing-based case managers and housing specialists

“The housing specialists build relationships with landlords and vet units, along with procuring housing options for clients. Youth housing specialists, for instance, are able to connect with 500 landlords per quarter,” Lavigne added.

Commitment to Supportive Housing

Another major factor in Ottawa’s chronic homelessness reduction is their commitment to increasing the availability of supportive housing units. The City of Ottawa’s 10-Year Housing and Homelessness Plan, updated in 2020, requires that 10 percent of new affordable housing units are supportive housing units. The city’s shift over the past decade from a traditional shelter model to the creation of more supportive housing units has led to the creation of close to 800 supportive units across the city since 2006.

Ottawa’s Built for Zero chronic homelessness baseline was set in January 2020. Since that time, three supportive housing buildings and several scattered units have become operational. These new builds have added a combined total of 95 units to Ottawa’s supportive housing inventory, which have been used to house people experiencing chronic homelessness who have complex needs.

Bright Spot: Ottawa reduces chronic homelessness by 19 percent through collaboration and great efforts from community partners.

Family Strategy

The city has also been looking at ways to reduce family homelessness as a target area. Reductions in family homelessness have played a major role in their overall reductions in chronic homelessness. Built for Zero communities include all people experiencing chronic homelessness in their overall chronic homelessness numbers, including families. In January 2020, when the baseline was set for chronic homelessness in Ottawa, there were 928 chronically homeless family members (individuals who are part of families). As of May 2022, that number has reduced to 617 chronically homeless family members.

This reduction in family members experiencing chronic homelessness is a result of multiple factors. These factors include adding resources to the city’s Housing First Program, which supports families moving from shelter to maintain housing. Additionally, the city added the role of Rapid Rehousing Worker to their emergency shelter staff. Rapid rehousing workers focus on finding and securing housing for families as quickly as possible when they arrive at the shelter. Finally, the border closures that occurred as a result of COVID-19 had a major impact on the inflows to family homelessness in Ottawa.

Collective Efforts

Ottawa’s use of their By-Name List data, in conjunction with case conferencing, has helped their system shift to a more team-based approach across different agencies. This has led to more wraparound supports and a shared understanding of what individual clients need. According to Lavigne, “the staff and leadership of our community partners

have been the most important stakeholders in this achievement through their tireless work to find housing and provide the necessary supports for clients experiencing chronic homelessness.”

The First Nations, Inuit, and Métis service providers ensure Indigenous clients secure culturally appropriate and safe care. The veteran’s working group has provided focused support to veterans, seeking to improve their access to appropriate housing and support services.

The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) provides targeted services to chronically homeless clients with significant mental health needs in order to assist them in getting and remaining housed. CAEH, in addition to their advocacy efforts, has provided the Built for Zero coaching, tools, and platform to allow us to reach and recognize this achievement.

By specifying areas of impact and collectively diving deep into the By-Name List with representatives across multiple areas, the City of Ottawa is better able to focus on each individual’s needs and how their specific circumstances can be resolved.

Unique and Effective Approach to Youth Case Conferencing

Case conferencing has been an invaluable tool, and has allowed for great success in many areas, especially for chronically homeless youth.

The Youth Coordinated Access Group (YCAG) in Ottawa has developed a unique approach to case conferencing, from a systems lens rather than problem solving for individual clients. This cre-

ates a space to foster solutions for systemic issues impacting youth experiencing homelessness. The model builds upon the monthly meetings that members of the YCAG attend, but adheres to a four meeting structure.

The first three meetings are for prep work. These meetings focus on identifying the theme of the issue; identifying client case studies; identifying and inviting pertinent guests; and reviewing relevant data or information pertaining to the issue. The fourth meeting serves as the case conferencing meeting. At this point, a facilitated discussion occurs to discuss solutions and identify next steps. The development of this approach began in November 2020 with support from CAEH and cumulated in the first session being held in January 2022.

Challenges and Lessons Learned

The COVID-19 pandemic led to many challenges in the housing and homelessness sector, including a need to open physical distancing centres (PDCs). These centres were meant to ensure the shelter system could meet public health directives, outbreaks, and staff shortages. The PDCs, which were first opened to provide extra capacity to the shelter system when the pandemic began, have reduced the number of people at any given site, allowing the emergency shelter staff to focus more efforts on providing housing support to clients. The city also highlights housing affordability as a major challenge in Ottawa and, as a result, the sector is always working diligently on securing housing for clients.

“Challenges have been overcome and continue to be overcome. Along with

“The staff and leadership of our community partners have been the most important stakeholders in this achievement through their tireless work to find housing and provide the necessary supports for clients experiencing chronic homelessness.”

housing affordability, which continues to be a major issue, another challenge surrounds client consent and data sharing within agencies who are all working towards the same goals and for the same clients but can’t always share information,” said Lavigne. “The goal is to continue to establish methods so that case conferencing can be expanded, and we can continue to concentrate on collaboration and supporting clients in housing.”

Along with the challenges came lessons learned – including the necessity of a team-based approach and testing methods on smaller populations before scoping out and applying them to larger ones.

“The most effective way to test the efficacy of an approach to chronic home-

lessness is to begin with a smaller population, see how the intervention goes, and then ‘scope out’ as the lessons are learned about how to be successful. We can then apply the approach to another population along with the lessons learned,” Lavigne explained.

Despite the set of challenges that the pandemic posed, the city and its community partners were able to pivot when needed and strive ahead.

Next Steps

Moving forward, the City of Ottawa plans to continue improving the sector’s capacity for housing procurement.

“Ottawa has a very low vacancy rate, and we continuously look for ways to work around those challenges that are client-focused,” Lavigne said.

Ottawa also intends to continue improving their data in the Homeless Individuals and Families Information System (HIFIS). Many homelessness response agencies in the sector have recently begun to use this software, which Ottawa’s emergency shelters have used for many years.

“There’s always more work to be done, but we’re excited to continue seeing progress in our goal of ending chronic homelessness,” Lavigne said.

This article originally appeared as a blog post in the Canadian Alliance to End Homelessness Bright Spot series and is reprinted here with permission from CAEH. u

Beth - 416-493-7382

MENTORSHIP

and Tenant Law

Options When Tenants Cause Damage

By Michael K. E. Thiele

Evicting a tenant for damage: The law gives them options!

This article deals with the interpretation of section 62 of the Residential Tenancies Act and seeks to clarify what exactly a landlord must offer a tenant when dealing with damage caused by the tenant. Where the damage to a rental unit is not wilful, the usual way to approach the problem is to serve the tenant a Notice of Termination Form N5 (as opposed to just suing for damage and not evicting). That Form (reproduced below--current as of June 2019), allows a landlord to terminate and evict a tenant if they have wilfully or negligently damaged the rental unit or the residential complex. Note that wilful damage may be pursued under a different Notice of Termination as well (Form N7) but that is not the focus of this article.

When deciding to serve an N5 for damage, a landlord is deciding to terminate the tenancy subject to giving the tenant a chance to void the eviction and remain in the apartment and continue the lease. The landlord's decision to give the tenants a chance to void the N5 for damage is not a real decision or choice. It is the law that mandates that a tenant who receives an N5 for damage be given a chance to void the notice by dealing with the damage.

I use the phrase “dealing with the damage” because the Residential Tenancies Act sets out a number of ways that the damage can be dealt with and the N5 be voided. The ways are reflected in section 62 and I will reproduce those sections here so that you can see the 5 distinct ways that damage can be dealt with that voids the eviction and allows a tenant to stay.

Section 62 provides as follows:

TERMINATION FOR CAUSE, DAMAGE---1) A landlord may give a tenant notice of termination of the tenancy if the tenant, another occupant of the rental unit or a person whom the tenant permits in the residential complex wilfully or negligently causes undue damage to the rental unit or the residential complex. 2) NOTICE--A notice of termination under this section shall, a) provide a termination date not earlier than the 20th day after the notice is given; b) set out the grounds for termination; and c) require the tenant, within seven days, i) to repair the damaged property or pay to the landlord the reasonable costs of repairing the damaged prop erty, or ii) to replace the damaged property or pay to the landlord the rea sonable costs of replacing the damaged proper, if it is not reasonable to repair the damaged property. 3) NOTICE

VOID IF TENANT COMPLIES---The notice of termination under this section is void if the tenant, within seven days after receiving the notice, complies with the requirement referred to in clause 2 c) or makes arrangements satisfactory to the landlord to comply with that requirement.

Highlighted above are the 5 options that the legislation sets out. Reproduced below is the Notice of Termination in Form N5. Highlighted in yellow, on the form, are the 5 options that set out how damage can be dealt with.

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM??? IS THERE AN ISSUE?

If you are the landlord and you have a tenant who has caused extensive damage to a rental unit do you want the tenant to have the right to fix the damage themselves? Or replace the damaged items themselves? What if the work requires electrical work, or patching, sanding and painting? What if it is quite clear that the tenant does not have the skills to perform the work in a workmanlike manner (i.e. professionally)?

As you read section 62 (above) you will see the word “OR” inserted between the various options. The form must require the tenant to “repair” or “pay”. The form must require the tenant to “replace” or

“pay” to the landlord the cost of replacement.

When reading the “or” is it the landlord's choice to limit the tenant's options to pay or repair. Or to pay or replace? Who controls the number of choices that the tenant has?

Is the correct reading of section 62 that the options provided to the tenant must include each of the 5 possibilities set out in section 62? Reading section 62 in this way would mean that the tenant has the legal right to: repair, replace, pay, or make a deal. And the landlord must offer the tenant each of these options in order for the Form N5 to be valid.

What if a landlord only gives a tenant a repair cost but not a replacement cost? Is the form invalid? What if the landlord enters the unit, repairs or replaces the damaged things and then serves the

N5 on the tenant and only sets out the “pay” options. Is the N5 valid?

Take a look at the Form N5 reproduced above. What if the dollar amount to repair the damaged item is different than the dollar amount to replace the damaged item. Would the two different dollar amounts make the form confusing?

The law generally directs that a Notice of Termination that is confusing is void–meaning it is unenforceable and an application based on that notice would be dismissed.

LANDLORD: WHAT DO I DO?

It does appear that section 62 is being interpreted as giving the tenant as many of the 5 options as possible. Where the circumstances of the damage permit, and it is reasonable to wait, the tenant should be given the option to repair, replace, pay for either repair or replace, or

make a satisfactory arrangement.

With respect to different amounts to repair versus replace, inserting two different numbers in the form is also acceptable. However, the reason for the different numbers should be explained in an attachment or in the reasons and details. Satisfactory explanations include that a repair is not as perfect as a replacement (though acceptable) and cheaper than replacing. A tenant might choose replacing where the condition of the damaged item is important enough to warrant the extra expense. It is also possible that repairing is more expensive than replacing an item due to the work needed to do the repair. Nevertheless, a repair might be chosen if there is less disruption to the tenant's household by repairing than replacing. Whether this is the case depends on the circumstances.

Such an interpretation is not inconsistent with how many N5 cases for damage proceed. Often enough, once landlords become aware of the damage they enter a unit and do the work and then fill out the N5. Landlords often do the work because the work is necessary to protect the integrity of the building, the failure to do the work would impact other tenants, and the RTA imposes a duty on the landlord to repair and maintain the rental unit. On this basis, landlords argue that there are certain kinds of damage that can't be ignored pending the serving of an N5 and waiting to see which way the tenant wants to go with repairing, replacing or paying.

This too seems reasonable.

RECENT DIVISIONAL COURT GUIDANCE

In Bombaci v. Gatien the Divisional Court held that the provisions of section 62(c) RTA do not require the landlord to choose between the two options of repair or pay and replace or pay. The Court holds that the landlord can give the tenant more options and that the N5 Notice is not void as a result. Hence, different amounts for repair versus replace are acceptable and this does not void the N5 even though the amounts are different.

The Court goes on to say that it is in the tenants' interest to be given all the options: do repairs themselves, or pay for the repairs, or pay for replacement.

The Court's direction that it is in the tenants' interest to be given all the options is not, I think, a direction that the

tenants must be given all the options every time. However, I do believe that it is a clear indication from the Court that where it is reasonable and feasible that as many of the options as possible be granted to the tenant.

How might this direction become an issue? Imagine a tenant with reasonable skills as a general contractor. Imagine that a door is damaged by a tenant's pet dog who has scratched and gnawed on the door to the point where the only fix is to replace the door. What if the landlord retains its usual “windows and doors company” and on 24 hours notice the company comes and replaces the door with a similar and standard typical door available at most building centres. Let us assume that the invoice for replacing the door is in fact reasonable but that the majority of the cost of the invoice is for “labour”.

CAN’T THE LANDLORD JUST say that “or” means landlord's choice?

Now the tenant whose door is replaced might be on a limited income or might otherwise have difficulty paying the amount of the invoice. Or, the tenant might simply be frugal. Regardless, the tenant is upset with having to pay the “labour” on the invoice because had he been given the option, he would have gone to a building centre, bought the same door, and replaced the door himself with his own labour (and hence pay nothing for it). The cost difference to the tenant is meaningful.

Has the tenant been lawfully denied a “right” to replace the door? Does the tenant have to pay the contractor's invoice even though he could have (and would have) done the work himself for much less?

At present, I do not think that there is an absolute answer to this question. My inclination on the above example about the dog damaged door is that the tenant

would indeed have a case to argue. Especially with the Divisional Court’s suggestion that it is in the tenants' interest to be given all the options (see paragraph 10 of the decision in Bombaci above). Where a repair is not pressing, where a delay in the repair would not jeopardize the integrity of the building, and a delay would not impact other tenants, then perhaps the correct approach when serving an N5 for damage is to give the tenant as many options as possible.

CONCLUSION

In my view, the options set out in section 62(2)(c), exist for the benefit of the tenants. The choices are not disjunctive in that the landlord can choose which of the options to grant the tenant. As many of the choices as possible must be offered to the tenant in order for the N5 to be valid. The number of available choices will be dependent on the cir-

cumstance of each case and the nature of the damage. Sometimes it will be imperative for the landlord to act quickly and undertake the work immediately for the protection of the building and tenants. In that case, the only reasonable option to give the tenant is the invoice to pay to void the N5.

To be clear, I do not think that the Court in Bombaci is saying that every option must be provided to tenants in every instance. What I think the Court is saying is that tenants have an interest in being given all of the options. And while giving all of the options is not mandatory, an N5 that does not provide as many options as reasonably possible risks being found void and incapable of sustaining an application to terminate a tenant for damage.

Michael K. E. Thiele www.ottawalawyers.com u

Monday - Thursday: 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Monday - Thursday: 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Student

be required to self-study from 1:00 - 4:00

Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - Exam

for the

Review.

IHM Course Completions in Property Management

Property & Building Administration

Darren Talbot

Debbie Craig

Trisha Atwood

Slobodanka-Boba Popovic

Darline Buckley

Sharon Williams

Shreya Kirolikar

Jesse Whally

u u u

Strategic and Financial Planning for Property Managers

Andrew Stewart

Codee Levy

Jen Kroh

u u

Maintenance for Property Managers

Stacey Sanelli

John Hartling

Kyra Eves

Waseem Aftab

Kaeli Van Regan

Shannon McDowell

Andrew Swan

Human Relations for Property Managers

Darren Talbot

Isabelle Peladeau

u u u

Tenancy Law

Spyros Karelis

Codee Levy

Mohammed Islam

Welcome to IHM’s Newest Accredited Members

Melissa Carriere, AIHM

Elizabeth Black, AIHM

Do You Qualify For CMM Accreditation?

The Certified Municipal Manager (CMM) Accreditation program recognizes management capabilities of Ontario's local government administrators. IHM members can apply for the Housing Management Specialist designation or the Housing Management Professional designation depending on their progress with the IHM education program and their employment achievements.

Visit the Ontario Municipal Management Institute website at https://www.ommi.on.ca for more information.

Continuing Competency Program Will be Introduced for Accredited Members in 2023

The Institute of Housing Management (IHM) Continuing Competency Program is intended to encourage members to enhance their learning in property management.

The credibility and integrity of the IHM and its members stem from the ability of its members to maintain a high level of competence. In this regard, the Institute strives to include current and relevant content in all course delivery and education events. The IHM is confident that these efforts contribute to the establishment of professional standards across all areas of the property management profession.

The IHM members have four main areas of responsibility as outlined in the IHM Code of Professionalism, Ethical Business Practices, and Disciplinary Policy. Members are accountable for their actions and expected to exhibit a sound knowledge base, well-developed skills and sound judgment. Four main areas of responsibility are inherent in our industry and form the cornerstones of the Code of Professionalism.

1. A Property Manager’s Responsibility to the Profession and to Colleagues.

2. A Property Managers Responsibility to the Clients and Employees.

3. A Property Managers Responsibility to the Public.

4. General Conditions of Professional and Ethical Conduct by Property Managers who are Members of the Institute.

Participation in the IHM Continuing Competency Program assumes that all members have areas in which they can further develop their knowledge and skills in the fulfillment of each of these responsibilities while providing peak performance throughout their career.

As an IHM member it is suggested that you set learning goals and implement activities and set objectives with a specified outcome. Many goals are better defined in “SMART” terms (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely).

The attainment of your learning and experience goals will support your ability to make an annual declaration to IHM of your participation in the Continuing Competency Program.

The IHM recommends that you spend a minimum of 20 hours a year on meeting your learning goals. It is understood that some learning goals will

be completed quickly and others will require months or years to complete.

Professional activities can include volunteer time provided the activity can be referenced back to your personal learning plan and the member responsibilities to the Profession, Colleagues, Clients, Employees, Public and Self.

A Professional Development Planning Document will be provided to document your learning and experience goals and the activities needed to be successful in achieving your goals.

A learning activity must relate to a learning goal.

Learning activities could include:

•Attending the IHM or Sector conference and professional workshops

•Being an instructor of a property management related topic

•Becoming a volunteer IHM Mentor

•Volunteering as a Distance Learning Instructor for the IHM mandatory courses

•Engaging in educational opportunities that will complement your professional performance

•Volunteering as a Board or Committee Member of a Housing Provider or Sector Association

Each year when you renew your annual membership, you will attest to participating in the IHM Continuing Competency Program and will maintain your verification for a two-year period. (No need to submit documentation with your membership renewal.)

Should you have any questions regarding this new program, please direct all inquiries to the Chairperson of the Education Committee IHM Canada info@ihmcanada.net

Did you miss - Duty to Accommodate?

Presenter: Douglas H. Levitt, BA, LL.B., Horlick Levitt Di Lella LLP

Here is your chance to see the recording & view the presentation slides. Mr. Levitt has also provided a FAQ sheet on Ontario Residential Landlords: HLD’s Frequently Asked Questions Available in the Members’ Only section of the IHM website - ihmcanada.net

How Much Should I Charge for Laundry in My Building?

By Jeff Gilpin, President River Rock Laundry

Howyou price the wash and dry cycles of your laundry equipment can have a big impact on revenue, but it’s a delicate balance. Charge too much and your residents may leave the building for more affordable laundromats; charge too little and you will leave money on the table and pay more in utilities.

Here are six questions to ask yourself when determining the optimal pricing of your central laundry facility.

1.Is the laundry room welcoming, comfortable and safe?

The right price for a load of laundry depends largely upon your location and the quality of your services. Residents are more likely to take their laundry elsewhere because of broken machines, security concerns, lack of other amenities, and cleanliness than for the cost of a wash and dry. To find the optimal pricing, you first need to assess your laundry room and fix anything that could drive your residents elsewhere. Some upgrades to consider:

•Repair or replace non-functioning (or poorly functioning) equipment

•Repair and clean the dryer vents

•New paint

•Bright, attractive lighting

•New flooring (or a professional floor cleaning)

The right price for a load of laundry depends largly upon your location and the quality of your services.

•Wall art

•Comfortable seating

•Folding stations

•Shelving with books, magazines, games, etc.

•Janitorial services

•Free, accessible Wi-Fi

•Improved security (door keyed alike to the main door, window in the door, security camera)

A laundry services provider, like River

Rock Laundry, can help with this assessment and liaison with local contractors to get your laundry facility in tip-top shape.

2. What are my competitors charging?

Once the room is clean, bright, functional, and safe, you can determine the pricing. Start with a competitive analysis of neighbouring buildings and local laundromats that includes not only pricing but also the appeal of the amenity. A laundry services provider can help you

with this too as they will have the “inside scoop” on the buildings they service in the area and local laundromats.

3.Do I want residents to share the cost of utilities?

With rising utility costs, you may want to consider dynamic pricing for laundry cycles that use more water, natural gas, or electricity. This can help offset your costs and is better for the environment by deterring residents from needlessly wasting water and energy. For example, you can charge more for hot water or for longer wash cycles designed to tackle heavily soiled laundry, or you can provide the option for residents to “top up” the dryer time rather than running the dryer for an entire additional cycle.

4.What payment method(s) do I offer?

If your machines accept coin, consider how many and which coins you’ll be asking residents to use. Minimizing the number of quarters required by adjusting the price or spreading the cost across the wash and dry can impact the resident experience. For example, pricing the wash at $3.25 and the dry at $1.75 requires residents to use at least four quarters but if you adjust the price to $3.00 and $2.00 the overall cost of a load is the same, but residents can use loonies or toonies. This is also an important consideration if you collect and process your own coin.

The type of machines may limit what you can do too. While machines with drop coin mechanisms can accept toonies, loonies and quarters, machines with coin slides are limited in the type and quantity of coins they will accept.

Consider moving away from coins completely with more progressive, soughtafter payment methods such as the PayRange® mobile app where residents can use their smart phone to pay for laundry. This not only provides you with more pricing flexibility but also adds to the appeal of your laundry facility, especially for those residents who appreciate modern payment options like professionals or millennials.

5.When is the best time for a price increase?

The best time to implement a price increase is when something has changed. Did you renovate the laundry room or implement any of the suggestions in question #1 above? Did you purchase new laundry equipment or change laundry service providers? A new or improved amenity communicates that you care about the building and the resident experience. Many residents will have renewed confidence in the building and you as their landlord, so they won’t mind paying more for laundry.

You may also want to consider an increase during winter months, as residents are less likely to leave the building to do their laundry elsewhere.

6.Is it time to outsource to a professional?

Your laundry facility is an important amenity that can increase your property’s value and desirability for residents and prospective renters. Pricing is just one consideration. You must also purchase and repair the laundry equipment, manage resident refunds and complaints, and collect the revenue.

A laundry services professional can help by consulting on best practices to optimize revenue and minimize risk, liaising with contractors, and providing modern, fully functioning laundry equipment. They also offer a full-service option where they collect and process the revenue, interact directly with residents about service and refunds, and provide you with a monthly payment for a percentage of the revenue.

Ultimately it comes down to where you want to spend your time, money, and energy. How much time is your laundry facility taking away from managing your core business? Engaging a laundry services professional allows you to enjoy the savings and benefits of new equipment and fast service with no capital investment and without having to become a laundry expert for your property.

Are you unsure if your laundry equipment is optimally priced? Contact River Rock Laundry for a free assessment.

Jeff Gilpin is the President of River Rock Laundry, a proudly Canadian provider of vended laundry equipment and service to the multi-residential housing industry in Ontario. Prior to founding River Rock in 2018, Jeff spent the previous two decades in various business development and operations roles within the industry, where he honed his consultation skills to help owners and managers of apartments, condominiums, co-operatives, non-profit housing, and educational institutions provide superior experiences for their residents. u

A new or improved amenity communicates that you care about the building and the resident experience.

What Is Psychological Safety at Work?

By Carola Mittag

Psychologicalsafety is the belief that you won’t be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.

“When you have psychological safety in the workplace, people feel comfortable being themselves. They bring their full selves to work and feel okay laying all of themselves on the line.” David Altman, Chief Research and Innovation Officer, Centre for Creative Leadership Organizations benefit from people’s range of thoughts; groups of people with different life experiences can better recognize problems and offer productive solutions. But what if team members aren’t comfortable speaking up? What if they’re afraid to share their concerns or avoid asking tough questions? What if they avoid suggesting innovative ideas because they’re worried about rejection? Studies have shown that 30% of employees felt strongly that their opinions didn’t matter at work and that remote work settings, now more common as a result of the pandemic, have made the problem worse.

The result? Diminished psychological safety at work which affects facility/ property managers, their employees and, quite likely, their tenants.

Psychological safety at work doesn’t mean that everybody is nice all the time. It means that you accept the conflict and

Studies have shown that 30% of employees felt strongly that their opinions didn’t matter at work and that remote work settings, now more common as a result of the pandemic, have made the problem worse.

you speak up, knowing that you and your team will be mutually supportive. Employees must feel accepted before they’re able to contribute fully in ways that improve their organizations.

According to Dr. Timothy Clark, author of The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation, employees have to progress through the following 4 stages before they feel free to make valuable contributions and challenge the status quo.

• Stage 1 — Inclusion Safety: Inclusion safety satisfies the basic human need to connect and belong. In this stage, you feel safe to be yourself and are accepted for who you are, including your unique attributes and defining characteristics.

• Stage 2 — Learner Safety: Learner safety satisfies the need to learn and grow. In this stage, you feel safe to ex-

change in the learning process by asking questions, giving and receiving feedback, experimenting, and making mistakes.

• Stage 3 — Contributor Safety: Contributor safety satisfies the need to make a difference. You feel safe to use your skills and abilities to make a meaningful contribution.

• Stage 4 — Challenger Safety: Challenger safety satisfies the need to make things better. You feel safe to speak up and challenge the status quo when you think there’s an opportunity to change or improve.

To help employees understand and move through the 4 stages and ultimately reach a place where they feel comfortable with interpersonal risktaking and speaking up, leaders should nurture and promote their team’s sense of psychological safety in the workplace.

Psychological safety and mental health are fundamental to safe workplaces. When leaders and their workers don’t feel safe in their work environment there are far-reaching repercussions. In housing settings this may be in the form of poor or miscommunication between management and tenants; inattention to proper facility maintenance; and simply, a general lack of concern for keeping properties and facilities safe for tenants.

Carola Mittag is the former owner of Workplace Safety Group and currently advisor to Mentor Safety.

MSCI offers professional safety consulting services and Chief Prevention Officer (CPO) – approved certifications for joint health and safety committees (in-class and virtual) and Working at Heights, as well as customized training programs.

MSCI has developed auditing tools to ensure that facilities and property managers meet all legislative health and safety compliance requirements. Email Carola at wpsgceo@gmail.com u

Visit

at: ihmcanada.net

CALLING ALL PROPE RTY MANAGERS…

We know that a Property Manager’s job can be both challenging and interesting. How often have you come to work with your day all planned in your head only to have something unexpected come along? We are looking for some stories to share with your colleagues in the Property Management field.

If you have an interesting story that you would be willing to author, please contact the Newsletter Committee at info@ihmcanada.net

2022-2023 IHM Board of Directors

EXECUTIVE President

Jimmy Mellor, FIHM Director of Operations, Precision Property Management 22 Goodmark Place, Suite 22, Toronto, ON M9W 6R2

Tel: 416-887-9253 | Fax: 416-675-0170

Email: jimmym@ppmgmt.ca

Vice President

Marketing/Membership Committee

Kevin McCann, FIHM

Email: kevinmccann98@hotmail.com

Secretary-Treasurer

Conference Committee Chair

Lynn Alexander, FIHM

Region of Durham Housing Services

P.O.Box 623, Whitby, ON L1N 6A3

Tel: 905-666-6222 | Fax: 905-666-6225

Email: Lynn.alexander@durham.ca

IHM OFFICE:

Carolyne Vigon, Operations Manager

Beth McKenzie, Program Manager

2800 14th Avenue, Suite 210, Markham, Ontario L3R 0E4

Tel: (416) 493-7382 / 1-866-212-4377

Fax: (416) 491-1670 Email: info@ihmcanada.net

DIRECTORS

Education Committee Member

Ed Cipriani, FIHM ecpm@skylinc.net

Education Committee Member

Tracey Csordas, AIHM

Email: traceycsordas@yahoo.com

Marketing/Membership Committee Member

Stacy Ellis, AIHM

Property Manager, Housing Operations Community and Health Services, Housing Services

The Regional Municipality of York 145 Essex Avenue, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 0W8

Tel: 905-898-1007 ext. 72717

Email: stacy.ellis@york.ca

New Opportunities Chair

Phil Eram, B.Sc., FIHM

Precision Property Management Inc. 22 Goodmark Place, Suite 22, Toronto, ON M9W 6R2

Tel: 416-675-2223

Email: pgsd@cogeco.ca

Education Committee Chair, Communications Committee

Member,Conference Committee Member

Deborah Filice, MEd, RSSW, FIHM, CIHCM, CMMIII

DAF Property Management Services Inc. Tel: 289-244-8269

Email: dfilice@dafpmservices.com

Communications Committee Chair, Francesca Filice, B.A., AIHM Property Manager

Victoria Park Community Homes Tel: 289-244-8059

Email: ffilice@vpch.com

Communications Committee Member Lana Litke, AIHM Tel: 905-746-3514

Email: LanaMLitke@gmail.com

Marketing/Membership Committee Chair

Marissa Zuliani, AIHM

Property Management Solutions Inc. 3542 Walker Road

Windsor, ON N8W 3S4 Tel: 226-961-3323

Email: info@propertymanagementsolutions.ca

CANDIDATE MEMBER

Stacey Sanelli

Precision Property Management Inc. 22 Goodmark Place, Suite 22, Toronto, ON M9W 6R2 Tel: 416-887-1251

Email: staceys@ppmgmt.ca

IHM Corporate Members

Welcome to Apollo Pest Management, our 2022 Event Sponsor and new Corporate member and thank you to all IHM Corporate Members.

St. Thomas-Elgin Social Services