IHM News, Volume 21, Fall 2004

IHMnews Volume 21, Fall 2004

INSTITUTE OF HOUSING MANAGEMENT

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement # 40739009

E N H A N C I N G T H E K N OW L E D G E A N D S K I L L S O F P RO PE R T Y M A N AG E M E N T P RO F E S S I O N A L S

Nepean Housing Corporation

Ground Breaking Strides in Affordable Housing Development Greg Grange, IHM President and Lynn Carson, General Manager, Nepean Housing Corporation

Inside IHM Board of Directors ...................................................................2 President’s Message .......................................................................3 Nepean Housing Corporation: Ground Breaking Strides in Affordable Housing Development .............................4 New Members and Graduates ........................................................5 Communities In Bloom ...................................................................6 Growing Your Business Through Employee Entrepreneurialism ....................................................................8 Property Managers Should be Engaged in Interior Design in new Rental Accommodations .......................................10 Chapter News ................................................................................11 Distance Learning Application ......................................................12

Farnworth Manor Home Phase 1

2005

Mark Your Calendars Now!

The 2005 IHM Annual Educational Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Hidden Valley Resort in Huntsville, Ont. from April 27th to April 29th, 2005. Watch for registration information coming soon!

Here’s What This Year’s Conference Attendees Had to Say…..

Suggested topics for Next Year’s Conference have so far included….

• • • •

• TPA Changes, HR issues • Crime Prevention through Environmental Design • Preparation for Retirement • Rent supply • Crisis Intervention/Conflict Resolution • Report Writing/Public Speaking • Dealing with Disabilities • Landscaping • A Day in the Life of a Property Manager

Everything was excellent!

Good variety of topics Well organized Lots of time to network

IHM

We would welcome your suggestions for additional topics….

Please send your ideas to us at ihm@taylorenterprises.com

Do You Like to Write?

If you would be interested in submitting articles or feature stories on new or interesting housing developments, please contact our newsletter editor c/o ihm@taylorenterprises.com. Articles should be between 500-1200 words and should be on topics of interest to Property Managers.

Publications Mail Agreement # 40739009 - Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to the Circulation Department – 2175 Sheppard Ave. East Suite #310, Toronto, Ont. M2J 1W8

2004 Board of Directors PRESIDENT

TREASURER

Greg Grange, B.A., F.I.H.M. Mgr., Housing Division City of Kingston 216 Ontario Street Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3 Tel: (613) 546-4291 ext. 1265 Fax: (613) 546-3004 E-mail: ggrange@city.kingston.on.ca

William J. Corrigan, A.I.H.M. Chair: Finance Committee Williams and McDaniel 66 Macdonell Street, Suite #301 Guelph, ON N1H 2Z6 Tel: (705) 788-7690 Fax: (705) 788-0928 E-mail: billco@cogeco.ca

VICE-PRESIDENT

DIRECTORS

Mary Pinto, A.I.H.M. Regional Municipality of Waterloo Planning, Housing & Community Services 150 Frederick Street, 8th Floor Kitchener, ON N2G 4J3 Tel: (519) 575-4789 Fax: (519) 743-6527 E-mail: pimary@region.waterloo.on.ca

Lee Campbell, A.I.H.M. Chair: Conference Committee Kingston Frontenac Housing Corporation Manager, The Social Housing Registry 471 Counter Street, Suite 100 Kingston, ON K7M 8S8 E-mail: lcampbell@cityofkingston.ca Tel: (613) 546-5591 Fax: (613) 546-9375

SECRETARY Deborah Filice, A.I.H.M. The Regional Municipality of Halton 690 Dorval Drive, 7th Floor Oakville, ON L6K 3X9 Tel: (905) 825-6000 Ext. 4414 Fax: (905) 849-3568 E-mail: filiced@region.halton.on.ca

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Joan Cranmer, F.I.H.M. Chair: Education Committee Lam Nova Co-Op 5955 Glen Erin Drive, Unit 79 Mississauga, ON L5M 5N9 E-mail: dcranmer@cogeco.ca Tel: (905) 821-7622 Fax: (905) 821-1432

James Mellor, A.I.H.M. Director Windsor-Essex County Housing Corporation 945 McDougall Street P.O. Box 1330 Windsor, ON N9A 6R3 Tel: (519) 776-4631 Ext. 14 Fax: (519) 776-5510 E-mail: jmellor@wechc.com Vicki Pocock, A.I.H.M. Chair: Communications/Newsletter Windsor-Essex County Housing Corporation Glengarry Office 415 University Ave. E. Windsor, ON N9A 2Z3 Tel: (519) 254-1681 Ext. 217 Fax: (519) 258-7700 E-mail: vpocock@wechc.com Harry Popiluk, F.I.H.M. Chair: Marketing/Membership Committees Victoria Park Community Homes 155 Queen Street North Hamilton, ON L8R 2V7 Tel: (905) 527-0221 Ext.15 Fax: (905) 527-3181 E-mail: hpopiluk@vpch.com

CANDIDATE REPRESENTATIVE Lynn Alexander Candidate Representative Property Manager The Regional Municipality of Durham Social Services Dept. – Housing Services Division 2 Simcoe St. South, 2nd Floor Oshawa, ON L1H 8C1 Tel: (905) 434-5011 Fax: (905) 434-1943 E-mail: Lynn.alexander@region.durham.on.ca

ADMINISTRATORS: Lynn Morrovat Ext. 254 (Administrative Co-ordinator) Nancy Trinh Ext. 229 (Administrative Assistant) IHM Office 2175 Sheppard Ave. East, Suite #310 Toronto, ON M2J 1W8 Tel: (416) 493-7382 Fax: (416) 491-1670 Email: ihm@taylorenterprises.com

IHM News

President’s Message

Cultural Dynamics Property managers and property management firms see the need to harness the commitment and energy of like professionals in response to radical change in a competitive industry with reams of legislative and regulatory controls.

Greg Grange, B.A., F.I.H.M.

One factor that silently but inevitably has an impact on our ability to excel, is the organizational culture we work in and our ability to affect cultural change. As in any other culture, organization is a system of organizational values, tradition and beliefs.

Professionals operate under two fundamentally different views of conceptualizing culture…. systems thinking and human behaviour. System thinking is an adaptive system with cultures where regulatory factors dominate and set cultural environments within a business unit.

The other factor influencing culture is deep rooted in our human behaviour and social conscience, which may be in conflict with each other and may initiate change. In this sense, organizations are human cultures and can evolve through positive changes, but not manipulated.

Successful professionals have the ability to transform personal vision and values into action, to shape and build organizational culture through nurturing strong leadership and personal integrity.

To be successful in the property management sector you must clearly link cultural behaviours to business performance. Performance makes the difference if you succeed or fail. Identify those few critical dimensions of performance that really make a difference to organizational

Fall 2004

effectiveness. Those then become positive behaviours that influence your business or organizational culture.

One thing you must avoid is a blame culture.

Blame can only be toxic and detrimental to your success as a professional. Don’t be a Teflon manager. Blame cultures prevent us from learning from our mistakes. To be truly successful we must learn from practice.

Listen to people around you, capture details or take notes, and understand how failures and successes can be acknowledged and understood as lessons learned. If you don’t like what you see, you are probably working in a blame culture. Don’t be passive. Realize that organizational culture is a dynamic structure and reflects professional values and talents of people around you, who can transform the existing culture into progressive 21st century business environment.

Culture is a result of many internal and external factors relative to system thinking and human behaviour. To be a professional it is important for us to evaluate and comprehend “philosophy of cultural change” or “cultural dynamics” as the network of causes and effects reflecting lessons learned and creating a specific cultural environment.

Strive for professional excellence with high cultural values and you will be the Best of the Best!

Kindest regards, Greg Grange, B.A., F.I.H.M. President

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Feature

Nepean Housing Corporation Ground Breaking Strides in Affordable Housing Development Submitted by Lynn Carson, General Manager, NHC

Nepean Housing was incorporated in 1984 as a municipal non-profit but has since changed its status to a private non-profit, following the municipal amalgamation in Ottawa. Between 1987 and 1993 Nepean Housing Corporation (NHC) developed five housing communities throughout the former City of Nepean. When housing supply programs were cancelled in 1995, two additional projects were in the works

The statistics that over half of the families on the waiting list of 4,000 were residing in Nepean had a strong impact on Council as this made it a local issue. This created tremendous municipal support.

The support came by way of the provision of a five acre serviced site and a $100,000 start-up loan, to be repaid once financing was secured. From there, NHC received a

From the outset NHC worked with Deborah Edwards, Development Consultant, and could not have moved forward without her expertise and determination. Barry Padolsky was chosen as the project architect, and Edmund St. Amour was hired as the contractor. This turned out to be a fabulous team, as the first phase of the project, a 76 unit family community built in a unique manor home design was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. The units were housed between April and July 2001.

It consists of 2, 3, and 4 bedroom units as well as a group home for developmentally delayed individuals.

It was quite a shock to discover that even with all the assets NHC had acquired – free land and grants as well as waived development fees and reduced property taxes – the units could still only be built to a medium range market rent. Thankfully the City was able to reallocate 48 rent supplements units to NHC so that 70% of the new units could be rented to applicants from the waiting list.

Farnworth Manor Home Phase 2 Sharad Kerur, Executive Director, ONPHA and Lynn Carson, General Manager, NHC

which had to be wound down. In response to the dramatic increase in the waiting list over the next couple of years, the Board struck a Development Committee to begin to explore ways to increase the number of affordable housing units in the community.

The challenge was to identify and integrate a variety of funding sources at a time when there was no “mainstream” single source of funding.

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$21,000 Home Grown Solutions grant, grants from the former Region and from the City of Ottawa totalling $560,000. The Federal Supporting Community Partners Initiative (SCPI) contributed $200,000 specifically for the units dedicated to women and their children fleeing domestic violence. Then came the incredible challenge of securing mortgage financing – a totally different world from the time that CMHC insurance came automatically with a government “allocation”.

Sharad Kerur, Executive Director, ONPHA and Greg Grange, President of IHM, at Nepean Housing Corporation Phase III development site.

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As the first 76 unit project was considerably under budget, NHC approached CMHC for approval to draw down the full amount of the approved loan and to use the surplus funds as equity to start up the second phase of the community. As well as having almost an acre of the original 5 acres remaining plus .4 acre which the City of Ottawa had provided, these funds along with a $165,000 grant from the former City of Nepean reserve fund meant the project could proceed without delay. Douglas Hardie was retained as the architect and once again St. Amour was the builder. It was completed in November 2003 – again ahead of time and under budget!

The second phase is quite different in that it includes 26 one bedroom units in an attractive stacked form plus 8 two bedroom units.

Of the 34 units, 22 were subsidized by way of re-allocated rent supplements, and the remaining 12 are leased at market rent.

NHC was recently successful in the City of Ottawa’s “Action Ottawa” RFP and will be embarking on a new development adventure shortly. They will be entering a long term lease with the City of a 2.7 acre site in the Centrepointe area, adjacent to the former City of Nepean City Hall. On this site they will be building 62 units, including a large physically accessible group home for a supportive housing provider, three other accessible units, and a combination of 1, 2, 3, and 4 bedroom row and stacked town homes. Thirty-seven of the units will be subsidized with the balance to be leased at CMHC average market rents.

For more information contact Lynn Carson, General Manager of NHC, (613) 823-8452 ext. 118, lynncarson@bellnet.ca – or attend her presentation at the Kingston Affordable Housing Forum on October 7, 2004.

Fall 2004

New Members & Graduates New Candidate Members: Peter Ball Sean LaChapelle Dritan Rexho Building Maintenance for Property Managers: Belghian Ablachim Ainur Besir Sergiy Bolshakov Edwin Buonanno Esmeralda Cekrezi Lucia Cha Cristia Chirculescu Mary Clancy-Taha Robert Cole Kylie Evans Lynda S. Gourlie George R. Gumbs Spiro Ilo Philip Kendall Tatjana Kokolari Michael Lam Gorica Maric Roy T. Mullen Ivica Novicic Suzy Paula Steven J. Racco Slavisa Rakic Ardian Ramaj Cesar D. M. Ramirez Dritan Rexho Emilio Ricciardi Vito Simone Dragan Stojkovic Strategic and Financial Planning: Mary Eagles Property & Building Administration: Tzvetan Anguelov Karen Archer Sergiy Bardal Sergiy Bolshakov Danique Bromfield Edwin Buonanno Katharine Campbell Carmine A. Capone Sandra Carfagnini Gina E. Castellon Joseph Catanzariti Catharine Debbert Maria Galapa Adriana Gould Kathy Harris

Laura Hood Spiro Ilo Theresa M. Isidro Philip Kendall Koonmo Liu Sherri Lucier Barbara Maj Warren McPherson Predrag Milenkovic Cintra Narinesingh Tatiana Poleshchuk Slavisa Rakic Iryna Salamandyk Jason M. Shrubsall Ana F. Vidal Anthony Wallace Elzbieta Zarzycka Pawel Zarzycki Human Relations for Property Managers: Sanja Arpadzic Sergiy Bardal Miroslaw Bilyj Richard Boem Sergiy Bolshakov Carmine A. Capone Roger Chang Antoanela Culcearu Lorraine Cyr Monica Ditzel Jonathan Fischstein William Gani George R. Gumbs Hrachia Harutunian Susan Hazlett Margarita Heczko Ron Hendrix Adrian Kacidhja Joanne Kennedy Jane Kim Vadim Koyen Michael Lam Anca Lucacescu Warren McPherson Elaine Morrison Ivica Novicic Dritan Rexho Emilio Ricciardi Charlene Thornhill Luisa Valerio Alexandr Voronin Elzbieta Zarzycka Pawel Zarzycki

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Feature

Communities In Bloom Submitted by: Dave Sulpher & Mary-Louise Heroux, staff of Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation

It all started when our Board Member, George Sutherland suggested to the Kingston & Frontenac Housing Corporation Board of Directors that our office should become an active participant in the Kingston Communities in Bloom Contest.

Several meetings were held in which Board Members and various staff from Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation met to work out the fine details of this contest. It was suggested that our tenants receive topsoil and discount cards from various Garden Centres in order to enhance their gardens.

Mark Fluhrer, Manager of Policy and Support Services with the City of Kingston and Dave Sulpher, Tenant/Applicant Support Worker with the Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation solicited and got Canadian Tire Corporation (Kingston Centre), Country Depot and Pleasant View Greenhouses to come on board with special discounts on flowers and garden materials for all participants with Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation.

Mary-Louise HĂŠroux of Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation and Dave Sulpher developed flyers, which were hand delivered door to door encouraging Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation tenants to sign-up for this contest.

On the flyers were the incentives and prizes to be won. Days were set aside for the delivery of top-soil and discount cards to the tenants who signed up to be part of the contest. A total of 125 tenants took advantage of the incentive and came on board. MaryLouise and Dave began their sales-pitch to all adult buildings to promote the flower contest and had special rallies with everyone

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IHM News

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Prizes were bought prior to our contest with monies provided by Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation Board of Directors. The prizes were more enticing this year with the hopes of encouraging more participants. These prizes would be used to enjoy in their yards.

The finale of the Kingston Blooms’ event was a Garden Party held by Mayor Rosen on July 28th, 2004 at the Holiday Inn. Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation’s Five Bloom winners received a Certificate of Honorarium and an engraved shovel.

In addition, a barbeque was hosted by Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation and held at the Salvation Army Citadel on Weller Avenue on August 19th, 2004 for all tenants who participated in this year’s flower contest.

THE WINNERS WERE: 1st prize - Mark Campbell Five Bloom Winner 2nd prize - Dianne Knight Five Bloom Winner 3rd prize – Lori Ketchen Five Bloom Winner who came. A donation of a loonie or toonie was asked to purchase flowers for their building. Teams of volunteers from Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation staff along with tenants put on their jeans, brought their shovels and gloves and began to get “down and dirty”. At the end of a hard day’s work we had a barbeque and treats for all who participated.

The ‘Day of Judgment’ arrived and Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation was ready. They had four teams of judges that were trained in judging by attending a meeting hosted by Jane Murphy who is the Chair of Kingston Blooms as well as a Master Gardener.

Fall 2004

The teams were sent out to judge the participating 125 participants and 6 adult buildings. At the end of the day, when all the tallies were counted, Kingston and Frontenac Housing Corporation had three, Five Bloom winners in its portfolio. A great success by all standard!

Our event was well publicized both on television and the radio media. Television interviews with George Sutherland, City Councillor and Andrea Gunn from the Greater Kingston Chamber of Commerce helped the people of Kingston realize that you didn’t have to be a full fledged gardener to enter Kingston Blooms.

Most Beautiful Building was awarded to 111 Van Order Drive.

Special thanks for the success of the event go to Francyne Givogue, John Garvin, George Sutherland, Sara Meers, Dianna Teeple, Martha Beach, Cam Gruer, and Mary Woodley for all their help and support, Mark Fluhrer for all his advice and direction, Jane Murphy, Chair of Kingston Blooms and founding Chair of Communities in Bloom, Sue Hitchcock, Lance Thurston, Hollis Amey, and Lee Campbell for their impeccable skills at flower judging, Andrea Gunn for getting the word out and to all the tenants who threw their hats in the ring and made this the best year ever! We’re looking forward to 2005!

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Feature

Growing Your Business Through Employee Entrepreneurialism A Six-Step Approach To Increased Profitability For Property Owners

By Michael Watkins

A large Denverbased real estate investment trust was losing Michael Watkins money due to increasingly high turnover among its community managers – an issue plaguing property owners nationwide. In just six months, 275 of its 900 employees were terminated, 260 new hires were hired and 300 new job requisitions were opened. With its door rotating at this rapid pace, employee staffing was a very costly initiative, and having to start the process over every few months was draining the company’s human and financial resources. Additionally, it was difficult to focus on what matters most: building an efficient and profitable operation through sound business and customer relationship strategies.

The company needed a solution that would increase job satisfaction, loyalty, and personal productivity among employees while building the company’s bottom line.

Company leaders called upon Michael Watkins, president of Boulder, Coloradobased Guild Associates, a performance management consulting firm, to develop a solution to their problem. His approach?

An in-house community manager certifica-

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tion program designed to help employees gain industry and company knowledge, improve skills and performance while achieving a sense of entrepreneurialism. Watkins’ strategy behind this initiative was to create a work environment that builds careers, not just weekly paychecks, and enables employees to achieve personal and professional goals directly tied to the company’s bottom line. His primary objective was for every employee to feel like an entrepreneur and strive to improve their performance in the same way that an owner would. Approximately 400 property managers located throughout the U.S. were enrolled in the community manager certification program which involves self-assessment, skills training for business, office and human resources management, and customer relations. After one month of execution, the results were astounding. Employee attrition decreased from 125 percent to only 17 percent.

Achieving higher performance from managers at all levels, according to Watkins, starts with employee self assessments.

“Employees cannot achieve the work standards and goals necessary for companies to remain competitive in today’s markets if they are not fully committed to performing at top levels,” says Watkins. “Yet employees cannot make the commitment and behavior changes if they are not aware of their shortcomings and committed to improve.”

A large factor in any company’s inability to act fast or operate at maximum efficiency is the old 20/80 rule – 20% of the employees are high performers while 80% simply get by. Companies in any industry must break this rule and establish at least a 50/50 ratio of achievers vs. survivors if they want to be competitive and profitable. To do this requires a total and ongoing commitment from management and employees alike.

Management must be committed to creating a performance-oriented culture and opportunities for employees to learn and excel; and employees must be committed to assessing their strengths and weaknesses and taking the necessary actions to improve their skills as needed. Watkins refers to this process as “entrepreneurializing employees.”

Following is an outline of his unique “Six Steps to Higher Productivity and Profitability Through Entrepreneurializing Employees.”

STEP 1: DEFINE COMPETENCIES In order to achieve maximum productivity, property managers must have a full understanding of what is expected of them; how to operate in order to achieve these expectations, and what standards must be met in terms of performance and goal achievement. Management can do this by defining the productivity goals of each position and outlining the skills and behaviors necessary to achieve those goals. This will assure that employees understand expectations and

IHM News

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can then assess their own ability to perform accordingly. Watkins recommends defining competencies for managers in the following core areas: • Property Management and Maintenance – inspections, lease management, regulatory compliance, and safety audits • Customer Relations – communications, service, and conflict resolution • Office Management – administrative functions, computer literacy, and finance reporting • Business Management – sales, marketing and budget management, contract negotiation and evaluation, time management, and quality assurance • Human Resource Management – team building, conflict management, employee performance management, effective hiring, and leadership • Personal Attributes – ethics, writing, organization, integrity STEP 2: ENABLE SELF-ASSESSMENTS Organizations must empower employees to assess their own skills and knowledge; and determine gaps. Self-assessment is one of the most effective approaches to identifying skill and knowledge gaps. According to Watkins, “Trusting employees to identify and admit their own weaknesses creates a sense of value, empowerment, and tends to inspire a commitment to achieve more.”

Watkins suggests using online, automated self-assessment tools which are user friendly and produce data that is easy to record and manage. Having spent years as the president of an e-learning company, Watkins knows first hand the best way to assure a positive return on any technology investment is to purchase an appropriate-sized tool for your company’s goals, resources and intended use. “Many companies over purchase and pay for functions that they are never likely to use,” says Watkins. “To achieve total efficiency, your development plan must closely address the appropriate technology for your culture and environment.”

Fall 2004

STEP 3: PROVIDE DEVELOPMENT TOOLS One of the goals of employee development is to instill a willingness for employees to impact their surroundings versus letting their surroundings impact them. In order for employees to take the initiative to improve their performance and productivity, they must be given the tools to grow their skills and personal performance efficiency.

These tools involve training for specific skill sets, coaching programs that will help them best utilize new skills learned, and mentoring programs that advise them as to their own personal career growth.

Training can be fulfilled in many ways – live instructor-led sessions, or self-paced computer-based training which tends to be less costly and more effective for retention.

this will create an atmosphere where leaders lead, and employees excel. Top managers need to continuously improve their skills just as do lower-level employees in order for any organization to achieve operational goals and overall performance excellence.

Company cultures that breed performance excellence are those that: • Invest in continuous learning for employees at all levels by developing and executing entrepreneurial-based courses; • Strive to set new standards for employees through skill development programs, such as a internal property manager certification program; and • Grow resources from within, thereby encouraging ownership/entrepreneurial thinking while reducing attrition.

“However you go about training, you need to integrate off-the-shelf training with custom training programs to assure managers are skilled in both industry and companyspecific competencies and procedures,“ recommends Watkins.

STEP 4: REWARD AND RECOGNIZE A key part of the development process is to execute reward and recognition programs that drive entrepreneurial behaviors and create a sense of accountability for one’s personal growth and learning.

Rewards for completing training programs, utilizing new skills, and achieving personal performance goals motivate compliance and completion. Recognizing successful employees among their peers not only results in increased employee satisfaction and job commitment, it motivates others to achieve as well.

STEP 5: CREATE A SUPPORTIVE CULTURE Successful companies build a culture that supports entrepreneurial thinking from the ground up by including entry level workers to CEOs in development programs. Doing

STEP 6: DEFINE COMPANY VALUES Organizations must stand for something by defining company values and empowering individuals to define what they stand for.

Employees are either positive or negative brands in and of themselves which reflect the company’s overall brand image. Employees must know what their company stands for in terms of values, responsibility to the communities it serves, integrity and honesty in business dealings, and so on. In turn, employees must determine their own values and how they align with those of the organization.

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“Consumers today want to do business with companies that operate with integrity, fairness, and can be trusted to do the right thing at all levels,” says Watkins. “It is imperative that property owners create such a business and maintain high standards throughout the entire organization.”

Successful property owners embrace change, and embracing change is exactly what many businesses must do to succeed in today’s highly competitive real estate climate. Managers must change their focus from the traditional “this is how we do things here” thinking to “this is how we are going to empower every employee to take ownership, develop new ideas, and grow their part of our business.”

“Entrepreneurializing employees”, contends Watkins, “will help property owners significantly reduce employee turnover, improve performance and productivity at all levels, and thus increase productivity.

To entrepreneurialize employees essentially means to create a culture that encourages and rewards innovative thinking, and enables employees to take ownership of their function and provides the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed.”

By following this Six-Step Approach, property owners will increase productivity and operational efficiencies as employees gain a clear understanding of expectations, and what they must do to exceed these expectations and maximize rewards. Employees will also have a renewed sense of ownership and enthusiasm for their job which translates into higher performance and reduced employee turnover.

For more information about Michael Watkins and his “Six Step Approach to Increased Profitability for Property Owners,” visit www.guildassocs.com, or call (303) 433-6305. © Copyright 2004, The McMurtry Group/Guild Associates, LLC

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President’s Commentary

Property Managers Should be Engaged in Interior Design in New Rental Accommodations In an ever-increasing environment of legislation and regulations, developers of residential accommodation should turn to experienced professional and well seasoned property managers for input on interior design in order to compete for responsible tenants.

For developers to have that desired rental address in a highly competitive market, useable buildings must meet consumer expectations. And who better than an experienced property manager who knows every nook, cranny, and the unmarketable features of existing housing stock and the costs associated with redesign and retro-fit.

Designing a comfortable appealing environment for prospective tenants and in particular an aging generation can be a daunting task.

Interior designers, builders, and architects need to engage property management professionals from the onset of a new development. Not to do that early in a project could be costly and risky to overall market-

ing of the project and future attraction of good tenants.

Interior design is more than just aesthetic finish. Well thought out interior design from a practical point of view, provides many benefits to retention of good tenants and referrals.

An experienced property manager with a keen eye for detail and the functionality of residential tenancies can be a valuable resource in interior design where considering such things as lighting, color schemes, and flooring, to mention just a few.

I suspect that the expertise and practical knowledge base of professional property managers has not been tapped in new residential development but one well worth being pursued by developers or proactively by property managers wishing to expand their business opportunities.

Greg Grange, B.A., F.I.H.M. President

IHM News

Chapter News

IHM Southern Chapter Hosts a Seminar on

‘Graffiti Eradication’ Workshop participants learn about the causes and results of Graffiti Culture.

The Southern Chapter of IHM hosted a two hour seminar on ‘Graffiti Eradication’ on the morning of Wednesday September 15th, 2004. The session organized by Southern Chapter Chair, Harry Popiluk, had a good turnout, including twelve officers with the Hamilton Police Services.

The session was presented by Staff Sergeant Heinz Kuck, a 25 year veteran of Toronto Police who co-ordinates the city’s award winning Graffiti Eradication Program and who has been published in a number of law enforcement journals.

Sergeant Kuck offered participants a glimpse into the causes and results of graffiti culture as well as the success of the Toronto program’s efforts. Property damage caused by graffiti represents criminal behaviour, not art, and costs Canada an estimated $1.4 billion a year, including the costs of cleanup and police and judicial resources. Sergeant Kuck noted that the relationship between festering graffiti and eventual neighbourhood decay is undeniable. The simple act of spray painting ones name or logo breeds other crime including trespassing, theft, drug use and other mischief. The program in Toronto focuses on community action and encourages neighbours to make the decision to join a partnership to clean up their communities and make a difference.

Police work closely with Canada Post, local paint stores and other businesses, church and youth groups, the media and politicians.

Graffiti Eradication workshop drew participants not only from the housing field, but also from the Hamilton Police Services - six members pictured here.

Staff Sergeant, Heinz Kuck is welcomed by session organizer and IHM Southern Chapter Chair, Harry Popiluk, FIHM.

Workshop participants agreed the session provided a valuable insight into the root causes and potential dangers of graffiti all enforcing the need for action and eradication.

Photographs provided, courtesy of Joan Cranmer, FIHM

Fall 2004

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Distance Learning • The four compulsory courses are available through the distance learning alternative. Elective courses are widely available from all Ontario community colleges and universities and are, therefore, not currently offered through the Institute’s distance learning program.

• To enroll in the program, complete the application form on this page and mail it, along with your payment, to the Institute’s office. You will receive your instructional materials within a couple of weeks.

• With distance education, you can learn largely at your own pace, with a deadline of six months to complete each individual course. You will be assigned a distance learning instructor to whom you are required to submit chapter reviews,case studies and a final exam.You will be notified by mail of your final grade.Then, you’re ready to move on to the next subject!

• In this way, you can complete your certificate program and, if you meet the experience requirements, qualify for accreditation and become entitled to use the Institute’s designation, A.I.H.M. The Institute’s certificate program consists of four compulsory courses, and two electives. For each course, students are expected to submit chapter reviews and assignments and pass a final examination. The compulsory courses are: 1. Property and Building Administration: This course is designed to provide insight into the functions of management in the administration of large buildings and complexes.Topics will include the Tenant Protection Act, lease negotiation, rent geared to income, breach of contract procedures, collection procedures, insurance and liability, management information systems, building start-up and take over and marketing/ advertising of rental units.

Electives To request consideration or an exemption for an elective, please provide details with your request. Items required: a course outline, proof of completion, proof of mark or transcript (if applicable) and information as to the length of time that the course runs.

Courses to be considered must be a minimum of 35 hours in duration. Two or more courses may be combined to count as one elective.

For a list of Sample Elective Courses see page 3 under Community College Education.

Distance Learning Application Form / Manual Order form IHM Members

Non-Members

Course Fee (Includes Manual)

Manual Only*

Course Fee (Includes Manual)

Manual Only*

“Human Relations for Property Managers”

$350.00

$120.00

$500.00

$120.00

“Property & Building Administration”

$350.00

$120.00

$500.00

$120.00

“Strategic & Financial Planning for Property Managers”

$375.00

$120.00

$525.00

$120.00

“Building Maintenance for Property Managers”

$375.00

$150.00

$525.00

$150.00

–

$450.00

–

$450.00

Manual Title

Set of 4 manuals (1 of each title) Name

2. Building Maintenance for Property Managers: The purpose of this course is to provide an understanding of maintenance management services, for those involved in the property management sector or a related field. It will give a general overview of management systems, such as the principles of residential construction, building science(s), specification writing, management’s responsibility for the management of life safety systems, contract management, and the impact of the Construction Lien Act. 3. Strategic and Financial Planning for Property Managers: This course is designed to provide a complete review of the accounting process and principles,the managerial use of accounting and financial statements and their analysis,and budget preparation procedures for property managers.

In addition, the techniques and approaches for establishing and organizing objectives and implementing strategies will be discussed.

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Please use my Business address Home address Cheque enclosed for $_____________ Visa Mastercard American Express Card #

4. Human Relations for Property Managers: Property Managers must develop the analytical and behavioural skills related to supervision of employees. In addition, they must also interact with tenants, owners, subcontractors and the general public. Topics will include decision making, leadership, delegation, team building, motivation, counselling and coaching, evaluation, discipline, personnel procedures, recruitment, public relations, client/tenant services, owner/board liaison and business ethics.

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Signature Please make cheque payable to: Institute of Housing Management 2175 Sheppard Ave. E., Suite 310, Toronto, ON M2J 1W8

INSTITUTE OF HOUSING MANAGEMENT 2175 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 310, Toronto, Ontario M2J 1W8 Tel: (416) 493-7382 • Fax: (416) 491-1670 • E-mail: ihm@taylorenterprises.com • Website: ihm-canada.com