Rental Housing Journal Colorado August 2016

Rental Housing Journal Colorado

August 2016 - Vol. 8 Issue 8

2. Western Region Tops In Rental Property Investment in U.S. News Report Says

4. Ask The Secret Shopper – Technology vs Customer Service

3. Rents Rising Fastest Amongst Low-End Apartments

8. Dear Maintenance Men - Countertops, Leaky Roofing and Cleaning Fiberglass Tubs

www.rentalhousingjournal.com • Professional Publishing, Inc

DENVER • COLORADO SPRINGS • BOULDER

Monthly Circulation To More Than 7,000 Apartment Owners, Property Managers, On-Site & Maintenance Personnel

Why Rental Housing Professionals Should Think About HR

Six Steps for an Effective Preventative Maintenance Plan

By Scott Matthews, Director, Strategic Accounts, The Home Depot

M

aintenance costs in rental apartment communities have increased by 1.3 percent over the past three years and are expected to continue growing, according to a recent survey from the National Apartment Association.

Repairs are difficult to predict and – without a proper system in place – property managers can easily overlook certain areas until something breaks and needs a replacement. Be proactive and develop an effective preventative maintenance plan to keep units maintained and reduce the risk of potential repairs or even long term damage.

W

PRSRT STD US Postage P A I D Sound Publishing Inc 98204

ith the minute-to-minute demands of managing and servicing rental properties, who has time for HR? Best hiring and retention practices can take a back seat to maintenance repairs, rent collection, showings and listings, right?

It’s true that HR usually can’t compete with maintenance emergencies and other such urgent matters, but it needs to be part of the regular routine.

HR done well gives employers the tools to create a great workplace and to ensure compliance with employee-related laws and regulations. It sets and maintains a solid, stable foundation. Ignoring HR—or doing it poorly—is like building on unstable land: the foundation will eventually crack and, in a crisis, the structure will collapse. Bad HR is bad for business. continued on page 5

continued on page 7

F

Be Aware Of Safety Issues, But Don’t Discriminate

ollowing the recent non-specific terrorist alert to apartment communities on possible terrorism, most landlords are looking at ways to assist the government and make their apartment communities safe and secure for their residents. However, there are other concerns management should also be aware of.

On the one hand, landlords should not racially profile certain groups.

They should treat all prospective and current residents the same. On the other hand, landlords should be aware of safety issues involving the condition of apartment building and surrounding areas, as well as individuals that frequent the premises.

The law does not require landlords to provide security at apartment communities. The Arizona Residential and Tenant Act (ARLTA), however, may

Professional Publishing Inc., PO Box 6244 Beaverton, OR 97007

continued on page 6

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Real Estate Opportunities in Investing (ROI) Finding Investing Success in Today's Housing Market

Rental Housing Journal Colorado

Western Region Tops In Rental Property Investment in U.S. New Report Says

A

newly released rental ranking report on the attractiveness of real estate investment in the top 75 U.S. metropolitan areas shows the top 10 performing metros in 2015 were: • San Francisco • Seattle • San Jose • Louisville • San Diego • Los Angeles • Denver • Portland • Austin • Atlanta

“Big cities along the West Coast, (including San Francisco, Seattle, San Jose, and Portland) have remained disproportionately represented at the top of the Rental Rankings throughout 2015.

In fact, they occupy six of the top ten national rankings—a trend we have seen consistently over the two years of this report,” the report states.

The report by All Property Management is designed to help investors, property managers, and landlords throughout the U.S. “The Northeastern states remain the least attractive for rental property investment, mainly due to woeful property value appreciation and slow job growth in its metropolitan areas,” the report states.

Western region tops in rental property investment The top performing region in the report was the western U.S., which the report says is currently the best region for rental property investment, thanks largely to the impressive rent increases and property value appreciation found there.

Other highlights include: • Vacancy Rate: Worcester, Mass. had the lowest vacancy rate with 3.05% • Birmingham, Alabama came in in the bottom spot with a 17.67% vacancy rate • Rent Variance: The percent change in median rent was best in Buffalo, NY. At 16% • Hartford, Conn was worst at -6% All Property Management, is a subsidiary of Buildium.com , operator of the largest online network of property management services. The report features insights into the attractiveness of real estate investment in 75 major U.S. metropolitan areas, over all four quarters of 2015.

The higher a metropolitan areas ranking, the better ROI for rental housing within it. The report includes a breakdown of regional performance trends and a look into early indicators for Q1 2016 and the rest of the coming year.

A couple of examples of the information in the report such as this on Seattle and Portland:

Seattle rental property investment ranking “Seattle saw the same slight dip in rankings that many West Coast cities experienced in Q3, but rallied for a strong Q4. Low insurance and property taxes and low vacancy rates kept Rain City firmly in the top ten,” the report states.

2015 Best Rental ROI in the US #3 Best Rental ROI in the West #3 Average Vacancy Rate 3.37% Property 5.56% Appreciation Index Future Rental #17 Availability Index Rent Variance 18.08% 2015 Jon Growth 3.35% (quarterly average) Job Availability Index #18 Capitalization Rate Average 6.20% Average Days on Market 43 Tax & Insurance Cost Index #2

Portland rental property investment ranking No.8 “Portland saw low vacancy rates and high rent variance fuel a good year for Portland’s rental market, though like many West coast cities, the City of Roses did experience a slump in Q3, falling to 49th place overall. However, a moderately strong job market and very strong property appreciation values in the first half of the year helped Portland maintain its spot in the top ten,” the report states.

2015 Best Rental ROI in the US Best Rental ROI in the West Average Vacancy Rate Property Appreciation Index Future Rental Availability Index Rent Variance 2015 Jon Growth (quarterly average) Job Availability Index Capitalization Rate Average Average Days on Market Tax & Insurance Cost Index

#8 #7 3.43% 6.03% #27 5.94% 3.17% #33 4.28% 52 #5

The Rental Ranking Report is calculated with a combination of U.S. real estate, rental housing and jobs reports, along with property appreciation forecasts. A comparison of quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year data is analyzed to discover how rental markets are changing. The nine indicators that are used include: • Vacancy rate • Rent variance • Capitalization rate • Property appreciation • Job growth • Days on market 2

• Future rental availability index • Job availability index • Tax and insurance cost index

With the U.S. homeownership rate falling to its lowest rate since 1967 in July 2015, this has been a banner year for many rental property owners, with vacancy rates at their lowest since 1993.

The rental market in the U.S. reached $173B in 2016, and although rents rose significantly, they still increased at a lower rate than that of the median U.S. home price. In addition to these market statistics, some of the results from this year’s report include: “Our inaugural report was created to serve as a valuable resource for real estate investors, property managers and landlords throughout the U.S.,” Michael Monteiro, co-founder and CEO, Buildium, said in a release. “Our team compiled data from a variety of sources to bring together the most useful information and help those in the real estate industry source new properties and to help in setting rents and fees, assessing value and benchmarking performance.

The report also looked at other factors pertaining to the quality of real estate investments. Some additional data points include the capitalization rate, or the comparison of median rental prices to median property values.

Dayton, Ohio had the highest percentage at 13.15%, and property appreciation, where San Francisco had the highest percentage at 7.34%. The report also looked into job growth where San Jose, California had the highest growth at 19.11%, days on the market San Francisco had the lowest number of days at 33 and future rental availability, where Austin, Texas experienced the best percentage at -1.47%.

Finally, the research also included data on job availability, where it compared population numbers to current job openings San Jose had the highest availability at 36, and the cost of insurance premiums and property taxes, where Salt Lake City came in with the lowest cost.

Looking forward for 2016 “As we open up 2016, we are seeing small but steady increases in many of these trends, as forecasts seem to be brightening across the board,” the report concludes. “While not all reporting is available this early in the year, a look at the key indicators … shows that the same cities seem to be struggling.

That said, even in those cities many of the numbers are making incremental improvements that—if they continue— could spell a strong overall rental market for 2016.

For the full Rental Ranking Report, visit http://www.allpropertymanagement. com/rental-ranking/ Resources: All Property Management Buildium

Rental Housing Journal Colorado · August 2016

Rental Housing Journal Colorado

Rents Rising Fastest Among Low-End Apartments

SEATTLE – Median rent for the least expensive multifamily rental homes is rising faster than median rent overall, and only a small portion of all new apartments is at the low endi, according to the latest Zillow® analysis.

Instead, most new apartment construction is at the top of the market, where luxury units command top prices from wealthy renters.

Zillow analyzed median rents in 15 major housing markets across the country and found that median rent for the least expensive third of apartments was outpacing the overall rental marketii.

Metropolitan Area Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA Chicago, IL Dallas-Fort Worth, TX Philadelphia, PA Washington, DC Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL Boston, MA San Francisco, CA Seattle, WA San Diego, CA St. Louis, MO Tampa, FL Denver, CO Charlotte, NC Sacramento, CA

The trend is especially prevalent in California. In Sacramento, for example, the price of the least expensive rental homes rose 33 percent over the last year, while overall median rent rose just 7 percent.

Cheaper apartments were more in line with overall rent appreciation in Denver and Seattle. The least expensive rentals rose 9 percent in Denver over the past year, while the rental market as a whole rose 7 percent. In Seattle, the least expensive rental homes rose 14 percent and the entire rental market rose 9 percent.

"There's a growing divide in the rental market right now," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. "Very high demand at the low end of the market is being met with more supply at the high end, an imbalance that will only contribute to growing affordability concerns for all renters. We're simply not building enough at the bottom and middle of the rental market to keep up with demand. As a result, these segments are becoming very competitive, as both new renters look to find their first place and existing renters get shut out of homeownership because of extremely limited for-sale inventory.

Apartment construction at the low end needs to start ramping up, and soon, in order to see real improvement."

In Tampa, Fla., 93 percent of apartments built after 2014 were among the most expensive. In Miami, 69 percent of listed new construction was among the most expensive and just 11 percent was among the least expensive.

Charlotte, Denver and Seattle had the smallest percentage of low-end construction built after 2014 -- just 4 percent of new construction in Charlotte was among the least expensive third of rental homes and only 7 percent in Denver and Seattle.

Zillow Rent Indexiii (ZRI) among Low-End Apartments

Low-End ZRI YoY Change

ZRI Among High-End Apartments

High-End ZRI YoY Change

Entire Multi-family Rental Market ZRI

Entire Multifamily Rental Market ZRI YoY Change

Percent of New Construction in Low-End Since 2014

Percent of New Construction in High-End Since 2014

$2,029

27.5%

$3,176

20.8%

$2,370

6.7%

17.2%

53.5%

$1,155 $1,020 $1,102 $1,551 $1,482 $1,908 $2,456 $1,263 $1,754 $693 $934 $1,164 $868 $1,186

6.4% 16.3% 17.9% 7.7% 14.2% 17.3% 24.6% 13.7% 21.7% 5.5% 13.1% 8.6% 12.0% 32.7%

$1,947 $1,712 $ 1,792 $ 3,229 $ 2,367 $ 2,684 $5,944 $2,409 $ 2,992 $1,059 $1,513 $2,060 $1,535 $1,946

-1.0% 8.0% 6.7% 25.7% 6.3% -1.0% 29.3% 20.8% 21.9% 8.1% 16.6% 13.9% 14.0% 28.4%

$1,580 $1,324 $1,234 $1,904 $1,626 $2,178 $3,026 $1,763 $2,101 $936 $1,196 $1,604 $1,195 $1,350

1.0% 5.5% 3.0% 1.0% 5.3% 3.9% 9.2% 8.7% 6.1% 0.4% 5.7% 6.5% 3.4% 7.4%

8.5% 11.2% 14.2% 13.3% 10.7% 16.8% n/a 7.4% 11.2% 25.3% n/a 6.6% 4.2% n/a

79.2% 63.5% 68.9% 55.7% 69.4% 68.4% 56.3% 65.4% 64.2% 61.6% 93.1% 60.0% 71.3% n/a

About Zillow Zillow® is the leading real estate and rental marketplace dedicated to empowering consumers with data, inspiration and knowledge around the place they call home, and connecting them with the best local professionals who can help. In addition, Zillow operates an industry-leading economics and analytics bureau led by Zillow's Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. Dr. Gudell and her team of economists and data analysts produce extensive housing data and research covering more

than 450 markets at Zillow Real Estate Research. Zillow also sponsors the quarterly Zillow Home Price Expectations Survey, which asks more than 100 leading economists, real estate experts and investment and market strategists to predict the path of the Zillow Home Value Index over the next five years.

Zillow also sponsors the biannual Zillow Housing Confidence Index (ZHCI) which measures consumer confidence in local housing markets, both currently and over time. Launched in 2006, Zillow is owned and operated by Zil-

low Group (NASDAQ: Z and ZG), and headquartered in Seattle.

Zillow and Zestimate are registered trademarks of Zillow, Inc. A property is considered new construction if it was built in the calendar year of, or before, the year it was listed on Zillow. In this analysis, the rental listing years included were 2015 and 2016, so new construction is anything built in 2014 and on. i

Rentals in each metropolitan region are assigned to the bottom, middle, or top tier of rentals based on their estimated rental price. Each tier contains one-third of the rentals in the metro ii

region, and the thresholds defining each metro tier are computed separately for each metro. For data on the middle tier of rentals in this analysis, refer to the Zillow Rent Index (ZRI), here.

The Zillow Rent Index (ZRI) is the median Rent Zestimate® (estimated monthly rental price) for a given geographic area on a given day, and includes the value of all single-family residences, condominiums, cooperatives and apartments in Zillow's database, regardless of whether they are currently listed for rent. It is expressed in dollars. iii

SOURCE Zillow – http://www.zillow.com

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3

Rental Housing Journal Colorado

SK THE SECRET SHOPPER Technology vs. Customer Service

T

echnology has revolutionized the way many companies and entire industries do business; including property management. In some rental offices, everything from leasing to rent collections, purchasing and maintenance requests, etc., are being logged, inputted, tracked or entered into a variety of computer programs and databases. All of these processes are designed to improve accuracy, efficiency, customer service and the bottom line. However, depending on how these programs are administrated and maintained will ultimately determine what it’s really costing in customer service and resident relations. Following is a concern from an on site manager to illustrate this point: Q: The property management company I work for is very progressive and seems eager to try every new software program that comes out. Therefore, my maintenance workers, leasing staff and I spend countless hours attending meetings and training sessions in order to understand and implement these programs on site. Due to the amount of input work required for tracking purposes and all of the reports that are generated, not only is my leasing staff often bogged down, but so are some of my maintenance techs. This means that it’s taking longer to get apartments ready for new residents. On the busiest weekends of the month, prospective renters are being turned away and asked to come back because a leasing consultant working alone cannot handle multiple resident requests, the amount of incoming traffic AND all the computer/paperwork they are responsible for submitting at the end of each week. Many times on the weekends and during the week, we are forced to close our office and pretend like we are not there just so we can have some uninterrupted time to “catch up” on the volume of paperwork we are expected to complete. We are in such a vicious cycle with this situation; I just can’t see a way out. What do you suggest?

4

A: It must be extremely exciting working for a company that is always moving forward with innovative programs. On the other hand, it must be equally frustrating dealing with programs designed to enhance efficiency and improve customer service when they leave little time for actually serving the needs of the very customers you are tracking and recording! My first suggestion would be to have your leasing staff keep a daily log for one month detailing the amount of time they spend being trained/administrating the leasing aspects of their jobs, versus actual time spent with clients.

I would encourage you to have your maintenance staff do the same exercise; track the amount of time they spend receiving training/inputting information regarding their make readies and work orders, versus the amount of time they spend doing actual work. (Note: Travel time to and from meetings and training sessions should also be noted since this time away from the job affects employee productivity and impacts customer service too.)

At the end of the 30-day period, prepare a report of your findings and present the information to your supervisor.

Then, be prepared for a “brainstorming” session to come up with some solutions that will work for your specific circumstances, the size of your staff and your community. For example, perhaps employees could “trade off” in their roles daily, weekly or monthly. Maybe during the busiest times of the month, one leasing consultant would be exclusively responsible for interacting with prospective renters (i.e. Conducting tours, closing the sale, doing the follow up work, etc.), while another employee is made responsible for all data entry, reporting, move-in paperwork, lease renewals, etc. A similar arrangement could be made between maintenance workers so at least one employee would be able to work uninterrupted turning

apartments, while another is responsible for handling the ordering, work orders, data entry, etc.

Again, the solution(s) to your situation will depend on many factors, but the important thing is to be in com-

munication with your supervisor regarding the challenges you are facing. If quality customer service to future and current residents is being compromised for the sake of standardization, speed and efficiency, then perhaps it’s time to reevaluate some of the systems that are in place. After all, your customers don’t really care how quickly you can enter their traffic source or how efficiently you can input their work orders into your computer system. What is important to them is your AVAILABILITY. Of course if you are so busy processing paperwork that you don’t have time to serve your future or existing residents you won’t have this problem for very long. When faced with a leasing office that is often closed or a phone that goes unanswered, your prospective renters and residents will eventually take their business elsewhere.

If you are interested in leasing training or have a question or concern you would like to see addressed, please reach out to me via e-mail. Otherwise, please contact Jancyn for your employee evaluation needs: www.jancyn.com ASK THE SECRET SHOPPER Provided by: Joyce (Kirby) Bica Former owner of Shoptalk Service Evaluations Consultant to Jancyn Evaluation Shops E-mail: shptalk2@gmail.com Copyright © Joyce (Kirby) Bica

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Rental Housing Journal Colorado

Think About HR

...continued from page 1

HR Helps You Create a Great Workplace Let’s imagine a common scene: two prospective tenants have taken their lunch hour to visit a couple of nearby apartment complexes. The two places have similar rates and offer comparable perks to renters. Nevertheless, the prospective tenants rule out the second one almost immediately after entering the property.

At the first location, they’re greeted warmly by the apartment management staff. They have to wait a few minutes to be seen, so they have a moment to take in the office atmosphere. The front office is busy, but not chaotic. Maintenance and janitorial employees pop in and out, and their interactions with the office manager are courteous and efficient. Overall, the employees seem happy, and the office has a welcoming vibe.

At the second location, the prospective tenants are seen to immediately, but there’s no warmth to the place. The employee at the front desk mutters that today was supposed to be his day off.

Two others argue audibly in a back office. The employees clearly don’t want to be there, and the applicants conclude they feel the same. They leave, without having looked at any of the available apartments, and drive back to the first place.

When employees like where they work, they tend to be happier. That’s good for customers, clients, and prospects too—it makes the place they come to for business (or residence!) a happier place, a place they like to be. And when employees dislike their workplace, their disapproval shows. Having angry or disengaged employees is the fastest avenue to negative reviews and a negative reputation.

Whether a business has a good or bad reputation is no mere matter of chance: it’s largely a consequence of doing HR well or poorly. Doing HR well means valuing and honoring the work and contributions of employees, attending to their working conditions, establishing consistent employment practices and policies, setting clear channels for communication, building a workplace culture of collaboration and camaraderie, and providing perks and benefits

imum wages, to payroll deductions, to sick leaves, to travel reimbursements, to what questions employers can ask applicants. Twenty-three states even have social media privacy laws! Municipalities are getting more and more into the action as well: some cities have their own minimum wages and sick leaves, among other ordinances.

To handle all these laws and regulations, large companies have their own HR departments, but small and midsized companies can often afford to have only one person in charge of these matters. These one-person HR Departments often have many other responsibilities demanding their attention (like setting rentals rates, calculating taxes, and advertising vacancies). Consequently, HR often gets less priority, putting these organizations at risk.

Bottom Line It’s vital to the health of an organization to put at least one person in charge of HR and give that person adequate time to attend to it – and not only during times of an HR crisis. Whoever oversees HR matters needs time to do research or seek the advice of other HR professionals. With sufficient time and resources, an HR individual or team can help ensure that the organization has a great and compliant workplace.

And that’s good for increasing income and reducing expenses, no matter what the business!

By The Mammoth HR Pros

when possible. Doing HR poorly means choosing to neglect one or more of these areas.

HR Helps You Comply with Laws and Regulations HR is also about the law, meaning HR can be a headache and a half. But whether or not an employer attends to HR, the laws and regulations are going to be there. And ignoring them has consequences.

Every employer needs to know about federal laws like the Fair Labor Stan-

dards Act (FLSA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FLMA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Equal Pay Act (EPA) and the Affordance Care Act (ACA). Every law won’t apply to every employer, but violations can be expensive, so an employer shouldn’t just assume they’re exempt. Even simple oversights can be costly. A company can incur fines simply for not having the proper labor law posters displayed!

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Rental Housing Journal Colorado · August 2016

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Rental Housing Journal Colorado

Be Aware of Safety Issues

...continued from page 1 valid photo identification to match up with a prospective renter. Fake driver’s licenses and passports are easy to forge or buy on the street.

• Increase your inspections of both vacant and occupied rental units. Remember, under state law you have the right to enter your rental with a two-day written access notice.

confuse some residents. A.R.S. § 331324 states in part:

A. The landlord shall: 1. Comply with the requirements of applicable building codes materially affecting health and safety as prescribed in section 9-1303.

2. Make all repairs and do whatever is necessary to put and keep the premises in a fit and habitable condition.

3. Keep all common areas of the premises in a clean and safe condition.

This does not mean management must provide security. It simply means that if repairs are necessary and are the responsibility of management, it must make them. Many landlords provide courtesy patrols, but these are not security guards.

Random criminal acts occur on virtually every property. It is advisable for communities to encourage their residents to maintain property insurance, such as automobile and renter’s insurance, to adequately protect them is such an act takes place.

Watch For Certain Signs When dealing with crime, there are certain areas landlords should look into. These include: • Ask renters to watch for any activities they consider suspicious. Tell them to report these to the FBI or local law enforcement agency.

• Check to see if new residents turn on the unit’s utilities. Individuals who use their apartments for criminal purposes often do not turn these on.

• Watch for persons who pay their leases in advance and in cash.

• Look for generally suspicious or unusual behavior. Examples of this include: ··Excessive traffic. ··Residents and guests entering and leaving the unit at odd hours. ··Residents who have a lot of cash and expensive cars, but do not appear to be employed. ··A barely furnished apartment.

This could mean that the resident plans to stay for only a short period of time ··Student residents who do not appear to leave the unit to attend class.

• Watch for unusual packages delivered to the property. You should also set up procedures for accepting and storing packages delivered to residents.

Remember to use common sense, but don’t discriminate. The bottom line is to look for suspicious activity with multiple indicators, not just a single incident. Educate residents with CrimeFree programs, Block Watches and, if appropriate, notifications of criminal acts that occur on the property and who to call if they have information that could assist the investigation.

Andrew M. Hull, Esq. Hull, Holliday & Holliday, PLC www.doctorevictor.com 602.230.0088

• Conduct a thorough and complete screening of applicants and ask for photo identification. Try to get a

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Rental Housing Journal Colorado · August 2016

Rental Housing Journal Colorado

Preventative Maintenance Plan

...continued from page 1

These tasks and inspections are more than likely being done already. This plan and checklist is meant to minimize mistakes and lapses in your maintenance calendar. Start your standing checklist with these six maintenance essentials:

1. Air Filters Coordinate with your maintenance staff to change each unit’s air filter every one to three months to eliminate the chance of any potential risks to your systems and any health issues for your tenants.

Leaving dirty air filters unchecked can lead to mildew growth and decreased air flow. Not only does this impact tenants but can increase the energy consumption and potentially cause major damage to the HVAC system. On average, eight percent of a property’s energy consumption is air conditioning.

2. Mechanical Systems: Hvac and Water Heaters It’s better to spend a little money on a few inspections than a lot for last-minute repairs or replacements. Have your HVAC systems and water heaters inspected at least twice a year, before the summer and winter months, to ensure there isn’t any damage or warning signs. Dirty coils, worn parts and faulty controls on your HVAC system and water heater are a few of the signs that can go unnoticed. Take your proactivity a step further and add one or two more additional visual inspections to prevent a potential breakdown. When planning, keep in mind seasonal transitions and temperature changes.

3. Energy-Efficient Lighting Upgrades Constantly swapping and changing incandescent light bulbs takes quite an amount of your maintenance staff’s time. Simply upgrading to LED bulbs will decrease operating and energy costs, as these bulbs use 84 percent less energy and can last for more than 20 years. Imagine not worrying about changing bulbs until 2036. Upgrading LED lighting requires a slightly higher upfront investment, but there is a tremendous amount of return on that investment over time.

4. Fire Safety Alarms and Equipment Fire departments respond to about 108,000 multifamily residential building fires in the United States every year.

Take whatever precautions you can to keep your property off that list. Check and change batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors, and make sure every unit is equipped with a working and functional fire extinguisher. Consider upgrading units with smoke and CO detectors that include lithium-ion batteries. These sealed alarms last 10 years without needing a

Rental Housing Journal Colorado · August 2016

new battery. After 10 years, you simply toss the entire unit and get a new one. Today there are even Wi-Fi enabled products that alert your resident’s smartphone and / or staff of any potential smoke or CO detected.

5. Water Damage Minimize or eliminate water damage threats by regularly checking common indoor areas such as sinks, water heaters and washing machines. Consider installing leak detection sensors in high-risk areas that will alert your staff via smartphone of leaks so they can immediately address problems and possibly avoid expensive water damage.

Make sure there is proper sealing of gaps and cracks of doors and windows.

Risks and existing water damage can be spotted outdoors in the landscaping and irrigation, gutters and roofing.

Have all these areas properly inspected and ensure water is draining properly.

6. Resident Security Renters are 85 percent more likely to experience break-ins than homeowners. Smart home technology can help boost security and can also lead to significant savings for property manag-

ers. Securing the property with keyless entry locks also makes it significantly easier and less expensive to re-key, decreasing the workload of maintenance requests. This technology also allows renters to grant access for service calls, admit access remotely while away and manage the system through a convenient app on their smartphone.

Lighting is another area to consider when increasing security. As you maintain, repair and swap bulbs on flood lights and other outdoor fixtures, consider upgrading to motion-sensor LEDs. As technology advances, these smarter fixtures are becoming much more affordable, and they’ll create peace of mind for residents while possible deterring potential crime and other security risks.

The bedrock for an effective preventative maintenance plan is partnering with the right third-party service providers and procurement sources. Look for suppliers and service providers that offer a combination of services, from MRO product fulfillment to products and installation services for capital projects and installation services for all of the above. Consolidating vendor touch points and points of contact can lead to significant savings.

By Scott Matthews, Director, Strategic Accounts, The Home Depot Scott is responsible for managing national accounts and e-commerce while overseeing business-to-business relationships. During his 25 years at The Home Depot, he has served in a variety of roles and capacities, including Regional Pro Sales Manager, District Manager and Store Manager.

7

Rental Housing Journal Colorado

DEAR MAINTENANCE MEN: Countertops, Leaky Roofing and Cleaning Fiberglass Tubs

By Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez

Dear Maintenance Men: I have a unit with old laminate counter tops. The counter tops are sound, but are very dull and faded looking.

Can the tops be saved? I don’t want to replace them at this time. Do you have any suggestions?

Bill Dear Bill: It will be impossible to make your counter tops look new again, however with a little bit of elbow grease, we can give them a new lease on life. First thoroughly clean the counter top with Soft Scrub or similar product, rinse completely. The laminate rehab products are wax-based sealers found in name brands like Gel Gloss or Minwax.

They can be in paste, liquid or spray form, however do not use auto wax.

You may want to apply these products from time to time as the counter tops lose their luster.

Dear Maintenance Men: I own 8 units and enjoy doing minor maintenance around my building. One of my current projects is to repair three persistent leaks on my roof. The property has a flat roof. Can you give me some advice on tracking down these leaks?

Don

8

the cut. Install desired size of cap sheet as a patch. d. Cover any exposed roofing material with gravel or stone. (This keeps the sun from rotting the material.) e. Secure any loose gutters and clean out drainage systems. f. Seal any cracks in the stucco, water can wick into these cracks. g. You may want to consider installing roof drains in the areas that rain water pools the most. h. To help keep cracks from coming back, use fiberglass webbing with your patch material.

Dear Maintenance Men: How do I get a fiberglass tub clean without scratching the surface?

John Dear John: The nice thing about fiberglass tubs and showers is that no matter how dirty they get, they are fairly easy to clean up.

Be careful not to use any abrasives on the fiberglass, such as scouring pads, steel wool or gritty cleaning solutions.

“Soft Scrub” may be used sparingly on soap scum buildup. “Lime-Away” may be used for hard water mineral deposits, but read the directions and look for the fiberglass warning or approval statement. If you have very tough stains, moisten a cloth with clean Acetone solvent or nail polish remover. Do not let the Acetone pool as it may soften the fiberglass material. Acetone and many other cleaners have very strong vapors, so it is important to ventilate the area properly. After all the cleaning is done, the fiberglass surface may be dull. Use a fiberglass conditioner and glossing paste to bring the tub or shower back to its original condition. You can use a product called “Gel Gloss” to bring back the shine.

Dear Don: Flat roof leaks can be extremely tricky to trouble shoot. Water intrusions tend to travel, then drop at the lowest point of your roof and ceilings.

A careful inspection would include checking following: 1. Flashing around vent stacks and gravel stop roof edges.

2. Exposed roofing nail heads.

3. Drainage systems on the roof or directly adjacent to the building.

4. Exposed roofing that is devoid of grave or stone cover.

Bio: 5. Roof seams or laps.

Please call: Buffalo Maintenance, Inc for main6. Blisters and water pooling areas on tenance work or consultation. the roof.

JLE Property Management, Inc for management Some solutions and preven- service or consultation Frankie Alvarez at 714 956-8371 tative maintenance: Jerry L’Ecuyer at 714 778-0480 a. Caulk all flashings and exposed roof CA contractor lic: #797645, EPA seams with roofing Henry’s 208. It Real Estate lic. #: 01460075 Certified Renovation Company comes in gallon or tube form. www.BuffaloMaintenance.com b. Caulk any exposed roofing nails. www.ContactJLE.com c. Score blisters with a utility knife and www.Facebook.com/BuffaloMaintenance inject Henry’s 208 with a caulking gun into the blister opening. Apply pressure until cement oozes out of Rental Housing Journal Colorado · August 2016