On-Site ( Seattle ) RHJ March 2018

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

March 2018

4. The Outdoor Furniture Market is Booming!

11. Learn, Connect, Grow – 2018 Education Conference and Exposition

15. Almost 4,000 Jobs Available in the Rental Housing Industry

Chaise Lounges And Heaters Are Leading The Way

5. Can a Landlord Say no Guns in My Apartments?

16. Property Management Cyberattack Risks Overlooked, Underestimated

7. 6 Insights about Rental Property Owners and Property Managers

17. Millennials' Expectations Driving Maintenance Changes

8. Rent Control Does More Harm Than Good New Study Says

18. Two Portland Landlords Resign from Rental Services Commission

9. Property Managers, Supplier Companies and WMFHA Working Together for You

20. Dear Maintenance Men

www.rentalhousingjournal.com • Professional Publishing, Inc 17,000 Papers Mailed Monthly To Puget Sound Apartment Owners, Property Managers & Maintenance Personnel Published in association with Washington Association, IREM & Washington Multifamily Housing Association

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S

44% of Professionals Lose Sleep Over Work Stress

leepless nights caused by work anxiety are taking a heavy toll on employees, according to a release from a top global staffing firm.

Research shows more than four in 10 professionals, 44 percent, often lose sleep over work, according to a release from staffing firm Accountemps.

"Work stressors can often follow you home, but try to check them at the door," Michael Steinitz, executive director of Accountemps, said in the release. "If you have too much on your plate, schedule time with your manager to discuss possible solutions to alleviate the pressure, such as delegating work to others, adjusting deadlines or bringing in temporary help."

How often do you lose sleep over work?

• Very Often 15% • Somewhat Often 29% • Not Very Often 43%

• Never 13% Common causes of restlessness include an overwhelming workload, a looming business problem and strained

coworker relationships.

Workers were asked, "How often ...continued on page 20

Fair Housing Discrimination Against Someone You’ve Never Talked to?

by Ellen Clark

T

he Grace Hill training tip of the week focuses on the issue of potential fair housing discrimination against someone you have never talked to.

When you think about upholding Fair Housing Act laws, you probably think about treating people fairly and equally when they come in for a tour, or as you interact with them as potential tenants. But did you ever think if you fail to answer an email, you end up on the wrong side of a fair housing claim

without ever interacting with a person?

Fair housing laws protect people from discrimination throughout all stages of your interactions, not just after they become your tenant or residents of your apartment community. From the first contact, whether by phone call, email, text, or in-person, you are responsible for upholding fair housing laws and treating all people in a nondiscriminatory manner.

In fact, it is possible for you to discriminate against someone without ever having direct contact with that person. That may seem unlikely, but

let’s explore how that could happen. If an employee fails to respond to an email due to an assumption about the sender’s race, that behavior could be considered discrimination.

How discrimination could happen against someone you’ve never talked to. Here are a couple of examples to consider: • A maintenance technician skips over a service ticket for a devout Christian family with a reputation for talking openly about their religion because he anticipates ...continued on page 8

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site ¡ March 2018

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site

The Outdoor Furniture Market is Booming!

Chaise Lounges And Heaters Are Leading The Way

by Jeannie Flynn

U

nseasonably warm weather in the Southwest and below zero temperatures in the Midwest is keeping outdoor furniture an patio accessories on the minds of apartment managers and rental property owners across the country. Trends and popular styles are ever changing, but the in-fashion patio furniture look for this year is Nantucket, cool, carefree and comfy. We’re seeing navy blues, and cool grays popped with reds and yellows as the popular color pallet for many new projects.

Chairs Adirondack chairs, a classic look for Summer furniture, are more popular than ever. The 2018 version is no longer made from clunky, heavy wood.

Instead these popular chairs are now manufactured in a long lasting “faux wood” -- a high-density polyethylene (HDPE) product.

Available in traditional and contemporary designs, Adirondack chairs are comfortable, colorful and add additional seating to your pool, deck and other outdoor public areas.

Eco-friendly “faux wood” products are typically made of recycled plastic.

This durable, long lasting material is easy to clean and will withstand the extreme elements, proving to be a smart amenity investment for your properties.

Whether Adirondack chairs are you’re choice or not, make sure that you always ask for commercial rated products that offer commercial liability insurance and warranties when purchasing patio furniture and accessories for your apartment community or commercial buildings.

Heaters There are many outdoor heaters available on the market today. How to find the best product for your patio is the key. Whether it be electric, natural or liquid propane, there are a variety of options.

Heaters are not always about heat.

Fire is alluring and draws attention to a location. Sometimes they are designed for ambiance or to be used as outdoor signage at night.

When shopping for heater, I suggest that you keep these questions in mind: • How many BTU's (British Thermal Units) does a heater offer? The lower the BTU's the less heat output?

• Does the heater come with a replacement parts program?

• Does the heater come with a commercial warranty?

• If so how many years and what does it cover?

• Is there a local representative or dealer that can help you with any issues that may arise?

Ask about the frames and finishes.

Are they stainless steel? If they are steel with a painted finish, are they powder

coated or just painted.

When it comes to commercial rated heaters, price plays a huge part on the difference between something that is built to last or something that will need to be replaced after one season. You definitely get what you pay for when it comes to really inexpensive products.

In this case, if you are using a heater that is not up to code or considered to be commercial rated, you could be setting yourself up for a liability situation that could cost you much more in the long run.

CMS Commercial Furniture offers the finest selection in commercial rated outdoor furniture and accessories. We've worked with many hospitality and multi-family housing properties to create revenue generating spaces and provide custom designed products to offer that one of a kind feel. All of the above combined with flexible price points, has allowed us to find our niche in this industry. www.cmsfurniture.com 480-892-3212 info@cmsfurniture.com

•

We help clients resolve landlord-tenant cases involving evictions, litigation, fair housing complaints, leases, and other tenant disputes.

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Can a Landlord Say no Guns in My Apartments?

By John Triplett

G

enerally a private landlord can make a decision about whether to say "no guns in my apartments," unless a state forbids landlords from banning guns in apartments or rental property, according to Denny Dobbins, general legal counsel and vice president of CrimShield, Inc. State laws vary on the issue of what landlords can mandate regarding saying “no guns in my apartments,” and gun possession in general by tenants in privately owned rental properties.

Landlords and property managers need to be aware of whether their state or local government has specific laws, Dobbins said in an interview with Rental Housing Journal.

Only four states have specific statutes laws regarding guns in apartments and rental properties: • Minnesota says a landlord cannot restrict the lawful carry or possession of firearms by tenants or their guests Minnesota Statute 624.714• Tennessee: A private landlord can prohibit tenants, including those who hold handgun carry permits, from possessing firearms within a leased premises. Such a prohibition may be imposed through a clause in the lease. Tennessee Statute § 39-171307(b).

• Virginia public housing prohibits landlords from restrictions on gun possession for tenants – Virginia Rental Housing Act 1974 Tennessee 55-248.9.6.

• Wisconsin has a complicated maze of where a weapon can and cannot be possessed. Wis. Stat. § 175.60(21) (b).

All the other states are generally silent on the issue, Dobbins said, meaning that private housing providers can choose what they want to do on the issue. California, Arizona, Colorado, Oregon, Utah and Washington are five of the states that are silent.

For instance, Virginia law says public landlords cannot use a prohibition clause in their lease, and it does not require that a gun-free zone sign be applied or at the property.

“Now in Minnesota they have a different law. Generally, private landlords may not restrict the lawful carry of firearms by tenants. All the other states are silent on whether private landlords can prohibit tenants from carrying weapons or possessing weapons on the property,” Dobbins said.

Unless your landlord is a governmental entity, like a city, or state, agency, public housing or receives state or federal funding for rental assistance on your property, the 2nd Amendment is unlikely to apply. However, private housing providers who say 'no guns my my apartments' and prohibit tenants from possessing firearms in a residential rental unit, raises other constitutional and insurance issues.

Can a landlord say ‘no guns in my apartments’?

“Generally, the answer is yes" that a landlord can say 'no guns in my apartments.' But, I think we need to take the most practical approaches we can for all the issues surrounding the question such as having something in our lease that says, ‘Keep your weapons inside, and if you bring them onto the common areas we will evict you. If you keep them to yourself, safely tucked away in the private confines of your apartment unit, that's fine. We don't care.’

“For me, I would simply say to private landlords, ‘Look, the real issue here that you want to protect against is for tenants having guns willy-nilly, or just being carried around and shown off on the property common area.

“You can stop that kind of behavior cold in the common areas altogether so go ahead and put something in your lease to stop it. Prohibiting that kind of behavior will help protect against liability issues, insurance issues and 2nd Amendment challenges. What about prohibiting tenants from having guns in their apartment unit? Generally, a private landlord can do that too, but there are a wide variety of issues to think about when you do so.”

“Most states have not made a decision whether or not to prohibit the constitutional rights of someone who wants to have a weapon in their apartment unit for their own protection. What that means is that leaves it up to the private landlord to make a decision,” Dobbins said.

“Yes, a private landlord can say, ‘We prohibit all tenants from possessing a gun anywhere on the property.’ The private landlord can make that decision because there hasn't been a case yet that draws the 2nd Amendment into the private landlord decision-making process on the issue as has happened with Fair Housing issues like race, color, national origin, familial status, religion, gender, age, military status and Americans with disabilities.”

“That's going to pit the private landlord who says, ‘No guns in my apartments’ or weapon possession in the rented apartment unit against the tenant who says, ‘Well, I have a constitutional right to a weapon to

Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

protect myself.’ That case has not been heard yet.” Dobbins said he thinks we will eventually hear that issue because “someone is going to finally get that case to the Supreme Court.”

“From a practical point of view on the liability issue, let's say a landlord says, ‘No weapons possession in the rented apartment unit.’ The tenant moves in and he wants to possess a weapon in the rented apartment unit but he decides to live there without possessing a weapon. Now somebody breaks into his home and kills his wife and his kids and he didn't have a weapon to protect himself and his family. I don't want to be that landlord who says ‘No guns in my apartments’ because I don't want to get sued because I took that personal constitutional right away.

“The landlord is going to say, ‘He agreed to it and he moved in.’ Of course, the person who had their family killed is going to say, ‘Yeah, but I still had a right and you made me not have a gun and took away my 2nd Amendment constitutional rights to protect my family.’

“I don't want to be that landlord,” Dobbins said. On the other side, if weapons are allowed on the property and someone gets killed or injured by a tenant intentionally, or even negligently, from a discharge of a weapon on the property, even while inside their own apartment unit, you know the attorney for the injured is going to go after the deep pockets of the landlord and manager and their insurance companies. It is an ugly Catch 22.”

Issues on how ‘no guns in my apartments’ would be applied “You run into a few issues in terms of how that is applied in actual practice.

For instance, where you have a law that says landlords can prohibit gun possession in an apartment unit in a lease, well, how are you possibly going to enforce that? You don't know what a tenant brings into the property,” Dobbins said.

“You don't know what they're going to have in their home. You don't know if they have weapons in their apartment unit. You can't really go in and inspect

for weapons. If they have a safe you can't go look in the safe to see if they have weapons. Even if a state has a rule that says you can prohibit weapons, there's no practical way to enforce that rule.

“The second issue then becomes really important, ‘Do you really want to be the case of first impression?’

Meaning, do you really want to be the landlord who takes on some attorney and a 2nd Amendments rights person because the landlord says you can't have a gun in your own apartment unit to protect yourself? We have all seen lately that the crazy people, mentally ill people, criminals and terrorists can get guns. So, why should a private landlord have a rule where concerned tenants cannot possess a gun in their rented apartment unit? A private landlord does not want to become the trial case for a tenant who says, ‘Wait a second. I have a 2nd Amendment right to carry and to have weapons to protect myself and my family.’

“The landlord says, ‘Well, having a weapon on a private property is not a protected class like the protected classes listed above. Having a right to possess a weapon in one’s apartment unit is not a current enumerated protected class,” Dobbins said.

“But, I tend to disagree with those people who say it's not a protected class because there is a constitutional personal right to bear arms - period. The protected classes in the housing arena listed above are all federal mandates.

Well, an enumerated constitutional right in my mind is the same thing. A court case will determine that issue at some point.”

Let’s back up and look at the issue if a landlord wants to say 'no guns in my apartments' If a landlord says "no guns in my apartments," Dobbins suggested looking at two 2nd Amendment cases he thinks makes the tenant’s right to a weapon in the tenant’s apartment unit a personal right, and thus, a protected class.

“Here's what we know. The federal government can impose some restrictions on guns. There have been a lot of debates over time as to what the 2nd Amendment means because it has a phrase in it regarding militias and it also talks about “the people’ right” as opposed to a “person’s right”. There's been this idea that the ability or the right to bear arms is not a personal right. Rather, that it is a right of the people for a prepared militia.

“This issue came up in a case in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2008. It's called the Heller Case. It dealt with individual rights to possess weapons. The Heller case made it very clear that there is an individual right to possess weapons as opposed to just a right of the people for the purposes of maintaining a militia.

“The restrictions, Heller goes on to say, deals with felons and the mentally ill. Such people have no personal rights because those rights are stripped for the mentally ill and felons. There still ...continued on page 6 5

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Guns ...continued from 5 remained a question after Heller. The question after Heller was, ‘Well, that's great but what about the states? How does the Federal law impact state laws on the subject? ‘ “In 2010, the McDonald case went before the Supreme Court and that dealt with the 14th Amendment, which forbids states from passing rules to the contrary of the federal law. There were basically four elements in McDonald that they dealt with: whether there could be a state prohibition against handgun ownership, whether a state could force an annual gun registration and impose a fee for annual registration, require that guns be registered prior to acquisition, and whether a gun could be forever unable to be registered if the registration lapsed. Those laws were struck down in the McDonald case. Basically the opinion stated that the 14th Amendment applies as to the individual right to possess guns and that states cannot pass laws that infringe upon that federal constitutional right.

“So it seems to me that private landlords forbidding tenants from possessing firearms in their apartment unit could be successfully challenged based on the 2nd Amendment, I think, because Heller and McDonald make it a personal right, which I think makes it a protected class,” Dobbins said.

“I guess the simple answer is in those five states that we mentioned…private landlords in those states can choose what they want to do, but when a private landlord chooses to ban tenants’ ability to possess a firearm in their apartment unit they face the ugly music of liability issues and constitutional infringement,” he said.

A proposed lease clause on how landlords might walk the fine line of dealing with tenants’ possession of guns in their apartment units Dobbins said he would propose the following lease clause for landlords to consider.

“For me, as a landlord, I would say ‘No weapons in the common area.’ This is something that I put in my leases and in my client leases. It provides reason, accountability and protections for the Landlord, the tenants and staff. It's a section called ‘Weapons’ for the lease and this is what it says: “Weapons of any kind, including, but not limited to, dart guns, air guns, BB guns, slingshots, handguns, rifles, or any mechanism that could be used to

6

away either. If the staff lawfully carries a concealed weapon, that is their choice.

However, I would not want them to carry openly. Again, you have to decide as a landlord how to handle this issue after consultation with your attorney and your insurance carrier.”

Summary: “There's something to the deterrent factor, whether you have a liberal slant on guns or a conservative slant on guns.

The facts are the facts. We just have to deal with them in a practical way. There are no easy answers as to what private landlords should do about whether or not they allow their tenants to possess a legal firearm in their own apartment unit in the face of constitutional rights, liability issues, insurance coverage and individual feeling about weapon possession. But, it is an issue that needs deep thought and consultation with professionals.

“I think we need to take the most practical approaches we can for all of these issues, having something in our lease that says, ‘keep your weapons inside’ and if you bring a weapon in the common area we're going to evict you. Or, no weapon possession allowed period and if we learn you possess a weapon on the property, we are going to evict you. Whatever your chose, make sure that it in writing and cannot be misunderstood. If you have something in your lease on the subject, make it crystal clear.”

Resources: What Was At Issue In District Of Columbia V. Heller?, Minnesota Gun Laws: Banning Weapons at Private Establishments, Concealed Carry Laws and Property Management, Can My Landlord Ban Gun Ownership?

propel an object that could cause harm to person or property are not allowed in the common areas, are not allowed in the office, are not allowed anywhere on the premises outside of the actual unit, and are not allowed to be displayed, shown, exposed, demonstrated, or exhibited anywhere in the community premises, except in case of selfdefense or the need for imminent and immediate protection of residents’ life or property, or for self-defense or immediate and imminent protection of resident, resident’s occupants, guests or invitees life, or property. If a resident desires to possess a legal weapon in resident’s unit in that case the resident must safely and inconspicuously carry said legal weapon to and from the resident’s unit in a manner that resident ensures other residents and staff do not see said weapon. Illegal weapons are never allowed visibly on the property outside of the unit. If resident or resident's occupants do possess a legal weapon in the unit, resident shall be responsible for the proper and safe possession, handling and storage of said weapon. Landlord is not and shall not be responsible in any way to resident, occupants, guests, or invitees for any accidental, negligent, or intentional act involving any weapon or discharge thereof on, near, or off the property."

“That's my clause,” Dobbins said. “It covers a lot of ground because I don't want to take away tenants’ the right under the 2nd Amendment after the Heller and McDonald cases yet we need to make sure that tenants understand, in the common areas especially, if they brandish or show a weapon they will be evicted. However, I do not think it is a good idea to take away a tenant’s right to possession in their own apartment unit. That is just how I personally look at it. Each private landlord has to make a decision on this subject based on an analysis of all the factors set forth in this article. I suggest you talk to your attorney and your insurance broker to make your own decision on the subject,” Dobbins said.

rented unit.”

“Here's another issue to think about.

Let's say a private landlord prohibits the possession of firearms and the private landlord calls their property now a ‘gun-free zone’ or a ‘weapon-free zone.’ In my mind, they've done exactly what the schools have done when you call a school a gun-free zone. You've just opened it up to the crazy people and you've said, ‘Hey, nobody here has weapons. Come over here and break in.

Come over here and cause havoc to our property because no one is allowed to have weapons here and cannot defend themselves. Come in and steal from them, rob them, do whatever you want to do with them.’

“I think that sets a very bad precedent and as a premises liability expert, I would say that by doing that you've now opened yourself up to say you called yourself a gun-free zone, when it is just not true. You've invited bad guys to your property and you intentionally, unknowingly maybe, but still intentionally put your residents at risk of harm. That's how I look at it.

“Once you invade someone's privacy in their home for their own protection and their own desires regarding the 2nd Amendment, now you're creating some issues that you don't really need to create. Even if a landlord has a prohibition for tenants regarding guns or ammo, it's not going to stop someone from having weapons if they want them in their apartment unit. So why have the rule at all? Why take on extra liability and extra problems when we know that possessing a weapon in one’s apartment unit is practically unenforceable. A tenant should be able to possess a firearm if they want one, but if the tenant goes around bragging about it, or showing it off, that tenant needs to go.

“Now if a management company maintenance employee goes in and he sees a stockpile of ammunition or weapons I would immediately contact the authorities and let them deal with it as they will,” Dobbins said.

What about restrictions on ammunition in apartments?

If a private landlord says 'no guns in my apartments' can the landlord say you can only have so much ammunition?

Or no ammunition?

“Yeah, private landlords can if they want to, but the same factors are at issue as for gun possession in a tenant-

Should property managers have guns?

Two property managers in Portland were shot by a tenant following an eviction last year. Should property managers have guns?

About CrimShield: “Well, I think we're getting into CrimShield is a company devoted to prothat debate a little bit with one of the tecting companies from negligent hiring remedies that's been brought up about and negligent retention as well as providpossibly arming teachers. In Israel the ing tools to stop management headaches, government trains and allows trained reduce customer complaints and elimiteachers to be armed for many years nate lawsuits. This unique preventative now. Israel has no problem with gun approach to reducing criminal activity violence in schools because everyone transforms the way companies hire and knows the teachers are not only armed monitor employees, contractors, vendors and volunteers. CrimShield helps compabut they're trained.

“Now that's something for nies assess potential risk and implement management companies to decide easy-to-use solutions. because they're put in the pickle of, ‘Okay, if my managers and staff have a • weapon and they use it, am I going to be sued?’ If they don't have a weapon and can't use it, am I going to be sued?

They're in a real pickle because if they do allow staff to carry they need to make sure those staff members are very well-trained and don't misuse that weapon.”

“For me as a property owner I would not mandate my staff to possess weapons. However, I would not take my staff’s constitution right to protection Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

About Denny Dobbins: J.D. “Denny” Dobbins, Jr. is CrimShield’s general legal counsel. He brings more than 20 years of experience and a passion for protecting businesses, their customers and their bottom lines. Dobbins works with company attorneys to develop pertinent criteria to assess risk factors for granting access by individuals to customers and facilities. He also testifies as an expert on negligence, negligent hiring and negligent retention, especially relating to non-delegable duties. His job is to help CrimShield investigators understand the laws of every state, as each state has different statutes and legal terminology.

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

6 Insights about Rental Property Owners and Property Managers

by Buildium.com

W

hat are the keys to the relationship between rental property owners and property managers? These insights could help rental property owners better set their expectations and help property managers better understand the owners.

The rental property owners’ survey from Buildium.com revealed 6 insights about rental property owners and the relationship with property managers.

• Rental owners fall into two distinct categories but share many of the same concerns • Maintenance and tenant management are the biggest areas of owner pain • Communication is the #1 reason owners love a property manager. Poor service is why they leave.

• Most rental owners find their property managers by searching online • Cost is the #1 reason self-managing rental owners don’t use a property manager • There is an inertia effect in property ownership.

No. 1 – Intentional and accidental owner-investors • Intentional investors: “These owners typically set out to acquire a real-estate portfolio as a way to invest their incomes for retirement. They might begin with their own starter home, but typically they currently own between 2 and 40 units. They focus more on growth and on cash flow, and are either expanding or seeking to expand their portfolio. They are more often male, and a bit older than accidental investors. They are more likely to say they always enjoy property ownership,” Buildium.com writes in the report.

• Accidental investors: These owners tend to fall into property management, either through inheritance or more commonly due to moving away from a property they own and being unable or unwilling to sell. They have a slight bias toward being female and younger than intentional investors. Though they see their property as a solid investment, they commonly own just one rental unit— usually a single family home— and are not as likely to grow their portfolio. Accidental investors are less likely to say they always enjoy property ownership.

• Note: There was a 12% crossover between the two, where owners indicated they had a portfolio that was inclusive of a former residence and property purchased as an investment.

No. 2 – Maintenance and tenant management are top headaches • Maintenance emerged as the biggest stressor overall, with 62% of respondents reporting it as stressful.

• However, finding and keeping tenants was a very close second, at 58%, and indeed more painful for many owners.

• “When we delved into the numbers, we discovered that finding and dealing with tenants was actually the No. 1 biggest stressor for property owners who

are seeking property management in 2016,” Buildium.com said in the report. “62% of owners were concerned about keeping good tenants, and 56% worried about dealing with problem tenants.

• Tenant issues was, in aggregate, a major stressor, occupying the No. 2 and No. 3 spots for owners, overall. This suggests that particular pain around tenant management is driving property owners to seek third party management.

No. 3 – Good communication needed between property managers and owners Though a majority of owners say they are happy with property management, there does seem to be room for improvement, in particular around the areas of communication and customer service.

Those who love their property manager say: • “Very pro-active and engaged in the overall process.”

• “They are very transparent, efficient and sensible.”

• “They are brilliant and save me time and money.”

However those who are unhappy with their property manager say: • “Their goal is to make money for themselves, not for me.”

• “Poor communication and no value add.”

• “They make decisions without consulting me which cost me money.”

No. 4 – Rental owners find their property managers online While a majority of owners already have a property manager, about 25 percent are looking for a property manager.

Many owners lean on local associations or personal referrals to find property managers—with investors tending to do this in higher numbers than accidental owners.

In fact, referrals emerged as the second most popular technique both for those who intend to look and those who have already secured a property manager.

However, most owners seem to be doing their own research online. We found that owners of all kinds overwhelmingly rely on the web to find property management, using either search engines—or a proven online resource such as All Property Management.com—that can connect them to high quality property owners.

In addition to property websites, owners who acquire property as investors are slightly more likely to get information from professional associations, publications or real estate investment websites, versus investors whose property was a former home, who have a moderate bias toward getting information from family or friends.

As one owner suggested: “If a property management team wants to get a piece of my investment, then they need to bear a part of the burden of loss as well. Hire a team that doesn’t charge for removing tenants, viewing work done on property etc. I get that the property owner bears the cost of repairs and reasonable legal fees, but the property management team needs to beat the costs of having to directly deal with the tenants, going to court, reviewing repairs etc.”

What are the costs that these owners seem sensitive to?

“We asked our survey respondents how they like to pay—and what they expect to pay—property management firms.

Owners were split on whether or not to be charged via flat fee or % of rent.

A slight majority (53% vs 47%) prefer to be charged a percent of rent. Interestingly in our 2015 State of the Property Management Industry report we found that 72% of property management companies also choose to charge a % of rent rather than a flat fee. In this sense, property managers and owners seem to have come to a sort of agreement No. 6 – Owners who are expanding their portfolios are likely to continue “We found that there is a momentum (or inertia) effect in property ownership,” Buildium.com writes in the report and “75% of owners who have grown in the past are likely to say they will grow significantly in the future. Likewise, 58% of those who predict a stagnant portfolio have also not grown in the past 5 years.

And finally, of those who expect their

portfolio to shrink, 51% have already been experiencing a retracting portfolio over the past 5 years.

“We also found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that growth, profitability and love of property ownership go hand in hand.

Those whose portfolios have expanded are most likely to report that property ownership has been extremely profitable for them.”

Summary on 6 insights about rental property owners and property managers

What do property owners of all kinds offer as best advice they had gotten on property ownership? Find a strong property management partner.

• “Get a property management company that you trust.”

• “Do get references and speak to them before choosing a property manager” • “Property management is the key to success” • “Don’t deal with tenants directly. Let your management company handle all issues.”

• “Good property management doesn’t cost—it pays!”

Get the full report from Buildium.com. Buildium and All Property Management are the chosen solution of more than 12,000 property managers and HOAs.

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No. 5 – Cost is the reason owners do not hire property managers As you might expect, reluctance to spend money is the top reason selfmanaging rental owners decide not to use a property manager, with 50% saying they simply don’t want to pay for one.

Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Rent Control Does More Harm Than Good New Study Says

A

new study by Stanford University professors of rent control in San Francisco concludes that it does more harm than good and can cause housing shortages that reduce the number of low-income people who can live in a city.

Economists Rebecca Diamond, Timothy McQuade and Franklin Qian did the study, “The Effects of Rent Control Expansion on Tenants, Landlords, and Inequality: Evidence from San Francisco.”

“Steadily rising housing rents in many of the U.S.’s large, productive cities has brought the issue of affordable housing to the forefront of the policy debate and reignited the discussion over expanding or enacting rent control provisions,” the report states.

Several states consider removing rent control limits “State lawmakers in Illinois, Oregon, and California are considering repealing laws that limit cities’ ability to pass or expand rent control. Already extremely

popular around the San Francisco Bay Area, with seven cities having imposed rent control regulations, five additional Bay Area cities placed rent control measures on the November 2016 ballot, with two passing. Rent control in the Bay Area consists of regulated price increases within the duration of a tenancy, but no price restrictions between tenants.

Rent control also places restrictions on evictions,” the researchers write.

“Right now, the government already provides lots of different insurance — unemployment insurance, disability

insurance, and insurance to help securitize mortgages,” Diamond notes.

“But we don’t provide any formal insurance against rent increases.”

fair housing laws at all times, not just when they are face-to-face or otherwise directly interacting with prospective or current residents.

conducting learning studies. Later, at Kaplan Inc., she worked in the vocational education and job training divisions, improving online, blended and face-toface training programs, and working directly with business leadership and trainers to improve learner outcomes and job performance. Ellen lives and works in Maryland, where she was born and raised.

Rent control does more harm than good Diamond, McQuade and Qian examine the effects of rent control in traditionally rent expensive San Francisco in the paper. They find that the effects of rent control are pretty much what economics textbooks would ...continued on page 20

Fair Housing Descrimination ...continued from 1 feeling uncomfortable. The maintenance technician’s behavior could be considered discrimination based on religion, even though the maintenance technician never directly interacted with the resident.

• A leasing agent gets an email from a prospective resident with a name that she assumes is Asian. The agent does not respond to the email because the community’s residents are mostly African American and she feels the prospective resident probably wouldn’t fit in. This behavior could be considered discrimination based on race, even though the leasing agent never directly interacted with the prospective resident.

Consistency and training are key to ensuring that your teams are upholding fair housing laws and treating people in a non-discriminatory manner.

How can you guard against discrimination happening?

Consistency and training are good places to start.

Consistency is key in dealing with fair housing issues.

It is best to behave consistently with everyone you assist, and everyone who is seeking assistance from you even if you haven’t interacted with them yet.

This means phone messages, emails, web inquiries, and service requests. If you make an exception to any policy or procedure, make sure you provide the same information and options to all prospects and residents who are in the same situation.

All staff members who interact with residents and prospective residents, or who handle requests or inquiries of any kind, should be trained on fair housing laws.

It is recommended that newly hired staff receive fair housing training before they work with customers. Vendors and contractors who could possibly interact with your residents should be informed of your company’s fair housing policy and asked to abide by fair housing laws.

All personnel should refresh their fair housing knowledge at least annually.

It never hurts to run through scenarios with your employees, including those like the ones above, to ensure that they understand that it is important to think about upholding

Ellen Clark is the Director of Assessment at Grace Hill. Her work has spanned the entire learner lifecycle, from elementary school through professional education. She spent over 10 years working with K12 Inc.’s network of online charter schools - measuring learning, developing learning improvement plans using evidence-based strategies, and

•

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

711 Powell Ave. SW, Suite 101 Renton, WA 98057 Ph. 425-656-9077 • Fax. 425-656-9087 admin@wmfha.org

Executive Director – Jim Wiard • Board President – Sheri Druckman, CAPS • Vice President – Laura McGuire, CAPS Treasurer – Mike Simons • Secretary – Shar Eller • Vice President of Suppliers Council – Kenneth Baff Immediate Past President – Becky Sanders, CAPS

Property Managers, Supplier Companies and WMFHA

A

part of our association’s mission statement is “supporting all facets of the multifamily housing industry.”

This can mean many different things, from supporting our property management members and their businesses, to supporting the broader rental housing industry, to supporting the communities and residents we serve.

For multifamily property owners, managers, developers and industry suppliers, the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association is a memberdriven association that advances the interests of the multifamily housing industry because we are connected and in communication with stakeholders at the local, state and national level.

One of our primary objectives in support of the industry is to actively monitor and influence the legislative process. As an affiliate of the National Apartment Association (NAA), we are able to speak for you in regulatory and legislative bodies at the federal, state and local government levels. We make sure you stay informed of regulatory requirements that affect you and your

Working Together for You

business.

For instance, in March, members and staff of WMFHA traveled to Washington D.C. to meet with our state’s Senators and House of Representative members of Congress to educate them on federal policies affecting the housing industry, such as cybersecurity and infrastructure.

In addition, WMFHA has a Political Action Committee (PAC), which raises money and works to help get elected those public officials who will work with us on multifamily housing issues to affect favorable change in the lawmaking process.

Our Legal Defense and Industry Mobilization Fund also serves to ward off destructive policies that negatively impact our members’ businesses and their ability to effectively serve residents of our rental homes.

Our vision is also to promote professionalism through education. In alliance with the NAA, we are privileged to offer nationally recognized professional designation programs.

These programs are widely respected for their comprehensive approach to career development in our industry.

With some study and hard work, you and/or your employees can earn professional credentials in multisite property supervision (CAPS), apartment management (CAM), leasing (NALP), maintenance (CAMT) or as an industry supplier (CAS).

WMFHA offers numerous opportunities for you to network, exchange ideas, and form relationships with other professionals in the multifamily housing industry. These offerings include informative meetings, conferences, trade show exhibitions, awards dinners and social events.

Each affords you an opportunity to strengthen your connections and improve your knowledge.

Most gratifying are our events supporting charitable organizations in our communities.

Our robust member base of 1,600 members includes property management companies that do business in Washington state, their apartment properties, and products and service supplier companies that serve the property management industry.

WMFHA is really one large and extended family. We work together and

we play together. We depend on one another to help us be successful in our businesses. Most important is the fact that we need each other to grow and prosper.

Our management company and property members require a wide variety of vendor members to provide the products and services that are essential to a successful apartment industry.

The success of each individual apartment community owes a great deal to the quality and affordability of the services and products that their supplier partner companies provide.

It makes sense then to sustain and strengthen this relationship for everyone. And that is what Members Using Members (MUM’s The Word!) is all about. Many of our members already understand the importance of doing business with another member company and have made that part of their management practices.

The Washington Multi-Family Housing Association has an opportunity to enrich our member apartment communities by making them aware of ...continued on page 10

9

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Supplier Companies and WMFHA ...continued from 9 the value of membership in WMFHA. While we have several communication methods available to us, nothing can replace the “face to face” and “peer to peer” contact that builds personal and professional relationships.

Supplier members contribute to WMFHA and to the multifamily housing industry by sponsoring and contributing to the many events held

by WMFHA, and in supporting on-site property staff to serve their residents in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Supplier members are also an important part of WMFHA’s committees and our leadership structure, bringing their knowledge and expertise to help guide the future of WMFHA. These are all good reasons

for management companies to make sure that the service partners they use and support are part of the WMFHA Family.

We are committed to make Members Using Members an integral and permanent part of this Association’s operating philosophy. After all, it’s just good business for all.

Membership in WMFHA is open to multifamily property management companies, apartment communities, owners and product & service providers. Industry stakeholders join because it is essential to their business.

Your membership brings tremendous value by providing you an edge to compete in this industry. We plan and coordinate meetings, functions and

events to help connect people to foster business relationships, many exclusive to our members.

Through active participation, you can gain a valuable network of professional contacts to aid you in doing business. Attendance at events, committee involvement, sponsorship opportunities and board representation can also deeply enrich your membership experience. As we grow, you grow with us.

As we celebrate our 15th year of being the member-driven nonprofit professional trade association serving the rental housing industry in Washington, we are fortunate to have the support and leadership of our members, who are passionate about

this industry and each other.

We invite you to be a part of this tremendous group of industry professionals, to contribute your talents and knowledge and really make a difference! Simply call us at 425656-9077 or visit our website at www. wmfha.org. Follow us on Facebook for up to date information on association activities.

•

Learn, Connect, Grow 2018 EdCon ..continued from 1 I am especially pleased with all of the knowledge that three of my staff members, new to theindustry, were able to take away after just one day at the EdCon. They are still excited about it this morning."

E.A. - Community Director with Pinnacle

"Some of the examples given were great and I was so excited to use them upon return to theoffice."

Anonymous Attendee Survey

"I loved Heather's class about dealing with difficult residents and how to calm

them down. I feel that the skills taught will be beneficial for myself and my team."

Anonymous AttendeeSurvey

"Great marketing ideas!"

Anonymous Attendee Survey

“I attended EdCon for the first time yesterday. I have been in the industry for 11 years andheard Toni Blake speak before years ago at a Pinnacle meeting.

I have also attended TRENDS for many years and even spoke in a panel last year but I have to tell you, that was the

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best seminar I have ever been to! From start to finish. The venue was easy to navigate inand out of, the speakers were incredible, knowledgeable and spoke about vital topics, The lunch and snacks were well coordinated, timed and delicious. The whole event ran soseamlessly. I loved the stamps on the vendor cards and the Think Tank. I love the keynote speech at the start of the day rather than at the end. I even loved the lanyards vs. pins that always damage my clothes. All the little touches made it a class act all the way. I will be

therewith bells on every year. I would also love to volunteer in next year’s event if possible. I wouldbe happy to help in any capacity. Let me know how I can help. I am with Essex Property Trustat Castle Creek currently.”

Felicity Alexander

“It is so much fun, we have so many amazing and brilliant people in our industry. I enjoyedit.”

Aaron Stright, HNN Associates

•

A Moment To Shine at the Third Annual Eastern Washington Emerald Awards Over 300 people gathered at the beautiful Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane on February 22nd for the third annual Eastern Washington Emerald Awards! At this elegant luncheon event, 16 Emerald trophies were awarded in 11 categories. Please join us in congratulating the following 2018 Emerald Award Recipients.

Leasing Consultant of the Year 1-150 Units: Kristi Kauffman - Avenue5 151+ Units: Katerina Nekhamis

Greystar

Assistant Manager of the Year 1-150 Units: Cierra Puyear - Greystar

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Curb Appeal 1-150 Units: Jake at Indian Trail

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Community of the Year 1-150 Units: Residence at Tullamore

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Maintenance Supervisor of the Year 1-150 Units: Jacob Mellick - Greystar 151+ Units: Eddie Heiman - Prodigy

Industry Partner of the Year Resman Property Management Software

Community Manager of the Year 1-150 Units: Aaliyah Kruger - Greystar 151+ Units: Lidia Pauline - Greystar

Volunteer of the Year Dayna Lamb, Coast Property

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Learn, Connect, Grow

2018 Education Conference and Exposition Featuring the Maintenance Mania® competition Hosted by the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association

You Don't Wanna Miss This!

EdCon Wednesday, April 18, 2018 • Meydenbauer Conference Center 11100 NE 6th St, Bellevue, WA 98004 • 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Pricing Regular (March 15 - April 6) $89 | Member $109 | Non-Member Late Registration (After April 6) $99 | Member $119 | Non-Member

Breakfast and lunch included, plus prizes!

EDUCATION • TRAINING • TRADE SHOW • MAINTENANCE COMPETITION Presented in partnership with:

Bag Sponsor Buy-Rite Carpet Wholesalers Lunch Sponsors CenturyLink

Lanyard Sponsor A Plus Tree Notebook Sponsor Brook Furniture Rental

The Plumbing & Drain Company

Registration, Breakfast, Trade Show and Networking: 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. $500 Raffle Prize opportunity just for showing up on time!

Tradeshow Education Schedule Room 401/402

Room 403

Room 404

Room 405

8:00 A.M.

Registration

8:30 A.M.

Conference Kick-Off

9:00 A.M.

Maintenance 101

Fair Housing Update

Project Management

10:00 A.M. 10:30 A.M.

Leading Millenials

Room 406

Room 407

Room 408/409

Appliance Repair Refrigeration

First Impressions are Everything

Tech Trends Panel

Trade Show Mid-Rise & High-Rise Maintenance

Conflict Resolution

Service Team Leaders Panel

How to Manage Up

Appliance Create a Unique Repair Cooking Tour Experience

11:30 A.M.

Trade Show – Maintenance Mania

12:00 P.M.

Lunch

12:30 P.M.

Preventive Maintenance by The Seasons

Leadership Panel

Plumbing Tips & Tricks

1:30 P.M. 2:00 P.M.

Understaing Section 8

Appliance Repair Dishwashers

The Psychology of Sales

Lead Management in Multifamily

What Makes Residents Tick

Trade Show Efficient Turnover Management

Reputation Management

Maintenance Budgets

Don’t Think Like Appliance Award Winning a Manager Repair Laundry Sales Strategies

3:00 P.M.

Mania Race Car Competition, Awards and Closing Festivities

5:00 P.M.

After Party

Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

Hot or Not Panel

11

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Learn, Connect, Grow 2018 EdCon ...continued from 12 Special Conference Kick-Off:

8:30 am – 9:00 am Lunch, Tradeshow and Networking:

Center Hall Stage: Sheri Druckman – Greystar, WMFHA Board President

• Learn, Connect, Grow Hear from a key industry executive how you can LEARN new skills, network and CONNECT with peers, and GROW your career. Start the conference off right with a lively introduction to the day.

Be there at 8:30 am and have a chance to win a $500 Visa gift card!

Class Session One:

9:00 am – 10:00 am

•

Maintenance 101: Day in the Life of a Maintenance Service Professional

•

Fair Housing Practices – Seattle focus

•

Project Management 101: Scope of Work and Managing Resources

•

Leading Millennials: Confessions of a Millennial Mind

•

First Impressions are Everything/ Strategies for Effective Phone, Written and Verbal Connections!

•

Tech Trends: Integrating the Services Your Residents are Using

Tradeshow and Networking:

11:30 am – 12:30 pm

Lunch Sponsors CenturyLink The Plumbing & Drain Company

Maintenance Mania Competition Prelims 11:30 am – 12:30 pm Class Session Three:

12:30 pm – 1:30 pm

•

Preventive Maintenance by the Seasons: Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall Best Practices

•

Executive Leadership Panel: Learn, Connect, Grow

•

Plumbing Tips & Tricks – Top 10 Mistakes We Make

•

Understanding the Section 8 Program

•

Appliance Repair – Dishwashers

•

The Psychology of Sales: Uncovering Biases

•

What Makes Residents Tick (or Ticked Off) in 2018?

Tradeshow and Networking:

1:30 pm – 2:00 pm

Class Session Four:

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm

10:00 am – 10:30 am

Explore the EdCon Trade Show and learn about some of today’s leading edge products and services that can help you achieve your business goals!

Class Session Two:

10:30 am – 11:30 am

•

Property Maintenance Schedule for Mid-Rise and High-Rise Communities

•

Conflict Resolution, De-escalations – Tips & Tricks

•

Turning a Maintenance Staff into a Service Team – Maintenance Leader Panel

•

How to Manage UP: Advocating vs. Complaining

•

Appliance Repair – Cooking

•

Creating a Unique Tour Experience

•

Prospect Lead Management

12

•

Efficient Turnover Management

•

Reputation Management: Front Office and Back Office

•

Making “Cents” of Your Maintenance Budget

•

Don’t Think Like a Manager, Think Like an Owner!

•

Appliance Repair – Laundry – Washers & Dryers

•

Award Winning Sales & Leasing Strategies – An Emerald Award Panel

•

Hot or Not? In or Out? – A Panel Discussion

Maintenance Mania Competition Wrap Up 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm Edcon After-Party: 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm Stay and enjoy good food and drink, and great company!

Network with peers – catch up on old times, and meet new people.

...continued on page 12

Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Learn, Connect, Grow 2018 EdCon ...continued from 13

J

oin the Maintenance Mania competition, with anopportunity to qualify for the national MaintenanceMania competition in San Diego at the NationalApar tment As soc iat ion (NAA) Educat ionConference.

Racing against the clock, you will compete against each other to see who is the fastest in eight maintenance-focused challenges. The finale of the event concludes with a Race Carcompetition, where the competitors build a modelcar using at least one maintenance product or part and race it

down a pinewood derby-style track. Cash prizes are offered for top times, including a $500 cash prize for the best overall time.

“Maintenance professionals are essential to the success and viability of the multifamily housing industry,” said former NAA President Doug Culkin, CAE. “NAA is extremely proud to be able to shine a light on such an outstanding group of individuals through the Maintenance Mania® program.”

2018 Maintenance Mania Events There are eight events in the Maintenance Mania® competition*. Each event is open to every Maintenance Mania® participant. To be eligible to compete at the national competition in San Diego (and win an expense paid trip), you must compete in all events and meet eligibility rules.

1. AO Smith Water Heater Installation

5. Frigidaire Ice Maker Installation

2. Smart Comfort Air Conditioner Repair

6. Kwikset Key Control Deadbolt Test

3. Fluidmaster Duo Flush Toilet Conversion

7. Seasons Ceiling Fan Installation

4. Kidde Fire & Carbon Monoxide Safety Installation

8. Smart Burner Race Car Competition

*To qualify for the National Championship, you must complete all eight events

EdCon is Presented in Partnership with: PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS ABODA

Catchall Environmental

Noble Interiors & Design

The Sherwin Williams Company

Arborwell

CenturyLink

Precision Concrete Cutting

The Plumbing & Drain Company

Bathfitter

CORT

Response Team 1

Yardi Systems, Inc.

Behr Paint Corporation

InterSolutions, Inc.

Roto-Rooter

Brook Furniture Rental

Loeffler Law Group

Servpro (Shoreline/Woodinville)

Trade Show Exhibitors: 1-800 Water Damage

Earthworks Landscape Services

Henri

Puget Sound Energy

AFR Furniture Rental

Engineered Floors

Inspirus Credit Union

Renturis

American Floors and Blinds

Entrata

Minol, USA

Schlage Lock / Allegion

Apartment Advantage Staffing

Ferguson Facilities Supply

Mohawk Industries

Shine on Signs & Graphics

A Plus Tree

Finnmark Property Services

Mono Rooftop Solutions

Stop Bugging Me Pest Control

Better NOI

Fischer Plumbing & Fischer Restoration

Parking Boss

TransUnion

Buy-Rite Carpet Wholesaler

ForRent.com

Pacific Lamp & Supply

United Asset Services

Coin Meter Company

Genesis Credit

Precor Commercial Fitness

Valet Living

Comcast Xfinity

Guided Fitness

Premier Paving and Sealcoat

VentMasters Dryer Vent Cleaning

Dog-On-It Parks

HandyTrac

Property Staffing Associates

Waste Recovery Systems

Dogwood Building Supply

Harbro Emergency Services

PSF Mechanical

Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

13

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site ¡ March 2018

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Almost 4,000 Jobs Available in the Rental Housing Industry

by John Triplett, Rental Housing Journal

T

he rental housing industry had almost 4,000 jobs available across the county In January, according

to a new apartment jobs report that will be coming out regularly from the National Apartment Association.

Property management jobs in the rental housing industry are the most in demand right now, according to a new apartment jobs report from

the National Apartment Association Education Institute.

The new report, which will be coming out monthly in the future, shows almost 4,000 apartment jobs were available in January. The report shows the need for all job types and skills in the highdemand rental housing industry. And, it shows job growth in the industry is going to be strong in the future.

Jobs in property management, maintenance and leasing will continue to grow and “we’re not seeing that change any time soon,” said Paula Munger, Director, Industry Research and Analysis, for the National Apartment Association (NAA).

“Construction has leveled off a bit and I'm sure you've heard that starts are down. But I see that as more of a normalizing thing than anything.

More and more people are making a choice to live in apartments,” she said in an interview with Rental Housing Journal.

“Our education institute is a credentialing body for the apartment industry. They hear often that one of the biggest problems keeping our industry leaders up at night is the difficulty in finding talent, attracting talent and retaining talent,” Munger said. “Labormarket issues are happening in a lot of industries, certainly with the tight labor market we have.”

So the NAA decided to partner with Burning Glass Technologies. “They have a labor-job posting database that is proprietary,” she said, and they can “layer on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). We looked at that and thought we could do something that is really going to help the industry and help benchmark job titles and trends as we go forward.”

First month of new jobs report in the rental housing industry Apartment jobs are listed as a percentage of the total real estate jobs in top metropolitan statistical areas.

The new national report shows 3,943 total job postings in the rental housing industry in the last 30 days, including 1,028 for property managers, 921 for maintenance and 721 for leasing. The new report shows Phoenix and Denver topping the percentage of apartment jobs across the country, with the following percentage of apartment jobs vs. total real estate jobs.

• Phoenix – 47% • Denver – 44% • Houston – 42% • Seattle – 40% • Atlanta – 39% • Portland – 30% • Salt Lake City – 25% ...continued on page 18

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Property Management Cyberattack Risks Overlooked, Underestimated

by Ellen Clark

T

he Grace Hill training tip of the week focuses on the issue of property management cyberattack which is often overlooked and underestimated.

Due to lack of federal oversight and regulation, property management companies’ cybersecurity programs may be relatively less developed and less sophisticated than in other industries.

This could make them a more attractive target for cybercriminals looking for an easy way to steal personal data.

We hear a lot in the news about data being exposed or stolen by cyberattacks in healthcare, banking and retail industries. But we tend to hear less about such attacks in the property management industry, even though they have happened before and will likely happen again.

As a result, the risk of cyberattacks in the property management industry may be overlooked and underestimated.

Property management cyberattack risks overlooked, underestimated The risk of property management cyberattack is just as real as in other areas.

Unlike for institutions like banks and hospitals, there is no federal law

requiring real estate and property management companies to implement cybersecurity programs to protect information and systems.

Because of this general lack of oversight and regulation, property management companies’ cybersecurity programs may be relatively less developed and less sophisticated than in other industries, making them a more attractive target for cybercriminals looking for an easy way to steal personal data.

Why would a property management cyberattack happen at your apartments?

What could property management companies have that cybercriminals want?

Isn’t the most desired data credit card numbers and financial information?

That turns out not to be the case. As Ryan Byrd, Vice President of Engineering for Entrata said, “There’s this myth that hackers are really interested in credit card numbers because you can buy stuff with them. The most commonly stolen information is not credit card numbers, but personally identifiable information (PII).”

If sensitive personal data falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to fraud and identity theft, which in 2016 was the most common reason for hackers to carry out a cyberattack.

Think of all the data you collect on any given day from a resident or prospective resident and the financial transactions you process— rent payments, deposits, and vendor payments. This is a treasure trove of personally identifiable information and a goldmine for cybercriminals who can use it to commit identity theft and fraud.

With its lack of sophisticated security measures and lots of valuable PII, the property management industry is the perfect target for cybercriminals.

If sensitive data falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to fraud and identity theft, which in 2016 was the most common reason for hackers to carry out a cyberattack.

Think about cybersecurity risks Given the cost of a security breach — losing your customers’ trust and perhaps even defending yourself against a lawsuit—safeguarding personal information is critical. That risk doesn’t just come as a hit to your brand or reputation, either. With the average legal and other associated costs of a data breach at around $150 per record, losing your residents’ data could have a significant impact on your bottom line as well.

As we rely more and more on digital data and interconnectivity, property management cyberattack and security

is an issue to think hard about as you plan policies, processes and training for the year.

• It is crucial to have systems in place to prevent, prepare for and withstand cyberattacks.

• Train employees and managers on the risk of data breaches, and what they can do to prevent them.

Just like wearing your seatbelt, or locking your car, good habits are the building blocks of cybersecurity and are the best way to keep your residents’ information safe.

Ellen Clark is the Director of Assessment at Grace Hill. Her work has spanned the entire learner life-cycle, from elementary school through professional education.

She spent over 10 years working with K12 Inc.’s network of online charter schools measuring learning, developing learning improvement plans using evidence-based strategies, and conducting learning studies. Later, at Kaplan Inc., she worked in the vocational education and job training divisions, improving online, blended and face-to-face training programs, and working directly with business leadership and trainers to improve learner outcomes and job performance. Ellen lives and works in Maryland, where she was born and raised.

•

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Millennials' Expectations Driving Maintenance Changes

by John Triplett, Rental Housing Journal

H

igh turnover in the maintenance ranks is a problem in multifamily housing, especially among millennial maintenance personnel. They like easyto-use technology applications on their smart phones and not old paper-based maintenance processes. That is why the company, Facilgo, did the study to research these questions.

• How do millennials' expectations for faster maintenance affect property management maintenance organizations?

• Are millennial maintenance personnel leaving multifamily due to the lack of technology solutions available in their day-to-day jobs? What can be done to retain them?

• What strategies are companies using to make their maintenance processes more efficient?

• How will these new strategies help retain millennial maintenance personnel and satisfy millennial residents?

• What will happen if companies don't do anything to cater to millennials' needs?

In an interview with Rental Housing Journal, Ken Murai, founder and CEO of FacilGo said, “There is a greater degree of expectation that we respond faster, we communicate better, and we get things fixed quickly.

“And if we don't, then they're going to shout from the mountaintops through social media to let us know about that, and that's really putting the pressure on making sure that we do a good job the first time,” Murai said.

Fighting turnover among millennial maintenance employees “There's so much turnover in the maintenance ranks right now that executing company processes needs to be really easy for staff to do. In fact, they almost need to be trained as a part of doing the process.

“Paper and pencil and running back to the maintenance shop to log something on the computer, it's just

not going to cut it,” Murai said which is why he founded the company.

“The thing I'm hearing from a lot of the larger owners whenever we talk about maintenance and turnover, is that staff turnover is so high and that makes them frustrated. The thing that's really astounding is that they'll hire someone and train them but after six months, they'll quit and move to a different industry because the work environment is paper-based. They're using their phone for social stuff, communicating, entertaining, getting things done, and then they get to their job and they're handed a clipboard. It's really demoralizing and frustrating for them,” he said.

Millennials’ expectations driving maintenance change To be a successful and continual improve, there needs to be “support for the entire process from start to finish. You need to use mobile devices or computers within the process to capture pictures and comments in order to get the job done,” Murai said.

“Use that documentation to communicate with your residents because it's not just fixing the problem that's important. You have to fix it and communicate well about it, or else nobody's going to be happy,” he said.

“The problem that we're seeing with other solutions out there today is that they may solve one piece of the puzzle. If you don't build a process that leverages one step to the next, it becomes disjointed and is tough. You're having to redo things and not do things efficiently. Even if you stitch together a bunch of solutions, it will be far from optimal. Even if you use one of the large property management solutions and they have some of the functionality needed to manage maintenance, they still may lack the ability to “help” your employees follow your process from one step to the next; it’s still a problem.

Lack of innovation was most surprising find in the study Murai said the most surprising lesson from the study was “the lack of innovation.”

“After I left Realpage and was doing

Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

other consulting work, I hadn't paid attention to all the different efforts that were happening with maintenance and procurement systems. When I was asked to look at the maintenance and procurement market once again, I saw that there really hadn't been much evolution in the systems since I left the space.

“I think we've seen a lot more evolution on the leasing side of the business, but on maintenance and operations, it's been a part of the business that has been left behind. There is so much more that can be done. In FacilGo®, we have a great system, and we're finding that by supporting the entire operational process, we can really help people get things done more efficiently and get the right things done.”

Most maintenance transactions are service related “What I found from analyzing multifamily data is more of the transactions are service-related than product-related, especially for turns,” Murai said.

“We've built our platform to work with services in a way that other platforms do not.

“For example, with floor covering, we handle not only scheduling the service, but also include pricing, your negotiated price per square yard, your floor plan measurements, the amount of carpet needed for a given floor plan by room, seaming diagrams, and you can order by the room with accurate measurements rather than having to do a full replacement. Everybody else does estimates. We have your company’s flooring information accurate, down to the room,” he said. And the applicable flooring can be purchased directly through his company’s app. “We have a mobile-enabled website and a web application. So, we have everything you need, wherever you need it, to get the job done.

Describing his pricing, Murai said, “Our pricing model is unit-based pricing, and very dependent on what solution modules our clients utilize.

Some solution modules can be used very cost-effectively, or you can use our entire suite.

“We have several mid-sized multifamily and single-family home customers, and we're actually on track to start part pilots with several larger multifamily customers this quarter. We also have some of the largest suppliers in the industry on the platform,” Murai said.

Question and answer with Ken Murai Q: How do millennials’ expectations for faster maintenance affect property management maintenance organizations?

A: Our challenge is to get maintenance issues solved more quickly and efficiently than ever before.

If not, we are going to hear about it on social media. How do you speed up you processes and improve communication with your residents? You need to have the people and tools to help you track, document, assign, and get the right products/services/work done, and you need to help them collaborate.

“People need to know what to do, when and how, as well as get access to the right help when the time is appropriate. Instead, maintenance staff often spend a lot of time figuring out what they need to do or buy.

“This is heightened when you have new employees, since they don't know what to do. By providing them with tools that guide them to work with the right people, buy the right things, document problems and solutions with pictures, etc. it will help them get the work get done faster.

“They’ll be able to get help from vendors or other staff, leverage past solutions, plan for the future, and ensure that customer issues are not lost or fixed too slowly. In addition, you'll be able to provide better communication with your residents. Remember, it's not just the solving of the problem that matters, but also the communication of the resolution.

Q: Are millennial maintenance personnel leaving the multifamily industry due to the lack of technology solutions available in their day-to-day jobs? What can be done to retain them? ...continued on page 19

17

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Two Portland Landlords Resign from Rental Services Commission

wo Portland landlords have resigned from the Rental Services Commission in protest after Mayor Ted Wheeler flip-flopped on his position about small landlords and Portland’s relocation ordinance, according to reports.

Wheeler now wants to remove the current exemption for small landlords who own only one property. The relocation ordinance requires landlords to pay moving expenses if they evict a tenant for no-cause or increase rent more than 10 percent.

One of the landlords who resigned, according to the Portland Tribune, is professional property manager Ron Garcia. He is also president of Rental Housing Alliance Oregon. It represents approximately 1,900 landlords, 62 percent of whom own one to four units.

"The people I represent feel betrayed. I can't continue to serve on the commission in good conscience. That would make it look like the landlord point of view is being considered, which it isn't," Garcia told the newspaper. "In today's housing market, landlords are going to say, now is the time to cash out.”

Landlords resign saying commission premise is that tenants are victims Nick Cook, of Sleep Sound P r o p e r t y Ma nagement, also resigned from the Rental Services

Commission according to the Portland Mercury and saying in a statement, "The premise guiding the agenda and terminology is that tenants are victims who need more protection," Cook wrote.

"There have been zero ideas or discussions on how to relieve the hardships, liability, and risk landlords face every day.

This is not to suggest we have a perfect system, but that absence of concern for both the landlord and tenant is disconcerting.”

Cook also wrote in his resignation statement to the mayor that “instead of being able to share and debate ideas that could be presented for review to the City Council, Portland Housing Bureau and your office, we have been spoon fed what appears to be an already ironed out agenda.

“The city portrayed ‘ideas’ as if they are under review, when in fact they have already started implementation,” he wrote.

Also he said he was “shocked and alarmed at the gross lack of knowledge” by commissioners on how tenant screening works “in the real world.”

Last month a new research study recommended Portland remove the exception for small landlords who own only one property and require them to pay moving expenses if they evict a tenant for no-cause or rent increases over 10 percent, according to reports.

Chariot Wheel Research Consultants authored the study which says, “This singleunit exemption not only undermines the spirit of the law, it leaves nearly 20% of renter households vulnerable to the same doubledigit rent increases and no-cause evictions which precipitated the housing state of emergency to begin with, thus perpetuating and exacerbating the very hardships the RELO ordinance seeks to mitigate.

Furthermore, this exemption effectually creates two classes of renters – those who are protected and those who are excluded – by virtue of the size of their landlord’s local real estate investment portfolio.”

Resources: Wheeler's Change of Heart on Renter Protections Has Property Managers Ditching a City Committee Wheeler's reversal prompts rental manager to quit commission

•

4,00 Jobs ...continued from 15 “So if I am a human resources executive at one of our apartment operators, I can look at this and if they have maintenance postings in, say, Phoenix, they know that they're going to have a lot of competition out there because that's where a lot of these positions are in demand right now,” Munger said.

“Right now it’s the first month of data. We don't have a lot of context yet for that number. But if you look at the whole real estate sector – what is called ‘real estate’ actually includes commercial real estate firms, rental and leasing - so it actually includes things like car rental companies. That number is around 12,000 jobs and about a third, the 3,943 in January for example, are in the multifamily industry.

“So really, what we did with this is to hone in on just the apartment industry.

So I think seeing that's a third of a pretty large sector is pretty impressive,” Munger said.

Breakdown of some of the 3,943 job postings in the rental housing industry in January • Maintenance technician – 528 • Leasing consultant – 452 • Community manager – 335 • Property manager – 324 • Assistant property manager – 186 • Maintenance supervisor - 108 Property management jobs in demand With 1,028 property management job postings, it is clear there is a need 18

for more property managers in the rental housing industry.

Munger confirmed that, saying, “Exactly. That's also what the education institute is doing. They're trying to form the next generation of leaders in this industry.

“So if there are that many property management jobs vacant right now, and they actually partner with local universities, it will really help get the word out. They are talking about going even as young as high school because there are a lot of potential applicants out there who might not even know that this is the job for them,” Munger said.

What is the turnover rate like?

Munger was asked how turnover contributes to these current job openings.

“Certainly, new construction contributes to more jobs, but there is turnover in the existing categories in property management and in maintenance,” Munger said. “It certainly varies by market and individual company.

“I know it's something that most companies aren't willing to share that figure, for obvious reasons. With the labor market this tight, turnover is usually higher. If I can leave because there's a job across the street - it’s maybe an extra week of vacation or $10 an hour more - I'm going to go across the street. So it's very high,” Munger said. ...continued on page 19

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Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Millenials' ...continued from 17 A: Millennials use their phones to socialize, communicate, entertain themselves, and get things done.

Millennials are the top smart phone users with Facebook, Facebook Messenger and YouTube (according to Nielson) being the top 3 apps. The Bank of America Trends in Consumer Mobility report interviewed 1,000 adults and found that smartphones were more important to millennials than deodorant. These devices are an integral part of millennials' daily lives.

In speaking to various management companies, we have anecdotally heard that many recently hired millennials quit their jobs to move into jobs in other industries. Why? Because, they were frustrated by the lack of tools on their smartphones that the property management companies provided to get things done. They hate using paper and property management is full of paper processes. Who is going to hire them in the future based upon their expertise in running a paper based process? As a result, the millennial workforce will continue to migrate to other industries that have tools that allow them to do their jobs more efficiently unless we as an industry evolve.

As a starting step, many companies are starting to adopt “bring your own phone policies.” While this means that pictures and texting are being used for communication and tracking, the lack of integration of this information into their property management systems means that information is isolated, collaboration is difficult, and tasks are left undone. In other words, it’s a good baby step, but this like any other siloed system doesn’t provide nearly as much help as a collaboration platform.

Q: What strategies are companies using to make their maintenance processes more efficient?

A: The best companies are focusing on supporting an entire business process instead of providing point solutions that help solve a sliver of that process. That means they need to be able to support multiple processes (not just ordering or invoice processing or inspections or work orders).

For example, one company we spoke to talked about using an application to do due diligence inspections. At the end of the process they had a lot of great pictures and data, but then didn't know what to do next, since the data resided

in their app, and didn't support any of their other processes or work with their property management system.

The most efficient companies are using software platforms that support the entire maintenance process where they collaborate with their staff and suppliers, and leverage past data to make the process more efficient.

Inspections lead to work orders, quote requests or orders and everything is tied together. Being easy-to-use, they require less training and support, and guide the staff through the process. So, you’re getting the benefit of requiring little training on the application and the process! That’s something that not just millennials want, but all people in the organization.

Another comment on mobile. Given that real estate is a distributed operation, mobile applications are required so people can get the work done at the location where the issue exists. With mobile, staff and suppliers are able to record notes, take pictures and record them in a system where the information can be shared, trigger additional actions and used for reporting.

Some of the baby steps we are seeing companies take are policies that allow staff to text each other and their vendors with messages and pictures.

It’s a start, but the information is isolated on a person’s phone and isn’t leveraged for future actions by the entire organization.

We're also seeing some companies adopt virtual turn boards using Google Spreadsheets or Microsoft Sharepoint.

Again, it’s a great solution that solves one piece of the pie, but often falls short around updates and scheduling.

We believe that it’s most efficient to have virtual turn boards that tie into your turn schedule, inspections, work orders, quotes, contracts, orders, and invoices, which allows you to support your entire process.

We’ve also seen a trend for companies having maintenance personnel handle more units than before and they aren’t necessarily outsourcing more work to vendors. Unless they provide tools and software that makes them more efficient, they will both slip on their quality of service and lose residents.

We’ve also seen some outsourcing tasks to key vendor partners, but those who are doing so tend to be smaller property management companies with smaller properties.

Q: How will these new strategies help to retain millennial maintenance personnel and satisfy millennial residents?

A: Nielsen reports that 97-98% of millennials have smart phones. They are using them for social media, messaging, YouTube, maps, search and more. They are constantly on their phones and can’t stand using paper or the dusty old PC in the maintenance shop.

“If you are thinking of allowing them to use their phones to text and take pictures, just remember that if their phones are not connected to the rest of the property maintenance platform, they’re going to have to use some paper and transpose that data into a computer. It’s wasteful, they know it, and it’s frustrating. Plus, it doesn’t help them gain the skills to help them be competitive with future jobs.

By using mobile and web software that helps support the entire maintenance process, you’re able to help your staff get things done faster and more efficiently and communicate much more effectively. Who doesn’t want have the satisfaction of getting things done. And, if they’re happy, they’ll stay.

Q: What will happen if companies don't do anything to cater to millennials' needs?

A: Millennial staff become frustrated when using antiquated methods. Tools that support their entire process and help them collaborate not only allow the maintenance personnel to have more job satisfaction, they are more efficient, collaborative and social, and learn faster.

Just using their phones is the first step, but being able to use their phones to work with existing processes is what they are looking for, and what will keep them from running away to other industries that use more technology.

Continuous improvement leveraging tools is key to retention Q: How does FacilGo® help property management companies and their suppliers not only operate more efficiently, but also help improve maintenance personnel's job satisfaction?

A: “FacilGo® is built to support the entire turn and maintenance process from when you identify a problem, figure out how to solve it, get the work

done (with internal or external staff) and order parts, process the invoice and payment, and then charge back residents.

“We believe that a platform must do more than one step of a process. In fact, your software should leverage one step of the process to help you with the next step, so your staff does the right thing quickly and efficiently.

“We find that companies initially adopt some of our easier-to-implement solutions like inspections and move out closing statements, then start adding on work orders, contract management, procurement, invoice processing, fixed asset, and inventory management. We also have functionality such as budgets, supplier ratings, job cost and CAM charges, so we offer a very robust set of features and functions to support your operations and maintenance processes.”

Ken was the Vice President of Product Development and Client Management at OpsTechnology, where he was responsible for designing and developing the OpsTechnology product and oversaw its client management team from initial deployment to acquisition by RealPage and beyond. Ken has experience creating procurement organizations and managing strategic technology initiatives for executive teams in the multifamily industry. Ken graduated from the University of California, Davis with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering, and an M.B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, Haas School of Business. He has been working in the technology industry for 25 years, in areas including product development, sales, marketing and management.

FacilGo® provides a solution to property management organizations who are frustrated by their turn and maintenance processes. Our property maintenance platform and private marketplace streamlines operations and saves money by offering an integrated inspection to invoice process through which you manage your turns and maintenance processes. Unlike other software that provide piece-meal solutions, FacilGo® offers an integrated process where your staff is presented with what to do and buy based upon their inspection and work order results. Instead of spending time figuring out what to do, staff can spend time collaborating with suppliers to get things done.

•

4,00 Jobs ...continued from 18 West and Northwest have high demand In the West and Northwest markets, and others where there is a higher concentration of growth in the apartment industry and new construction, there is a demand for jobs.

“So you have the West and then the South and then it goes up into the Southeast where you hit Atlanta. This is where the job growth is. This is where population growth is. Where you have more apartments, you're going to have

more of these positions. So basically, it's driven by general job growth and then certainly the apartment industry growth,” Munger said.

Munger said they will put out a new jobs report regularly.

“We're going to run this every month from this database. We will use our own cleaning, getting rid of some of the noise in the data, and analyzing it and see how those numbers progress over time.

“But also at the end of each quarter we will be doing a little more analysis.

Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

I think at the end of each quarter, it will be nice to have, "Well, what am I supposed to be looking at here and what are the trends and what are we seeing?"

Resources: NAA Education Institute, National Apartment Association, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Burning Glass Technologies, Residential Property Management – Real Communities Real Careers The NAA Education Institute provides broad-based education, training and re-

cruitment programs that attract, nurture and retain high-quality professionals and develop tomorrow’s Residential Property Management industry leaders.

The National Apartment Association is the leading voice for the apartment housing industry. As a trusted partner, a valued connector and a powerful advocate, the NAA is committed to serving 160 affiliates, more than 75,000 members and the 9.25 million apartment units operate globally.

•

19

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

Dear Maintenance Men:

By Jerry L'Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez Dear Maintenance Men: I have a toilet that runs every ten or twenty minutes. I have replaced the fill valve, the flapper valve and I have even scrubbed under the rim! In other words, all the items I can think of that are replaceable in the tank are new.

What else should I be looking at?

Sam Dear Sam You replaced all the easy ones!! When all else fails on a toilet leak down issue; it is time to put on your rubber gloves and get an adjustable wrench. Chances are the problem lies with the Flush Valve Seat. The rubber flapper valve seals against the flush valve seat (the big hole at the bottom of the tank.) to either keep the water in the tank or let the water out of the tank. The seat may have a burr, crack or calcium deposits that allow a small amount of water to seep past the rubber flush valve.

Sanding the seat to remove the burr or calcium deposit is a short-term solution and rarely solves the problem for long.

A permanent solution is to replace the flush valve. Start by turning off the water supply, completely empty the tank and remove the water line. Remove the two or three bolts holding the tank to the toilet bowl. Turn the tank upside down and remove the large nylon or brass nut that holds the flush valve to

the tank. Install the new flush valve.

Be sure the tank bottom is clean and no debris gets between the new valve’s rubber gasket and the tank. Tighten the large nut on the outside of the tank and you are ready to reassemble the tank and bowl and put the toilet back into action. When reassembling the tank to the bowl, install new rubber washers and bolts.

Dear Maintenance Men: I have a number of buildings that have old sliding windows and glass doors where the track is ground down to the point where the slider drops and barely maintains its position in the frame. Is there an insert or rollers that attach to the slider that elevates it and maybe even makes it easier to open and close? With the age of these buildings, I’m finding this is becoming a common problem.

Craig Dear Craig: The best solution would be to replace the window assembly, but that can be costly. What we do is install a nylon or vinyl track insert or rail cap (Brand name: EZ-Slide) and replace the wheels to match the new insert. The inserts can be found at local hardware stores or at a company called Prime-Line Products. or Blaine Window Hardware Inc.. These companies carry replacement parts for most windows. It might be best to call the company and tell them what brand

Rent Control ...continued from 8 predict.

“Rent control, the Econ 101 student learns, helps a few people, but overall does more harm than good,” writes Noah Smith in Bloomberg View. “According to the basic theory of supply and demand, rent control causes housing shortages that reduce the number of low-income people who can live in a city. Even worse, rent control will tend to raise demand for housing — and therefore, rents — in other areas,” Smith writes.

“It just dramatically limited the supply of rental housing. On top of that, it pushed landlords to supply owneroccupied housing and new housing— both of which are really the types of housing consumed by rich people,” Diamond said. “So we’re creating a policy that tells landlords, ‘It's much more profitable to cater to high-income housing taste than low-income housing tastes.’”

The report states, “We find that rent control offered large benefits to impacted tenants during the 1995-2012 period, averaging between $2,300 and $6,600 per person each year, with aggregate benefits totaling over $214 million annually.

Over the entire period, tenants received a discounted value of around $2.9 billion.

We find that most of these benefits came from protection against rent increases and transfer payments from landlords.

However, we find losses to all renters of $2.9 billion due to rent control’s effect on decreasing the rental housing and raising market rents. Further, 42% of these losses are born by future residents 20

windows you have and they might be able to get you exactly what you need.

Dear Maintenance Men: While walking around my building, I found white powdery stuff growing on the surface of the building’s concrete foundation. What is this and do I need to worry about it?

Fred Dear Fred: The effect is called efflorescence and it is a natural occurring condition on wall or floor material such as concrete, brick and stucco. These porous materials absorb water and when the water evaporates, it leaves behind an alkaline salt. The efflorescence appears as a white, crystalline powder. Water is always the culprit. First thing to check would be sprinkler locations and if the spray hits the wall, relocate the sprinkler. Another problem is moisture wicking up into the stucco from the ground. Older buildings built before 1974 probably do not have a “weep screed” at the bottom of the wall. A weep screed is a metal flashing designed to act as a vapor barrier and transition between the concrete slab or stem wall & wood framing. Installing a weep screed after the fact is not feasible.

A solution would be to locate the transition between the slab or stem wall and the wood framing. Saw cut through the stucco to the base plate. Now fill the saw cut with a bead of silicone sealant.

The silicone will act as a vapor barrier, effectively stopping the moisture from wicking up into the stucco. Refinish your stucco and paint to suit.

WE NEED Maintenance Questions!!! If you would like to see your maintenance question in the “Dear Maintenance Men:” column, please send in your questions to: DearMaintenanceMen@gmail.com If you need maintenance work or consultation for your building or project, please feel free to contact us. We are available throughout Southern California. For an appointment please call Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. at 714 956-8371 Frank Alvarez is licensed contractor and the Operations Director and co-owner of Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. He has been involved with apartment maintenance & construction for over 20 years. He is also a lecturer & educational instructor and Co-Chair of the Education Committee of the Apartment Association of Orange County as well as being Chairman of the Product Service Counsel. Frank can be reached at (714) 956-8371 Frankie@BuffaloMaintenance.com For more info please go to: www.BuffaloMaintenance. com Jerry L'Ecuyer is a licensed contractor & real estate broker. He is currently on the Board of Directors and Past President and past Chairman of the Education Committee of the Apartment Association of Orange County.

Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional since 1988.

•

Sleepless in Seattle ...continued from 1 of San Francisco, making them worse off, while incumbent residents benefit on net.

“These results highlight that forcing landlords to provide insurance against rent increases leads to large losses to tenants,” the report states.

Summary In the end, the strongest argument against controlling rents is that there are better ways to protect vulnerable renters.

“Diamond and her coauthors suggest an idea that I’ve also endorsed in the past — a citywide system of government social insurance for renters. “ Households that see their rents go up could be eligible for tax credits or welfare payments to offset rent hikes, and vouchers to help pay the cost of moving.

The money for the system would come from taxes on landlords, which would effectively spread the cost among all renters and landowners instead of laying the burden on the vulnerable few,” writes Noah Smith in Bloomberg.

Rent Control’s Winners and Losers, The Effects of Rent Control Expansion on Tenants, Landlords, and Inequality: Evidence from San Francisco, Yup, Rent Control Does More Harm Than Good, Rent Control: a Reckoning, Rent Control Could Be Making Income Inequality Worse In Gentrified Cities, 3 Big Problems with Rent Control And A Property Management Alternative, Noah Smith is a Bloomberg View columnist. He was an assistant professor of finance at Stony Brook University, and he blogs at Noahpinion.•

do you lose sleep over work?" Their responses:

Among those who lose sleep over work, the following were cited as the root causes:* • Overwelmed with Work Volume Hours 50% • Can't get a business problem out of my head 48% • Strained coworker relationships 20% • Worried I may loose my job 18% • My boss is a nightmare 16% • Other 7 % *Multiple responses allowed Portland did not make the top list, but among cities in the West here are the sleepless percentages: • San Francisco – 54% • Phoenix – 51% • Denver – 45% • Salt Lake City – 44% • Seattle – 43% • Los Angeles – 42% Additional findings: • Professionals in Miami, Nashville and New York most often lose sleep over work-related issues.

• Cleveland, Philadelphia andMinneapolis have the highest percentage of respondents who cited they never miss out on rest.

• Professionals ages 18 to 34 more often lose sleep over work (57

percent) compared to those ages 35 to 54 (45 percent) and 55 and older (29 percent).

• Male respondents say they lie awake often (50 percent), while women are slightly less likely to (40 percent).

More than 2,800 workers were surveyed for the study.

"Employee stress can lead to lower job satisfaction and engagement and higher turnover. Managers can support their teams by maintaining open lines of communication and planning regular check-ins to discuss workload and other worries," Steinitz said in the release.

About the Survey: The survey of workers was developed by Accountemps and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 2,800 workers across 28 major U.S. cities.

About Accountemps: More information about managing workplace stress can be found on the Robert Half blog. Accountemps, a Robert Half company, is the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals.

The staffing firm has more than 300 locations worldwide. More resources, including talent and job search services, can be found at roberthalf.com/accountemps.

•

Rental Housing Journal On-Site · March 2018

Rental Housing Journal On-Site

oo ...continued from 21

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