A monthly newsletter published by the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon JUNE 2014
In this issue: Dinner Meeting Guest Speaker Deputy Fire Marshal Kari Shanklin Page 3 Fair Housing and Window Falls Page. 8-9 How To Keep Good Tenants and Your Sanity Pages 12 & 13 Analyzing LED Lights Page 14-15 Should You Evict Page 16 -17
April is Fair Housing Month
April is Fair Housing Month
Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Property for Spring Page 19
rha est. 1927
Formerly known as the Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland
COME JOIN A GREAT
ORGANIZATION! Since 1927 the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon has set the standard for community participation by landlords providing affordable and quality housing. • • • • • • • • • •
Legislative Representation Supporters of Fair Housing Education/ Seminars Up-to-date law information Attorney Drawn Forms Tenant Screening Forms Store- Hard Copy Online Forms- Download Phone Orders Welcome Walk-in, Office open 9-5
10520 NE Weidler Portland OR 97220 P: 503/254-4723 F:503/254-4821
VISIT www.fhco.org FAIR HOUSING COUNCIL OF OREGON
Dinner Meeting
Wednesday June 18, 2014 6 pm-9 pm Kari Shanklin, Deputy Fire Marshal with Clackamas County Fire District #1, whose mission is to protect and preserve life and property through education, engineering and enforcement will cover fire prevention & life safety topics such as: smoke alarms, extinguishers, TVFR’s Multi-Family Fire Prevention Training program along with seasonal safety tips such as: Window fall prevention, BBQ’s and Kari Shanklin Clackamas County Deputy Fire marshal fireworks. Come hear Kari speak as she takes advantage of this proactive community interaction to share her vast knowledge of fire & life safety. Affiliate Speaker: Robert Smith, Peregrine Private Capital Corp.
Dinner Price: Special Pricing $26.00 per meal if registered by 6/13/14 $31.00 per meal if registering after 6/13/14 Call 503-254-4723 for reservations or go to www.rhaoregon.org/store/category/events If you register for a Dinner Meeting and DO NOT SHOW or DO NOT CANCEL by the Friday before the Dinner Meeting you will be charged the full price of the Dinner Meeting. If you have special diet needs please let us know upon registration and we will do our best to work with the venue to accommodate you.
Menu: Your Choice of: Roasted Pork Loin with Apple Demi-Glaze or London Broil with Pinot Noir Demi-Glaze Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Garden Green Salad with Assorted Dressings, Rolls with Butter Freshly Brewed Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee, Hot Tea and Iced Tea
Location: The monarch hotel 12566 SE 93rd Ave Clackamas OR 97015
Table of Contents Dinner Social/Meeting |page 3 President’s Message | page 4 RHA Mark Your Calendar | page 5 Tualatin Fire & Rescue | page 6 What if? | page 7 Fair Housing and Window Falls | page 8-9 Worth 10,000 Words | page 9 RHA Starry Night, Hats for Hope | page 10 RHA Annual Family Picnic | page 11 How To Keep Good Tenants - And Your Sanity | page 12 - 13 Lowering Budgets and Raising Efficiency: Analyzing LED Lights | page 14 & 15 Should You Evict? | page 16 & 17 Dear Maintenance Men | page 18 Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Property for Spring| page 19 The Preferred Service Guide | page 20-22
FROM Downtown Portland- take I-84 east toward The Dalles. Take exit 6 and merge onto I-205 south bound. Take exit 14 to Sunnyside Rd. Turn right at SE Sunnyside Rd, go 495 ft., turn left at SE 93rd Ave, Monarch Hotel will be on the left. fROM WILSONVILLE- take I-205 North toward West Linn/Oregon City, take exit 14 to Sunnyside Rd. Turn left at SE Sunnybrook Blvd, turn right at SE 93rd Ave to Monarch Hotel. www.rhaoregon.org
RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
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President’s Message Oregon in the heart of national renting trends We all know Oregon is the best state to live in, but did you know we’ve become part of a national trend? According to rent.com, young people are relocating to places outside of the major metropolises of New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. In fact, smaller cities are seeing some of the largest influxes in Elizabeth Carpenter millennial populations. An analysis of census data from 2011 RHA President and 2012 shows that cities like Denver, Portland, Houston and Austin saw some of the largest influx of 20-somethings. Of the top 15 most popular cities for millennials, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are nowhere to be found. According to the Portland Business Journal, the Portland-area vacancy rate was just 3.5 percent. That’s the lowest level recorded in the spring since 2008.
RHAOregon LIST OF COMMITTEES Building
Chair: Phil Owen, PH: 503-244-7986
Community Relations/Donations
Chair: Tony Kavanagh, PH: 503-522-4474
Dinner/Program
Chair: Lynne Whitney, PH: 503-284-5522
Education
Chair: John Sage, PH: 503-667-7971
Forms
Chair: Mark Passannante, PH: 503-294-0910
House
Chair: Robin Lashbaugh, PH: 503-760-7171
Legislative
One of the values the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon provides is keeping our members up to date with rental housing market trends like population shifts, real estate value growth, and changes in national law that could affect us here at home. Most of our over 1,800 members are small business landlords with fewer than five units. It’s important to the RHA to keep an eye on market trends while our members are focused on the day-to-day work of providing housing. There is a reason why Oregon rental housing is hot and RHA members are right in the heart of it.
Chair: Phil Owen, PH: 503-244-7986
As your advocate, let me remind you of a change coming our way in a few weeks. Starting July 1, the Section 8 law takes effect and everyone will have to accept applications from section 8 clients.
Marketing
This month the RHA is offering a class to our members called “Understanding your Decision Point” as well as our usual online tenant screening class. Education, outreach, and hands on help is what have made the first half of 2014 fly by.
Alita Dougherty, alita@rhagp.org, PH: 503-667-9288
Our dinner meetings are growing and have been a tremendous amount of fun. Thank you to all the volunteers and RHA business members who make these events a success. This month, the RHA dinner meeting will feature Clackamas County Fire District #1 Deputy Fire Marshal Kari Shanklin. Kari’s experience and knowledge with the Fire Prevention Division will make this dinner meeting one not to miss. June 18th, the RHA dinner meeting will be at the Monarch Hotel. While you’ve got your calendar out, save July 16 for a very special, very fun social at the RHA office. It involves fine food, funny hats, and our partners in housing, J.O.I.N. And don’t forget to save August 13th for our annual picnic at Oaks Park. As always, the RHA is here to serve. The coffee is always on and our team is the best. Feel free to give us a call. Sincerely, Liz Carpenter Rental Housing Alliance Oregon President
Membership
Chair: Elizabeth Carpenter, PH: 503-314-6498
Office
Chair: Robin Lashbaugh, PH: 503-760-7171
Government Relations
Chair: Phil Owen, PH: 503-244-7986 Gresham Liaison: Jim Herman, PH: 503-645-8287
Chair: Ami Stevens, PH: 503-407-3663
Board Consultant
RHAOregon LOBBYIST
Cindy Robert, PH: 503-260-3431
RHAOregon OFFICE TEAM
Cari Pierce, Office Manager - cari@rhagp.org Pam VanLoon, Bookkeeper - pam@rhagp.org Teresa Carlson, Member Svcs - teresa@rhagp.org Suzanne Fullerton, Member Svcs Asst suzanne@rhagp.org RHAOregon OFFICE Monday - Friday * 9:00am - 5:00pm PH: 503-254-4723 * Fax: 503-254-4821 10520 NE Weidler St Portland, OR 97220
RHAOregon is committed to educating members to fair housing practices and policies.
Since 1927, the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon has set the standard for community participation by landlords providing affordable and quality housing.
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www.rhaoregon.org
Mark your calendar!
RHA Mark Your Calendar DATE
EVENT
LOCATION
TIME
06/11
Board Meeting
RHA Office
5:00pm
06/18
RHA Dinner Meeting Social
Monarch Hotel
6:00pm
06/26
Member Info/Mentor Meeting
RHA Office
6:00pm
RHA Office
5:00pm
07/09 Board Meeting 07/16
RHA Starry Night Hats for Hope
RHA Office
6:00pm
07/24
Member Info/Mentor Meeting
RHA Office
6:00pm
INFORMATION
See Page 3 for details
See page 10 for details
If you register for a dinner meeting and do not show or do not cancel by the Friday before the dinner meeting you will be charged the full price of the dinner Meeting DATE
CLASSES
LOCATION
TIME
06/04
Online Tenant Screening
RHA Office
11:00 am
06/06
Understanding Your Decision Point
WebEx
11:00 am
06/19
Understanding Your Decision Point
WebEx
7:00pm
06/24
Understanding Your Decision Point
WebEx
7:00 pm
07/09
Online Tenant Screening
RHA Office
11:00 am
07/11
Understanding Your Decision Point
WebEx
11:00am
07/17
Understanding Your Decision Point
WebEx
7:00pm
07/22
Online Tenant Screening
WebEx
7:00pm
INFORMATION
Those with prior registration to the class will be seated first. Walk-ins will only be accommodated once the class has started and if space is available. Registered attendees who arrive 15 minutes after the start of class be aware that your chair may be filled. If you register for a class and then do not cancel at least 48 hours before the class and /or do not show you will be charged for the class
Understanding Your Decision Point Report This class if offered to members of the RHA only. If you have a current service agreement and do your screening through RHA and would like to learn how to read the decision point report with more accuracy then this is the class for you.
JOIN Connecting the streets to a home Despite our growth as an organization over the last 16 years, JOIN continues to be guided by two important founding principles: relationships are more important than rules and the homeless person him or herself must be the agent of change.
Rental Housing Alliance Annual Picnic at Oaks Park Wednesday August 13, 2014 JOIN THE FUN AT THE RHA ANNUAL FAMILY PICNIC Featuring Oaks Fun Rides Delicious Food and BINGO
Call 503/254-4723 to make your reservations.
To purchase event tickets online visit: http://www.rhaoregon.org/store/category/events www.rhaoregon.org
RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
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What if?
By Alita Dougherty, RHA Oregon board director JOIN-Connecting the Street to a Home
I could have ended up at JOIN! Where I could have a safe place to be for a few hours, could receive mail, take a shower, use the computers for job searches and have a warm meal. This is all done with a barter system. To receive these amenities, people must do chores around the facility. What if back in 2005 I had a heart attack at age 61 instead of landing the job at RHA? At that time the rent for my 2 houses didn’t cover the PITI payment for the mortgages. There was no income to cover repairs, maintenance or vacancy. The real estate prices were going up but not enough for me to do more than come out even in selling my rentals. Especially since one had a leaking roof. The roof on my own home leaked so life would have been very difficult. Three houses in need of repairs and two large mortgages. No job, so no hope of getting a reasonable interest rate to finance repairs. I could not even start receiving Social Security payments without proving I was handicapped; not an easy thing to do for a healthy, able person. I think “What if?” when I’m at JOIN serving bowls of soup prepared by Tony Kavanagh; Tony works at G & C Distributing where he has to take a vacation day to make the soup. Lynne Whitney, RHA Oregon Board Secretary, has been there with us. Her boss Mike Gardner at Real Estate Roofing allows her the time to pick up some bread and then serve at the JOIN lunch. We have been a team for the last 2 months. This month RHAOregon Directors Ron Garcia, Dana Brown, Katie Poole-Hussa and Ami Stevens will be serving. Ron has been to the JOIN building many times. He has been helping JOIN in their program to put homeless families into homes. I joined the RHA Board of Directors JOIN team to serve meals to the hungry. When my father died there were 4 of us kids still at home. Aged 16, 12, 10, and 7, all with the appetites of healthy bodies growing faster than clothes could be handed down. We had chickens and rabbits plus a huge garden. Of course that meant gathering eggs, cleaning the chicken coop, planting, hoeing, harvesting, cooking and canning. Mom was very busy and www.rhaoregon.org
she worked cleaning the doctor’s office. The homeless in Portland don’t have a chicken coop or garden available. They have corners to pan-handle on and dumpster diving when desperate. It only takes a couple hours to serve the grateful clients at JOIN. When I take bread and butter to JOIN and serve the hungry people, I remember Mom cooking soup and baking bread for us kids. Somehow we always had something to eat in the house. Now the smiles of people asking for seconds, saying thank you for a simple bowl of soup and slice of bread bring a smile to my face. If you are thinking of the people as scruffy from sleeping in alleys or behind shrubs next to an office, you won’t find them at JOIN. The ones I see are clean looking, polite, quiet and very grateful. Try joining a meal team, it will fill your heart while they fill their stomachs. RHA Oregon’s meal team serves on the second Tuesday of each month. If you would like to help, even if it’s just for one month, we would love to hear from you. If you are interested in joining the meal team to serve the great people at JOIN please contact the RHA Oregon office at 503/254-4723.
2014 RHAOregon Office Closures: Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 9 - 5pm Wednesday January 1, 2014 - New Years Day Monday May 26, 2014 - Memorial Day Friday July 4, 2014 - Independence Day Monday September 1, 2014 - Labor Day Thursday November 27, 2014 - Thanksgiving Day
Thursday December 25, 2014 - Christmas Day Phone: (503)254-4723
Fax (503) 254-4821
10520 NE Weidler, Portland OR 97220
RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
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Fair Housing and Window Falls
By Jo Becker, Education/Outreach Specialist, Fair Housing Council Serving Oregon and SW Washington According to Clackamas Fire District #1, about 3,300 children under the age of six fall from windows every year; 70% of them from second or third floor windows. In Oregon, about 50 children between the ages of 0-5 fall from windows annually. The majority of falls occur between May and September when warm weather entices us to open windows for cooling and ventilation. Such falls can be deadly or lead to lifelong paralyis. In an effort to avoid such horrific tragedies, as well as to avoid liability, many housing providers have taken to advising residents and prospective residents of fall hazards. This, in and of itself, is a good thing; however, there can be fair housing implications. Twenty years after familial status protection was added to the federal Fair Housing Act (FHA)1, it goes without saying that a landlord, condo association, or other housing provider may not turn away (nor discourage) families with children out of fear of harm to the children. This is true whether that potential perceived harm is the presence of windows on upper floors, lead-based paint, or rickety banisters on the property. It should only ever be the family’s choice as to where and how to raise their children, just so long as the household meets legally objective and consistently applied screening criteria and community rules. Reasonable disclosures are not a bad idea and are, in fact, sometimes required as is the case with lead-based paint in properties built prior to 1978 (for more information on this visit www.FHCO.org/lead.htm). However, it is important that such disclosures not be targeted to any one protected class. That is to say, only warning families with children about safety issues of window falls and the precautions that can be taken by the household can have a “chilling (or discouraging) effect” and is legally akin to only warning the Muslim households and not the Jewish households, or all of the households in which someone has a disability but none of the rest of the households. Review your policies and day-to-day procedures to
assure you are not targeting children (or any other protected class), either directly or in effect. Where you see legitimate safety concerns, disclosures, disclaimers, warning signs, and having adequate general liability insurance are all appropriate measures to take, so long as these steps don’t single out one protected class, such as children. Show your care and concern for all of your residents and potential residents by assuring all are well informed and best equipped to live safely on your property for years to come. To that end, the following are some window fall safety tips from Clackamas Fire District #1 you may wish to share with all residents: •
Set a household rule (Note: this is for the household to determine, not the housing provider) to open windows no more than 4 inches wide. Install a window stop to prevent them from accidentally opening further.
•
If you do open windows wider than 4 inches, install window guards with an emergency release device.
•
Remember, windows also serve as a secondary means of escape during an emergency. Make sure all windows are still accessible and can open fully without special knowledge or tools. (Hence the reason you, as a housing provider, wouldn’t want to install permanent window blocks.)
•
Don’t rely on insect screens to prevent a window fall. Screens are to keep bugs out, not people or pets in. Keep windows locked and closed when not in use.
•
Keep furniture away from windows.
•
Establish a household rule about keeping a respectful distance from windows.
•
When buying new windows, look for those with built-in 4-inch limiters.
As always, if you have questions about fair housing law, (continued page 9)
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www.rhaoregon.org
Fair Housing and Window Falls: (continued from page 8)
court as evidence in case of damage to rental.
visit our website at www.FHCO.org. There you can find housing provider specific information on the “Housing Providers” page (www.FHCO.org/hs_provider_info. htm). For more information on your responsibilities and the protections surrounding familial status visit www. FHCO.org/families.htm.
Go home and burn the videos on a CD/DVD. Or if you don't know how, go to your local photo/video store and pay $10 for them to do it for you. Or bribe the neighbor's kid to do it for a $5 i-Tunes gift card. File the CD/DVD in a cabinet with your resident's lease. And, you're done.
This article brought to you by the Fair Housing Council; a nonprofit serving the state of Oregon and SW Washington. All rights reserved © 2014. Write jbecker@FHCO.org to reprint articles or inquire about ongoing content for your own publication. To learn more… Learn more about fair housing and / or sign up for our free, periodic newsletter at www.FHCO.org. Qs about this article? trade association?
‘Interested in articles for your company or
Contact Jo Becker at jbecker@FHCO.org or 800/424-3247 Ext. 150 Visit www.FHCO.org/pdfs/classlist.pdf Federally protected classes under the Fair Housing Act include: race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status (children), and disability. Oregon law also protects marital status, source of income,sexual orientation, and domestic violence survivors. Washington law covers martial status, sexual orientation, and domestic violence survivors, and honorably discharged veterans / military status. Additional protected classes have been added in particular geographic areas; visit FHCO.org/mission.htm and read the section entitled “View Local Protected Classes” for more information.
Worth 10,000 Words,
Mr. Landlord.com Tips of Management I saw a question and answer recently on LandlordingAdvice.com about how to PROVE damages in court. The answers were: take photos, have resident sign a paper, have resident sign printouts of photos, have a newspaper in the pictures, etc. I don't use these techniques as they could be challenged pretty easily as being fakes and/or time-consuming to do properly. I use digital video instead. I think every digital camera that has been built the last 10 years takes video as well as pictures. Ditto to just about every smart phone in existence. Spend $150 of your hard-earned landlord cash to buy a cheap point and shoot digital camera and a nice 16-GB flash card to store several hours worth of video. At move in, you walk through the property WITH THE RESIDENT, video taping all the while. Note deficiencies. You can also talk about the new paint, the steam-cleaned carpets, and the resident can confirm what you say. There is a two sentence clause in your lease that says the video documentation is done with the full consent and agreement of all RESIDENTS and will be admissible in www.rhaoregon.org
At move out, do the same video technique again with the resident. If the resident is evicted and/or doesn't do the walk through, your handy man can come along as a witness of date/time and you can also video the date on your phone (darn tough to reprogram those!). And most people aren't savvy enough to fudge a video of a phone's date stamp. Show the judge the video on your laptop while in court, or put it on your tablet and play it for the court to see. Burn an extra copy so you can give him one to keep for review if he'd like to take time to study it in detail. "Here you are, Your Honor, video PROOF of what the rental was like with the resident in the picture agreeing with everything I say. Now, here's the move out video with the date/time on my phone." Could someone potentially still fake/fudge these? Yes, I suppose it's possible, but darn difficult. If the resident is being evicted anyway, odds are you've gone above and beyond to offer up valid, sufficient evidence vs. the resident who will have nothing more than whiny verbal answers. You can bet THEY won't have a video! This method is not 100% fool-proof, but it's cheap, it's easy, and if a picture is worth 1000 words, a video must be worth 10,000 pictures at least. Regarding the advice from the tip above, one other landlord responded with the following caution, "I agree that videos can be a very effective way to present information. However, you'd better find out IN ADVANCE whether your court will be willing to view them. Many small claims courts WILL NOT. This would be a nasty surprise indeed if you were not ready to proceed with photos." Management tips provided by landlords on MrLandlord.com. To receive a free Rental Owner newsletter, call 1-800-950-2250 or visit our nationwide Q&A Forum, LandlordingAdvice.com, where you can ask landlording questions and seek the advice of other rental owners 24 hours a day." RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
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Save the date for the first Annual
rha starry night hats for hope Join us for a fine event of
hea vy ap p etiz er s
food, fun & friendship under the starry night. music
RHA Oregon Office 10520 NE Weidler, Portland, OR 97220 Wednesday, July 16, 2014
silly hat es t cont
6:00pm—8:30pm complimentary beer and wine
silent & oral auction
Celebrate hope as we work together with JOIN to help a family off the street and into housing! This event is being held in place of our regularly scheduled dinner meeting for July.
RSVP to info@rhagp.org or call (503) 254-4723
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www.rhaoregon.org
www.rhaoregon.org
RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
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How To Keep Good Tenants - And Your Sanity An occupied rental unit is the key to your success as a property manager. Yet, this basic fact is something many rental property owners quickly forget. Advertising your vacancy, having a wellpolished presentation, knowing all the latest sales closing techniques, implementing a thorough tenant screening program and moving in your prized tenants with amazing efficiency are all key parts of your job. But the reality is that the day your tenant moves in is the day your most important job (keeping your good tenants satisfied and happy) begins. You want your best tenants to stay and pay. If you offer a quality rental experience at a reasonable price, you’ll have lower turnover than other rental properties. You can achieve this goal by treating tenants with the same personal attention and courtesy you demonstrated when you first spoke to them on the phone or gave them a tour of the vacancy. Knowing what your customers want is the key to success in any business and as a rental property owner your tenants are your customers. In this article, I will let you know what most tenants are looking for in a rental experience so that you can make sure you are meeting those needs. I will also give you some tips on getting to the point where your tenants not only enjoy their experiences at your property, but want to renew their leases. Knowing What Tenants Want If you’re trying to raise your level of tenant satisfaction (and that should always be your goal), you need to determine what your tenants want and how to deliver that to them. Timely and Effective Communication A variety of issues concerns most tenants – and those issues are usually fairly obvious. Good tenants don’t
By Robert S. Griswold, MBA
like loud or noisy neighbors, unkempt common areas, broken or unserviceable items in their units or unsubstantiated rent increases. Fortunately, most of these problems can be solved if you have good communication and follow-through. The one problem that tenants don’t ignore is a landlord’s apathy. If you seem uncaring or nonchalant about tenants’ concerns, they’ll get the message that you don’t value their business. The perception of apathy is often created by the unwillingness or failure to communicate. If you give your tenants the impression that you only care about them when their rent is late, you’re headed straight down that apathy path. Keep your tenants informed. No one likes surprises and tenants are no different. If the pest control company cancels its service call, let your tenants know right away. If the walk-through with your new lender has been changed to earlier, call or e-mail your tenants instead of arriving unexpectedly with a weak apology. Common courtesy goes a long way. Quick Responses to Maintenance Requests One way to set your rental management apart from your competition is to handle tenant maintenance requests quickly and professionally. Providing prompt resolution to your tenants’ problems keeps them happy. A very common complaint about rental owners is that they’re unwilling to maintain and especially upgrade their rental units for current tenants. In my experience, this complaint is valid. Refusing to repaint, re-carpet or upgrade the appliances for a great tenant makes no sense. After all, if you don’t do it for the great tenant you already have and that tenant gets frustrated with your lack of effort and moves out, you have to do the work anyway in order to be competitive in the rental market and attract a new, unproven tenant. Treating your tenants as important customers can be the best decision you ever make. When working with a tenant concern or complaint, try to ask yourself how you’d want to be treated. Treating your tenants in this manner makes your tenant relations much more (continued page 13)
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How To keep Good Tenants (continued from page 12)
pleasant, dramatically decreases your tenant turnover and improves your net income – a win-win situation for all! Consistent Respect for Their Privacy A vast majority of tenants hate rental owners who fail to respect their privacy. In the case of emergency, always leave a note indicating that you had to enter the rental unit – include the date and time, as well as the reason. The minimum required written notice of entry is 24 hours in most states. Your request for entry should only involve normal business hours. Some rental owners feel that as long as they give proper legal notice, they can enter the rental whenever they want. However, I recommend limiting your entry to Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. unless the tenant voluntarily agrees to a different time.
One of the most effective ways to be successful in the rental housing business is to retain those tenants who are your best customers. Reducing turnover not only keeps the rental income flowing in but also lowers your expenses. The tenant retention process starts the moment the tenant moves in. Robert Griswold is a hands-on property manager with more than 30 years of experience, having managed more than 800 properties representing more than 45,000 rentals. He owns and runs Griswold Real Estate Management, Inc. with offices in southern California and southern Nevada. His book Property Management for Dummies is available at www.LandlordBooks.com. For more information, visit www.griswoldremgmt.com.Reprinted with permission of the Apartment Owners Association of California (AOA)
Even though you own the property, the last thing you want your tenants to feel is that their home isn’t really theirs. If you don’t respect your tenants’ privacy in their own home, they’ll be less likely to show respect for you or your rental property during or at the end of their tenancy. Equal Enforcement of House Rules A frequent source of tenant complaints is the rental property owner’s failure to enforce reasonable house rules – the policies and regulations you set for your property. In fact, good tenants actually want and appreciate fair and reasonable policies and rules. They know that they’re going to be quiet and respectful of their neighbors and they want to know that their neighbors must reciprocate. Tenants talk to one another and they quickly discover if you have different rules for different tenants. Inconsistent or selective rule enforcement has legal implications. For example, you may think that waiving a late fee for a tenant you’ve known for years but charging the late fee to a new tenant in similar circumstances is okay. After, all, you’ve known the first tenant longer and you’re willing to forgive that oversight once in a while, right? Wrong. You can’t have different interpretations of the rules because the legal consequences you face are severe.
www.rhaoregon.org
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Lowering Budgets and Raising Efficiency: Analyzing LED Lights By Cliff Hockley President of Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate
One important place to find savings is in your electrical/lighting budget. Every year we waste over 57% of the energy we import or generate in the form of leaks and unused heat. Inefficient lighting, especially the incandescent kind, greatly contributes to this while providing poor lighting quality. Both incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, in a variety of applications, give off more energy in heat than they do in lumens, effectively draining power while trying to do their job. Commercial owners, especially those in the office and retail sectors, spend over 34% of their energy cost on simply powering their lights, and this does not account for the repair and replacement of the fixtures and ballasts. As energy costs continue to rise, even in the Pacific Northwest where we enjoy cheap energy, small increases in the cost per kWh can mean hundreds more on your energy bill. Switching to a more efficient and durable light source, like LED lighting, will reduce energy consumption, increase the lifetime of your lighting assets, and reduce your environmental impact so your property can run smoother, simpler and brighter.
Longevity: Longevity is the first category to explore when comparing lighting methods. In a test reported in the 2011 Energy Efficiency Annual Report by the New England Gas Company, the Phillips Ambient LED 12.5 watt A19 indoor bulb, a common LED light, was tested against the CFL GE Energy Smart 13 watt bulb. Although the two bulbs compared favorably in energy efficiency, the LED lasted 17,000 hours longer than the CFL. You would need three CFL bulbs to match the longevity of the 25,000 hour lifetime of the LED. When factoring in replacement cost, which can mean hiring a professional at $30-$60 an hour, the CFL become much more costly than advertised. LEDs range from 25,000 hrs. – 90,000 hours in lifetime, no other single lighting method comes close.
Energy Savings: The primary reason for switching to LEDs is to save on your daily energy consumption and cost. According to the U.S. Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption and Intensity Trends report retail locations using over 40% of their energy consumption on lighting, business and building owners need to make a change. However many commercial owners have yet to make a switch because of their lumping cost, especially since many owners just switched from incandescent 14
:RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
to florescent bulbs in the last five years. The reduction in consumption can reduce the utility bill while increasing the value of the building. Let’s take a large department store, which uses 300 250 watt halide high-bay fixtures. In one hour this store will use 75,000 watts on these lights. If these were replaced with 400 24 watt LED high bays, the store would use 10,000 watts in that hour. If these lights are on 14 hours a day, with a cost of $0.10/ watt the store would be saving $32,000 on energy every year. LEDs are 80% efficient, which means they convert more energy into light, reducing waste and consumption. Control systems can also be put in place so the lights can be dimmed, brightened, or turned off based on specific preferences. In addition an asset boost is possible. In a 200,000-square foot office building that pays $2 per square foot in energy costs, a 10% reduction in energy consumption could be an additional $40,000 of NOI. At a cap rate of 8% this could mean an asset value boost of $500,000. The energy savings don’t stop at the lighting when LEDs are installed. Because less heat is generated, HVAC systems don’t have to compensate for the heat generated by light bulbs in your office and have more power available to deal with the 90 degree summer heat.
Lighting is Better and Brighter
Although the lighting debate focuses on the environment, cost, and energy efficiency it’s important to include quality of lighting. Quality of light is often determined by the color temperature, measured in kelvins, and the color rendering index (CRI), which indicates how accurately the light renders colors. These are important because color temperature changes based on the application, i.e. retail lighting, kitchen lighting, classroom lighting etc, and CRI determines if the enlightened colors will appear correctly to the human eye. LED lights have an advantage in both of these areas because they are adjustable and can be manufactured for specific color temperature while also ensuring colors are well lit. With increased control over temperature and CRI owners can provide better lighting for each application they need. These applications can range from office and parking lot lighting to retail and restaurant lighting, yet each needs different intensity and temperature to create an atmosphere or to improve safety and visibility.
Tax and Government Incentives Most owners are still worried about initial implementation (continued page 15) www.rhaoregon.org
Analyzing LED Lights: (continued from page 14)
cost. However, there are a number of programs offering incentives and rebates for making important lighting upgrades. Lightingtaxdeductions.com and Energy Trust of Oregon’s Lighting Incentives Sheet (http://energytrust.org/ library/forms/BE_PI0190L.pdf), allows owners to supplement the cost of their upgrades either up-front or through tax deductions. In addition The Energy Policy Act of 2005 provided energy efficient commercial buildings a tax reduction program for lighting systems that exceeded lighting code standards (Energy Policy Act Tax Deduction Information— http://www.dsireusa.org/incentives/incentive.cfm? Incentive_ Code=US40F). Each of these programs are very specific, depending on the type of building, the lighting applications, and the costs they will cover, but they are incredibly helpful is getting your project off the ground despite high costs. With the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 the U.S. began to implement stringent lighting standards aimed at efficiency. The bill called for certain inefficient lighting to be phased out by manufacturers and suppliers. As of Jan. 1st, 2014, 75 watt and 100 watt incandescent bulbs were cut from manufacturing, thus, forcing consumers to find more energy efficient options. Rebates still remain to make retrofitting easier but as energy efficient lights become standard these rebates will be phased out as well, so don’t miss your chance.
specifically LED lighting, improve your property in many ways. LED lighting is comprehensively more energy and cost effective than comparable lighting methods, saving on cost, energy consumption, and maintenance, while also reducing stress on other operations like HVAC. The cost of labor, including installing, replacing and repairing, will be reduced, saving owners time and money that would otherwise be used to organize and pay technicians. In addition these savings increase the value of your asset, making your property more desirable for owners. Lighting that’s up to the highest efficiency standards will be a great selling point for potential tenants, who are looking to save on energy costs with top of the line operations. Time is running out to take advantage of the programs and rebates that will make your LED transition easier. However, if it happens today or in a year LED lights are still the best all-around lighting value and just may be the brightest idea for improving your property. Clifford A. Hockley is President of Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services, greater Portland’s full service real estate brokerage and property management company. Founded in 1972, Bluestone & Hockley’s staff totals nearly 110 employees, including 20 licensed brokers. The company’s property management division serves commercial buildings, apartments, condominium associations and houses in the Portland / Vancouver metro area, while the brokerage division facilitates both leasing and sales of investment properties throughout Oregon and Washington.
Environmental Plus: Although saving energy is a plus for the environment, efficient light bulbs are not made out of thin air. Many light bulbs (including florescent bulbs) are produced with and contain harmful chemicals like mercury and lead. Sophisticated recycling techniques are needed to make sure these metals don’t enter our water ways, where they could be very harmful. LED bulbs on the other hand, contain no mercury and aren’t considered a hazardous product, making them far easier to recycle. Many hardware stores and manufacturers have recycling programs especially for these lights. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration most of the nation, 70% of our electricity is generated through coal or natural gas switching to energy efficient lighting will reduce our need for these environmentally harmful energy sources. In Oregon our power is generated through hydro-electric and natural gas, with some of slack picked up by coal and biomass, meaning that even little changes can remove coal from our consumption profile. Conclusion For commercial owners, energy efficient lighting upgrades, www.rhaoregon.org
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Should You Evict? By Bob Cain-Rental Property reporter
Wouldn’t it be great if you had a consistent, objective formula that you could pull out and decide when to boot a tenant? Just think, plug in some data, add, subtract, multiply and divide, maybe even have Excel do it, and presto, get a number that tells whether to send the eviction notice or “give them one more chance.” It would be similar to that Body Mass Index that health gurus are so fond of touting. It’s too bad, but there isn’t any such formula. Deciding whether to evict depends on several factors that take into account both the property and the tenants themselves. Even so, what we will look at here is how to make a more confident and objective decision about when to evict even if we can’t come up with an infallible formula. If the tenant hasn’t paid rent for three months, has trashed the place, throws nightly wild parties that bring the police, sells drugs out of the property, picks fights with neighbors, leaves filth and garbage strewn throughout, there’s no need for a formula. That is an obvious candidate for eviction. Well, duh. Rarely do we get such qualifications, though. Often landlords torture themselves because they know how “hard” it is for the tenants at the moment and don’t want to be the “bad guy” who gives credence to the notion of the evil, uncaring landlord of myth and legend. But let’s start with one axiom. Every unit must pay for itself. That means that even in a multi-unit building, letting one unit slide because the others are paying so it’s still in the black is not the best business plan for several reasons, the most obvious of which is that bad tenancy is an insidious virus that spreads to other tenants. Let one tenant slide and others could become less conscientious about paying the rent on time and being good neighbors. And then the landlord thinks about “fairness.” After all, if one tenant is allowed to slide on rent and good behavior, is it “fair” to expect diligence from the rest? What’s in his head is like listening to a teenager whine, “It’s not fair. First, then, how does the property affect the decision? I thought of two factors. One is the difficulty in getting
the property rented. If it takes months to find a new tenant, we might be willing to let some late rent slide. But we wouldn’t be willing to let three months’ “late” rent slide. After all, since we’re not getting any rent, anyway, we may as well have the place vacant and market for a better tenant. The second factor is the type of tenant the property attracts. That five-bedroom house with the swimming pool, spa, guest house and landscaping that puts Kew Gardens to the test on a two-acre lot attracts a tenant from whom we expect to receive full rent on the first of the month, every month, no matter what. Yes, it might be somewhat more difficult to find tenants for the property, but the type of tenant who we would allow to rent such a property is not one whom we would expect to have difficulty paying the rent. Besides, then there’s the mortgage payment on the property. But how about that studio apartment in the less thandesirable part of town that attracts tenants who barely are hanging on, who depend on welfare and food stamps to survive, and who can find work only intermittently and might not be expected to supply the rent as consistently as someone who is not usually in a financial bind? That property is most likely easy to rent, albeit with that same demographic of tenant. In those cases, it might pay to “work with” the tenant some to get the rent, even if it’s late. How about the tenants? I thought of two factors to consider here. First, how long has that tenant lived in the property? If it was just last month that he or she moved in and the complaints have begun already, if it’s the 10th and the rent for this month hasn’t arrived yet, out he goes. However, if this tenant has been living there for five years, has had a steady job, and has a history of paying on time and being a good neighbor, it’s time for a phone call or knock on the door. If it were me, I most likely would call and ask if there’s a problem. Then, I’d ask for a commitment. Let the tenant come up with it. Here’s why: Getting the other party to commit to something first (continued page 17)
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Should You Evict?: (continued from page 16)
is a negotiating technique to use in many different situations, even in negotiating a purchase price or asking a business for a way to correct its poor service or product. Often, in negotiations such as this, the other party will come up with a far more rigorous solution than we would. We could end up kicking ourselves for leaving money on the table because we were ready to agree to far less than the other party in the negotiation offered— and we spoke first. Let him or her talk first. Even if the tenant’s solution isn’t good enough, we can ask for what we had in mind to begin with. The second factor is the “consistent-until-now.” It goes along with the length of tenancy, but can be separated out for tenants whom you might consider have a shorter residency. It also goes along with the property itself considering how consistent we expect other tenants in the same property to be with the rent. The point is, if you consider them a previously reliable tenant, it is most likely important to get an explanation.
1
Things we never tolerate are tenants who damage the property and are bad neighbors. We also don’t tolerate drug dealing or other illegal activities. Those get evicted no matter what the property or whom the tenant is. We don’t need a formula there, just a notice to quit. The final factor is to ask if the property is losing money or can expect to lose money with the tenant in question. That could include drug dealing, meth labs, and other such criminal behavior. Those can result in our losing money because a property is damaged, destroyed, or padlocked by local authorities for the illegal activities. If the answer is, yes, count on a drained bank account. Out they go. We have a responsibility first to our investments, second to our customers (tenants), and third to the communities where our properties are. The responsibilities to our investments and our tenants parallel and complement each other. Be consistent with one and get both. So that might be the formula. It’s simple. Are we keeping our responsibilities to our investments and tenants? Some 30 years ago Bob Cain went to a no-money-down seminar and got the notion that owning rental property would be just the best idea there is for making money.
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He bought some. Trouble was, what he learned at the seminar didn’t tell him how to make money on his rental property. He went looking for help in the form of a magazine or newsletter about the business. He couldn't find any. Always ready to jump at a great idea, he decided he could put his speaking and writing skills to work and perform a valuable service for other investors who needed more information about property management. So Bob ferreted out the secrets, tricks and techniques of property management wherever he found them; then he passed them along to other landlords. For over 25 years now, Bob has been publishing information, giving speeches, putting on seminars and workshops, and consulting for landlords on how to buy, rent and manage property more effectively. Reprinted with permission from Rental Property Reporter. Rental Property Reporter delivers articles, tips, and resources designed to help landlords better manage their rental properties and increase their return on investment. www.rentalpropertyreporter.com
The RHAOregon Mission The Rental Housing Alliance Oregon is a group of rental housing owners and managers in the Portland metropolitan area who have joined together for the purposes of: • Providing information to improve the knowledge of rental owners and managers. • Enhancing the reputation of “landlords” by promoting professional practices. • Assisting local public officials on various community endeavors relating to public or private housing. The Update is a monthly publication for members of The Rental Housing Alliance Oregon • 10520 NE Weidler St, • Portland, OR 97220 • Phone 503-254-4723 • Fax 503-254-4821 • www.rhaoregon.org • Hours: Monday through Friday 9am to 5 pm Editorial Staff: Cari Pierce • Graphic Designer Teresa Carlson Publisher: The Rental Housing Alliance Oregon The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not reflect those of the Board of Directors or the newsletter editor or committee. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Cari Pierce at 503-254-4723. Please notify the RHAOregon office of any address changes.
RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
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Dear Maintenance Men: By Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez
Dear Maintenance Men: I am about to undertake a landscape rehab project at my building. My problem is that I have a 25-foot King Palm in the way. Can this palm be moved? I’ve also heard that landscape companies will pay for good-sized palms or at least remove the tree for free. Is this true? John Dear John: Good question. We contacted a couple of local tree and palm experts in our area. They said King Palms do not travel well and if they are laid down on their sides for transport, they have a low survival rate. For that reason most tree companies will not pay for or remove a King Palm for free. The cost of hiring a crane truck and crew for transplant, most likely will be more than the palm is worth. If it were us, we would try to find a way to include the palm in our new landscape plans or pay for a tree removal service. Dear Maintenance Men: I have a funny problem with the automatic vehicle gate at an apartment building we manage. It gets stuck open at odd times for no reason. I have sent the handyman to repair the gate, but he found nothing wrong with it. Manual Dear Manual: Double check all the gate systems are working properly. Chances are the problem might be a stuck remote control unit in one of the resident’s car. What happens is the control button is stuck on and when the resident comes home, the gate opens automatically and chances are they are parking close to the gate. When they leave the property and get out of range of the gate receiver, the gate returns to normal operation. Finding the defective remote control unit will require a bit of detective work. You will want to determine the range of the controller, and then talk to the owners of the cars parked within the range. Another possibility may be that the remote receiver is failing. The gate will open when cars exit by driving over the gate “loops”, but will be unable to re-enter with their remote control units. The receiver is located near the gate motor assembly and can easily be replaced.
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Dear Maintenance Men I am in the process of installing new deadbolt locks on a number of doors at my building. These doors have never been drilled for deadbolts before. The problem I’m running into is how to line up where to drill for the latch plate in the doorframe. Do you have any good tricks for getting this done? Ken Dear Ken: Indeed we do. Lip stick or shoe polish is the answer. After the deadbolt lock is installed in the door and with the door open, extend the bolt. Now, dab the end of the bolt with lip stick or shoe polish and return the bolt to the unlocked position. Close the door and attempt to lock or extend the bolt into the frame. Open the door and on the frame should be the exact location of the latch bolt hole. Using a one-inch wood bit; bore a hole 1.5 inches deep to complete the installation. Another method is to cut a one-inch thick dowel rod three inches long, insert a small finish nail into the end of the dowel rod, and be sure to center the nail. Cut the head of the nail off. With the deadbolt lock removed from the door, insert the dowel rod into the latch hole in the door with the nail end facing out. Close the door and with your finger, push the dowel rod into the doorframe. Pull the rod out and your drilling site is marked exactly. One last item, if you are doing a number of doors, it may be worth purchasing a doorknob drilling jig. It will contain all the tools needed for professional door lock drilling and installation. The kit typically costs between $50 for a home improvement store kit and up to $400 for a professional kit. The $50 kit is fine if you only have a couple of doors to drill, however, if you have a lot of deadbolts to install, the professional kit is worth the money in the time and frustration it saves. Please send us your Maintenance Questions!!!
To see your maintenance question in the “Dear Maintenance Men:” column, please send submission to: Questions@BuffaloMaintenance.com Please “Like” us on Facebook.com/BuffaloMaintenance Bio: Please call: Buffalo Maintenance, Inc for maintenance work or consultation. JLE Property Management, Inc for management service or consultationFrankie Alvarez at 714 956-8371 Jerry L’Ecuyer at 714 778-0480 CA contractor lic: #797645, EPA Real Estate lic. #: 01460075 Certified Renovation Company www.rhaoregon.org
Top 10 Tips to Prepare Your Property for Spring Winter weather can take a toll on your property. Much of the U.S. is recovering from one of harshest winters in recent history, so it’s important to inspect your property for damage and plan for maintenance, repair and remodeling projects. “Winter weather can damage homes in ways that aren’t easily visible,” said NAHB Remodelers Chair Paul Sullivan, CAPS, CGR, CGP, of Waterville Valley, N.H. “Home owners should protect their investment and hire a professional remodeler to repair or replace damaged components now, before spring storms create more problems.” NAHB Remodelers recommends these top 10 tips for owners to inspect for damage and make sure the property is ready for spring: Inspect roof — Check your roof for loose, warped or missing shingles and make sure the chimney flashing and skylight seals are intact. Clean and repair gutters — Clear winter storm debris from gutters and downspouts, and check that they are still securely attached to the house. Blocked or loose gutters can allow in water and damage trim. Look for leaks — Common culprits for hard-to-find leaks are attics, crawl spaces and washing machine hoses. Inspect these areas, look under sinks for damage from frozen pipes and check your water heater for signs of corrosion. Clear exterior drains — Remove leaves from underground or exterior drains to clear the way for spring rain and prevent backups. Inspect siding — Inspect siding for pieces that have come loose during winter storms. Check window and door seals — Examine the exterior caulking on door and window seals to ensure it remains watertight.
sidewalks and steps to keep water out and prevent further expansion. Paint the exterior — Painting or touching up paint on the exterior of your home not only makes it look better, but will also help protect the home from the elements. Inspect the HVAC — Hire a qualified technician to service your home’s HVAC system to make sure it is running properly before hot temperatures call for air conditioning. Now is also the time to replace your HVAC filters. Check the grading — Ensure the grading of your yard slopes away from the foundation to keep excess moisture at bay. Don’t wait! Inspect your property now, and fix damage quickly, before rainfall makes things worse. Many professional remodelers not only renovate homes; they repair or replace damaged or deteriorating roofs, windows, doors and other home features. Remodeling and repair projects can require your home to be open to the elements and companies may have a backlog of work due to the length and severity of the winter season. Choose your repair and renovation projects for the year ahead and start planning now. For more information, visit nahb.org. Reprinted with permission of American Apartment Owners Association offers products and services for landlords related to your rental housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org. American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for all your property management needs. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org.
Save The Date
Wednesday August 13, 2014 RHAOregon Annual Picnic
Patch cracks — Patch cracks in concrete driveways, www.rhaoregon.org
RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
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PREFERRED VENDORS: Dual and Affiliate members support the interest of rental housing through their membership in RHA ACCOUNTING/BOOKKEEPING Balancing Point, Inc., Sandy Buhite-Landis P.503-659-8803 C.503-504-9466 12500 SE Oatfield Rd Milwaukie 97222 melandsandyl@hotmail.com Portland Tax Co. Full Service Tax and Accounting Phone: 503-258-0700 Fax: 503-256-1527
Hal’s Construction, Inc. CCB#34434 Brian King, P.503-656-4999 20666 S HWY 213 OregonCity, 97045 www.halsconstruction.com halspave@easystret.net ASSOCIATIONS Metro Area Smoke Free Housing Project P.503-718-6145 www.smokefreeoregon.com
ADVERTISING / MARKETING The Landlord Times P.503-221-1260 News for Ppty Managers & Owners www.thelandlordtimes.com
ATTORNEYS Bittner & Hahs, P.C. Andy Hahs, P.503-228-5626 4949 SW Meadows Rd #260 Lake Oswego, Or 97035
The Oregonian Media Group David Sandvig, P.503-221-8417 1320 SW Broadway Portland 97201 dsandvig@orgonian.com www.oregonianlive.com
Broer & Passannante, P.S. Mark G Passannante, P.503-294-0910 1001 SW Fifth Ave, Ste. 1220 Portland, OR 97204
APPLIANCE-RENT SRVS LEASE Azuma Leasing BJ Rosow, P.800-707-1188 P.512-236-9000, F.512-239-9009 2905 San Gabriel St. #218 Austin, TX 78705
Hanson Legal Services Milan Hanson P.503-664-0133 1020 SW Taylor St. Portland, OR 97205 milan@hanson-law.com
Mac-Gray Corporation Formerly Web-Laundry Company Karen Anthony P.503-330-9628
Jeffrey S. Bennett Jeff Bennett. P.503-255-8795 850 NE 122nd Ave. Portland, 97230 Protecting landlords’ rights in Oregon for over a decade.
APPLIANCE-SALES ONLY G&C Distributing Company Tony Kavanagh, P.503-288-0221 1205 NE 33rd, Portland 97232
Law Offices of Richard Schneider, LLC P.503-241-1215, www.rbsllc.com 2455 NW Marshall St #11 Portland 97210, Business formation - LLCs
Standard TV & Appliance Joe Mosee & Cathy Mosee P.503-619-0500, C.503-888-6927 3600 SW Hall Blvd, Beaverton 97005
Scott A. McKeown, P.C. Scott McKeown, P.503-224-1937 8700 SW 26th Ave Ste S. Portland, 97219 scottmckeown@comcast.net
APPLICANT SCREENING CoreLogic SafeRent 7300 Westmore Road, Suite 3 Rockville, MD 20850 P.888-881-3400 www.corelogic.com/saferent
Timothy Murphy Attorney at Law Always representing ONLY landlords Tim Murphy P.503-550-4894 522 SW 5th Ave #812 Portland,97204
Complete Screening Agency LLC Jacob Turner & Tiffany Webb P.800-827-3130 www,complete-screen.com info@complete-screen.com National Tenant Network Marcia Gohman P.503-635-1118, F.503-635-9392 P.O. Box 21027, Keizer 97303 www.ntnonline.com Prospective RentersVerificationService Charlie Kamerman P.503-655-0888, F.503-655-0900 RHAOregon P.503-254-4723, F.503-254-4821 Fast,affordable tenant screening www.rhaoregon.org TrueSource Screening, LLC David Mustard P.888.546-3588, F.888-546-3588 www.truesourcescreening.com ASPHALT PAVING Benge Industries Parking lot Maintenance Service Corey Wilkerson P.503-803-1950 corey@bengeindustries.com
Jim Path P.503-542-8900, 800-935-1250 14190 SW 72nd Ave #110 Tigard, OR 97224 www.cfmfloors.com
COLLECTION AGENCIES Anderson & Associates Credit Services, LLC P.503-293-5400, F.503-813-2159 P.O. Box 230286, Portland, 97281 andersoncollectionagency@gmail.om National Credit Systems, Inc. Mary Bass Regional Sales Director P. 1-800-530-2797 COMMUNICATIONS Comcast Business Services Dave Dronkowski, P.503-957-4186 Telephone,Internet & Cable TV Srvs david_dronkowski@cablecomcast.com CONCRETE Hal’s Construction, Inc. Brian King, P.503-656-4999 20666 S HWY 213 Oregon City, 97045 www.halsconstruction.com
CARPENTRY & REPAIRS Eaton General Construction CCB# 154142 P.503-539-0811 Full Service General Contractor www.eatongeneral.com
ELECTRIC DeKorte Electric, Inc. P.503-288-2211 5331 SW Macadam #258-113 Portland, OR 97239
G&G Construction Inc. CCB# 162743 P.503-826-9404 Maintenance & Painting Specialists www.miesner@comcast.net
Freeman Electric P.503-803-6859 Call for RHA Member Discount
Roger Harms P.503-230-1250, 800-275-6722 915 SE Sandy Blvd Portland 97214 www.cfmfloors.com
Barrister Support Service P.503-246-8934 Evictions, 1st Appearance, Process Serving www.barristersupport.com
The Floor Store Ted Stapleton, P.503-408-6488 5628 SE Woodstock Blvd Portland, OR 97206 ted@floorstoreportland.com
DOORS Goose Hollow Window Co Inc. Mary D. Mann P.503-620-0898 marymann@goosehwc.com Goosehwc.com Energy Trust Trade Ally
CARPET SALES Contract Furnishings Mart Jennifer Evans P.360-896-6150, 800-267-6150 11013 NE 39th St Vancouver 98682 www.cfmfloors.com
EVICTIONS Action Services Wally Lemke, P.503-244-1226 P.O. Box 69621, Portland, 97239 Your eviction & process Svcs Special
Patrick VonPegert P.503-656-5277, 877-656-5232 15140 SE 82nd Dr Clackamas, OR 97015 info@cfmfloors.com
BASEMENT WATERPROOFING John’s Waterproofing, CCB# 15830 Crawlspace Waterproofing P.503-233-0825 Fully Staffed www.johnswaterproofing.com
CARPET CLEANING O’Meara Carpet Cleaning P.503-538-1983, 503-620-5005 Cleaning, Pet Odor Removal, Flood Damage www.omearacarpetcleaning.com
ESTATE PLANNING Law Offices of Richard Schneider, LLC P.503-241-1215, 2455 NW Marshall St #11 Portland, OR 97210 www.rbsllc.com
Rebecca O’Neill P.503-716-4848 4865 NW 235th Ave Hillsboro,97124 www.cfmfloors.com
CCB# 34434
CCB# 53631
CCB# 159954
CB#61648
Portland General Electric Anne Snyder-Grassmann P503-464-7534 1215 SW Salmon, Pdx 97204 Rental Housing Maint Service CCB# 163427 Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136 Fully Licensed to do it all garyindra@rentalrepairs.com Squires Electric Joe Squires Phone: 503-252-1609 1001 SE Division St., #1 Portland, OR 97202 www.SquiresElectric.com
Landlord Solutions P,503-242-2312, F.503-242-1881 P.O. Box 7087, Portland 97007 Online evictions & First Appearance www.landlord-solutions.com Oregon Legal AssistanceSrvs P.503-954-1009,F.971-266-8372 Evictions,small claims and Process Servicing 1031 EXCHANGES / REITS TENANCY IN COMMON Peregrine Private CapitalCorp P.503-241-4949 5000 Meadows Rd. #230 Lake Oswego, OR 97035 rs@peregrineprivatecapital.com FINANCIAL SERVICES American Commercial Mortgage Network Al Williams, P.206-264-1325 1366 91st Ave. NE Clyde Hill WA 98004 Chase Commercial Term Lending Tom Barbour, P.503-598-3657 Steve Mozinski, P.503-598-3661 steve.mozinski@chase.com Banner Bank NMLS 120713 Residential Commercial Investment Financing Matt Schiefer P.360-259-6990 mschiefer@bannerbank.com FIRE/WATER DAMAGE RESTORATION Cooper Construction CCB# 08587 P.503-232-3121, Since 1950 2305 SE 9th Ave, Portland, 97214 www.fire-water-restoration.com Horizon Restoration CCB# 160672 John Pedden P.503-620-2215, F.503-624-0523 7235 SW Bonita Rd Portland, 97224 Paul Davis Restoration Serving Greater Pdx, The Coast & Willamete Valley P.888-728-4208, Em.503-822-5539 www.restorationportland.com FIRE SAFETY Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue Eric T. McMullen P.503-612-7000 7401 SW Washo Ct. Ste 101 Tualatin, OR 97062 eric.mcmullen@tvfr.com FLOOR COVERING Contract Furnishing Mart Jennifer Evans P.360-896-6150, 800-267-6150 11013 NE 39th St Vancouver 98682 www.cfmfloors.com
Let the advertiser know that you received their contact information through the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon 20
:RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
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Dual and Affiliate members support the interest of rental housing through their membership in RHA:. PREFERRED VENDORS Roger Harms P.503-230-1250, 800-275-6722 915 SE Sandy Blvd Portland 97214 www.cfmfloors.com
Rental Housing Maint. Svcs. Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136 Fully Licensed to do it all garyindra@rentalrepairs.com
Rebecca O’Neill P.503-716-4848 4865 NW 235th Ave Hillsboro,97124 www.cfmfloors.com
Wieder Works CCB# 164323 Darren J Wiederhold, C.503-260-2133 Maintenance Repair Replacement www.wiederworks.com
Jim Path P.503-542-8900, 800-935-1250 14190 SW 72nd Ave #110 Tigard, OR 97224 www.cfmfloors.com
HAULING Junk Away Hauling CCB# 177966 P. 503-517-9027 Licensed bonded insured trash outs jcdoud@msn.com
Patrick VonPegert P.503-656-5277, 877-656-5232 15140 SE 82nd Dr Clackamas, OR 97015 info@cfmfloors.com Eaton General Construction 154142 Eric Eaton P.503-539-0811 All Types of Floor Covering www.eatongeneral.com
CCB#
HEATING & COOLING Midway Heating Co. CCB#24044 P.503-252-4003 12625 SE Sherman St. Portland, OR 97233 Pyramid Heating & Cooling P.503-786-9522 Serving the Portland Metro area info@pyramidheating.com
J & B Hardwood Floors, Inc Jim Cripps, P.503-519-4920 jandbhardwoodfloors@gmail.com Rental Housing Maint Svcs 163427 Gary Indra P.503-678-2136 Vinyl, VCT, Ceramic, Hardwood
CCB# 163427
CCB#
HEATING OIL Midway Heating Co. P.503-252-4003 12625 SE Sherman St. Portland, OR 97233
CCB#59382
CCB# 24044
FORMS RHAOregon Attorney Drawn, Up-to-date Rental Forms P.503-254-4723 F.503-254-4821 www,rhaoregon.org GENERAL CONTRACTORS Uptown Properties CCB# 198205 AJ Shepard P. 360-772-6355 Full Service General Contractor, Licensed & Bonded www.uptownpm.com
Orkin Pest Control Dan Wolcott Account Manager & Inspector P.503-384-8384 dwolcott@orkin.com PLUMBING/DRAIN CLEANING Apollo Drain P.503-822-6805 apollo-drain.com facebook.com/apollodrain 24 hour emergency service We galdly quote prices over the phone
Workman Insurance-Allstate Insurance & Financial Planning P.503-655-2000 1751 Willamette Falls Dr., West Linn, 97068 Allstate Agencies / Sam Workman INVESTMENT SERVICES Peregrine Private Capital Corp P.503-241-4949 5000 Meadows Rd, #230 Lake Oswego, OR 97070 rs@peregrineprivatecapital.com LANDSCAPING Oregon Tree Care P.503-929-9437 www.oregontreecare.com info@oregontreecare.com MASON CONTRACTORS D&R Masonry Restoration Inc. Ray Elkins, P.503-353-1650 8890 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Milwaukie, OR 97222 www.drmasonry.com
Soil Solutions Environmental Services Tank Locating, Sampling, Decommissioning and DEQ Certified Clean-ups Phone: 503-234-2118 info@soilsolutions-environmental.com Website: www.soilsolutions-environmental. com
CCB# 99196
MOVERS-HOUSE Emmert Development Co Terry Emmert, P.503-655-9933 11811 SE Hwy 212, Clackamas, OR 97015 PAINT / PAINTING G&G Construction Inc. CCB# 162743 P.503-826-9404 Maintenance & Paintng Specialists miesner@comcast.net Rental Housing Maint. Svcs. CCB# 163427 Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136 Prof. Interior & Exterior painting garyindra@rentalrepairs.com
GUTTERS Aylwin Construction CCB# 104039 Gutter Installation,Repair, Cleaning P.503-998-7663 www.roofpdx.com
INSULATION Goose Hollow Window Co inc Mary D. Mann P.503-620-0898 Energy Trust Trade Ally www.goosehwc.com marymann@goosehwc.com
Richard Hallman Painting CCB# 142467 Rick Hallman P.503-819-1210 Quality Interior Painting Since 1992 hallmanrj@gmail.com
HANDYMAN Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services Chuck Hodges, P.503-222-3800 9320 SW Barbur Blvd Ste 300 Portland, OR 97219 main@bluestonehockley.com
INSURANCE American Family Insurance Auto/Home/ Life/ Commerical Larry Thompson Agency P.503-924-2200, F.503-924-2202 15573 SE Bangy Rd, Ste 220 Lake Oswego, OR 97035
Eaton General Construction P.503-539-0811 Full Service General Contractor www.eatongeneral.com
CCB# 154142
Robinson Financial Group Rita J. Robinson, P503-557-4997 Group & Indiv. Health Insurance
G&G Construction Inc. CCB# 163427 State Farm Insurance P.503-826-9404 Paul Toole, P.503-655-2206 Maintenance & Painting Specialist 6105 W ‘A’ St #B West Linn, 97068 miesner@comcast.net Stegmann Agency Farmers Insurance Home Repair PDX CCB# 201298 P.503-667-7971, F.503-666-8110 Troy K. Rappold, P.503-236-8274 202 SE 181st Ave #201, 1125 SE Madison St. #201 Portland, OR 97233 Portland, OR 97214 john.lstegmann@farmersagency.com www.homerepairpdx.com
Rodda Paint Tim Epperly, P.503-572-8191 tepperly@roddapaint.com PEST CONTROL Alpha Ecological Pest Control Alexa Fornes PDX800-729-3764 1200 NE 112th Ave Vancouver, 98684 Frost Integrated Pest Mgmt P.503-863-0973 Residential.Commercial.Multi Family www.frostpestfreezone.com NW Pest Control Bruce Beswick P.503-253-5325 9108 NE Sandy Blvd., Pdx, 97220 www.goodbyebugs.com nwpestcontrol@aol.com
CCB#176655
MJ’s Plumbing Michael LeFever, P503-261-9155 1045 NE 79th Portland, OR 97213
CCB#36338
Rental Housing Maint. Svcs Gary Indra, P503-678-2136 Fully Licensed to do it all garyindra@rentalrepairs.com
CCB# 163427
SOIL SOLUTIONS Environmental Services Sewer inspection and repair Phone: 503-234-2118 info@soilsolutionsenvironmental.om www.soilsolutionsenvironmental.com PROPERTY MANAGERS Action Management Wendi Samperi, P.503-710-0732
HOUSING AUTHORITIES Housing Authority of Portland Jill Riddle, P.503-802-8565 135 SW Ash St. Portland, 97204 CCB#53631
Liberty Plumbing Tim Galuza P.503-888-8830 Re-pipe, Repairs, Water Service Remodel Kitchens & Bathrooms
ProDrain & Rooter Svcs Inc West 503-533-0430 East 503-239-3750 Drain Cleaning/Plumbing www.prodraidpdx.com
MOLD Real Estate Mold Solutions Ed White, P.503-232-6653 Free inspections, Testing and Remediation www.realestatemoldsolutions.com
HEATING OIL TANK EcoTech LLC P.503-493-1040 info@ecotechllc.com www.ecotechllc.com
The Floor Store Ted Stapleton P.503-408-6488 5628 SE Woodstock Blvd Portland, OR 97206 ted@floorstoreportland.com
Wolter Van Doorninck,CPCU Elliot, Powell, Baden & Baker P.503-227-1771, F.503-274-7644 8355 SW Davies Rd Beaverton, 97008 www.epbb.com wvandoorninck@epbb.com
Alpine Property Mgmt. Tiffany Laviolette P.503-641-4620 4750 SW Washington Ave Beaverton, OR 97005 www.alpinepdx.com Apartment CommunityMgmt 2010 Fairview Ave Fairview, OR 97206 P.503-766-3365 www.acmportland.com Associated Property Mgmt Elisabeth A. Reiland, P.503-648-2150 408 SE Baseline,Hillsboro, 97123 www.associatedmgmt.com Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Service Cliff Hockley, P.503-222-3800 9320 SW Barbur Blvd. Ste300 Portland, OR 97219 Fox Management, Inc. Tressa L Rossi P.503-280-0241 C.503-750-8124 F.503-280-0242 2316 NE Glisan St Portland, 97232 tressa@foxmanagementinc.com The Garcia Group Ron Garcia, P.503-595-4747 5320 SW Macadam Ste 100 Portland, OR 97239 Gateway Property Mgmt P.503-303-8545 www.gatewaypdx.com Property Management Done Right!
Let the advertiser know that you received their contact information through the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon www.rhaoregon.org
RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
21
PREFERRED VENDORS: Dual and Affiliate members support the interest of rental housing through their membership in RHA PROPERTY MANAGERS (continued) Lakeside Property Mgmt Co Michelle Wrege,P.503-828-2283 Finding Home Owners Qualified Tenants www.lakesidepmc.com
Chris Anderson John L. Scott Real Estate P. 503-783-2442 503-783-2442 chrisanderson@johnlscott.com
Paul Davis Restoration Serving Greater Pdx, The Coast & Willamete Valley P.888-728-4208, Em.503-822-5539 www.restorationportland.com
MicroProperty Mgmt. “We focus on the small details” P.503-473-3742 jeannie@micropropertymgmt.com
Denise L. Goding Keller Williams Realty P.503-336-6378 C.503-799-2970 www.denisegoding.com
Portland Pioneer Properties LLC Full Property Mgmt Service P. 503-238-2560 10505 SW Babur Blvd,#303 Portland 97219 pppropertiesllc@comcast.net
Elizabeth Carpenter cris Principle Broker P.503-314-6498, F503-882-8680 Liz@lizcrei.com, www.lizcrei.com
Rental Housing Maint Svcs Gary Indra,P.503-678-2136 Fully Licensed to do it all Garyindra@rentalrepairs.com www.roofpdx.com
Uptown Properties Chris Shepard P.520-204-6727 2830 NW 29th Portland, 97210 www.uptownpm.com Voss Property Management Richard Voss, P.503-546-7902 6110 N lombard St. PDX, 97203 RADON Cascade Radon Inc. P.503-421-4813 cascaderaon.com office@cascaderadon.com EcoTech LLC P.503-493-1040 info@ecotechllc.com www.ecotechllc.com Soil Solutions Environmental Services Radon Testing and Mitigation Phone: 503-234-2118 info@soilsolutionsenvironmental.com www.soilsolutionsenvironmental.com REAL ESTATE SALES Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services Cliff Hockley P.503-222-3800 9320 SW Barbur Blvd Ste 300 Portland, OR 97219
HFO Investment Real Estate Greg Frick, P.503-241-5541 1028 SE Water Ave Ste 270 Portland, OR 97214 www.hfore.com HFO Investment Real Estate Trevor T Calton, MBA Phone: 503-241-5541 Mobile: 503-704-4999 1028 SE Water Ave. Ste., 270 Portland,97214 Web Site: www.hgore.com J.L. Lutz & Company Jim Lutz P.503-297-7101 F.503-291-7851 www.jimlutzcim.com contactjimlutz@gmail.com The Garcia Group Ron Garcia, P. 503-595-4747 5320 SW Macadam Ste 100 Portland, OR 97239 www.4-homes.com RESTORATION/RECONSTRUCTION Eaton General Construction CB# 154142 P.503-539-0811 Full Service General Contractor www.eatongeneral.com Horizon Restoration CCB# 160672 John Pedden P.503-620-2215, F503-624-0523 7235 SW Bonita Rd PDX, 97224
CCB# 163427
ROOFING Aylwin Construction CCB# 104039 Commercial & Residential Replacement, repair & cleaning P.503-998-7663 www.roofpdx.com Real Estate Roofing Service Lynn Whitney, P.503-284-5522 Free Inspections, ReRoof and Repairs. www.realestateroofing.com
STRIPING Benge Industries Parking Lot Maintenance Services Corey Wilkerson P.503-803-1950 corey@bengeindustries.com
TELEPHONE Comcast Business Services Telephone, Internet, Cable & TV Srvs Dave Dronkowski P.503-957-4186 CCB# 149575 E-mail: dave_dronkowski@cablecomcast.com WATERPRROFING / CONCRETE REPAIR D&R Waterproofing, Inc. Ray Elkins, P.503-353-1650 8890 SE McLoughlin Blvd. Milwaukie, OR 97222 www.drmasonry.com
SEAL COATING Benge Industries Parking Lot Maintenance Svcs Corey Wilkerson P.503-803-1950 corey@bengeindustries.com Hal’s Construction Inc. Brian King, P.503-656-4999 20666 S HWY 213 Oregon City, OR 97045 www.halsconstruction.com halspave@ easystreet.net
SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT From Here 2 There Helping solve business challenges to reach your goals. Ami Stevens, P.503-407-3663 astevens@fromhere2there.com
CCB# 34434
SEWER Soil Solutions Environmental Services Sewer inspection and repair Phone: 503-234-2118 info@soilsolutionsenvironmental.com www.soilsolutionsenvironmental.com
WINDOWS / STORM WINDOWS Goose Hollow Window Co Inc CCB# 53631 Mary D. Mann P.503-620-0898 Energy Trust Trade Ally marymann@goosehwc.com goosehwc.com
While the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon accepts advertising at face value, it cannot endorse the advertiser or otherwise guarantee the quality of the products or services being advertised. Such guarantees, written or implied, are solely the responsibility of the advertiser.
Let the advertiser know that you received their contact information through the Rental Housing Alliance Oregon
22
:RENTAL ALLIANCE UPDATE - June 2014
www.rhaoregon.org
Mon-Fri 8am to 5:00pm 1205 NE 33rd l Portland OR 97232 503.281.2100 - p l 503.281.5644 - f
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 655
10520 NE Weidler Portland, OR 97220
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