Most residents are good about reporting maintenance problems. Some owners and managers may say that they’re too good. But there are residents who don’t report maintenance problems. Perhaps these residents are too busy or don’t want members of your maintenance staff in their...
With the beginning of spring, now is the optimal time to think about lease-ups and how you may turn over recently vacated units faster. That’s because spring and summer are the times when most sites experience their busiest leasing months. When a resident moves out, you shouldn’t let...
On February 28, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued Notice PIH-2012-17, which contained guidelines on bedbug control and prevention in public housing. This notice included the same guidelines as the ones in HUD Notice 2011-20, issued in August 2011.
Last year, the IRS sent out numerous notices granting certain low-income housing tax credit properties relief from specified Section 42 requirements to provide emergency housing relief needed as a result of devastation caused by some sort of natural disaster.
Last winter many parts of the U.S. experienced record-breaking snowfall. In January, a monster winter storm took aim at a third of the nation. It laid a path of heavy snow and ice from the Rockies to New England, followed by a wave of bitter cold that affected millions of people. Cities...
On July 1, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rejected its own proposed rule that would have mandated additional responsibilities for site owners and managers under the Lead Renovation Repair and Painting (RRP) rules, which apply to buildings built before 1978. The proposal would have...
Due to record heat waves set in many areas of the country this summer, you may have noticed an increase in the number of residents installing air conditioners in their windows, especially if your site has no central air conditioning. Unfortunately, residents don't always install them...
Graffiti is the most common type of property vandalism (35 percent), according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. It is more than a nuisance to site owners and maintenance staff. Graffiti has a negative impact on residents, prospects, and the surrounding community by reducing the curb appeal...
Creating positive curb appeal is essential to attract eligible candidates to your tax credit site and combat negative perceptions of low-income housing among the local community. You may think that an expansive, rolling green lawn contributes to your site's overall attractiveness, but...
Site owners and managers beware: This is the time of year when accidental carbon monoxide poisonings peak. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that's produced when fuel is incompletely burned. In the winter months, faulty furnaces and fuel-burning appliances, and snow-covered or...
The headlines are alarming. It has become all too common to see reports about “toxic mold” shutting down buildings, or about families fleeing from “black mold” in their homes. These types of stories have fueled public hysteria leading to skyrocketing mold-related lawsuits...
Last May, a young social worker fell to his death from the 24th-floor balcony of his New York City apartment building after part of the railing gave way. Officials from the city's Department of Buildings (DOB) reported that the balcony's railing was “loose and damaged,” and...
