At the beginning of every winter season, many site managers begin to worry about the possibility of being hit with slip-and-fall lawsuits filed by residents or guests. Although it’s inevitable that accidents will occur, the management can try to make the site as safe as...
As you know, first impressions are lasting ones. In the apartment industry, first impressions can mean the difference between high turnover and high renewal rates. Industry studies show that residents typically make their renewal decisions within the first 48 hours of residing at a community,...
Some of the most important, and often overlooked, sources of fair housing complaints arise from maintenance operations. Site owners and managers may face allegations of discriminatory maintenance policies or procedures...
One of the owner’s most valuable business assets is the site's reputation. That's why it's important for you to protect and control the use of your site's name. If you have a Web site, you may use it as an internal communications tool for informing residents of events and...
Emergencies, disasters, accidents, and injuries can occur any time and without warning. Most recently, in June, the president declared parts of Florida a federal disaster area as a result of damage done by Tropical Storm Debby. And this year, areas of West Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky...
Many elderly residents are capable of living independently and paying their rent on time. But sooner or later, you may have an elderly resident who has trouble coping with day-to-day concerns, such as managing money, paying rent on time, or keeping his unit tidy. An elderly resident who has...
According to U.S. Census data released in June 2011, more than half—51.6 percent—of all the country's businesses that responded to the 2007 Survey of Business Owners were operated primarily within homes or other noncommercial spaces. And because the data was compiled before the...
One way households may steal electricity is by stealing from the building supply. Households may tamper with wiring and hook up directly to your building's metered electricity supply. A resident who does this taps into power that you're paying for. Another way to steal electricity is...
As the U.S. economy makes a long and slow recovery, there has been an increasing demand for affordable housing across the country. A recent report released by the DePaul University Institute for Housing Studies detailed the state of one Illinois county's rental housing market. It concluded...
Sometimes verification sources don't return the forms that you send them to verify certain information such as a household member's income or student status. In these situations, you must try to verify the information by telephoning the sources. To stay in tax credit compliance, you'...
Last month, the Insider discussed how to determine whether an absentee's confinement in a hospital or nursing home is temporary or permanent. Problems with noncompliance can arise if you don't count the income of an absentee who should be considered a member of the household....
