The Landlord Times - Valley - February 2013

Demand for apartments has brought the developers back into the market. Albany and Corvallis have a number of new construction project either proposed or permitted for this coming year.

Albany has a vacancy factor under 5% and currently Corvallis is report-ing “negative” vacancy with waiting list on many properties.

Albany Update

Albany currently has a 90-unit apartment complex permitted and ready for construction on 34th and Hill. There is a proposed 120 unit development in North Albany at North Albany Rd. and Hwy 20, near

Portland, Oregon: At a recent stra-tegic planning meeting, the Board of Directors of Metro Multifamily Housing Association revealed the name change to Multifamily NW. This name change better reflects the current and future membership and work of the association.

The new name was chosen to retain the association’s brand equity while more broadly representing the industry’s varied and changing busi-ness climate.

“Making the change to ‘Multifamily NW - The association promoting quality rental housing’ retains our brand and accurately reflects the growth and work of our membership,” states Immediate Past Board President Jeff Denson.

“It builds on our collective strength and will also make our individual businesses stronger in the long term.

After a seven-quarter run, expan-sion moderated for apartment mar-kets according to the National Multi Housing Council’s (NMHC) January Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions. For the first time since 2010, two of the four indexes – Market Tightness (45) and Sales Volume (49) – dipped below 50, though just barely. The two financing indexes show continued improve-ment for the 8th consecutive quarter, as the Equity Financing (56) and Debt Financing (57) Indexes remained above the breakeven level of 50.

“The pace of improvement in the apartment industry is moderating, but the expansion remains solid,” said Mark Obrinsky, NMHC’s Vice President for Research and Chief Economist. “Lease-up demand is sea-sonally weak in January, which would fully explain the small drop in the Market Tightness Index. Beyond

that, markets were quite tight three months ago, and remain tight today. New construction has picked up con-siderably since its 2009 low, but is still playing catch-up with the increase in demand for apartment residences.”

Key findings include:Financing remains constrained to

top markets. Only 12 percent report-ed construction financing as avail-able for all types of apartments in all markets. Similarly, slightly more than a quarter (28 percent) thought acqui-sition financing was available for all properties in all markets. For both construction and acquisition financ-ing, 43 percent of respondents indi-cated that capital was available for primary markets but constrained in secondary and tertiary markets.

Market Tightness Index declined to 45 from 56. The change ends an

11-quarter run for the index at 50 or higher. Fifty-nine percent of respon-dents said that markets were unchanged, reflecting stable demand conditions. One quarter of respon-dents saw markets as looser, up from 14 percent in October, while 16 per-cent viewed markets as tighter.

The Sales Volume Index decreased slightly from 51 to 49. Nearly half (47 percent) of respondents said that markets were unchanged, reflecting stable demand conditions. One quar-ter of respondents saw markets as tighter, with nearly the same (26 per-cent) indicating looser markets.

The Equity Financing Index remained unchanged at 56. This reflects the 14th quarter in a row with the index above 50. Approximately two-thirds (68 percent) viewed equi-ty financing as unchanged, while 20 percent of respondents thought equi-ty financing was more available and only 8 percent indicated equity financing was less available.

Debt Financing Index declined from 65 to 57. Seven in ten (71 per-cent) reported conditions as unchanged, and only 6 percent believed that borrowing conditions for debt financing had worsened – the eighth consecutive quarter in the

Expansion Moderates for Apartment Markets in January

Continued on page 4

Name Change to Better

Represent Membership

of the Southern

Willamette Valley

EUGENE • SALEM • ALBANY • CORVALLIS

VALLEYFebruary 2013www.TheLandlordTimes.com

Vol. 17 Issue 2

MONTHLY CIRCULATION TO MORE THAN 5,000 APARTMENT OWNERS, PROPERTY MANAGERS, ON-SITE & MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL

Published in association with: METRO Multifamily Housing Association & Rental Owners Association

Professional Publishing, Inc

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

Page 2

Page 4

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR PRESIDENT …

Professional Publishing, Inc PO Box 30327 Portland, OR 97294-3327 Current Resident or PRSRT STD US

Postage PAID Portland, OR Permit #5460

Continued on page 7

Continued on page 7

Multifamily Markets Albany and Corvallis

By Anita Risberg, CCIM Senior Broker, HFO Investment Real Estate, Apartment Specialist

2 The LandlordTimes - Valley • February 2013

President • Paul Hoevet Past President • Jeff Denson Vice President • Pam McKenna Secretary • Kirsten Bailey Treasurer • Chris Hermanski

MULTIFAMILY NW

16083 SW Upper Boones Ferry Road, Suite 105, Tigard, OR 97224503-213-1281, 503-213-1288 Fax

www.multifamilynw.org

JEFF DENSON MMHA President

President's Message

February 20, 201312:00 PM - 1:00 PM - PDX Monthly Luncheon: Marijuana in Oregon and

Washington - What is a landlord to do? February 26, 2013

1:00 PM - 5:00 PM - ELEVATE: Fair Housing - Portland, OR

February 27, 20138:00 AM - 12:00 PM - ELEVATE: Mold

Awareness - Portland, OR February 28, 2013

8:00 AM - 12:00 PM - ELEVATE: Maintenance Boot Camp - Bend, OR

February 28, 201312:30 PM - 2:30 PM - ELEVATE: Fair

Housing - Bend, OR

Multifamily NW 2013 Events: MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

visit www.multifamilynw.org for more dates


VALLEY

On January 22nd with a great deal of excitement our Association an-nounced our new name. After long and thoughtful consideration by the Board of Directors, staff and mem-bership we have changed our name Multifamily NW. As the current Pres-ident I believe that the process has resulted in a good choice for a name that will take us into the future. .

Our Association was founded 20 years ago by a group of dedicated

professionals from the Multifam-ily Housing Industry. At that time, these founding members were look-ing for better representation of the Multifamily Industry in the Portland Metropolitan area. They formed the Metro Multifamily Housing Associa-tion. Through their vision and devo-tion and with the commitment of their successors, the organization has grown to be the region’s premier re-source for the Multifamily Industry.

In the last twenty years, our As-sociation has become the voice for Industry Advocacy work at various levels of state and local government. This increased advocacy resulted in confusion on the part of legislators when they heard the Metro part of the Association’s name. Often legis-lators in Oregon State Government would mistakenly associate us with Metro – the elected regional govern-ment.

Over the last two decades, the Association membership has also grown substantially. Our member-ship both current and new is grow-ing in all parts of the region. We are

looking to support our members’ needs for education and legislation regardless of where their properties are located in the region. Our new name, Multifamily NW, represents our growing membership, eliminates any misconception that we are part of the regional elected government in Portland and allows us to continue to expand our footprint and our influ-ence throughout the region. We will continue to be the premier resource for the Multifamily Industry. We are now Multifamily NW – The Associa-tion Promoting Quality Rental Hous-ing.

• Fire Extinguisher Certification, Recharge & Hydrotesting• On-Site Maintenance of Fire Equipment• Fire Extinguishers, Extinguisher Cabinets, Fire Hose• • Fire Extinguisher Training• Fire Suppression System Service• Building Fire Safety Survey

EUGENE PORTLAND541-485-3566www.industrialsource.com 503-232-6646

About the Form: The Smoke Alarm/Carbon Monoxide Alarm form serves as the required written notice for the tenant to read and sign at lease-up. The form allows the landlord to specify the type of alarms, testing instructions, and battery replacement. It also informs the tenant of the $250 fine should the alarm be removed, tampered, or if the bat-teries taken out. It also specifies that it is the tenant’s responsibility to report any deficiency in either the smoke alarm or carbon monoxide alarm to the landlord immediately in writing. The Washington State version M005 WA has been updated for 2013 with the new require-ment that nearly all rental properties in the state of Washington have carbon monoxide alarms installed.

Smoke Alarm/Carbon Monoxide Alarm

SMOKE ALARMA c 10-Year Battery c Electric c Electric with Battery Backup powered smoke alarm has been installed in the above-notedunit for resident protection. The smoke alarm was tested by the Owner/Agent on ____________________________________ and found to be in workingcondition.

CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMIf required, a c Battery c Electric c Electric with Battery Backup powered carbon monoxide alarm has been installed in theabove-noted unit for resident protection. The carbon monoxide alarm was tested by the Owner/Agent on ____________________________________ andfound to be in working condition.

THE RESIDENT SHALL: TEST THE ALARMS AT LEAST EVERY SIX MONTHS AND REPLACE THE BATTERIES AS NEEDED;AND NOT REMOVE OR TAMPER WITH A PROPERLY WORKING SMOKE ALARM AND/OR A PROPERLY WORKING CARBONMONOXIDE ALARM, INCLUDING REMOVING WORKING BATTERIES. OWNER/AGENT MAY CHARGE RESIDENT A FEE OFUP TO $250.00 FOR ANY NON-COMPLIANCE WITH THESE DUTIES.

DATE

DATE

It is your responsibility to report any deficiency in either the smoke alarm or carbon monoxide alarm to the Owner/Agentimmediately in writing. The Owner/Agent will correct the deficiency as soon as practical.

TESTING THE SMOKE ALARM AND CARBON MONOXIDE ALARMTest by pushing the button on the cover. The alarm will sound if all electronic circuitry, horn and battery are working. If noalarm sounds, the unit has a defective battery or other failure. You can also test the smoke alarm by blowing smoke into it.

SMOKE ALARM HUSH FEATUREIf the smoke alarm has a hush feature, you can silence the alarm by pushing the hush button on the cover and holdingfor three seconds.

BATTERY REPLACEMENT (where applicable)If the alarm is powered by a 10-year battery, it may not last for 10 years. The alarm has a low-battery indicator whichwill “chirp” at 30-second intervals for a minimum of 7 days. Replace the battery when chirping occurs. If the alarm isequipped with a 10-year battery, replace it only with a 10-year battery. If the alarm is electric with battery backup, useMallory MN1604 or Eveready 552 9-volt alkaline battery or equivalent sold at most drug, department, hardware orelectronic parts stores. Never use an ordinary or heavy-duty carbon-zinc battery.

_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________RESIDENT DATE RESIDENT DATE



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UNIT NUMBER ___________________________________ STREET ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ STATE ___________________________________ ZIP _____________________________________________________________

■ ON SITE ■ RESIDENT ■ MAIN OFFICE (IF REQUIRED)

The Landlord TImes recently caught up with multifamily housing veteran and blogger, Heather Blume. Here’s what Heather has to say about apartment management, teaching, her mentor, marijuana, eating lunch and relationship artistry...

TLT: What is it about multifamily and rental housing that has kept you motivated and interested?

HB: I love the fact that no matter the background or skill set that you bring to the table in this industry, it’s valuable. For example, I was an art-ist, a photographer, a playwright, a florist, a radio disc jockey, and had more than a few retail jobs in my past, but all of those skills translated in this professional world as a pow-erful set of abilities. Leasing was the first job I ever held where I felt like I was bring something worthwhile to the job, rather than just learning from it. Knowing that I found a place in this world where I “fit” perfectly…that was a powerful motivator for me, and still is today.

TLT: What do you consider your greatest success in your career?

HB: It’s cheesy, but the greatest suc-cess moments in my career are when I’m looking at a room of people, teaching something, and I can see the light bulb over one of their heads switch on. They get this look and you just know that some how you’ve been able to reframe an idea or a concept in a way that they just…get it. Every single one of those moments are my greatest successes, because I know it makes someone’s career better.

TLT: Who was the most influen-tial person in the early part of your career? What did you learn from them?

HB: Hands down, Lisa Trosien has been my beacon in this industry. Be-sides being one of the most talented and smartest people I know, she’s

my mentor, my guide, my friend, my cheerleader, and, when I need it, the person who sticks a pin in my ego to deflate it back down to a normal level. I took my very first class in this industry from her when I started on site, and after watching her for less than 20 minutes I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my career. I re-member approaching her after that class, introducing myself and ask-ing her what steps I had to take to do the job she was doing. She inspired my path through this industry and through my career, and I can never repay her enough for it. I’m confident in saying that I would not be the per-son I am today had our life paths not crossed in such a significant way.

TLT: What are the biggest legisla-tive topics/concerns right now?

HB: In my home area, Washington state, we just legalized pot. As you might imagine, this presents some interesting challenges in the world of apartment management. One of the biggest confusion points that people have is thinking that smoking pot is now a protected class under Fair Housing – it’s not. Just because it’s legal to smoke it, doesn’t make it protected. It’s like cigarettes, and as we all know, those have nothing to do with the Fair Housing laws. For tax credit properties, it can get even more complicated. The new laws in the state of Washington have caused a bit of confusion…and most of that’s rooted in the fact that the laws aren’t even set yet.

TLT: If you were talking to a multi-family newbie, what advice would you give them as they begin their career?

HB: I’d tell them that the key to this industry and being successful in it boils down to relationship manage-ment. It’s not enough to just never burn your bridges. Anyone can avoid doing that if they’re smart. Strive to be someone who can take the com-mon relationship where you say

“hi” socially, but don’t really know anything in depth about the person besides that you want them to buy from you, and turn that in to a rela-tionship where each person is giv-ing as much as getting. You want to build relationships that are mutually beneficial, where respect and integ-rity are the cornerstones of the con-struction. A person that can achieve that is a relationship artist. Compe-tency in relationship management is a must… Artistry in relationship management.

TLT: Generally speaking, what 2 or 3 pieces of advice would you give to a room full of property managers?

HB: First,for the love of all things holy, please take your lunch, take it away from your desk, and eat some-thing that has a lot of protein in it. Because when you don’t eat or eat something that messes with your blood sugar and you get cranky at 4PM, your staff mirrors your mood…only they show it to your residents. Eat your lunch.

Secondly, most managers already have learned this (some of them the hard way), but you can’t cut some-one’s throat to get their job. This piece of advice is one that was told to me during my first week in this in-dustry, and it has served me well.

Finally, in the same vein as number 2, if you’re afraid to teach your sub-ordinates to do new duties because you “won’t have anything to do,” then you’re failing not only them, but yourself as well. You’re a man-ager. You got your job by being com-petent enough to convince someone that you deserved the promotion, so why let yourself feel threatened by someone else’s success? Your job is to build your team, not keep them down. The best managers I know are the ones who are secure in their own abilities, so they have no problem helping someone else grow.

Heather Blume is the Imagination In Charge at Behind the Leasing Desk Training & Consulting Services in Seat-tle, Washington. She works with clients across the country on a variety of topics in the multifamily and customer service industries, and her blog at www.be-hindtheleasingdesk.com is read by hun-dreds of property management profes-sionals each month. Always accessible, you can reach her on Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter, Google+, and, of course, via email at [email protected]

The LandlordTimes - Valley • February 2013 3


VALLEY

VALLEY

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mg_cp_4.875x7.5_valley_portland.indd 1 1/11/13 11:45 AM

6 Questions with Heather Blume

1/8 Page4 7/8” x 3 5/8” bwOn-Site4

ON-SITE-NW SEATTLEVALLEY, METRO, ARIZONA APT. NEWSSalsbury IndustriesFeb, Apr, Jun, Aug, Oct, Dec

1010 East 62nd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90001-1598Phone: 1-800-624-5269 • Fax: 1-800-624-5299

the North Albany Village retail cen-ter.

There were 5 apartment transac-tions in Albany in 2012.1. 1440 Geary Circle SE, Latitude 44,

year built 1982, 125 units, $6,300,000.00

2. 1938 Geary St SE, Wildflower Apartments, year built 2009, 44 units, $3,650,000.00

3. 750 Queens Ave SE, Holly Square Apartments, year built 1965, 43

units,$2,200,000.00 (sale still pend-ing)

4. 1015 SW 5th Ave, 18 units, year built 1971, $770,000.00

5. 1958-1968 SE Marion St, 6 units, year built 1977, $350,000.00

Corvallis UpdateCorvallis has continued to be a

very tight market for sales of apart-ment properties. There is high demand for product with very few

owners having the desire to sell. There were 2 apartment transactions in 2012.1. 6300 SW Grand Oaks Dr, Grand

Oaks Apartments, year built 2002, 125 units, $14,500,000.00

2. 755 NW 3rd St, Whispering Pines, year built 1964, 24 units, $1,350,000.00

Due to increasing student enroll-ment, Corvallis has a consistently high demand for apartments. Slightly less than 800 units are proposed or permitted for Corvallis. This speaks well of the ongoing demand for apartment housing close to campus.

The following is a list of Corvallis apartment projects for 2013:• Timberhill Meadows- 135 units• 7th St. Station- 82 units• Walnut Creek- 80 units• Franklin Place- 28 units• Tyler Townhomes – 44 units• Harrison Apartments – 70 units • Water Street – 27 units• The Sather property – 330 pro-

posed units.

This property was recently annexed. Preliminary plans have been provided and numerous meet-ings with the City of Corvallis have

occurred but no permits have been submitted.

It appears 2012 ended on a strong note for the multifamily sector and 2013 is shaping up to be another strong year.

The above information was obtained from the City of Albany and the City of Corvallis planning departments, as well as other third-party sources that are deemed reli-able. If you need additional informa-tion or have questions feel free to email me at [email protected] or call my direct number in our Portland office, 971-717-6336. It would be my pleasure to answer any questions you might have.

HFO Investment Real Estate is an investment brokerage firm with a focus exclusively on apartment properties in Oregon and Washington and provides a national selling platform with a unique insider’s knowledge of these local apart-ment markets. This complete attention on apartment investments enables HFO’s clients to make better investment decisions. HFO Investment Real Estate: All Apartments - All the Time(SM). Learn more at www.hfore.com.

The 2013 Oregon Legislative Session began on January 14th and the Landlord-Tenant Coalition wrapped up our last meeting on January 22nd. As your ORHA Legislative Director, I’ve prepared an update for your review (see pages 16-17 in our newsletter) which spells out the current status of negotiations and details the reasons why it is unclear at this time whether a Landlord-Tenant Coalition bill will be agreed upon.

Also included in my legislative update is information on the status of the Section 8 bill. As we have pre-viously announced, Oregon State Representative Tina Kotek plans to introduce the “Housing Choice Act of 2013” (the Section 8 bill) during this Legislative Session. ORHA’s

Lobbyist Shawn Miller and I met with her for a brain-storming session on January 23rd. Although ORHA does not currently support this bill, it is critical that we exchange ideas with Speaker Kotek so that we may have the opportunity to express the landlord perspective on this bill. I will continue to keep you updated on all legislative issues.

On Monday, January 28th, the Eugene City Council voted to approve a new Social Host Ordinance. Eugene’s Neighborhood Livability Working Group worked to develop this ordinance in response to the con-cerns over unruly gatherings. Please be aware that the ordinance includes the imposition of financial penalties to rental owners who fail to act to stop the bad tenant behavior.

However, the ordinance does allow for a rental owner to appeal by tak-ing action, beginning with the first occurrence of an unruly gathering. You can read the full text of this ordi-nance on the City of Eugene website at www.eugene-or.gov/. This is a reminder to all of us of the impor-tance of responding immediately to tenant violations, whether it involves noise or another infraction of the rules. Please call the Helpline at 541-242-2850 with any questions about dealing with tenant issues.

Callers to the ROA Helpline often have questions about the FED pro-cess (Forcible Entry and Unlawful Detainer). One of our weekday work-shops planned for February will cover this important topic. Please see page 5 in our newsletter for our

February schedule and workshop registration form. Space is limited and pre-registration is required.

Please join us on February 28th for our general meeting with featured speaker Brooks Hayes, Property and Casualty Agent/Owner, Hayes Insurance Group. Brooks will pres-ent a topic of great interest to all landlords, “Landlord Insurance: Am I Really Protected?” Our Affiliate Spotlight speaker in February will be Ken Reiling of SparkleWash of Lane County.

We’ll see you on February 28th!Jim Straub, President

President • Jim Straub Vice President • Michael Steffen Secretary • Scott Smith Treasurer • Pat Costello

205 W. 10th Avenue, Eugene OR 97401 (541) 485-7368 (541) 284-4052 info@

laneroa.com

Board Members: Dennis Casady, Dennis Chappa, Robei Ellis, Devin Gates, Eric Hall, Tia Politi

RENTAL OWNERS ASSOCIATION

A Message from Your President …



VALLEY


VALLEYPublisher

Will Johnson • [email protected]

Editor

Andrea Coulter • [email protected]

Circulation Manager


Designer


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Serving the Eugene, Salem, Albany, and Corvallis

Multifamily Housing Industry More than 6,000 Distributed Monthly www.TheLandlordTimes.com The statements

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are those of the advertiser and authors and as such do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Professional Publishing, Inc. The inclusion of advertising in this publica-

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The LandlordTimes - Valley • February 2013 5

ecently I caught myself con-templating the importance of

signs. Whether it’s to draw our eye to a new place of business, (Harry’s Hamburger Joint – Grand Opening!) remind us of a political candidate (Vote for Honest Abe!) or tell us what to do when we are driving, (merge, yield, slow, STOP!!), signs are every-where, vying for our attention.

Recently, while stuck in traffic, a daily occurrence for most of us, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of signs I noticed while inching along. Some were informational, like speed limit signs, exit names and numbers, and “low clearance,” while other signs provided instructions and issued warnings: “yield to oncoming traffic” and “right lane ends merge left,” as well as “proceed with cau-tion.”

You probably think I am leading up to a discussion of bright, brilliant, breathtaking signage to attract pro-spective renters to your communities. Right? Wrong! Here is MY question:

Q: Wouldn’t it be great if everyone who came into your community was wearing a sign to clearly communi-cate their most important needs and preferences, as well as thoughts and feelings? - WANTED: 2 bedroom apartment with lots of closet space. I like to work out, ride my bike on sunny days and cozy up to a warm fireplace with a good book on a cold winter morning. WARNING: I am extremely allergic to cats, value my privacy and resent being asked basic, mundane qualifying questions for the sole purpose of filling out a guest card! HANDLE WITH CARE: My husband was just diagnosed with cancer and I need to rent an apart-ment near the hospital where he is having his surgery and ongoing treat-ments. AND, the list goes on . . . .

A: I realize that it can be difficult and uncomfortable to “qualify” pro-spective renters, as you may feel like you are being intrusive. – I commend you for respecting the privacy of your clients. However, you cannot deter-mine what someone needs in a new home if you don’t take the time to get to know that person. Most people will naturally talk about themselves, their family, work, interests, etc., if given the opportunity to do so. They may even reveal the circumstances of their move. This will enable you to offer an apartment (or choice of apartments) to best meet their needs. You may also learn enough to sell them on (specific) benefits of your community, its loca-tion or the local area, that fulfill other requirements they have besides just housing. For those individuals who feel uncomfortable articulating their needs or just aren’t open to a lot of fact-finding questions, it’s best to seek

their permission before proceeding. For example: “Is it okay if I ask you a few questions so I will have a better understanding of what you need?” AND THEN: “Is there something spe-cific you are looking for? What is most important to you in your new home?”

To state that you have the “perfect” apartment for someone you know nothing about is presumptuous at best, rude and uncaring at worst. MAKING the time to discover what your clients need, will not only help you close the front door on a rental, but the back door on a lease renewal. Renters will remain residents for the very same reasons they leased in the first place. – It’s your job to know

what those reasons are, and regularly remind them!

If you have a question or concern that you would like to see addressed, please ASK THE SECRET SHOPPER. Your questions, comments and sug-gestions are ALWAYS welcome!

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Having to manage a difficult em-ployee is never fun and can be the most challenging part of your respon-sibilities as a property management professional. While never easy, this article will address a step-by-step way to consistently and confidently handle the most challenging employee situa-tions. In addition, how you handle a difficult employee will send a strong and powerful message to those who still work for your property manage-ment company.

Addressing the problem: When you first realize you are hav-

ing a problem with one of the mem-bers of your property management team, bring this individual behind closed doors and discuss your specif-ic concerns. The conversation should be brief and to the point, making cer-tain your employee understands the concerns you have and the improve-ments you expect. Be specific with your comments and only address the business concerns you have, setting aside any personal issues. Of course, always look to support this member of your team in any way possible with the intention of a positive outcome.

Tip From The Coach: As this is the first meeting you are having with your

employee to discuss your concerns, take notes during this meeting, re-cord the date on your notes, and place them into this person’s employee file. This will serve as a reminder of the problems you expressed during this meeting and will document the first time you asked this employee to spe-cifically improve their performance. This first meeting is also the perfect time to review together this person’s written job description as another way to clarify your expectations.

Continuing problems: If similar problems persist with this

same employee, bring this individual again behind closed doors and pres-ent a written memo recapping your concerns. In this memo, list the day/date of your first meeting when you discussed your initial problems with this individual’s performance and list the specific areas of improvement, which must happen. Remember, when you are requesting improved performance, the improvements must be measurable and must have a time frame or date when these improve-ments will be measured and reviewed again.

Tip From The Coach: After you present your written memo outlining

your concerns, have your employee sign and date this document which validates the points discussed dur-ing this meeting. In your memo, be certain to include the words, “failure to improve your performance, may lead to termination.” This makes your intentions perfectly clear. Of course, always consult with your immedi-ate supervisor, your human resource department and your legal counsel, prior to presenting your memo, so ev-eryone is in the loop.

Terminating this employee: If necessary, termination of this em-

ployee may be required. If so, make the termination, swiftly. This person’s attitude can be detrimental to the mo-rale of your property management team and their attitude might be af-fecting those around them. A termi-nation meeting should be done at the end of the day so this person’s depar-ture will not disrupt others. Lastly, make certain this termination meeting is brief, state exactly why this person is being terminated and have all final paperwork ready for signature.

Tip From The Coach: Sadly, the termination of an employee is not a pleasant part of being in property management. On a positive note, take

the time to analyze what went wrong and look for possible solutions. Ask yourself, “was this person the perfect fit for the position, did we give this person proper training, could I have done anything to change the course of this situation?” In asking these ques-tions, sometimes very positive im-provements can be made. Employee terminations and the investment to hire a new person, is expensive and should not be taken lightly.

Want to ask some additional ques-tions about how to handle a difficult employee? Send an E-mail to [email protected] and The Coach will E-mail you a free PowerHour invita-tion.

Author’s note: Ernest F. Oriente, a busi-ness coach since 1995 [29,900 hours], a property management industry profession-al since 1988--the author of SmartMatch Alliances--and the founder of PowerHour...[ www.powerhour.com and www.power-hourseo.com and www.pirmg.com ], has a passion for coaching his clients on executive leadership, hiring and motivating property management SuperStars, traditional and Internet SEO/SEM marketing, competi-tive sales strategies, and high leverage alli-ances for property management teams and their leaders. He provides private and group


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How To Manage A Difficult Property Management Employee! ©

By Ernest F. Oriente, The Coach

Continued on page 7

7The LandlordTimes - Valley • February 2013


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coaching for property management com-panies around North America, executive recruiting, investment banking, national utility bill auditing [ www.powerhour.com/propertymanagement/utilitybillaudit.html ] national real estate and apartment building insurance [ www.powerhour.com/propertymanagement/insurance.html ], SEO/SEM web strategies, national WiFi solutions [ www.powerhour.com/proper-tymanagement/nationalwifi.html ], power-ful tools for hiring property management SuperStars and building dynamic teams, employee policy manuals [ http://www.powerhour.com/propertymanagement/employeepolicymanuals.html ] and social media strategic solutions [ http://www.powerhour.com/propertymanagement/so-cialmedialeadership.html ]. Ernest worked for Motorola, Primedia and is certified in

the Xerox sales methodologies. Recent in-terviews and articles have appeared more than 7000 times in business and trade publications and in a wide variety of lead-ing magazines and newspapers, including Smart Money, Inc., Business 2.0, The New York Times, Fast Company, The LA Times, Fortune, Business Week, Self Employed America and The Financial Times. Since 1995, Ernest has written 200+ articles for the property management industry and created 350+ property management forms, business and marketing checklists, sales let-ters and presentation tools. To subscribe to his free property management newsletter go to: www.powerhour.com. PowerHour® is based in Olympic-town…Park City, Utah, at 435-615-8486, by E-mail [email protected] or visit their website: www.powerhour.com.

How To ...continued from page 6

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I believe this change will help the industry and association continue to focus on the issues of quality rental housing throughout the region,” he continues.

According to Executive Director Deborah Imse, “Our membership is growing, and this change reflects the forward movement of the associa-tion and of the markets we serve.”

The Southern Willamette Valley Council’s dedicated members pro-vide valuable information and resources to the rental housing indus-try. The Council gives back to the community through their annual charity golf and year of service

events. As a result of the name change,

Multifamily NW will also incorpo-rate a new logo design and website, which will soon be revealed. The website is updated frequently, with important technical resources, docu-ments and forms, as well as educa-tion and training.

For more information about the ben-efits of Multifamily NW—The associa-tion promoting quality rental housing, contact Executive Director Deborah Imse at 503- 213-1281 or visit www.multi-familynw.org.

Name ...continued from front page

Expansion ...continued from front page

single digits.Full survey data are available at www.

nmhc.org/goto/61043.About the survey: The January 2013

Quarterly Survey of Apartment Market Conditions was conducted January 7-14, with 87 CEOs and other senior execu-tives of apartment-related firms nation-wide responding.

To view this release online, visit www.nmhc.org/goto/61044.

Based in Washington, D.C., NMHC is a national association representing the interests of the larger and most promi-nent apartment firms in the U.S. NMHC’s members are the principal offi-

cers of firms engaged in all aspects of the apartment industry, including owners, developers, managers and financiers. One-third of Americans rent their hous-ing, and over 14 percent live in a rental apartment. For more information, con-tact NMHC at 202/974-2300, e-mail the Council at [email protected], or visit NMHC’s web site at www.nmhc.org.


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