keynote spotlight
Summary
Calendar of Events 27 President's Corner 4 Reasonable Modification 11 7 Recommendations to Drive Leasing 15 Group Rating Safety Accountability Update 25 New Members 6 Rent Foundation 5 Developing Onsite Talent 18
With deep roots in the multifamily space, on-site and in senior-level executive roles, Marla understands our multifaceted industry and launched the SPARK brand as a platform to share her message, knowledge and to launch provoking thought. She is a respected national speaker, author, NAAEI Faculty Member, and a regular contributor to national and regional industry publications. She believes in exciting innovation, modern ideas, & technology-driven education, and has built the SPARK Multifamily brands around these core elements.
September 2019
*Cancellations will not be refunded 2 days prior to event.
Greater Dayton Apartment Association
to register , Visit www.GDAA.org or call 937-293-1170 .
Marla Posey Chief Executive Officer Spark Multifamily
September 25th, 2019 Social hour 3:45pm GDAA HQ
Ticket Bundle Register for both Powerhouse productivity & Brand identity for a Reduced rate.
UPDATE
a look inside
Rent Foundation Information
The GDAA Member Compass
Thermal imaging map highlighting the path of Memorial Day weekend storm.
mission statement Connecting and advancing the multi-family industry through partnerships, education, and advocacy.
Member Compass
The GDAA website has a Member Compass which allows Members to register for classes or events, check on the status of their membership, look at their invoices and payment status, connect with others, and much, much more. The goal is to help you and your community and company get more out of your membership with GDAA. We want you to have the information you need when you need it! Just follow these simple steps: Go to Membership Is Your Company a Member? Create Account Agree to the Terms & Conditions Choose how to connect (Facebook, Google, or enter an email and password) Complete your profile. Enter as much info as you want or just the minimum. That’s all there is to it! Click here to create your Member Compass now!
A Message from the president
Greetings, GDAA Members! It’s just amazing what a dedicated group of professionals can do when they work collaboratively, and we have seen that firsthand this summer at the Greater Dayton Apartment Association. Our members and the volunteers that give so much of their time are the best in the business! The Rent Foundation continued their fundraising this summer in support of the Dayton area tornado victims. In total, they raised over $10,000 and assisted a number of families with security deposits and rental fees so they could get back on their feet. In August, their Back-To-School initiative distributed over 200 backpacks to local families. A very special thanks to everyone who volunteered and contributed to help make this happen. Our committees continue to develop great programming for you as demonstrated by the Speed Networking event on August 21st where our management companies set up tables to meet with associate members for 5 minute sessions. This was a great event that allowed some dedicated one-on-one time with decision makers so our vendors could continue to build their networks and develop their existing relationships. Just last week, we had one of our best attended training events in quite some time. The Appliance Troubleshooting class had 50 attendees from the maintenance field, who enjoyed hands on training on appliances at the GDAA event center, and of course, a great lunch. Our Maintenance Education Committee, chaired by Jacques Brose, has done an outstanding job adding new courses for our members. Be on the lookout for more great maintenance training opportunities in the coming months! I am looking forward to seeing everyone again as our General Membership Meetings pick back up this month. September 25th is our next meeting, and our early training session will feature national speaker, Marla Posey of SPARK Multifamily, who will share her expertise on "Creating Your Brand Identity." Before we see you at the General Meeting, we hope you will join the Bus Tour, which features properties in the area that are under renovation. Get some great tips and see what the competition is doing during this fun event. We meet this year at The View at Dayton Towers, and will end with refreshments at the Troll Pub after the tour. Get your FREE tickets soon,as we expect this to sell out this year! Finally, be sure to come out to our Annual Meeting, where you will have a chance to vote for your GDAA Board of Directors. We have several seats that need to be filled this year, so get out and vote! This year’s nominees will be announced in mid-September. Thanks for your support of the GDAA. I look forward to seeing everyone soon! Lloyd Cobble President Greater Dayton Apartment Association
For Registration and Sponsorship Information, Visit www.GDAA.org or Call 937-293-1170.
We look to continue the trends and finish with a record year of donations. Thanks to all the GDAA Members for helping achieve so much!
October 4th, 2019 9:00am pipestone golf course Sponsorships available
NITE AT THE RACES
RENT FOUNDATION CONTINUES RECORD DONATION YEAR Because of the donations from our GDAA family and our Concert for a Cause event, The Rent Foundation is on pace for a record year.We are helping families with donations at an unprecedented level and we are grateful for your support. Here is an update of this month’s incredible progress and community support. A TALE OF TWO RENTERS Two families receive rent assistance this month, saving them from becoming homeless.The first case was an elderly man, who was dealing with a temporary hardship. By giving him a little help with rent, we turned a heartbreaking situation, into a stable living environment.The second family was a grandmother, who due to an illness missed some work temporarily. She is currently taking care of her young granddaughter. The loss of income had them behind on bills and facing life on the streets.The Rent Foundation caught this family up on their rent and the grandmother is back at her job with no past due rent bills.Each month we review applications for help and screen the situations. We help deserving families who are in nightmare situations, through no fault of their own. Thank you for helping us help make a real difference and turning points in their lives. BACKPACK INITIATIVE FOR CHILDREN WHO WERE TORNADO VICTIMS The Rent Foundation is working with a property manager in Englewood and a ministry outreach in Trotwood to provide back packs with supplies to children affected by the tornados. Their outreach has been working with the Trotwood City Schools to identify families in need. A lot of the children have been forced out of the school's district (living with family etc.) so the district has opened up enrollment for those affected. Many families affected simply do not have the money for school supplies for their kids. The Rent Foundation Board,after some discussion, has decided to step up and help this event. The Rent Foundation is purchasing school supplies that will fill 200 backpacks at a cost of just over $3,000. The supplies will help kids from kindergarten to high school age at various schools.
Sincerely,
Chili for charity
NOVEMBER 16th, 2019 6:00pm MIAMISBURG MOOSE LODGE Tickets Sold online and at the door Sponsorship deals available
The Rent Foundation committee
gdaa rENT fOUNDATION
Apartment Energy LLC
Maryellen Bohl(513)860-1210 4862 Business Center Way Cincinnati, OH 45266 firstchoiceservices.com
Mark Derrick ,(513)834-9800 7126 Lawyer Rd. Cincinnati, OH 45244
New members are approved by the Membership Committee and the Board of Directors. If you have any questions or comments about sponsoring new companies, please contact the GDAA office at (937)293-1170 or info@gdaa.org
premier patron sponsor sponsoroSponsors
patron Sponsors
NREX Willowood Apts.
Newest Members
Able Roofing BRG Apartments CertaPro Painters Chadwell Supply Cincinnati Coin Laundry CORT Harrison's Pro Tree Service HILLS Properties HD Supply Home Depot Pro Larry Lasky, Attorney at Law Mop Squad Oberer Management Services PMR Companies Redwood Living Sherwin Williams - Flooring Sherwin Williams - Paint Towne Properties Willis Law Firm
Lisa Hausman,(937) 684-4653 4889 Far Hills Ave. Dayton, OH 45429
First Choice COffee Services
Justine McGraw (937) 396-4347 1501Cardington Rd. Kettering, OH 45409 Southern-Comfort-Cleaning.com
Southern Comfort Cleaning
"Doing business with a member is just good business."
Ad deadlines are the 20th of the month for the next month’s issue. Placement of articles and ads is limited to pre-set space and dimensions of the Update. Submissions may or may not be used and placement is at the discretion of the editor. The Update is a monthly publication of the Greater Dayton Apartment Association, for more information on advertising call (937) 293-1170. For the most up-to-date information check out our website: www.gdaa.org.
star associate members
2019 UPDATE ADVERTISING RATES: Ad rates are for full color ads. Link from your ad to your website is included. Ads must be submitted as a press quality pdf file or high resolution jpg. Business Card............ $ 65 Quarter Page...............$105 Half Page........................$145 Star Associate Member....... $116 Full Page.........................$185 Star Associate Member.........$148
Cincinnati Coin Laundry CORT Jetz Laundry Services Maintenance Supply Headquarters Sherwin Williams Flooring Sholiton Industries The Lake Doctors
STAR ASSOCIATE MEMBERship benefits: A 20% discount on ALL advertising. You will be included in the rotation of the Star Associate Member of the Month and have a featured article in the issue as the “Star Associate Member of the Month”. Announced as a “Star Associate Member” in every issue of the UPDATE. Open Listing in the on-line Member Directory. You will also be listed on the home page of the GDAA website. To be a Star Associate Member you need to place at least a ½ page ad in 6 consecutive issues of the UPDATE Newsletter and a ½ page ad in GDAA Membership Directory.
9-10am Membership Committee 10-11 am Program Committee 11-12pm Education Committee 12 -1pm Social Meda Committee 3-4 pm legislative Committee
click here to Register
HILLS PROPERTIES
September 17th , 2019 Committee meeting schedule
"Doing business with a member is just good business"
Reasonable Modifications (RM), structural changes to the public or common-use areas, can help landlords retain customers. A few basics on an RM: any prospect or current resident can request that a landlord make a RM if they are willing to pay for modifications to the property and restore the unit to its original condition when the resident vacates the property if the modifications makes it hard for the landlord to rent the apartment to someone not needing that structural change. For example, the lowering or removing of counters might make the apartment unattractive to renters not needing that feature. But, if a doorway is widened, the property is actually enhanced and the resident should not have to pay for restoration. An important topic to highlight here is structural changes to the exterior of a unit. This questioned was posed to HUD and the Justice Department in their joint statement on RM’s: “If a person with a disability has made a reasonable modification to the exterior of the dwelling, or a common area, must she restore it to its original condition when she moves out?” The answer: “No. The Fair Housing Act expressly provides that housing providers may only require restoration of modifications made to interiors of the dwelling at the end of the tenancy. Reasonable modifications such as ramps to the front door of the dwelling or modifications made to laundry rooms or building entrances are not required to be restored.” In this situation, if a landlord wants to remove it themselves, it is a best practice to check with the local building inspector who might give them a waiver or conditional use permit to remove the ramp. Go to the website at the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center, www.mvfairhousing.com and click on Services/References. Here there is a list of links and one is called modifications. Click on this link and read it. Have your staff read it. It has all the information a landlord needs to see the do and don’ts of reasonable modifications. Information for the article was gathered by John Zimmerman, VP Miami Valley Fair Housing Center from the Department of Justice and HUD.
Do's & Don'Ts: Reasonable Modification
"If the property is enhanced by the renovations, the resident should not have to pay for the restoration ."
Fair Housing update
Proposed disparate impact rule published
Legislation update
Dear NAA Affiliates and Members, NAA and NMHC are voicing strong support for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) proposed rule on disparate impact, which was published in the Federal Register on August 19. The rule proposes to amend the agency’s interpretation of the Fair Housing Act’s (FHA) disparate impact standard to better reflect the U.S. Supreme Court’s (SCOTUS) 2015 ruling in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Communities Project, Inc. (also known as “Inclusive Communities”). As background, a rental housing provider can be sued under disparate impact theory if the owner or operator implements a policy that is neutral on its face but nonetheless has an unintended, discriminatory effect on members of a protected class under the FHA. In 2013, HUD issued a final rule that formalizes the agency’s position on disparate impact liability and establishes uniform standards to determine when a real estate practice or policy violates the FHA. Subsequently, the Supreme Court issued a milestone decision on disparate impact liability in Inclusive Communities, which created new limitations on the use of the standard. NAA and NMHC have long-raised concerns about the conflicts between the agency’s 2013 final rule on disparate impact and SCOTUS’ decision in Inclusive Communities. In response to the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking for this rule, we urged HUD to reissue guidance that helps housing providers execute long-held business practices without running afoul of fair housing requirements. NAA and NMHC are currently conducting a thorough review of the proposed rule and plan to submit comments by the deadline on October 18, 2019. We strongly encourage industry professionals to take action and submit additional comments. Affiliate staff and members should be on the lookout for instructions from NAA on how to take action prior to the October comment deadline. To learn more about disparate impact and our advocacy efforts, visit the Disparate Impact page on the NAA website. Best Regards, Gregory S. Brown Gregory S. Brown Senior Vice President, Government Affairs National Apartment Association gbrown@naahq.org | www.naahq.org
After the apartment market's blistering-hot run over the last decade, many metros have seen lots of new supply crop up in the past few years. With increased competition it's more important than ever that apartment communities – whether in lease-up, coming off major renovations or are simply stabilized properties – have intelligent and innovative strategies to attract prospects and drive leasing. Below are 7 methods to keep your tour numbers high and your occupancy rates where you want them to be. 1) Pay extra attention to negative reviews. We know that prospects make a point of checking out review sites like Google, Yelp and Facebook when shopping for their new apartment home. But what we may not realize is the out sized impact negative reviews may have. Our brains have a negative bias which indicates that each negative review could have a much bigger impact on the reader than a positive one. So a series of negative reviews and inadequate responses by your community may be more than enough to persuade prospects to look elsewhere. Apartment managers have to commit themselves to both the large and small things they need to do to develop a good online reputation. 2) Just say no to concessions. When markets soften and vacancies climb, apartment managers often turn to concessions such as discounted rent or a free iPad or free television. However, these incentives come with some pretty sizeable drawbacks. To start with, discounted rent or month(s) of free rent result in lower effective rents, which can decrease the value of a community and hurt operating budgets. Also, apartment operators who have offered items like free televisions or iPads have shared with me that residents who are motivated by these incentives often are not inclined to fulfill the terms of their lease. Sometimes, these residents just stick around long enough for the gift, and a manager is stuck with a unit that's vacant sooner than expected. That’s lost revenue. 3) Tap into their economic mind. When it comes to their finances, today's renters don't exactly have it easy. Many are burdened with student debt, stagnant wages and the rising cost of living. In fact a survey from Charles Schwab reports that 62 percent of millennials are living paycheck to paycheck while Hotpads reportsthat, on average, a renter will spend more than $3,400 a year on costs associated with moving-in. This includes security deposits, application fees, pet deposits and pet rent. Offering more affordable move-in (I'm not talking about traditional concessions here) can accelerate conversion rates and alleviate the hardship renters are facing. For example, consider eliminating security deposits. Think about it: a lot of prospects who would otherwise make excellent renters simply can't afford the large upfront of security deposits. When communities get rid of them and use other solutions, like lease insurance, to protect their units against damage and skips, they can significantly enhance conversion rates. Prospects are signing leases faster and moving in quicker - that’s found revenue.
7 Recommendations to Drive Leasing
By Reichen Kuhl -- multifamily insiders
Finding talent in the multifamily and student housing industry is always a challenge because let’s face it……this field is not for everyone or the thin skinned. When you find those diamonds in the rough you want to develop, train, and hold onto them for dear life because we cannot operate without the vital support of on-site managers. Below are three tips I have used over the past 10 years in student housing to actively develop managers and onsite team members. Utilizing these simple guidelines will help your team members enjoy coming to work every day and know they are supported by executive leadership. When successfully implemented, these tips will plant seeds of good habits when your employees move into an upper leadership role. Tip #1: Empowerment and Involvement. Managers are the experts of their properties. They know what goes on every day. They see the struggles and needs for their properties. The quickest way for a manager to lose trust or motivation is to keep them out of the loop of anything changing at their property. While some things are required to keep confidential, it is so important to involve managers on leasing calls, budget reviews, capital improvements, LIF’s, and simple communication of what the needs are at their property on a regular basis. I have worked with managers that haven’t heard from their leadership team in months, or find out a special was approved they didn’t request, or that leadership ordered a lot of swag that ate up their promo budget when they didn’t need more marketing collateral. They lose trust and don’t feel empowered to do their jobs; thus, they will go where they are appreciated and trusted. Tip #2: Knowing that leadership is there to help; not to make more work for the property. As a traveling RLS my job is to support and help the properties. I admit, in the past I would find things that need to be changed and put it on a list to revisit or delegate to the team. WRONG. Once I realized this was causing more stress to the team and people were nervous when I came to their property, I completely changed my approach. Student housing is stressful and hard enough just trying to get our tasks done during the day while serving residents, pre-leasing, planning events, marketing on campus, guiding parents for FTIC’s (you get the idea….) continued on next page (continued on page 19)
By: Carroll VanHook-Weaver, Executive Director The Kenect Nashville
developing onsite talent for upper leadership roles
My approach NOW is that I am there to help streamline and take things OFF of their plate versus finding more work for them to do. After all, I am visiting the property for a reason, to figure out what needs to be done to improve leasing or more training. I now focus on what is important to the team versus what I think is important to accomplish as priority.My approach includes asking questions to figure out where they need help. I also observe my first day and come up with a plan of action (with the managers) and then assign myself a list of tasks to help the property. This has been a game changer because, now the teams know all tasks will get done when leadership is there, I keep my word and go above and beyond to complete and after my visit is complete I continue to follow up with progress so they know they are supported if leadership is onsite or helping remotely. Managers appreciate the extra help versus adding more to their plate. Guess what? Teams ask me when I am coming back to their properties and send me thank you notes for the help. When a manager moves on to upper management, having developed this habit that they are there to help will improve team morale and company culture wherever they travel. Tip#3-Public Recognition for small milestones/accomplishments-One of the many awesome things our leadership team does for the on-site managers is weekly recognition's on our marketing call. Barrie Nichols initiated this many years ago and it’s SO simple yet offers a huge motivation factor! Once a week we conduct a Google Hangout call with the managers to go over ideas, leasing goals, social media tips etc. At the end of every call we announce the top leaser in the country and the property that closed the most leases. The property then gets a prize for instant gratification through Amazon gift cards. You won’t believe how motivating this is to the teams! The managers are involved, they love seeing their property get publicly recognized on a national call. Managers will reach out and ask if they are in the lead for the week, it has created friendly competition between properties. The fact is, they feel invested to see their property win, which trickles to their on-site team members which turns into more leases!! Anyone going into an upper management role can take these simple ideas to motivate and help any property they visit. When you work in student housing you always have a lot of pressure to lease up, have the coolest amenities, please your investors, improve pro-forma and stay within budget (Whew….. right?). If we can promote good habits with the mind set to “help” versus “direct and delegate,” managers will move onto upper management roles with helpful habits, and create loyal on-site staff teams that will ensure the positive future growth of student housing.
continued from page 18
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#GDAAFam
Speed Networking 2019
Their generous workshop appliances donation will ensure that the GDAA is abe to continue hands-on learning experiences for service techs all over the gem city.
THANK YOU, Chadwell .
Appliance Troubleshooting 2019
star associate member spotlight
Ode to Service Technicians
When 50 of the best service technicians in The Greater Dayton area arrived at the GDAA HQ last week for Appliance Troubleshooting, they certainly made a noticeable impact. In the 7 hours we shared with them, our freezer was repaired, our trash was taken out, our door was held open, and an attempt was even made on the elevator shaft’s life. Sometimes the measure of a man/woman is not what’s in their tool belt, but in the way they choose to find answers to questions they didn’t have to answer. Solving problems that were never theirs. A true service technician is a warrior who tends to a kitchen stove that will never return the favor with a meal; who fixes the fan on a dryer that will never give them a warm pile of clothes to jump into before the bus ride to school; who illuminates the burnt- out glow of a midnight snack that they will never savor. So today, we thank you, Service Techs. Thank you for keeping our stoves from exploding, our microwaves from imploding; for keeping our air conditioners cool and the measure of our hearts warm. Next time you see your apartment's service technician, offer them a glass of water, a pat on the back, or even just a word of thanks. They truly do make all the difference. With Love and Working Appliances, The GDAA Fam P.S. They also accept fried chicken.
7 Recommendations to Drive Leasing continued
4) Get chatty with chatbots. When a community employs chatbots, prospects can ask questions and gather information about a property 24/7. Today's apartment shoppers often do their information gathering after the leasing office is closed. When you provide an avenue for them to have their questions answered anytime they want, you are likely to keep them interested in your property and keep them moving down the demand funnel. This also frees up your staff time to convert those leads to leases. 5) Optimize websites and ILSs. In an Apartments.com survey, 72 percent of the respondents said they begin their apartment search on the internet. It may sound basic, but it's so fundamental to success in multifamily: make sure your individual property websites and ILS entries are search engine optimized. Understand just how your target renters are searching and find ways to include those search terms throughout your site - don’t forget about the meta data and image tags! 6) Offer self-guided tours. Providing a great tour experience is critical, and many prospects in this convenience-driven world want to tour a community by themselves. Technology enabled, self-guided tours can give prospects the experience they want while also freeing up agents to work with prospects who may be further down the demand funnel. 7) Don’t be afraid of personality in your social media. Whether it's on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook, an apartment community should use its social media outlets to have some fun. When prospects see an energetic, authentic and fun presence on social media, it creates a sense of excitement and what to know more, increasing their interest in a property. The competition for new leases in multifamily is more intense than it's been in a while. By incorporating the steps recommended above, an apartment community can be sure it's well positioned to lead the pack.
Alyssa Hanson
Nate Fisher Peak 10 Group Vice-President nfisher@peak10group.com
Executive Director Education Committee Legislative Committee Maintenance Education Council Rent Foundation Committee jowise@gdaa.org
gdaa Executive officers
Jacques Brose- Oberer Management Services Joe Colborn- Denizen Management Stephanie Collins- Miller- Valentine Group Paula Fleener- Simms Management Karla-Knox Gordon- GDPM Denise Harrison- Harrison Pro Tree Service, LLC John Ison- Kinetic Renovations, LLC Tammy Markman- Rent Path Carol Prudden- Oberer Management Services Sham Reddy- GDREIA Tina Warner- PMR Companies
Lloyd Cobble Oberer Management Services President lcobble@oberer.com
Assistant Executive Director Membership Committee Program Committee Trade Show Committee sfeltner@gdaa.org
past presidents
Bryan Woods Certa-Pro Treasurer bwoods@certapro.com
Jo Wise
Fred Bayley Jo Ann Kuchenbecker David Buthker Hank McElderry David Dutton Jan Hartle Clarence Cox Lisa Philbrick-Berman Rusty Lykes Janet Chiarella Jim Ritterhoff Tammy Trace-Tanner Dave Hanley Sharon Lowe Don Brunner Nick Singh Tina Warner Jessica Matejovsky Chris Melvin
Administrative Assistant Member Services Technical Support Rent Foundation Applicant Assistance ahanson@gdaa.org
Kayde Fitpatrick Able Roofing Secratary kfitzpatrick@mrroof.com
sue feltner
greater dayton apartment association staff
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 9:00am - 5:00 pm 3155 Elbee Road, Ste. 300 Dayton, Ohio 45439 website: www.gdaa.org (937) 293-1170; FAX (937) 293-1180
2019 GDAA board of directors
