Does your property have a ‘hurricane shelf’?

As I write this article, our nation is still trying to recover from back-to-back-to-back disasters – two natural and one man-made. In the span of six weeks, we experienced two devastating hurricanes and the deadliest mass shooting in US history. While we grieve for...

Tragic fire a grim reminder of our duty

The fire that engulfed a 24-story public housing community in London on June 14, 2017, killing 80 people at last count, should be a reminder to all in the housing management business of the importance of making life safety a top priority. Early news reports concerning...

How to avoid an uncertified disaster

If you’ve ever wondered what NCHM certification is worth, I’ve got a story for you. Recently a very small non-profit affordable housing agency lost its property manager. The organization housed 100 formerly homeless individuals and each unit had either a...

Dealing with manager burnout

Several years ago, when I was the COO of a property management company, I had occasion to be walking one of the more “challenged” properties in the company’s portfolio with the site manager and her boss, our vice president of property management. I had only been with...

Preserving historic buildings and neighborhoods

As American cities age, local governments face the challenge of how to handle the large stock of old, vacant, and potentially unsafe structures that crowd the cityscape. Cities like Baltimore, Atlanta, and Los Angeles are challenged to find funds to address this...

A ray of hope for affordable housing preservation

“The affordable housing crisis is growing. RAD is part of the solution.” Former HUD Secretary Julián Castro The crisis Secretary Castro was referring to is the loss of affordable housing units throughout the country. The loss of 10,000 – 15,000 public housing units...