October General Membership Meeting Recap

In the spooky spirit of the Halloween season, the Apartment Association of Orange County (AAOC) presented the third annual installment of “Property Management Horror Stories” at its General Membership Meeting on October 19, 2021.

The spooky “story tellers” of the night included Frank Alvarez, Operations Director & Co-Owner of Buffalo Maintenance, Inc.; Jessie Childers, Regional Supervisor of Santa Fe Management; and Melissa Ke, a second-generation independent rentalhousing provider and AAOC member.

Alvarez started the program by sharing some basic tips and strategies for helping rental-housing providers avoid horror stories in the first place. He advised being proactive and visiting your rental property on a regular basis, along with making the onsite staff more accountable in general. He emphasized asking more questions of staff, inspecting the property from top-to-bottom, inside and outside, all units and all common areas.

Childers relayed a horror story of her own, that involved a boyfriend of a resident assaulting another resident, stealing from him, and being an overall terror to the community. She reported that it took two months, during COVID, to finally evict. What did she learn from this experience? She relayed that careful and detailed documentation of events is key, along with securing a good attorney.

Ke’s horror story took many ghoulish twists and turns. It involved residents owing $20,000 in back rent; blocking garages; having friends over for noisy parties. Notices were served to no avail. She finally found an attorney who will be taking on the case and seeking resolution. Ke learned that she needed to be firmer with residents from the get-go. Childers added to this, emphasizing that relationships with tenants need to be strictly professional, and to pay close attention to credit scores for all applicants.

Alvarez concluded the evening by reminding the audience that everyone is an ambassador to their rental communities and that diplomacy is key. He also gave further tips on overall safety and upkeep of their properties. He also recommended keeping landscaping well maintained, making sure the drains and rain gutters are kept free flowing, and that property lighting is

GMM Recap — continued on page 34

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