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THE OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE FIRST COAST APARTMENT ASSOCIATION
www.fcaaonline.com November/December 2017
http://facebook.com/FirstCoastApartmentAssociation
PICTURES PAGES 6 & 7
PICTURES PAGES 10 & 11
NOVEMBER DINNER MEETING PICTURES PAGES 24 & 25
PICTURES PAGES 26 & 27
PLUS…
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YEARS
2007 - 2017
OFFICERS SHANNON GREGORY, President WRH Realty Services APRIL HUDSON, President Elect Milestone Management KEN FURTAW, Treasurer WRH Realty Services
CoastLINES LINES
CONTENT
KATIE WRENN, Immediate Past President Finlay Management RICK BIERMANN, Assoc. Vice President Redi Carpet
6-7
FAA Maintenance Mania Pictures
COMMUNITY DIRECTORS
8
Mobile Marketing
BRIAN CRON Oaks at Normandy BRIAN DAVIES WRH Realty Services BETH LAKIN Terraces at Town Center JODY MAYOR Fort Family Investments SHARON STEFFEN Mission Springs ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS HOLLY FOX ET&T Distributors JASON FROTTEN HD Supply DUSTIN HAWLEY RentPath JEFF JACKSON Sherwin-Williams TERRI JEFFRIES Cutting Edge Carpet
10-11 Oktoberfest Pictures 12
Prevent Curb Appeal Creep
22
Legal or Not?
23
2017 Premier Sponsors
24-25 November Dinner Meeting Pictures 26-27 Charity BINGO Pictures A Pictures is Worth a Thousand Words
32
Learning the Tricks of the PC Trade
Calendar of Events!
GRACE MCCORD J+J Flooring Group
1/11:
January Dinner Meeting
1/10 – 1/24:
CAMT
KRIS MILLERSCHONE Lakeside
1/16:
EPA
2/8:
Maintenance Mania
DIRECTORS EMERITUS
3/8:
March Dinner Meeting
DARLA ERDELYI Giglio Signs JOHN GRAY NCC Business Services DALE PRITCHARD A Greener Image STEVE THOMAS Maintenance Supply Headquarters ERIN TRIAY ForRent.com JILL WRIGHT Horizon Realty Management FCAA STAFF LINDSEY McCLAIN Executive Vice President
CH
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MELISSA LOHMEYER Apartments.com
MAINTENANCE LIAISON
SPONSORED BY
17-20 Industry Resource Guide
CoastLINES is published by the First Coast Apartment Association (FCAA) in the interest of all segments of the apartment industry. Copies of the newsletter are included free with each membership. Dues, contributions or gifts to the First Coast Apartment Association (FCAA) are not deductible as charitable contributions. For Federal Tax purposes however, such dues, contributions or gifts may be deductible under other sections of the Internal Revenue Code. Please consult your tax advisor. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of the publishers.
CoastLINES: The Official Publication of
The First Coast Apartment Association 9456 Philips Highway, Suite 4 Jacksonville, Florida 32256 Phone: (904) 292-1345 • Fax: (904) 292-1291 E-Mail: info@fcaaonline.com Website: www.fcaaonline.com Executive Vice President & Editor: Lindsey McClain
ARI
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Advertisers: AllWeather Contractors Arbor Contract Carpet Avalon Heating and Air Bluewater Environmental of Florida, Inc. BG Multifamily Cutting Edge Carpet D.M. Koehn Landscaping House of Floors Industry Resource Guide Law Offices of Heist, Weisse & Wolk, P.A. Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC Maintenance Supply Headquarters Mitchell S. Ritchie Attorney at Law NAA Click & Lease Poolsure Sherwin Williams Sky Towing & Recovery SOFITCO Tobacco-Free St. Johns
16 21 15 34 27 36 34 4 17-20 2 9 3 34 14 35 3 31 13 29
TAYLOR TUCKER Director of Special Events CRYSTAL VERASTEGUI Director of Education & Membership
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
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Mobile Marketing By Wendy Froehlich, Vice President of Marketing, ForRent.com®
Every apartment pro knows the importance of communicating with residents and prospects, but it’s traditionally been easier said than done. Printing and distributing notices door to door takes hours. Emails frequently sit unopened in residents’ inboxes. Phone calls often go into voicemail that may be picked up too late if at all. (Goodbye, new lead.) Texting changes the game by every measure. It reaches hundreds of residents with a click. Its near-perfect 98% open rate puts email’s paltry 20% to shame (Mobile Marketing Watch). And since most of us are as tethered to our smartphones as a yoyo to its string, 90% of all text messages are read within three minutes of delivery (Connect Mogul). You can’t get much more real-time than that.
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‘It Changed Everything’ One convert is Brittney Bridges, property manager at The Village at Western Branch in Portsmouth, VA. She runs the show at the 104-unit community, which sits a stone’s throw from the local Navy and Coast Guard bases and military hospital. Bridges began using ForRent.com’s Community Messenger text messaging service in 2016 to supplement standard communication methods, and it quickly became an indispensable tool in her management toolbox. “I’m now available 24/7 even if I’m not in the office,” she says. “That makes a big difference, whether I’m dealing with a maintenance issue, an emergency situation, or someone who is interested in renting a unit.” How much of a difference? For Bridges, four big benefits stand out.
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1 Save time with mass texts. With 26 hallways and 104 units, it used to take Bridges 30-45 minutes to deliver notices about scheduled maintenance or other issues to the whole community – longer if she stopped to have conversations with residents along the way. Sending the same information by text takes two minutes. “I’m a one-person office and every minute counts,” she notes. “If I have to shut the water off, alert residents that they need to put their rent checks in the dropbox to avoid late fees, or send renewal notices, texting is much more efficient than going door to door.”
Cement relationships that improve retention. Being reachable by residents virtually around the clock via text pays off when it’s lease renewal time, Bridges says. It assures residents that any problems they might have will be handled. It enables residents who can’t phone the property from work to communicate with her after hours. And it shows that management cares. “Nobody wants to stay at a property where they’re never able to get hold of anyone,” Bridges says. “Residents like the fact they can reach me at any time. They don’t want to start over and go somewhere else where they can’t be sure they will have the same level of management involvement and concern.”
Stay in touch during emergencies. When Hurricane Matthew pummeled Virginia in October 2016, Bridges turned to texting to prepare residents for the storm and maintain communication during and after the disaster. “I hand-delivered hurricane preparedness checklists to residents the day before the storm hit, but I also sent out mass texts telling everyone to move their cars from the parking lot in case it flooded,” she recalls. “During the storm, I had residents whose apartments were affected texting me and asking me questions about where they could go for shelter and how to contact the Red Cross. And the next day, I used the text messaging system to let affected residents know we were letting them out of their leases and returning their security deposits.” As it turned out, many of the residents whose apartments flooded either moved into vacant units or returned once repairs had been made. Bridges credits texting for helping bring those residents back into the fold – both because of the relationships it helped establish before the hurricane and because it served as a lifeline when the rains came. Continued on Page 14
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Prevent Curb APPEAL CREEP! Mary Gwyn, CPM, Apartment Dynamics • www.AptDynamics.com After working in a community for a while, some of the obvious negative things become like “white noise,” and we no longer see them. And little things can slowly get old or dirty or unkempt, but since it happens gradually, we may not notice it. I call it Curb Appeal Creep! To prevent it, pretend you’ve NEVER been to your community and look at it as if YOU were the prospect seeing it for the very first time! Take a fresh look at your communities. Use this Curb Appeal Checklist and get things PERFECT!
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Drive past your community from both directions. Is there any impediment to seeing the community? Trees/overgrown shrubs in the way of your sign? Can prospects see the entrance prior to reaching it?
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Sign/Entrance – BIG FLOWERS – make sure you have BRIGHT, BIG, BOLD flowers, different from your competitors, and that all is clean, weed free, mulched/ needled, and a WOW!
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Sign/Entrance – is the sign clean, freshly painted, washed (if moldy), and beautiful?
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Are sign lights timed correctly, pointed accurately, and working?
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Is there grass where grass goes? If not, get your landscaper to spray weed N feed, and scratch the soil and reseed that area! Make the entrance PERFECT!
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Do you have fresh flags? If not, put up new ones, clean the old ones, and change up the colors frequently!
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Appropriate banner and/or bandit signs (not too many and not too few)? Keep it simple, classy and attractive up front!
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Fresh Balloons DAILY (if legal…) It’s fun to color coordinate them with your flags too!
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Is your office hard to find? If so, post directional signs or paint a yellow brick road if you have to, but make it EASY to find!
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Is there clearly marked guest parking at the leasing center?
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Is the leasing center welcoming? Not overgrown, weedy, messy?
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
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Are there flowers at the leasing center? Big and BOLD? If there is no space to plant them, make sure you have fresh, BIG pots full of beautiful, colorful splashes!
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At the entrance sweep, dust, wipe away cob webs, make it clean, clean, clean!
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Check your door mat for cleanliness and good condition. If it’s dirty, clean it, and if it’s old and faded, replace it.
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Do you have an information box outside your door, packed full of good marketing collateral? If not, get one and keep it full!
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Is there a way for prospects/residents to communicate with you? Say, a secured mailbox or mail-slot that is attractive and well-marked. If not, change to one! And if you reasonably can, have paper and pen where residents can communicate with you.
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The FRONT DOOR! This is a really important aspect of the prospect’s impression! Always make sure the door is freshly painted, clean, glass is clean (windex is your friend), and the door knob, lock and hardware are ADA compliant, but most of all, fresh and new looking… and make sure when they touch it there’s nothing sticky or scratchy (eww!). We always say, “Where the hand goes the eye goes!” So if the hardware has the finish peeling off or is dated looking or mismatched, change it for fresh and new.
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Clean the entry metal thresholds (Windex!) or paint them fresh frequently!
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Are office hours posted? Is the sign still fresh and new looking, or does it need cleaning, repainting or replacing?
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Is there a clear clock or sign that indicates you’ve left the office AND when you’ll be back? “Back in 30 minutes,” doesn’t help your prospect or resident since they don’t know if you left a minute ago or 29 minutes ago. Consider a wipe erase board with a friendly note and the time you’ll return.
Have each member of the team do their individual inspection with this handy checklist and compare notes. Don’t let “Curb Appeal Creep” cause you to make a bad first impression!
MARCH / APRIL 2017
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Continued from Page 8
Mobile Marketing By Wendy Froehlich, Vice President of Marketing, ForRent.com®
4
Never miss a lead. Texting also gives Bridges a major competitive advantage over non-texting properties because she can respond to rental inquiries on her computer or smartphone the minute they roll in – even after she has gone home for the day. That wasn’t possible before she turned to texting, when the lag time could be as much as 48 hours if the lead came on a weekend. By that time, the apartment hunter would usually have lost interest. “With texting, I can answer questions about rental rates, send floor plans, set up appointments, and even tell prospects what documents they need to bring if they are interested in immediate occupancy,” she notes. “It’s definitely increased my appointments and reduced the risk that I’ll lose a new tenant to the competition because I can get there faster.”
If you’re not texting yet and want to take the plunge, check out Community Messenger. A whole new world of communication awaits.
About Wendy Wendy Froehlich, VP of Marketing, joined ForRent.com in 2006 and is responsible for overseeing national marketing initiatives including events, sales materials and promotions, advertising, and other digital marketing efforts. Prior to joining ForRent, Wendy worked for PolyVision Corporation – a division of Steelcase, Coca-Cola Fountain and many years in account services for HCD Advertising in Atlanta, GA and Virginia Beach, VA.
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THE OFFICIAL RESOURCE GUIDE OF THE FIRST COAST APARTMENT ASSOCIATION www.fcaaonline.com
twitter.com/fcaaonline facebook.com/FirstCoastApartment Association NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
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INDUSTRY ACCESS/CONTROL GATES Access Control Systems ...........................(904) 570-1695 Frattle Stairs and Rails ............................(904) 384-3495 ADVERTISING AGENCY mbpr ......................................................(904) 424-6641 JOE Design, Inc ........................................(904) 501-9526 ADVERTISING Apartment Finder ...................................(904) 464-0709 Apartments.com ..................................(904) 778-5118 ForRent.com ........................................(904) 296-7171 JOE Design, Inc. .......................................(904) 501-9526 RentJax.com ..................................................(904) 701-0302 RentPath ...............................................................(904) 262-0863 Zillow Rental Network............................... (541) 350-3620 AD TRACKING Apartment List .....................................(985) 640-7703 ForRent.com ........................................(904) 296-7171 AIR CONDITIONING CONTRACTORS AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 781-7060 Avalon Heating and Air ...........................(904) 245-1818 David Gray Plumbing, Heating & Air .......(904) 724-7211 Homee On Demand.................................(904) 705-4575 InVent, Inc. ..............................................(904) 228-2263 AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT AllWeather Contractors ......................(904)-781-7060 Avalon Heating and Air ...........................(904) 245-1818 ARD Distributors, Inc. ..............................(800) 654-7721 Chadwell Supply, Inc. ................................. (888) 341-2423 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 InVent, Inc. ..............................................(904) 228-2263 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Marcone Supply ......................................(314) 241-1946 Rapco Supply ..........................................(407) 933-4102 Wilmar Supply ........................................(800) 345-3000 ALARM SYSTEMS Agent Fire LLC .........................................(904) 687-3876 ANSWERING SERVICE/ON HOLD MESSAGING Audio Images ..........................................(904) 247-8600 APARTMENT LOCATORS Apartment Finder ...................................(904) 464-0709 Apartments.com ..................................(904) 778-5118 ForRent.com ........................................(904) 296-7171 RentJax.com ..................................................(904) 701-0302 RentPath...............................................(904) 262-0863 APPLIANCES ARD Distributors, Inc. ..............................(800) 654-7721 Chadwell Supply, Inc...............................(888) 341-2423 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Wilmar Supply ........................................(800) 345-3000 APPLIANCES (LEASING) Azuma Leasing........................................(800) 707-1188 APPLIANCE PARTS Chadwell Supply, Inc...............................(888) 341-2423 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Marcone Supply ......................................(314) 241-1946 Rapco Supply ..........................................(407) 933-4102 APPRAISAL SERVICES Complete General Contractors ................(850)-932-8720 AQUATIC MAINTENANCE BlueWater Environmental of FL...............(904) 880-1817 OneSource Water.....................................(904) 638-2941
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NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
RESOURCE
GUIDE
BANKING SERVICES Colliers International Northeast Florida .(904) 861-1101 BATH & KITCHEN REFINISHING/REPAIRS AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Carter & Associates of NE FL ....................(904) 730-7440 Creative Multi Care, Inc. ........................(904) 384-1047 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Restore24 ................................................(904) 737-8673 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 BIOHAZARD WASTE CLEANUP Bio-One...................................................(904) 910-8558 BROKERAGE Colliers International Northeast Florida ..(904) 861-1101 CABINET REFACING Northern Contours .................................(904) 449-4527 CABINETS AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Central Renovation Solutions .................(469)-567-2400 Chadwell Supply, Inc...............................(888) 341-2423 CRS Cabinets ..........................................(469) 567-2400 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Oxley Cabinet Warehouse Inc ..................(904) 981-3011 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 CARPET CLEANING, DYEING, RESTORATION Creative Multi Care, Inc. ........................(904) 384-1047 MM Turnkey Services ..............................(904) 998-3608 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Restore24 ................................................(904) 737-8673 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 CEILING FANS Chadwell Supply, Inc...............................(888) 341-2423 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Wilmar Supply ........................................(800) 345-3000 CERAMIC TILES AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Rolland Reash Plumbing .........................(904) 260-7059 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 CLEANING SERVICE AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 All Renew Services, LLC ...........................(904) 386-1762 Jean’s Maid Services ................................(904) 463-5704 Krystal Klean ...........................................(904) 309-3877 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Precision Cleaning Services ....................(904) 440-57 18 Restore24 ................................................(904) 737-8673 Two Girls and a Sponge ...........................(904) 502-1460 You Got It Maid Cleaning Service ............(904) 290-1250 COLLECTIONS Arial Business Services Inc.......................(877) 231-6410 National Credit Systems ..........................(407) 574-4927 NCC Business Services .............................(904) 733-3033 Professional Debt Mediation ...................(904) 398-0286 COMMUNICATIONS TextBox ..................................................(850) 205-1111 CONCIERGE SERVICE Slingshot Life ..........................................(251) 406-9257
CONCRETE REPAIRS AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Precision Sidewalk Safety Corp................(352) 401-9090 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 COUNTERTOPS AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Central Renovation Solutions .................(469)-567-2400 CRS Cabinets ..........................................(469) 567-2400 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Oxley Cabinet Warehouse Inc ..................(904) 693-5554 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 CREDIT CARD PROCESSING RentPaidOnline .......................................(904) 599-2794 Three Rivers Consulting Inc. ...................(855) 677-4048 CRIME-SCENE CLEANUP Bio-One...................................................(904) 910-8558 DESIGN/GRAPHICS JOE Design, Inc. .......................................(904) 501-9526 DISC JOCKEY DJ Mario Entertainment ..........................(904) 655-2518 DOG PARKS ET&T Distributors ....................................(888) 642-2226 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 DRY WALL REPAIR All Installation of Jax, Inc. .......................(904) 514-8750 All Renew Services, LLC ...........................(904) 386-1762 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Carter & Associates of NE FL ....................(904) 730-7440 Creative Multi Care, Inc. ........................(904) 384-1047 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Restore24 ................................................(904) 737-8673 Rolland Reash Plumbing .......................(904) 260-7059 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 DRYER VENT CLEANING Jax Elite Home Services ..........................(904) 484-8288 Window Gang .........................................(904) 262-7300 ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS Green Built Construction .........................(904) 683-0879 Homee On Demand.................................(904) 705-4575 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 EMERGENCY RESPONSE Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 445-0210 Restore24 ...............................................(904) 737-8673 EQUIPMENT RENTAL Compact Power Equipment Rental .........(904) 451-7585 EVICTION SERVICES Dale G. Westling, Sr., P.A..........................(904) 356-2341 Law Offices of Heist, Weisse & Wolk..........(800) 253-8428 Mitchell Ritchie .......................................(904) 387-6100 FENCING/STAIR/RAIL INSTALLATION & REPAIR AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Frattle Stairs and Rails ............................(904) 384-3495 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 FIBER CEMENT SIDING Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468
INDUSTRY FIRE & SAFETY EQUIPMENT Agent Fire LLC .........................................(904) 687-3876 Aegis Fire & Integrated Services ..............(904) 233-7930 Apartment Fire Extinguisher Service.............. (904) 398-2030 Boyle Hydrant & Utilities .........................(904) 386-2881 Cintas Fire Protection ..............................(904) 562-7000 First Coast Fire & Safety...........................(904) 346-0111 Pye-Barker Fire & Safety, Inc. .................(904) 553-4222 Wayne Automatic Fire Sprinklers ............(904) 268-3030 FIRE HYDRANT SERVICE Boyle Hydrant & Utilities .........................(904) 386-2881 FIRE RESTORATION AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 445-0210 Restore24 ...............................................(904) 737-8673 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 FITNESS & EXERCISE EQUIPMENT Advantage Sport & Fitness, Inc. ..............(904) 437-6343 First Place Fitness Equipment..................(904) 998-0738 Fitness Pro ..............................................(850) 523-8882 SOFITCO ...................................................(850) 259-5946 FLOORING Arbor Contract Carpet ...........................(904) 781-2003 Cutting Edge Carpet ................................(904) 475-9300 Expressions Carpet and Flooring ........(904) 739-2885 First Choice Luxury Vinyl Plank Flooring ..(706) 271-8023 House of Floors ....................................(904) 262-6989 Integrity Restoration ...............................(904) 644-7878 J+J Flooring Group ................................(800) 241-4586 Lifestyle Flooring ..................................(877) 383-1062 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Mohawk Industries .................................(321) 287-3572 Redi Carpet ...........................................(904) 781-4300 Sherwin Williams ................................(904) 448-8109 Southeast Floors ....................................(407) 888-8008 FOUNTAINS BlueWater Environmental of FL...............(904) 880-1817 FURNITURE Cort Furniture Rental...............................(904) 396-9000 Southern Furniture Leasing.....................(866) 736-8481 GENERAL CONTRACTORS AAPCO Florida .........................................(800) 728-2690 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Building Innovations ..............................(904) 400-0421 Coastal Reconstruction Group, Inc. ........(407)-644-1800 Complete General Contractors ................(850) 932-8720 FSI Construction ......................................(904) 703-3762 Green Built Construction .........................(904) 683-0879 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 Ronin Contractors, LLC.............................(904) 219-9447 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 GOLF CARTS Mid Florida Golf Cars ...............................(800) 803-8420 GUTTER INSTALLATION AND SERVICES AAPCO Florida .........................................(800) 728-2690 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Jax Elite Home Services ..........................(904) 484-8288 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 Window Gang .........................................(904) 262-7300
RESOURCE
HOUSEWARES Cort Furniture Rental...............................(904) 396-9000 Southern Furniture Leasing.....................(866) 736-8481 HOARDING SERVICES Bio-One...................................................(904) 910-8558 INSURANCE Brown & Brown Insurance ......................(904) 565-8304 Roderick Crabbe Insurance, Inc. ..............(904) 215-2121 INTERNET SERVICES Apartment Finder ...................................(904) 464-0709 Apartments.com..............................................(904) 778-5118 ForRent.com ........................................(904) 296-7171 RentPath ...............................................................(904) 262-0863 IRRIGATION DM Koehn Landscaping ..........................(904) 716-0683 Duval Landscape Maintenance................(904) 233-3388 Trimac Outdoor .......................................(904) 589-8768 JANITORIAL SUPPLIES Chadwell Supply, Inc...............................(888) 341-2423 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Wilmar Supply ........................................(800) 345-3000 LAKE MAINTENANCE BlueWater Environmental of FL...............(904) 880-1817 LANDSCAPE MAINTENANCE Beach River Landscapes ...........................(904) 962-8721 Core Outdoor, Inc ......................................(904) 215-6866 Davey Commercial Grounds Maintenance.....(904) 768-8733 DM Koehn Landscaping ..........................(904) 716-0683 Duval Landscape Maintenance................(904) 233-3388 Landscape Professionals .........................(904) 880-6165 Mulch Masters, LLC .................................(904) 727-1100 TLC Total Lawn Care.................................(904) 699-0046 Trimac Outdoor .......................................(904) 589-8768 ValleyCrest Landscape Companies...........(904) 292-0716 LAUNDRY SERVICE & EQUIPMENT CSC Service Works ...................................(321) 696-1241 Southeastern Laundry ............................(904) 524-0088 Washco Laundry Equipment ...................(904) 724-2622 LEAK DETECTION American Leak Detection ........................(904) 519-5700 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 LEGAL SERVICES Dale G. Westling, Sr., P.A............................ (904) 356-2341 Law Offices of Heist, Weisse & Wolk..........(800) 253-8428 Mitchell S. Ritchie, PA .............................(904) 387-6100 Wilkins Law Firm.....................................(904) 374-9430 LIGHTING & LIGHTING SUPPLIES Chadwell Supply, Inc...............................(888) 341-2423 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Wilmar Supply ........................................(800) 345-3000 LOCKSMITHS The Flying Locksmiths ............................(904) 512-0699 LODGING/MEETING FACILITY Four Points by Sheraton ..........................(904) 562-4920 MAINTENANCE SUPPLIES Chadwell Supply, Inc...............................(888) 341-2423 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Marcone Supply ......................................(341) 241-1946 Rapco Supply ..........................................(407) 933-4102 Wilmar Supply ........................................(800) 345-3000
GUIDE
MARKETING Apartment Finder ...................................(904) 464-0709 ForRent.com ........................................(904) 296-7171 JOE Design, Inc. .......................................(904) 501-9526 mbpr ......................................................(904) 424-6641 RentPath ...............................................................(904) 262-0863 MARKETING & TEXT SERVICES TextBox ..................................................(850) 205-1111 MOLD REMEDIATION Coastal Reconstruction Group, Inc. ........(407)-644-1800 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 445-0210 Property360, LLC .....................................(855) 932-3784 Restore24 ...............................................(904) 737-8673 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 MOSQUITO CONTROL BlueWater Environmental of FL...............(904) 880-1817 NEWSLETTERS / RESIDENT NEWS Resident News ........................................(800) 961-1916 ODOR ELIMINATION Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 PAINT SUPPLIES Ace Painting ...........................................(904) 714-3717 BLP Mobile Paints ...................................(904) 355-5678 Florida Paints ..........................................(904) 385-9242 PPG Paints .............................................(904) 737-6474 Sherwin Williams ................................(904) 448-8109 PAINTING CONTRACTORS AAPCO Florida .........................................(800) 728-2690 Ace Painting ...........................................(904) 714-3717 All Installation of Jax, Inc.........................(904) 514-8750 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Carter & Associates of NE FL ....................(904) 730-7440 Creative Multi Care, Inc. ........................(904) 384-1047 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 MM Turnkey Services ..............................(904) 998-3608 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Precision Cleaning Services ....................(904) 440-5718 Restore24 ................................................(904) 737-8673 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 Ronin Contractors, LLC.............................(904) 219-9447 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 PARKING LOT MAINTENANCE Duval Asphalt..........................................(904) 296-2020 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 PET WASTE STATIONS ET&T Distributors ....................................(888) 642-2226 First Coast Scoopers ................................(904) 338-4236 PEST CONTROL/TERMITES A Greener Image ....................................(904) 739-8090 A.R.T Pest Control....................................(888) 926-6488 DM Koehn Landscaping ..........................(904) 716-0683 Massey Services Inc.................................(800) 881-8861 Property360, LLC .....................................(855) 932-3784 Terminix ..................................................(904) 945-4788 Zenpura Pest Solutions............................(904) 257-0090 NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
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INDUSTRY PHOTOGRAPHY Art & Alex Photography ..........................(904) 273-4442 PLAYGROUNDS ET&T Distributors ....................................(888) 642-2226 PLUMBERS AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 David Gray Plumbing, Heating & Air .......(904) 724-7211 Green Built Construction .........................(904) 683-0879 Homee On Demand.................................(904) 705-4575 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Rolland Reash Plumbing ......................(904) 260-7059 Roto-Rooter..........................................(904) 354-7321 PLUMBING SUPPLIES Moen Inc. ................................................ (407) 340-3249 POOL & PATIO FURNITURE Admiral Outdoor Furniture ......................(800) 999-2589 ET&T Distributors ....................................(888) 642-2226 Frattle Stairs and Rails ............................(904) 384-3495 Horizon Casual, Inc. .................................(866) 657-8731 Taylor & Associates Pool and Patio Furniture, Inc. ..............................................................(855) 734-3580 POOL SERVICE, REPAIRS & RENOVATIONS ASP of Jax America’s Swimming Pool Co. (904) 710-4204 Henderson Pool Services, Inc. .................(904) 241-7665 Poolsure ..................................................(800) 858-7665 Rolland Reash Plumbing ......................(904) 260-7059 The B.A.P Company, Inc...........................(904) 614-1879 POOL SUPPLIES Chadwell Supply, Inc...............................(888) 341-2423 Henderson Pool Services, Inc. .................(904) 241-7665 HD Supply....................................................... (800) 431-3000 Maintenance Supply Headquarters .........(866) 630-6747 Poolsure ..................................................(800) 858-7665 Professional Pool Care .............................(904) 312-4828 POWDER COATING Frattle Stairs and Rails ............................(904) 384-3495 PRESSURE WASHING AAPCO Florida .........................................(800) 728-2690 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 American Softwash .................................(386) 761-2987 Krystal Klean ...........................................(904) 309-3877 Jax Elite Home Services ..........................(904) 484-8288 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 Window Gang .........................................(904) 262-7300 Window Washing & Pressure Washing ....(904) 885-7840 PRINTING JOE Design, Inc. .......................................(904) 501-9526 PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE Property Solutions International, Inc. ............ (801) 375-5522 PUBLIC RELATIONS mbpr ......................................................(904) 424-6641 PUMPS Rolland Reash Plumbing ........................(904) 260-7059 Weeks Utility Service, Inc. .......................(904) 726-5869 REALTOR SERVICES Florida Homes Realty & Mortgage .........(904) 732-7053 RECRUITMENT, JOB LISTINGS MSB Resources ........................................(215) 661-8834 RECYCLING City Recycling Group ..............................(866) 732-5559 Conex Recycling ......................................(866) 879-2663 Residential Disposal Services, LLC ..........(904) 226-5191 Waste Management................................(904) 370-1907
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RPaul Davis E Restoration S Oof North UFlorida R..(904) C 739-6047 E GUIDE RENOVATIONS AAPCO Florida .........................................(800) 728-2690 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Integrity Restoration ...............................(904) 644-7878 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 RENTAL RELOCATION Apartment Finder ...................................(904) 464-0709 Apartments.com ....................................(904) 778-5118 ForRent.com ........................................(904) 296-7171 RentPath .................................................(904) 262-0863 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 RESEARCH/PLANNING Real Data.................................................(704) 369-2345 RESTORATION/REHAB AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 AAPCO Florida .........................................(800) 728-2690 Coastal Reconstruction Group, Inc. ........(407)-644-1800 Green Built Construction .........................(904) 683-0879 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Oxbuilt Construction ...............................(678) 702-7308 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Moen Inc. ................................................(407) 340-3249 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 ROOFING AAPCO Florida .........................................(800) 728-2690 All Pro Roofing ........................................(904) 337-1082 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Green Built Construction .........................(904) 683-0879 Oak Crest Roofing ........................................ (913) 205-6849 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida...(904) 739-6047 Performance Roofing .........................(904) 224-3628 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 SRG Roofing ............................................(904) 377-0866 Superior Roofing & Restoration, Inc ........(904) 250-5053 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 Tillman Building Services ........................(904) 845-8280 SECURE ON-LINE RENTAL PAY RentPaidOnline .......................................(904) 599-2794 SECURITY, COURTESY OFFICER Arrow Security ........................................(904) 945-2769 S3 Security .............................................(904) 449-6104 SIDING AAPCO Florida .........................................(800) 728-2690 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Green Built Construction .........................(904) 683-0879 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 SIGNS, BANNERS & FLAGS Giglio Signs .............................................(904) 396-9046
STAFFING BG Staffing .............................................(904) 224-5000 MSB Resources ........................................(215) 661-8834 Career Strategies ...................................(904) 757-3456 TOWING Adkison Towing......................................(904) 260-3000 ASAP Towing & Storage Co., Inc................(904) 771-7111 Sky Towing and Recovery ......................(904) 695-0202 TRADESHOW EVENT SERVICES Cort Furniture Rental...............................(904) 396-9000 TRAINING / EDUCATION ForRent.com ........................................(904) 296-7171 TREE TRIMMING & REMOVAL Bold City Tree Service ..............................(904) 285-1417 Davey Commercial Grounds Maintenance.....(904) 768-8733 Duval Landscape Maintenance................(904) 233-3388 Rescue Construction Solutions, Inc..........(919) 615-1759 Roberts Tree Service, Inc. ........................(904) 777-4793 Trimac Outdoor .......................................(904) 589-8768 TURNKEY OPERATIONS All Renew Services, LLC ...........................(904) 386-1762 AllWeather Contractors ......................(904) 379-4614 Carter & Associates of NE FL ....................(904) 730-7440 Creative Multi Care, Inc. ........................(904) 384-1047 Lloyd’s Construction & Consulting, LLC .(904) 683-4468 MM Turnkey Services ..............................(904) 998-3608 Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 739-6047 Restore24 ...............................................(904) 737-8673 Ronin Contractors, LLC ...........................(904) 219-9447 Steve’s Painting & Maintenance ............. (904) 332-6805 UTILITY SUBMETERING Minol USA ...............................................(972) 386-6611 NWP Services ..........................................(678) 612-8094 VALET TRASH SERVICE Affinity Waste Solutions ..........................(407) 808-0550 Invisible Waste Services ..........................(407) 509-1293 Skinner Waste Solutions .........................(904) 239-7222 Tide Valet Waste, LLC...............................(803) 216-0063 Valet Waste .............................................(813) 248-1327 WASTE REMOVAL Advanced Disposal Services ....................(904) 783-7000 Affinity Waste Solutions ..........................(404) 808-0550 Residential Disposal Services, LLC ..........(904) 226-5191 Skinner Waste Solutions .........................(904) 239-7222 Tide Valet Waste, LLC...............................(803) 216-0063 Waste Management Inc. of Florida .........(904) 894-4516 WATER MITIGATION Paul Davis Restoration of North Florida ..(904) 445-0210 SweetWater Restoration ....................(904) 880-1919 WEB SITE DESIGN JOE Design, Inc ........................................(904) 501-9526 WINDOW CLEANING Jax Elite Home Services ..........................(904) 484-8288 Window Gang .........................................(904) 262-7300
Please contact FCAA at 904-292-1345 to make any changes to your company information that appears in this Guide and may also appear online.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
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LEGAL OR NOT? by Brian Wolk, The Law Offices of Heist, Weisse & Wolk, PA
Our company owns four small apartment communities, and the owners have now instructed our residents to pay their rent by mail, as we eliminated our on-site management offices. The address is our corporate office, which is located outside of Florida. This week I submitted an eviction to my attorney. She later emailed my assistant manager and informed him that my notice was defective and had to be served again. I am waiting to hear back from the attorney, as I think maybe someone in her office is mistaken. I had posted the standard 3-day notice we have used for the last five years. Did the law change? Is the attorney wrong? Your attorney is correct. The law has not changed. Requiring residents to mail their rent is never a good idea for a host of reasons. One reason is that the resident can claim the rent was mailed when it was not. You cannot easily disprove this type of allegation. Another reason is that under Florida law, if you require rent to be paid by mail, you must add five business days for the resident to be able to mail the rent to you. While we know that most mail arrives in less than five business days, adding the full five days is still required under Florida law. When calculating an expiration date, you cannot count Saturdays, Sundays or legal holidays. A much better option to avoid this problem would be to require the resident to drop the rent off at a physical location, possibly at your office if it is nearby, but caution must be taken, as your current residents may not have officially agreed to this arrangement, as it reflects a significant change from your current lease. Make sure the lease clearly articulates when late charges begin and whether the rent must be received by a particular date or mailed by a particular date. Unnecessary drama can be guaranteed to take place if you require residents to pay by mail!
The Notice of Intention to Impose Claim on Security Deposit (our company calls it the SODA or Statement of Deposit Accounts) was mailed out by my assistant manager to the resident’s former apartment about two months ago, as we thought we were not provided with a new address. The envelope was returned to us by the USPS as “unclaimed�. Last week, we received a vicious letter from an attorney demanding that we send the full deposit back to the former resident, or he is going to file a lawsuit. We have two big problems. First, the resident owes us $625.07 for electric utility service charges that were never paid and not cited on the original claim letter, and secondly, we actually did have a new address for the resident in the file. It appears an assistant manager just put the letter from the resident with the new address in the file and forgot to make notes in our computer system. Are we obligated to return the deposit? Can we add the additional $625.07 deduction or seek this additional amount when placing the account in collections?
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Continued on Page 30
ENT SER LL
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MultiCare, Inc.
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NOVEMBER DINNER MEETING
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A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words By Erica Campbell Byrum, Assistant VP of Social Media, ForRent.com® We all know that a picture is worth 1,000 words, and that axiom holds as true for multifamily marketers as it does for promoting consumer products. (Who doesn’t remember the Coca-Cola polar bears?) Fortunately, today’s social media provides a growing number of visual channels to help us reach and engage residents and prospects. The challenge is to do it effectively. One of my guiding principles is to create visual marketing content that humanizes your brand. That means bringing your property to life by telling visual stories about the people who live and work there. It means leveraging Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat to show – and not just tell – what’s going on in your community. It means giving your property a personality and evoking an emotional response that makes residents feel good about living there and inspires prospective renters to want to join the party. You can do this by:
1
Sharing Resident Photos and Videos of Community Events. Post them live as the event is happening, the next day to thank people for coming, or images of last year’s BBQ or pool party pre-event to help increase attendance. Take your own snapshots and video as well, both for backup and for variety’s sake (the more, the merrier!). You can also use last year’s images on flyers for pre-event publicity to help create more excitement than standard text-based announcements. The Bozzuto Group celebrates its residents
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Featuring a Resident of the Week. Do you have a resident with an interesting background? A cool job? A couple who had their first child? Someone who has lived in your community for 5 or 10 years? Give them a shout-out with a photo (get written consent first) and an explanation. Same with a resident who has left a nice review of your property. (“Thanks so much to Bobby, who left an awesome Google+ review of ABC Apartments!”) This helps build community and promote resident retention.
4
Hosting an ‘Instagram Takeover.’ Invite a social-savvy employee or resident to create authentic user-generated content and take over your account for a few hours or for the day. He or she might provide apartment decorating ideas, entertaining suggestions, favorite local restaurants or apps, and other tips and tricks for making the most of local living.
Spotlighting Your Employees. Introduce your team. Have them use Instagram to share their day-to-day experiences with the community. Showcase their birthdays and baby showers, celebrate their work anniversaries, highlight the smiling visages behind your leasing desk. These people are the face of your property. Use them to the hilt.
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Running a Social MediaContest. Crowdsourcing user-generated photos is a great way to assemble a content library as well as build community loyalty, especially if there is a prize like cash or a gift card involved. Just make sure that your contest rules release all the rights of that content to you.
Erica Campbell Byrum (erica.campbell@forrent.com) is Assistant Vice President of Social Media for ForRent.com and Co-Author of Youtility for Real Estate. This article was first shared exclusively on the Multifamily Social Media Summit blog.
SMOKE-FREE HOUSING IS
76% of renters prefer
88.1% of adults in St. Johns County do NOT smoke
Only 11.9% of adults in St. Johns County smoke
Smoke-free housing reduces the risk of fires, and reduces insurance premiums
Smokers cost more money Source: Smoke-Free Environments Law Project
Average cost to clean a smoker’s apartment: $3,509
Most residents do NOT smoke
Average cost fo clean a non-smoker’s apartment: $558
smoke-free housing
Smoke-free
GOOD FOR BUSINESS
For more information on smoke-free housing, visit www.tobaccofreestjohns.com J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 6
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LEGAL OR NOT? by Brian Wolk, The Law Offices of Heist, Weisse & Wolk, PA
Continued from Page 22
You made a very common but serious error. If a resident fails to give you a new address, you must send the claim letter to the last known mailing address, which will usually be the apartment where the resident was living. Since this resident did in fact give you a new address, his last “known” mailing address is that new address he gave you, as this was made known to you. It is crucial to train staff to take new address notifications very seriously. It is easy to accept a piece of paper with a new address and file it away or fail to take it seriously. The notification may be in the form of an email, which should be printed out. Noting a new address directly on the file or stapling an alert to the file could have prevented this from happening. If it is determined that you did not follow Florida Statute 83.49 by failing to send the Notice of Intention to Impose Claim on Security Deposit to the last known address, you will be required to return 100% of the deposit, even though the resident may owe you money. Worse, your company will be liable for the former resident’s attorney’s fees if litigation is instituted, an amount which could be significant. While you must initially return the deposit money, you can refer the underlying amount owed to collections, including the additional $625.07 in utility charges, but we would recommend notating the account as disputed if you send the account to a collections company.
We renewed a lease three months ago with an existing resident and a new resident. A former resident on the original lease had essentially disappeared, and the existing resident stated that he had no clue as to her whereabouts. Well, now she has reemerged, and she emailed us demanding that we return the security deposit to her, claiming that “she paid the deposit”, and she was livid when we told her that her former boyfriend still lived in the unit and had another resident move in with him. The major problem we have is that we cannot return the deposit to her, as we carried it over to the renewed lease, so it is applied to the account of our current residents. According to Florida law, you are required to process a security deposit within 30 days of a resident vacating the premises for termination of the lease. In the event of a renewal when one resident is renewing and another resident is not renewing for whatever reason and has apparently vacated, you have a situation that is not specifically addressed under Florida law. Since this issue is not clearly addressed under the law, you must attempt to safely deal with the deposit to prevent a dispute like this one from occurring, even if the method you must use does not satisfy the remaining resident. If one resident is vacating or has vacated, you would have that vacating resident sign a form under which any and all claims to the security deposit are relinquished by that person. The remaining resident and management would also need to sign the form. In your case, the best approach would have been to non-renew both residents or keep the lease in a month to month status after expiration of the lease if all residents are not reachable, or account to the original residents concerning the security deposit and collect a new deposit from the remaining and new resident. By failing to do so, your company will now possibly have to pay out double the amount of the deposit you hold, as each resident now will possibly have a claim to the full amount of the security deposit. This situation could also get messy if the original resident claims she still has personal property on the premises.
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Private Property Impound Services Light Duty Towing Services Medium Duty Towing Services Heavy Duty Towing & Recovery The key to our success is working smarter. We offer GPS vehicle tracking and digital dispatch to all of our trucks to ensure the fastest, most efficient response to your calls. Formerly Arlington Wrecker Service, Sky Towing and Recovery has been proudly serving the First Coast since 1968. Our fleet is expertly maintained, and our highly certified personnel are qualified to meet all of your needs. Our team can upright loaded trailers, aircraft, boats and any other large pieces of equipment safely and efficiently. Extra wide vehicles and equipment are no problem for the experienced professionals at Sky Towing and Recovery.
(904) 695-0202 We have 3 locations to serve you: 475 Tresca Road, Jacksonville, FL 32225 1683 B S 8th Street, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 8747 West Beaver Street, Jacksonville, FL 32220
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PERSONAL COMPUTING:
Learning the Tricks of the PC Trade By Reid Goldsborough
“Trick” is one of those words that can have either a positive or negative connotation. You probably don’t want to deceive, but you probably want to do things better. Unless you’re a hacker, computer tricks are in the positive category. There are lots of little and sometimes not so little tips and techniques out there that can shave a few of seconds off frequently used procedures or maybe even completely change how you work. No compilation like this can possibly be comprehensive, but here are a few Windows tricks that might be worth doing if you’re not already. If you’re a Mac user, a good source of shortcuts is support.apple.com/ en-us/HT201236.
Lock your computer.
Windows-L locks it, requiring your password to resume, which can be handy if you don’t want a coworker or roommate posting for you on Facebook.
Shut down.
Program the Power button to shut down your PC. Press the Windows key and begin typing Power Options. Once there, select “Choose what the power buttons do,” then for “When I press the power button” select “Shut down.”
Launch a program.
Pressing the Windows key is a quick way to launch programs. Begin typing the name of the program until it’s displayed. An even quicker way is to create a keyboard shortcut. Find the program on the desktop or in the Start menu. Press the right mouse button, select Properties, click in the field after “Shortcut key,” and press a keyboard shortcut such as Ctrl-Alt and the first letter of the program’s name.
Move among programs.
Alt-Tab moves you forward from one open program to another. Repeating reverses this. Holding down the Alt key as you repeatedly hit Tab shows you which programs are running and lets you move to the one you want to work with.
Close a program.
Alt-F4 closes the program you’re in. Ctrl-F4 or Ctrl-W closes just the tab or window you’re in.
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Go to the desktop.
Windows-D hides all open programs and takes you to the desktop. Repeating reverses this.
Minimize or maximize the window.
Windows-Down Arrow minimizes the window you’re in, while Windows-Up Arrow maximizes it.
Move or copy files.
To move a file from one folder to another, open File Explorer twice, creating two instances. In one File Explorer instance, select the file and drag it to the folder where you want it using the other instance. To copy it, hold down the Ctrl key while doing this. Or you can drag with the right mouse key and select copy.
Batch rename files.
In File Explorer, select the files you want to rename, right click the first one, and type a name. File Explorer renames the rest with a 1, 2, and so on. To select all the files press Ctrl-A.
Save a document.
This is the most basic trick of all. If you don’t want to lose a document you’re working on, save it periodically. The fastest way is Ctrl-S. If you’re working off the cloud or on a smartphone, your files are automatically saved for you.
Delete a word.
Within a document, Ctrl-Backspace deletes the entire word behind the cursor.
Move to the next word.
Ctrl-Right Arrow moves one word ahead, while CtrlLeft Arrow moves one word behind.
Undo a mistake.
Ctrl-Z not only undoes your most recent typing, it can also bring a file back if you accidentally deleted it or moved it where you don’t want it.
Paste without formatting.
If you’ve copied text and don’t want the original formatting, hit Ctrl-Shift-V instead of Ctrl-V. To select from a menu of paste options, hit Ctrl-Alt-V or press the right mouse button and look under Paste Options.
Insert a symbol.
No matter what program you’re in, you can access Character Map for symbols such as copyright and registered trademark by pressing the Windows key and beginning to type Character Map. Find the symbol you want, click Copy, return to your program, and paste it in.
Type in a site’s address.
From within your browser, F6, Ctrl-L, and Alt-D all take you to the address bar.
Navigate webpages.
Hitting the spacebar scrolls down a full screen, while Shift-Space bar scrolls up. Your mouse’s scroll wheel is excellent at taking you down or up in smaller increments.
Make text more readable.
Ctrl-Plus magnifies the webpage you’re on, while Ctrl-Minus reverses this. To reset a page to its original magnification, press Ctrl-Zero.
Move among browser windows.
Ctrl-T opens up a new tab, Ctrl-Tab moves you forward among open windows, and Ctrl-Shift-Tab moves you backward.
Reid Goldsborough is a syndicated columnist and author of the book Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway. He can be reached at reidgoldsborough@gmail.com or reidgold.com.
Reid Goldsborough is a syndicated columnist and author of the book Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway. He can be reached at reidgoldsborough@gmail.com or reidgold.com.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2017
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