ABODE November 2019 by HAA Publishing

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THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE

www.haaonline.org

ABODE November 2019

A Lifetime of Achievements HAA honors Cesar Lima, AAA Plumbers, with its highest supplier honor, only the fifth recipient in our 59-year history.

The Next Big Issue The apartment industry and the housing justice movement.

We See You at the the Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon, Go-Getter Meeting and much more!

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CONTENTS November 2019

ON THE COVER

FEATURES & PHOTOS

16 On the Scene – Photos from the HAAPAC Luncheon.

The HAA Lifetime Achievement Award – For his more than 35 years of dedication to the multifamily industry, HAA presents Cesar Lima of AAA Plumbers with the HAA Lifetime Achievement Award, the association’s highest supplier honor. Don’t miss our interview with Lima and photos from the luncheon starting on Page 32. Cover photo by Mark Hiebert, Hiebert Photography

32 On the Scene – Photos from the HAA Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon. 36 A Lifetime of Achievments – Meet Award recipient Cesar Lima of AAA Plumbers.. 48 Workforce Housing – Houston needs apartments for its workforce renters. 54 How Fabulous are Your Hats? – We wear many hats in property management. 58 On the Scene – Photos from the ACES Luncheon. 60 On Site with ABODE – Take a closer look at two more of the HAA Honors Award-winning properties. 72 On the Scene – Photos from the Rebuild Houston volunteer event.

COLUMNS & MONTHLY UPDATES 7 President’s Corner – More on the Lifetime Achievement Award. 8 Patron of the Month – Meet and support Dixie Carpet Installations. 9 Legislative Update – The apartment industry and the housing justice movement. 11 It’s The Law – How to, legally, handle the death of a resident and avoid unnecessary problems. 14 Resident Relations – Learn more from a recent case settled by the Resident Relations Committee. 19 Upcoming Education – Find out what education courses are offered by the Houston Apartment Foundation. 20 Calendar – HAA’s schedule of events for the coming months. 26 NAA Update – Housing takes the national stage. 28 On the Road with HAA – See photos from the Baytown, Northwest and Pearland outreach events. 52 RCR Update – Eliminate renters insurance risks. 62 Go-Getters – Celebrating membership at the latest happy hour. 66 Welcome Mat – Find out about the newest HAA members. 68 The Ambassador ONE Society – The Ambassadors make connections. 70 Portfolio Changes and In the News – Property updates and industry news clips from our members. 74 Index of Advertisers – See the supplier members who support this publication. 75 MarketLine – The latest area market numbers. 76 BackPage – News from around the community.

We welcome your comments. Email us at comm@haaonline.org.

www.haaonline.org

November 2019

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OFFICERS AND ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP CLAY HICKS President-Elect

TINA CAVACO Vice President at Large

STARLA TURNBO President

IAN DOUGLAS Vice President at Large

STEPHANIE GRAVES Vice President at Large JOHN BORIACK Secretary/Treasurer

CHRISTY RODRIGUEZ Vice President at Large

HOWARD BOOKSTAFF General Counsel

JEFF HALL Executive VP BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michelle Pawelek Immediate Past President Swapnil Agarwal Mack Armstrong Jeff Blevins Jill Bounds Kyle Brown Joseph Bryson Terri Clifton Michelle Croasmun Grant Crowell Derek DeVries Scott Douglas John Fedorko Gina Erwin Israel Garza Diane Gilbert Ira Gross Alison Hall Bryan Head Melissa Herrera Deborah Holcombe Jacob Kunath Barby Lake Laura Lestus David Lindley Robert Lopes Sonia Lopez Kristin McLaughlin Carlos Neto Dean O’Kelley Michelle Pahl Jenifer Paneral Mark Park Velissa Parmer Jackie Rhone Kelly Scott Kurt Seidel Roman Stephens Debbie Sulzer Dana Tucker Shelley Watson Quintina Willis Tracie Yoder

DIRECTORS EMERITUS Josh Allen Gary Blumberg Ken Bohan Kathy Clem Jack Dinerstein Jenard Gross Darlene Guidry David Hargrove Larry Hill Stacy Hunt Hap Hunnicutt David Jones Mike Koch Dick LaMarche Tim Myers P David Onanian John Ridgway Kim Small Eileen Subinsky Steve Sweet Kirk Tate Suan Tinsley H J Tollett Jr. Pat Tollett Vic Vacek Jr. Beth Van Winkle Jerry Winograd ADVISORY DIRECTORS Tamara Foster Billy Griffin, CAS Monica Gracia Debbie Kelm Cesar Lima Mary Lawler Patrick Magnuson Betsy Marshall Bruce McClenny Nikki Sekunda Penny Sprang Laura Van Dyck Tony Whitaker GENERAL COUNSEL EMERITUS Joe Bax HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS Claude Arnold Kenn Brown Tina Cavaco Kevin Fenn Diane Gilbert

Anita Harrison Dwayne Henson Mike Koch Merry Mount Monette Reynolds Sherry Stevenson Kirk Tate Suan Tinsley Sonny Unverzagt Del Walmsley Nancé Wells H.P. Paul Young Jeanne Marie Zublin Dicks PRODUCT SERVICE COUNCIL OFFICERS Jacob Kunath, CAS, President Century A/C Supply Laura Lestus, CAS, Vice President The Liberty Group David Lindley, CAS, Secretary FSI Construction Derek DeVries, CAS, Treasurer Camp Construction Services Grant Crowell, CAS, Immediate Past President The Urban Foresters MEMBERS Marivel Bownds, CAS, Valet Living Dixie Caldwell-Greer, CAS, The Liberty Group Shaun Callaway, CAS, Earthworks Peggy Charles, CASE, Fidus Construction Services Sean Cunningham, CAS, Flooring Warehouse Deborah DeRouen, CAS, Designs By Holmes

Dan James, CAS, Redevelopment Services Debra Knight, CAS, Valet Living Stephanie Krop, CASE, Poolsure Liz Levins, CAS, Rasa Floors Candis Mohr, CAS, AAA Plumbers Tracey Moore, CAS, Flooring Warehouse Doug Oehl, CAS. Flooring Warehouse Joseph Rodriguez, CAS, The Urban Foresters Blaise Spitaleri, CAS, Gemstar Construction Mat Tilley, CAS, WeDoTrash PATRON MEMBERS 1961 CSC ServiceWorks 1986 Craven Carpet 1994 AAA Plumbers Presto Maintenance Supply 1996 Houston Planned Energy Systems 1997 RentPath 1999 FSI Construction Inc. 2003 Cotton Commercial USA Inc. Dixie Carpet Installations 2009 Camp Construction Services 2013 Interior Logic Group Property Services 2018 Apartments.com

SPONSOR MEMBERS 1968 Century A/C Supply Hoover Slovacek LLP Reliant 1973 Brady Chapman Holland & Assoc CORT Furniture 1974 Mueller Water Conditioning 1976 Great American Business Products 1977 Webb Pest Control 1978 Houston Metro Electrical Corp The Liberty Group 1981 AmRent Marvin F Poer & Company 1983 Sherwin Williams Company 1984 RENCON 1985 Gemstar Construction Development Inc 1986 ApartmentData.com 1988 W Partnership 1992 Alexander-Rose Associates Saint Clair & Sons Inc 1998 AAA Staffing Ltd CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions 2000 Moveforfree.com Inc Pura Flo Corporation 2001 Apartment Life Inc 2002 American Fire Systems Southwest Painting Contractors Inc 2003 Sign-Ups & Banners 2005 Swain & Baldwin Insurance & Risk Management United Protective Services 2006 Bell’s Laundries CAD Restoration Services DoodyCalls Lopez Carpet Care & Painting Masonry Solutions Inc Roto-Rooter Services Co TXU Energy Multifamily Services Valet Living 2008 CRE Business Solutions LLC Flavor Finish Resurfacing HARCO Insurance Services Texas Turf Management 2009 Contractors Inc Moen Inc Redevelopment Services Storm Maintenance & Monitoring 2010 ALN Apartment Data Inc Belfor Property Restoration Believe, Achieve and Conquer, LLC Certified Termite and Pest Control FTK Construction Services 2011 Fantastic Floors Infinite Energy Inc Parking Management Company/PMC Towing 2012 ABC Supply Co Inc Accent Sign & Awning Co BGE/Brown & Gay Engineers Cantrell McCulloch Inc EnviroSmart Multifamily Pest Solutions Giordano Construction Inc Go-Staff Inc Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping Inc Nationwide Eviction Texas Concrete Professional Company 2013 ACTIV Answer by Audio Images Arbor Contract Carpet Inc ASAP Steamers Carpet Cleaning Comcast Gambit Construction Outdoor Elements Pool Works LLC Tidal Renovations LLC 2014 Adventure Playground Systems Inc Chadwell Supply Classic Same Day Blinds J National Jonah Digital Agency MX2 Commercial Paving Pathfinder Insurance Group Ram Jack Foundation Solutions Texas Apartment Pool Services WCA Waste Corporation

Zillow Group 2015 America Outdoor Furniture ASAP Personnel Inc BSI Cameras Onsite DeNyse Companies Division-9 Inc Gateman Inc Greater Houston Pool Management Infinity Power Partners Kathy Andrews Interiors Notifii LLC Pace Mechanical Services The Allshouse Group LLC The Lane Law Firm Wilsonart 2016 Action Window Coverings Allied Fire Protection LP Bath Fitter Cinch – Cabinet Refacing Kits Citi Fence & Concrete E-Systems Pest Management Inc Ecolo Environmental Inc Embark Services Fidus Construction Services Fun Abounds Green City Security LLC Guardian Chimney Sweep Halo Doors Inc JLL Johnstone Supply KONE Leah McVeigh Design and Consulting Liquid Waste Solutions Paul Davis Restoration North Houston RAM Construction Sparkle Wash Pressure Washing Texas Southwest Floors Inc The Home Depot WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems WellKept Whitmans Contracting and Roofing 2017 ACT Security Group All About Doody Pet Solutions LLC All American Mailboxes of Houston Inc Allegion APTexx Inc BioTechs Crime & Trauma Scene Cleaning Cano Electric Inc Classic Towing Continental Adjusters Inc Cypress Landscaping & Irrigation, Inc Designs by Holmes Disaster Restore 365 Fast Forward Services LLC Frost Insurance Agency Gage Multifamily Services General Recon, LLC Lithotech Printed Products/Forms Center McMahan's Flooring Inc MPS Direct Norman Construction NorthMarq Capital On Site Towing LLC Pack-It Movers PCS Creative Surface SEAL Security Solutions LLC Secure Insurance Symmons Industries Texas Engineered Roofing & General Contracting USA Patrol Division Vima Decor Willbanks & Associates Inc 2018 12 Stones Roofing A Homestead Specialist LLC AAdvantage Laundry Systems AirAide LLC Allura Apartment Lines Archcon Arizona Tile Benefits 4 Rent Brannan Designs LLC Architecture & Interior Design C&D Towing LLC Capital Sign Associates CashFlow Pros LLC Centex Construction CenturyLink CG Sorelle Group LLC Construction ECO Services Featherston Sign Partners Finish Factory Inc Green Garbology Greenseen Guardian Gutters H&R Operator Services Inc Higginbotham HMS LLC Kastle Systems Ledge Lounger Lockmer Collins Roofing LLC DBA Roof Repair Squad Matrix Construction Services Merricks Company MirrorMate Frames O'Conor, Mason & Bone PC OnDemand Cabinet Solutions Penco Access Control

PERQ LLC Phoenix Roofing & Construction Inc Platinum Enterprises LLC Power Design Inc Preventive Pest Control Quatro Tax LLC Red Nova Energy Rent Debt Automated Collections RG Miller Engineers Saifee Signs & Graphics Signal 88 Security Spray and Play Surface Designers Remodeling Inc Swadley Roof Systems LLC Texas Steam - Laars Heating Systems Tropical Roofing Products Wildlife Removal Experts Windstorm Restoration Wonder Wall Wraps Inc 2019 3 Men Movers A + Infinity Blue Outdoors, LLC AAA Texas Absolute Construction LLC Action Towing, Inc ACUTRAQ Background Screening, Inc Advance LED Solution Al Hicks & Associates / Allstate AmCap Insurance Anchor Roofing Inc Andrews Myers PC ARC Solutions Atom4 Security Camera & Electronics August & Suttles Contractors Beekman Company LLC Beyond Contractors LLC Builders Direct Depot Classic Touch Painting CLS Technology Inc Consolidated Communications Cougar USA CSI LED & Hardware D.A.M. Remodeling Group Dal-Tile Corporation DNM Contracting Inc Door Clearance Center Enforce Security Services Epic Air Conditioning Granite Surfaces of Texas Green Faubourg Lawn & Landscaping LLC Harding & Carbone Inc Heritage Construction Co Hive Technology Howitzer Building Engineers Hurtado Roofing & Construction IGD Plumbing LLC In Service Security LLC Interior Logic Group Property Services ITWS LLC J and B Carpet Services Kerely Towing Solutions King's Granite and Marble Ledtech Lexington Group International LP Building Solutions: Louisiana-Pacific Corporation LSR Multifamily Max Digital Printing McKenzie Drake Corporate Housing Morris Contracting Northwest Construction Group NSJ Painting & Flooring Odor-DeFence/BugDeFence One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating Onesource Moving Onyx Restoration LLC Opiniion PHR A/C & Heating Pool Knights Prime Texas Metal Roofs Prime Texas Surveys LLC Property Services Quick Roofing Rainey Richardson Interiors, Reliable Roofing Service Master by Century Signal 88 Security of The Woodlands & East Houston Slime Busters Inc Smart Water Valve Strata Roofing and Construction LLC Streamline Construction Houston LLC Surface Experts League City Target Restoration Services Texas Management Group Three Amigos Texas LLC Total Renovation Services Turnage & Associates US Multifamily LLC Waterproof Solutions Window World Winhill Advisors Woodlands Water Restoration YottaReal

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ABODE

NOVEMBER 2019 I VOLUME 42, ISSUE 11 Executive Vice President and Publisher JEFF HALL, CAE jhall@haaonline.org EDITORIAL AND DESIGN STAFF Director of Publications and Design DEBORAH NIX dnix@haaonline.org Writer/Editor MORGAN TAYLOR mtaylor@haaonline.org ADVERTISING Vice President of Membership and Marketing AMANDA SHERBONDY, CAE asherbondy@haaonline.org CONTRIBUTING STAFF Vice President and General Manager SUSAN HINKLEY, CAE shinkley@haaonline.org Vice President of Professional Development EMILY HILTON, CPP, CAE ehilton@haaonline.org Vice President of Public Affairs ANDY TEAS, CAE ateas@haaonline.org Vice President of Finance NANCY LI LO, CPA nlo@haaonline.org Director of Information Technology ART EIDMAN aeidman@haaonline.org Director of Resident Relations MATILDE LUNA mluna@haaonline.org Director of Events and Meetings LAUREN WOLFSON, CMP lwolfson@haaonline.org Director of Rental Credit Reporting TINA DEFIORE tdefiore@haaonline.org Director of Outreach LAUREN TURNER, CMP lturner@haaonline.org Public Affairs Specialist ALPA PATEL apatel@haaonline.org Education and Meetings Coordinator KAREN MITCHELL kmitchell@haaonline.org Membership and Marketing Manager KAYLON NEWCOMB knewcomb@haaonline.org Membership Engagement Assist. MONSERRAT BUFFINGTON mbuffington@haaonline.org Webmaster and IT Specialist WILL ALFARO walfaro@haaonline.org PRINTER TGI PRINTED www.tgiprinted.com

HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION COMMITTEES COMMITTEE CHAIR STAFF ADVISOR Executive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .STARLA TURNBO . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Program & Budget . . . . . . . . . . . .CLAY HICKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Nominating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MICHELLE PAWELEK . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BETH VAN WINKLE . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Investment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JOHN BORIACK . . . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Fair Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MICHELLE PAWELEK . . . . . . .JEFF HALL By-Laws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KYLE BROWN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Past Presidents Council . . . . . . .ALISON HALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JEFF HALL Strategic Outreach . . . . . . . . . . . .JOHN BORIACK . . . . . . . . . . . . .LAUREN TURNER Legislative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CLAY HICKS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY TEAS HAA Political Action Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .STACY HUNT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY TEAS Multifamily Fire Safety Alliance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JOHN FEDORKO . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY TEAS Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .TODD TRIGGS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ANDY TEAS Century Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DEREK DEVRIES . . . . . . . . . . . .ALPA PATEL PAC Fundraising . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DAVID JONES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ALPA PATEL Media Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NORMA ALVEAR . . . . . . . . . . . .ALPA PATEL Golf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KIM SMALL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ALPA PATEL Leadership Development . . . . .JACKIE RHONE . . . . . . . . . . . . .SUSAN HINKLEY Product Service Council . . . . . . .JACOB KUNATH . . . . . . . . . . . .SUSAN HINKLEY Community Outreach . . . . . . . .TRACIE YODER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .SUSAN HINKLEY Resident Relations Appeals . . .DARLENE GUIDRY . . . . . . . . . .MATILDE LUNA Resident Relations A . . . . . . . . . .ELAINE LEEPER . . . . . . . . . . . . .MATILDE LUNA Resident Relations B . . . . . . . . . .KATHY MOTIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MATILDE LUNA Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CRYSTAL JACKSON . . . . . . . .AMANDA SHERBONDY Ambassador ONE Society . . . .MARIVEL BOWNDS/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RYAN WEIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AMANDA SHERBONDY 2019 Expo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LAURA LESTUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .AMANDA SHERBONDY Education Advisory Council . . .STEPHANIE GRAVES . . . . . . .EMILY HILTON Career/Community Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .KELLY SUESS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EMILY HILTON NEXT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PATRICK MAGNUSON/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .NIKKI SEKUNDA . . . . . . . . . . . .EMILY HILTON ACES Task Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DIANE GILBERT . . . . . . . . . . . . .EMILY HILTON HAF Fundraiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .MICHELLE BRIDGES/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DAN JAMES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .LAUREN WOLFSON HAA Street Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . .BRANDON THOMAS . . . . . . . .LAUREN WOLFSON Property Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . .RICHARD WALL/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PENNY SPRANG . . . . . . . . . . . .TINA DEFIORE IT Task Force . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .JOE BRYSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ART EIDMAN HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION MISSION AND VISION: HAA is the leading advocate, resource and community partner for quality rental housing providers in the Houston and surrounding area. HAA develops leadership in the multifamily industry by engaging broadly diverse membership, embracing effective technology and advocating for a geographically inclusive association. ABODE IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION serving the multihousing industry in Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Waller and Wharton counties. ABODE, NOVEMBER 2019 VOLUME 42 ISSUE 11 ABODE (USPS 024-962) is published monthly by the Houston Multi Housing Corporation. Publishing, editorial and advertising offices are located at 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041. Telephone 713-595-0300. The $50 annual ABODE subscription rate is included in all member dues and additional subscriptions are available. The annual subscription rate is $50 for members, $65 for non-members. Advertising rates are available upon request. Contributed material does not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the Houston Apartment Association. Copyright Â© 2019 by HAA. Periodicals Postage Paid at Houston, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ABODE, 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041.

www.haaonline.org

November 2019

ABODE

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HAA Annual Business Meeting

Thursday, November 21 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Hilton Post Oak 2001 Post Oak Blvd., Houston, TX 77056

Table of 10: Early bird rate: $650: Standard rate: $850 Individual seat: Early bird rate: $65; Standard rate: $85 The deadline to receive the early bird rate is November 7

Reception and Seated Dinner Requests for refunds must be received in writing by end of business day on November 14, and will be subject to a $50 cancellation fee. No refunds will be granted after November 14 or for no shows. No refunds will be given for individual tickets, but tickets are fully transferrable. For reservations and information, contact 713-595-0323, email events@haaonline.org or online at www.haaonline.org.

Join us as we elect our leadership for 2020 and celebrate the achievements of 2019 Nomination and Election of 2020 Officers and Board of Directors Recognition of 2019 Committee Members Recognition of 2019 NAA Credential Holders Recognition of 2019 Go-Getter Achievements Presentation of 2019 Appreciation Awards

Sponsored by Gemstar Construction Development Inc. and Texscape Services

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Letter from the President

By STARLA TURNBO, 2019 HAA President

THE LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD IS THE HIGHEST HONOR A SUPPLIER PARTNER CAN RECEIVE FROM THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION IN 59 YEARS. This award, only given to four others, was presented to Cesar Lima at the Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon at the end of September at the Hotel Zaza in Houston’s Museum District. There is no one more deserving of this award than Lima. He has been one of the most passionate leaders in our association. Over the years, he has influenced positive change at HAA, and his commitment to the association is unwavering. For 35 years, Lima has poured his heart into the association. He never says no to lending a hand for a good cause and sees no limit in supporting industry education. His long-standing mentorship shows where his heart is, and he has truly made a difference for many HAA members. The weather that day didn’t stop us from having a wonderful time celebrating a magnificent person, leader, husband, father, grandfather, business partner and friend. Thank you to those who braved the bad weather to celebrate Lima’s lifetime of service and dedication to the association. Listening to the speeches of Kathy Clem, Darlene Guidry, Mike Koch, Suan Tinsley and Eileen Subinsky was heartwarming. They were a closeknit group of friends who spent almost all of their time together when they were the most involved at HAA. In their stories, you could hear the impact he has made on the association and how he has touched so many lives over the years. A glimpse of his HAA involvement and family life were shown in a surprise PowerPoint video, a really lovely treat for everyone in the room. Family and friends of Lima traveled to Houston from as far as Guatemala, another testament of how special Lima is to so many. He’s pretty good at showing others how special they are to him, too. At the luncheon, Lima walked around and personally acknowledged and shook the hands of each person in the room to say thank you. The luncheon ended with the whole room singing Lima’s favorite song “You Never Even Call Me By My Name” by David Allan Coe in unison. You can read for yourself Lima’s impact on HAA, as well as how he came to the United Stated from Guatemala and started AAA Plumbers with his business partner and HAA volunteer Steve Park. That article starts on Page 36. The rest of this issue features editorial written by other HAA members on topics such as affordable housing, death of a resident, insurance risks and more. In the articles included in this magazine, the affordable housing crisis refers to both the need for low-income housing and housing that is affordable for people who make up Houston’s workforce. To read incoming President Clay Hicks’ and HAA’s Andy Teas’ It’s the Law column on the affordable housing crisis in Houston, turn to Page 9. The other article starts on Page 48, and is written by a Houston-based developer. Both articles present valid perspectives and data on the topic of affordable housing in Houston. A resident dying is an unfortunate crisis that occurs often in property management, especially when no one was established as legally responsible for the resident’s estate. General Counsel Howard Bookstaff gets into the legalities of handling the death of a resident on Page 11, a must read for anyone in property management.

www.haaonline.org

November 2019

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These companies have generously supported the Houston Apartment Association with their patron membership. Please give them careful consideration, whenever possible, in your business.

Houston Planned Energy Systems

Apartments.com

HAA Member since 1978

HAA Member since 1997

Cotton Commercial USA Inc.

Interior Logic Group Property Services

HAA Member since 1982

Presto Maintenance Supply HAA Member since 1983

CSC ServiceWorks HAA Member since 1961

Craven Carpet HAA Member since 1986

Camp Construction Services HAA Member since 1994

November Patron of the Month

ABODE

November 2019

HAA Member since 1985

AAA Plumbers HAA Member since 1984

FSI Construction Inc. HAA Member since 1999

Dixie Carpet Installations HAA Member since 1987

RentPath HAA Member since 1979

www.haaonline.org

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Legislative Update

By CLAY HICKS, HAA Legislative Chair, with ANDY TEAS, CAE, Vice President of Public Affairs

THE NEXT BIG ISSUE The apartment industry and the housing justice movement.

“Eviction is a cause, not just a condition, of poverty” – Matthew Desmond, “Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City”

THE UNIVERSITY OF Texas recently hosted a seminar, “Evicted in Austin: From Housed to Homeless in 21 Days.” A packed auditorium listened to a panel of activists discuss the general unfairness of rental housing, the speed and ease with which nonpaying residents can be evicted from their homes, the greed of housing providers and the treachery of elected officials (present company mostly excluded). Most of the policy options discussed by the group involved various ways to lengthen the time residents can stay in their rented dwellings without paying for them. Another priority involves the concept of a “Civil Gideon” – a reference to the landmark 1963 Gideon v. Wainwright Supreme Court case that first interpreted the Fifth Amendment right to counsel as meaning the government must provide an attorney to criminal defendants that can’t afford one. Under the Civil Gideon concept, the government would have a responsibility to provide free legal counsel to the defendant in a civil lawsuit such as an eviction. The target for many of their policy initiatives is local government – especially social justice – oriented local governments like the City of Austin, where the business community’s influence is minimal. Austin is now in the process of enacting a policy to provide free legal counsel to defendants in eviction cases at taxpayer expense. To be fair, many on the panel seemed to grudgingly accept that providing housing costs money, but there seemed to be a stunning lack of understanding of the connection between how much housing costs and the cost of providing housing. The fundamental truth that allowing some residents to stay in www.haaonline.org

their units without paying for The apartment industry will always oppose unfair them would drive the cost up for everybody else seemed to and unreasonable requirements, and we can never elude them. lose our focus on fire code provisions, inspection Before you dismiss the fees and the many other “little” things that our group, and the many groups managers face every day, but the affordable like them, as nutty Austin achousing crisis is now one of the industry’s most tivists, pause to consider some challenging issues. Finding better ways to address sobering statistics. Between 1960 and 2016, after the problem, rather than simply opposing bad adjusting for inflation, median ones, will be a primary focus. The Houston rent rose 61% nationwide while Apartment Association is trying to address median renter income rose 5%. the legislative side of this problem in Today, 38.1 million Americans several ways. are “cost burdened” (spending more than a third of their income on housing), and the cost-burdened share of the population has Property taxes have become the biggest doubled in the past 50 years. For a lot of driver of increasing rental housing costs. complex reasons, wages for unskilled and Even with new limitations on future rate inlow-skill workers have stagnated while creases enacted by the Texas Legislature this the cost of providing housing has continued year, property tax valuations continue to skyto increase. rocket, with multifamily typically increasing The apartment industry will always oppose more than any other property classification. unfair and unreasonable requirements, and Local governments can always find comwe can never lose our focus on fire code provipelling reasons why their spending needs to sions, inspection fees and the many other “litincrease at a rate that exceeds the incomes of tle” things that our managers face every day, their taxpayers, but governments cannot susbut the affordable housing crisis is now one of tainably grow at a rate faster than the juristhe industry’s most challenging issues. Finding dictions they’re governing. better ways to address the problem, rather Second, HAA is an enthusiastic supporter than simply opposing bad ones, will be a of the NestQuest voucher mobility program. primary focus. Created by Houston Housing Director Tom The Houston Apartment Association is McCasland, NestQuest is designed to turn trying to address the legislative side of this the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Secproblem in several ways. tion 8) into a seamless, user-friendly corpoThe first and most important priority is rate housing model that can help expand keeping the government-driven cost of choices for voucher holders while absorbing building and operating rental housing from most of the hassle that has discouraged increasing any more than necessary. Elected many properties from participating. While officials are notorious for supporting aggresprogress has been slower than anticipated, sive increases in property taxes, utility rates the program has already allowed dozens of and permit and inspection fees, then wonfamilies access to properties zoned for high/ See Legislative Update, Page 65 dering why the cost of housing keeps rising. November 2019

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It’s the Law

By HOWARD BOOKSTAFF, Hoover Slovacek LLP , HAA General Counsel

WHEN A RESIDENT DIES How to, legally, handle the death of a resident and avoid unnecessary problems.

ONE OF THE toughest jobs a manager has is to deal with the death of a resident. Things get hectic. Loved ones call, and there may be disputes amongst parents, siblings or children. Depending on the circumstances, there may be issues with the condition of the unit. You know that if rent is not yet delinquent, it will be soon. The unit is full of the resident’s belongings. All you want is to get your unit back! You want to be empathetic towards those who lost a family member, but you don’t want to get sued by an heir after you let the wrong person in to remove property. There are many questions. By using the lease, Texas law and a careful strategy, you may be able to achieve the goal of clearing out the unit so that it can become income producing once again. When a resident who lived alone dies, is the lease still in effect? Yes. The lease remains in effect with the estate of the deceased resident. Pursuant to paragraph one of the Texas Apartment Association lease, in the event a sole resident’s death, the terms “you” and “your” refer to someone authorized to act for the estate. Who can you deal with after a resident dies? In a perfect world, you would have the ability to communicate with the “representative” of the deceased resident’s estate. Pursuant to the Texas Estates Code, “representative” includes an executor or an administrator of the resident’s estate. The problem is that in most cases, heirs of the resident will not be probating the resident’s estate. In other words, there may be no formally appointed executor or administrator of the estate. This leaves you with having to deal with someone who is not formally appointed by the court. www.haaonline.org

The TAA rental application allows the resident to designate an emergency contact who will hopefully be reachable and cooperative. As a practical matter, oftentimes family members will come forward within a couple of weeks of the resident’s death to find out about retrieving the resident’s property from the unit.

One of the toughest jobs a manager has is to deal with the death of a resident. Things get hectic. Loved ones call, and there may be disputes amongst parents, siblings or children. Depending on the circumstances, there may be issues with the condition of the unit. You know that if rent is not yet delinquent, it will be soon. The unit is full of the resident’s belongings.

Can a representative of a decease resident’s estate terminate the lease? If so, will the resident’s estate be responsible for paying rent? Yes. Section 22.2 of the TAA lease provides that if the resident is a sole resident and dies during the lease term, an authorized representative of the resident’s estate may terminate the lease without penalty by giving at least 30 days written notice. The estate is liable for lease obligations until the latter of: (A) the termination date or (B) the removal of all possessions in the unit. The resident’s estate will also be liable for all charges and damages until the unit is vacated, as well as any removal or storage costs. Effective on or after Jan. 1, 2020, section 92.0162 has been added to the Texas Property Code. This new statute provides that a representative of the estate of a resident who is the sole occupant of an apartment may terminate the lease and avoid future liability if: i. The representative provides written notice of the termination; ii. The deceased resident’s property is removed from the unit; and iii. The representative signs an inventory of the removed property (if required by the owner). Termination of a lease under the new statute is effective the latter of: (i) 30 days after the date of the notice or (ii) the date on which the repre-

sentative removes the resident’s property and signs an inventory of the removed property. The new law provides what the lease already provides. The issue, however, is that the lease and the law require someone to be named as the “representative” of the estate. As indicated above, this will only occur with court involvement The new law does not affect the obligations or liability of the resident or the resident’s estate before the lease is terminated. The resident or resident’s estate will still owe delinquent, unpaid rent and damages to the unit. An owner’s managing agent who lawfully permits a representative of the estate to enter or facilitate the person’s entry into the unit under the statute is not liable for an act or mission that rises in connection with permitting or facilitating the entry. Is a representative of a resident’s estate entitled to receive a copy of the lease? Yes. Once an owner receives written notice of the termination of the lease by a representative of the estate, the owner is required to provide a copy of the lease to the person who provided the notice on written request of that person. If a representative of a deceased resident’s estate is allowed into the unit to remove property, is the owner responsible for allowing entry? November 2019 ABODE

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The new law provides that an owner or owner’s agent who lawfully permits a person described by the new law to enter or facilitates the person’s entry into the unit is not liable for an act or mission that arises in connection with permitting or facilitating the entry.

a service of

in partnership with

Rental Credit Reporting (RCR) was established in 1977 to solve screening problems the Houston Apartment Association founders felt plagued the local apartment industry. RCR has unsurpassed data on resident rental histories in the Houston region. The Houston Apartment Association and CoreLogic are partnered to expand RCR and include the following searches in one bundled report with immediate and unlimited inquiry access. National Landlord-Tenant Data – Searches more than 34 million landlord-tenant court records including filings, judgments and liens. Local resident rental history including evictions, amount owed at move-out, broken lease information, NSF checks, deposit disposition. Texas Criminal Data – Instant delivery of available felony and misdemeanor records from Texas statewide and 18+ supplemental counties including Harris, Montgomery and Fort Bend. Terrorist Check – Automated search tool that identifies known or suspected terrorists and fugitives from various data sources, including the FBI, other federal agencies as well as state and local law enforcement agencies. Sex Offender Search – Instantly informs your staff if a prospective or current resident is a registered sex offender. Move-in/Move-out Entry – Submit your property’s rental history data online through RCR's familiar and easy-to-use tools. Eviction Entry – Protect yourself and other properties by registering your evictions with RCR. Inquiry History – Know where else your applicant is applying. Quick and Easy – Information is entered into an easy-to-use Web application and a decision is delivered instantly. Cost Effective – Automated decisions save your staff time. Immediate Access – Inquiries concerning prospective residents can be made online, 24/7. Monthly Activity Report – No need to guess if you’re getting what you are paying for – each owner/management company can access a monthly report showing their properties system use. Subscribe Today – For approximately 32 cents per unit per month, RCR can help make sure you know just who your prospective residents are. * For properties 49 units or less, you have unlimited inquiries for $10 per month.

To subscribe or to learn more, call RCR at 713-595-0300, email rcr@haaonline.org or visit www.haaonline.org. 12

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What if there is no “representative” of the estate appointed by a court? If a “representative” of the estate is not appointed by the court, alternatives will need to be considered. Section 92.014 of the Texas Property Code provides that, except when the lease has a different procedure, in the event of the death of a resident who is the sole occupant of a unit: (i) the owner may remove and store all property found in the unit; (ii) the owner shall turn over possession of the property to the person who is designated by the resident to contact in the event of the resident’s death or to any other person lawfully entitled to the property; (iii) the owner shall refund the security deposit, less lawful deductions, including the cost of removing and storing the property, to the person designated by the resident or any other person lawfully entitled to the refund; (iv) the owner may require any person who removes the property from the unit to sign an inventory of the property being removed; and (v) the owner may discard the property removed by the owner from the unit if: (A)the owner has mailed a written request, certified mail, return receipt requested, to the person designated by the resident; (B) the person failed to remove the property by the 30th day after the post marked date of the notice; and (C) the owner has not been contacted by anyone claiming the property. How does a resident designate a person to remove property in the event of the resident’s death? Section 92.014 of the Texas Property Code provides that, upon the request of the owner, the resident shall: (i) Provide the owner with the name, address and telephone number of a person who they can contact in the event of the resident’s death; and (ii) Sign a statement authorizing the owner in the event of the resident’s death to: (A) grant to the person designated by the resident access to the unit at a reasonable time and in the presence of the owner or the owner’s agent; (B) allow the person designated by the resident to remove any of the resident’s property found in the unit; and (C) refund the resident’s security deposit, less lawful deductions, to the person designated by the resident. If no one contacts you after the resident dies, what can you do? It is always best to come to an agreement with any heirs that have come forward with respect to terminating the lease and removing the resident’s property, however, there are occasions when no one comes forward. You are then left with a unit full of stuff. Your goal is to regain possession of the unit to be able to remove the property in the unit. Section 41.3 of the lease provides that a unit is considered abandoned 10 days after the death of a sole resident. Section 14.6(A) of the lease provides that the owner may throw away or give to a charitable organization all personal property that is left in the unit after the death of a sole resident. These lease provisions allow you to declare the unit abandoned and remove the property, however, before exercising these lease rights, it is beneficial to communicate with the emergency contact or any other potential heirs of the deceased resident and come to an agreement with respect to the termination of the lease and removal of the property. Oftentimes, this can be done as long as you have cooperative parties on the other side. Dealing with the death of a resident can be a complex and difficult issue on many levels. By using the provisions of the lease, the law and a good strategy you can avoid unnecessary problems and exposure. www.haaonline.org

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Resident Relations from the RESIDENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

PRORATED RENT

A resident remains in her unit after turning in keys to management. A RESIDENT FILED a complaint

with HAA to receive a refund on her security deposit. The resident, who was using a Section 8 voucher, paid a $200 security deposit upon move-in. Her lease contract was valid from Jan.1, 2018 to Dec. 31. Management responded to the Houston Apartment Association and that response was forwarded to the resident. The resident gave a verbal 30-day notice to vacate on July 26. Per the Housing Authority, the resident had 60 days to vacate the unit. Management honored the resident’s verbal notice as a proper notice to vacate and even waived all reletting fees. On Oct. 1, the apart-

The HAA Resident Relations Committees provide

ment community’s assisan impartial review of resident complaints using tant property manager the documentation provided by both the resident retrieved the resident’s and management. keys from the night drop box. When the assistant property manager performed a walk-through of the unit, she discovered the Enclosed were copies of the lease, applicaresident residing in the unit. Upon this discovtion form, move-in and move-out condition ery, the assistant manager notified the resident forms and the final account statement. she would be charged prorated rent for each The committee ruled in favor of manageday she remained in the unit. ment. Charges were justified. The resident Upon move-out, the resident had a remainowes the property $408. ing balance of $608, which included a cable bill of $65, prorated rent totaling $323 and late If you are a manager with a resident fees equaling $220. After applying the security relations issue, call HAA at 713-595-0300 deposit, the resident owed $408. for direct assistance. I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

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On the Scene with the HAAPAC HAAPAC Luncheon Wednesday, September 4 at the HAF Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center Sponsored by 1 FTK Construction Services The September HAA Political Action Committee Luncheon featured Senator Brandon Creighton, District 4.

WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE ALL ABOUT BETTER GOVERNMENT Threats from government are coming at the apartment industry at a rapid pace. The HAAPAC, the political action committee of the Houston Apartment Association, needs your help to fight bad legislation. HAA members can participate in the PAC on several levels. Committee application forms are available. To join, renew or learn how to become involved with the PAC, see online at www.haaonline.org/haapac or contact apatel@haaonline.org. 16

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2020 Installation

& New Year Gala THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION

CORDIALLY INVITES YOU TO CELEBRATE THE INSTALLATION OF

2020 PRESIDENT CLAY HICKS, OFFICERS, BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND PRODUCT SERVICE COUNCIL OFFICERS

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17 7 P.M. TO 11:30 P.M.

REVENTION MUSIC CENTER

520 TEXAS AVENUE

COCKTAIL ATTIRE â&#x20AC;¢ TIES OPTIONAL

WWW.HAAONLINE.ORG/GALA

Presented by Premier Sponsors

CENTURY A/C SUPPLY CRESTMARK CONSTRUCTION SERVICES MAINTENANCE SUPPLY HEADQUARTERS RELIANT

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Upcoming Education

NOVEMBER IROP (continued from October) Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sponsored by Cotton Commercial USA and Guardian Construction Leasing 101 (day and a half) Tuesday, November 5 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Program fee: $75 prior to Nov. 6; $85 after Nov. 6 An in-depth introduction to the apartment industry for new leasing professionals, as well as those individuals looking to learn more about the industry as a career. This day and a half program also includes TAA lease paperwork curriculum. Topics covered include greeting and qualifying the customer; executing the lease contract; overcoming objections and closing techniques; an overview of Fair Housing and more. Students who complete the course will receive a certificate, as well as a listing of placement agencies and management companies that are members of HAA. If you are not working for a member company of HAA, download the registration form www.haaonline.org. Extreme CAM (five days) Monday, November 11 through Friday, November 15 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Program fee: $1,150 Sponsored by AAA Plumbers, ALN Apartment Data, ApartmentData.com, Arbor Contract Carpet, CORT Furniture, HD Supply, Matrix Construction Services, Presto Maintenance Supply, Smart City Apartment

SCHEDULE AND FEES

From the HAA EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Locating, The Lane Law Firm A super charged and accelerated six-day format, Extreme CAM is designed for experienced managers who wish to attain the CAM credential in a shorter duration with less time away from the property. Scheduled for Monday, Nov. 11 through Friday, Nov. 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Due to shipping constraints, registrations received within one week of the course cannot be guaranteed course materials at the time of class.

DECEMBER

Fair Housing Seminar Tuesday, November 19 8:30 a.m. to noon Program fee: $89 Sponsored by Camp Construction Services and Century A/C Supply

ACES Holiday Luncheon Friday, December 6 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. La Table 1800 Post Oak Blvd. #6110, 77056 Program fee: $55 Sponsored by Camp Construction Services and Texas Southwest Floors Please note this program is open only to executives in property management (owners, presidents, regionals, supervisors, marketing/training directors, etc.). Eligible attendees to ACES luncheons are permitted to invite any of their staff to the programs, provided the registration also includes at least one person at the supervisor level or above.

Avenues: Maintenance Session 3 – “How Long Does it Really Take?” with Mark Cukro Wednesday, November 20 9 a.m. to noon Program fee: $50 Sponsored by Chadwell Supply This session was designed specifically for the multifamily industry, plus you'll learn new tips and proven ways to be more productive. This unforgettable session will cover organizing priorities, tasks and how long it should really take to complete the top 25 tasks done onsite, such as HVAC repairs, HVAC replacement, water heater

CAPS: Client Services & Stakeholder Relations Monday, December 9 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Program fee: $1,310 Sponsored by Presto Maintenance Supply Work with property owners to clarify their ownership goals; Identify and understand key parts of the management agreement that establish the management company’s responsibilities and obligations; Create regular owners reports to keep the property owner informed of the status of the property; Recognize the ways in which lenders,

Extreme CAS (five days) Monday, November 11 through Friday, November 15 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Program fee: $695 Extreme CAS candidates attend four of the CAM modules beginning on Monday, Nov. 11 thru Friday, Nov. 15.

are subject to change without prior notification. Notice of cancellation is required two days in advance to receive a refund, less a $25 administrative fee. Seats are guaranteed on a first-come, first-served basis when payment and registration are received in advance of the program. Unless otherwise indicated, courses are held in either the Camden and Michael Stevens Interests Room or the Direct Energy and Liberty Personnel & Executive Search Room at the Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center, 4810 Westway Park Blvd. on the second floor of the HAA Office www.haaonline.org

replacement and how to address all of those service requests and emails that flood your inbox every day. Whether you are in the office or in the maintenance department, you will take away some effective ways to manage time more efficiently and have a great time.

regulatory agencies and local, state and federal laws affect the management of multifamily housing properties. Coach your site team to provide a safe, habitable living environment for residents, while remaining in compliance with fair housing laws; Ask yourself the questions that lead to ethical decisionmaking. CAPS: Investment Management Tuesday, December 10 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Program fee: $1,310 Sponsored by Smart City Apartment Locating View property management from the perspective of a property owner with a significant investment to protect; Recognize different types of mortgages and sources of financing, as well as the implications of each on the property’s debt service and reporting obligations; Lead site teams through the annual budgeting process; Work with site teams to monitor property financial performance, identify budget variances, key trends and opportunities for improvement; Recognize different methods for determining a property’s value and identify ways you can affect that property value. CAPS: Improving Asset Performance Wednesday, December 11 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Program fee: $1,310 Sponsored by ALN Apartment Data Investigate an underperforming property to find the sources of the problem; Use key performance indicators to get a full picture of a property’s performance; Understand how key / See Education, Page 24

Building. Seating is limited. You must pre-register. For more information and to register, go online at www.haaonline.org. Notice to Attendees: All pre-registered no-shows will be billed. For admittance into HAA/HAF events, payments will be required at the door if not received prior to the event. Start times listed above include a 30-minute registration period. Notice of cancellation is required two days prior to the event for a refund, less a $15 administrative fee. November 2019

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NOVEMBER S M T W T

Calendar HAA Education, Events and Meetings SCHEDULE

3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 17 18 19 20 21 24 25 26 27 28

F 1 8 15 22 29

S 2 9 16 23 30

DECEMBER S M T W 1 2 3 4 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 22 23 24 25 29 30 31

T 5 12 19 26

F 6 13 20 27

S 7 14 21 28

NOVEMBER 2

11-15

IROP (continued from October) Friday, November 1 and Saturday, November 2 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sponsored by Cotton Commercial USA and Guardian Construction

Extreme CAM (five days) Monday, November 11 through Friday, November 15 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sponsored by AAA Plumbers, ALN Apartment Data, ApartmentData.com, Arbor Contract Carpet, CORT Furniture, HD Supply, Matrix Construction Services, Presto Maintenance Supply, Smart City Apartment Locating, The Lane Law Firm

Holiday Luncheon: Brazoria County Friday, November 15 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Hilton Garden Inn Pearland 12101 Shadow Creek Parkway Pearland, TX 77584 Show your appreciation for Brazoriaarea justices of the peace and constables this holiday season by joining us for lunch. Please note, this luncheon is only open to apartment and management professionals. No suppliers, please. Please register by emailing outreach@haaonline.org.

Blue Star Program Thursday, November 21 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tracey Gee Community Center 3599 Westcenter Drive., 77042 The Blue Star Certification Program is a joint effort by the Houston Police Department and the Houston Apartment Association. Created for rental properties of all sizes, the program's goal is to help law enforcement officials and the multifamily housing industry work together to effectively reduce criminal activity in rental properties. Register online at www.houstontx.gov/police/multi_fa mily. Please direct questions to Leroy.Ferguson@houstonpolice.org. Sponsored by Johnstone Supply and The Lane Law Firm

5 Leasing 101 (day and a half) Tuesday, November 5 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

6 New Supplier Member Orientation Wednesday, November 6 3 p.m. Craft Republic 11470 Westheimer, 77042 All new supplier members welcome. Contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org for details. Ambassador ONE Society Meeting Wednesday, November 6 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Craft Republic 11470 Westheimer, 77042 Contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org for details.

7 Holiday Luncheon: Montgomery County Thursday, November 7 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Churrascos: The Woodlands 21 Waterway Ave., The Woodlands, 77380 Show your appreciation for Montgomery-area justices of the peace and constables this holiday season by joining us for lunch. Please note, this luncheon is only open to apartment and management professionals. No suppliers, please. Please register by emailing outreach@haaonline.org.

Extreme CAS (five days) Monday, November 11 through Friday, November 15 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

12 The Woodlands Township Lunch & Learn: Human Trafficking Training for Apartments Tuesday, November 12 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Olympus Sierra Pines 1615 Sawdust Road, The Woodlands Program fee: FREE To attend, you must RSVP to: outreach@haaonline.org.

13 Northwest Lunch & Learn Wednesday, November 13 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. NAM, Second Floor 15702 Bammel Village Dr., 77068 Program fee: FREE A new program educating apartment professionals on fraudulent applications, led by CoreLogic’s Randy Patton. Please note this program is only open to apartment personnel. To attend, you must RSVP. Resident Relations Committee B Wednesday, November 13 2 p.m.

14 NAA Political Action Committee Wine Tasting Thursday, November 14 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Latitude Med Center Apartments 1850 Old Main St., 77030, on the 35th floor. Please contact Alpa at apatel@ haaonline.org for more information.

18 HAAPAC Luncheon Monday, November 18 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Program fee: $30 per HAAPAC member; $40 per non-HAAPAC member Contact Alpa at apatel@haaonline.org for registration and details. Sponsored by CORT Furniture

19 Fair Housing Seminar Tuesday, November 19 8:30 a.m. to noon Sponsored by Camp Construction Services and Century A/C Supply Onsite-Goes-Offsite: Webster Wednesday, November 19 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Calling all Webster and surrounding area onsite personnel, come meet your fellow industry peers. Your first drink is on HAA. RSVP to outreach@haaonline.org Sponsored by Gemstar Construction Development

Board Meeting Thursday, November 21 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sponsored by Earthworks Inc. Annual Business Meeting Thursday, November 21 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Hilton Houston Post Oak by the Galleria 2001 Post Oak Blvd., 77056 See Page 6 for more information. Sponsored by Gemstar Construction Development and Texscape Services

28-29 Thanksgiving Holiday Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 The HAA office will be closed in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Avenues: Maintenance Session 3 – “How Long Does it Really Take?” with Mark Cukro Wednesday, November 20 9:00 a.m. to noon Sponsored by Chadwell Supply

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, all events meet at our Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center, 4810 Westway Park Blvd., second floor, in either the Direct Energy and Liberty Personnel & Executive Search or the Camden and Michael Stevens Interests Room. Meetings located at the HAA Offices, 4810 Westway Park Blvd., first floor, will be held in the Redi Carpet and Winograd Families/Judwin Properties Conference Room. See www.haaonline.org for an interactive calendar. 20

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Please note that dates and times are subject to change. Check the calendars at www.haaonline.org for the most up-to-date information.

DECEMBER 4

Food Drive Drop Off Deadline Wednesday, December 4 Noon to 4 p.m. Two locations: Camp Construction, 15139 S Post Oak Road 77053 or Cotton Commercial, 3010 Claymoore Park Drive 77043

ACES Holiday Luncheon Friday, December 6 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. La Table 1800 Post Oak Blvd. #6110, 77056 Sponsored by Camp Construction Services and Texas Southwest Floors

IROC Breakfast Friday, December 13 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Sponsored by CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions

Go-Getters Happy Hour Wednesday, December 4 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Cadillac Bar 1802 Shepherd Drive, 77007 Join the Go-Getters and help strengthen your association with new members and new involvement. New and prospective members are welcome! Visit the GoGetters Corner at www.haaonline.org/gogetters for tips and tools for recruiting. Sponsored by Brandt Electrical A/C & Heating Services and Ram Jack Foundation Solutions

CAPS: Client Services & Stakeholder Relations Monday, December 9 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by HD Supply

5 Holiday Luncheon: Fort Bend Thursday, December 5 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Churrascos Sugar Land 1520 Lake Pointe Parkway #500, 77478 Show your appreciation for Fort Bend-area justices of the peace and constables this holiday season by joining us for lunch. Please note, this luncheon is only open to apartment and management professionals. No suppliers, please. Please register by emailing outreach@haaonline.org.

10 CAPS: Investment Management Tuesday, December 10 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by Smart City Apartment Locating

11 CAPS: Improving Asset Performance Wednesday, December 11 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by ALN Apartment Data

12 CAPS: Asset Evaluation Thursday, December 12 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sponsored by FSI Construction

CAPS: Talent Management Friday, December 13 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sponsored by Hoffer Furniture Rental & Sales

17 Holiday Luncheon: Harris County Tuesday, December 17

19 HAA NEXT: Mix N Mingle Thursday, December 19 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sponsored by Arbor Contract Carpet and The Liberty Group

24-25, 31-1 Offices Closed HAA will be closed Tuesday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25 for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. HAA will also be closed on Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1 for New Year’s Eve and Day.

Don’t miss the final Go-Getters Meeting for 2019 on December 4 3:30 p.m. at Cadillac Bar & Grill, 1802 Shepherd Drive, 77007 Join the club at our quarterly meetings and learn how you can recruit for HAA. Be the top recruiter for each quarter and win awesome prizes! Plus, for each new member you recruit, you’ll earn a chance to win gift cards ranging from $25 to $250! JOIN A TEAM and build relationships with likeminded members. Get involved with Go-Getters and make lasting industry connections. Visit www.haaonline.org/ gogetterscorner to get all the information you need.

www.haaonline.org/rcr

www.haaonline.org

November 2019

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Follow a road that fits you career journey with Avenues. The Avenues series of seminars feature some of the best nationally-acclaimed speakers in the industry with learning sessions for every level of multifamily professional. There are five Avenues to choose from, Main Street, Maintenance Boulevard, Leadership Lane, Marketing Place and Supplier Circle. Follow just one path or pick and choose from all of the 15 great sessions.

Maintenance

Don’t miss the final session for 2019:

BLVD

Avenues: Maintenance Blvd - 3 November 20 How Long Does It Really Take? With Mark Cukro This session is designed to be specifically applied to the multifamily industry plus you’ll learn new tips and proven ways to be more productive. This unforgettable session will cover organizing priorities, tasks, and how long it should really take to complete the top 25 tasks done on site such as HVAC repairs, HVAC replacement, water heater replacement, and how to get to all of those service requests and emails that flood your inbox every day. We will compare what most managers and service managers estimated and compare it to the technicians and professionals that actually do the work in the field. Whether you are in the office or in the service department you will take away some effective ways to manage time more efficiently and have a great time.

Need just one semina r?

Sponsored by

Individual sessions are per person, a real stea priced at only $50 l for quality education ! Get ready for 2020: Annual Property Subscriptions are available with unlimited attendance for all on-site property staff to all sessions at discounted prices: • Only $199 per year per property for properties with fewer than 200 units • Only $399 per year per property for properties with 200 to 350 units. • Only $450 per year per property for properties with more than 350 units. If you need a single workshop, individual sessions are priced at only $50 per person, a real steal for quality education. Enroll today. Contact the HAA Education Department at education@haaonline.org or register online at www.haaonline.org.

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Tuesday, November 19

Breakfast and Registration: 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m. Program: 9 a.m. to Noon Fee: $89; $99 invoice/at the door

Worth three CE credits for all NAA credential holders.

Are you ready to

“Fair Housing Feud?”

Sponsored by Camp Construction Services and Century A/C Supply

If you are in residential property management, you should be. Join Katie Rigsby for the game everyone should how to play.

Fair Housing can be confusing and sometimes a point of contention. Reduce your risk of a “Fair Housing Feud” by ensuring your team is properly trained and equipped to handle the most sensitive of Fair Housing issues. This Family Feud game show themed educational experience is for ALL multifamily personnel, at any level. Katie addresses hot topics such as disabilities, service/support animals and more! Fair Housing training is not a one and done type of education. With ever changing laws and new cases popping up daily, it is imperative that property management personnel and service providers are well informed and trained regularly. Attend with your entire team and you may just get a chance to play to win! Contestants and audience members will:

· Obtain basic Fair Housing knowledge to reduce your risk of a violation · Receive tips for handling Fair Housing related questions

· Identify tools for assessing accommodation and modification requests

· Understand your responsibility as industry professionals and how to protect your asset while complying with federal laws.

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Education, continued from Page 19 performance indicators relate to each other; Effectively weigh the benefits of increasing income and reducing expenses; Identify likely solutions to common property performance problems. CAPS: Asset Evaluation Thursday, December 12 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Program fee: $1,310 Sponsored by FSI Construction Identify the factors that affect the property ownership life cycle and understand the CAPS role in shaping that life cycle; Assess legal, financial and safety risks as part of the due diligence process; Perform the necessary components of due diligence (or lead others in doing so), including physical inspections and analysis of a property’s operational, commercial and financial health; Report your findings to the

property owner (or a potential property owner), along with ramifications and recommended solutions; Manage the smooth transition of a property from one owner to another; Advise owners on the feasibility of new developments; Advise owners on renovation, disposition or refinancing of existing properties. IROC Breakfast Friday, December 13 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. Program fee: Free for members; $25/non-members Sponsored by CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions The Independent Rental Owners Connection (IROC) offers customized education and networking programs just for you. CAPS: Talent Management Friday, December 13 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Program fee: $1,310

Sponsored by Hoffer Furniture Rental & Sales Maintain open and productive communication with site teams, even when they are geographically distant from you; Manage team members who may have more expertise than you do; Understand the role you play in retaining valuable, highperforming team members; Ensure that your site team recruits qualified candidates in a legally compliant manner; Ensure that your site team members: are sufficiently trained and integrated into the team, function well as a team, receive the mentoring, coaching, and feedback they need to grow as professionals and are treated in a manner that is both fair and dignified should discipline or separation become necessary; Manage site teams during a property sale, whether you are on the seller’s side or the buyer’s side.

CAPS: Contemporary Issues in Multifamily Housing Friday, December 13 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Program fee: $1,310 Sponsored by Hoffer Furniture Rental & Sales Be familiar with the current issues affecting multifamily housing property management. HAA NEXT: Mix N Mingle Thursday, December 19 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Program fee: $20 Sponsored by Arbor Contract Carpet and The Liberty Group Offices Closed HAA will be closed Tuesday, December 24 and Tuesday, December 25 for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. HAA will also be closed on Tuesday, December 31 and Wednesday, January 1 for New Year’s Eve.

Looking for more information?

Management Companies Suppliers

Search online for Property and Address listings. Go to:

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www.haaonline.org/directory Searchable by zip, street address and more!

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Looking for suppliers? Go to: HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION

DIRECTORY & BUYER’S GUIDE

www.haabuyersguide.com

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HAF Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center

4810 Westway Park Blvd. off Clay Road just east of Beltway 8

Thursday, January 30 Visit the HAA website for the full Auction Program with the list of events up for sale at

www.haaonline.org/sponsor/

FREE to all supplier members Auction 101: 2:30 p.m. Registration: 3 p.m. Drawings close: 3:45 a.m. Live Auction begins: 4 p.m.

RSVP online at Amanda Sherbondy at asherbondy@haaonline.org

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Industry Update from the NATIONAL APARTMENT ASSOCIATION and the NATIONAL MULTIHOUSING COUNCIL

HOUSING TAKES THE NATIONAL STAGE Housing policy is moving into the national spotlight as candidates begin unveiling key aspects of their national housing strategies.

STANDING OUT AMONGST the myriad of candidates in the 2020 Presidential race is driving presidential hopefuls to embrace bold tactics to remain relevant as policy discussions heat up. The Democratic field has embraced three key policy areas — infrastructure, climate and social equality — and it is under these marquee issues that candidates have begun to discuss national housing strategy. Some positive proposals have been released; however, to this point few candidates have specifically acknowledged what must be a central part of addressing the nation’s housing needs: increasing the supply of rental housing. As we wait for more nuanced housing plans to emerge, the National Apartment Association (NAA) is paying close attention to these issues as we measure their impact on the apartment industry. Read on for a digest of what the candidates have proposed, so far. Cory Booker, Steve Bullock, Julian Castro, John Delaney, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren propose increased funding for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF). NAA supports expansion of the NHTF and its efforts to construct or preserve housing for very low and extremely low-income Americans; too often, affordable housing development is stalled due to lack of financing. NHTF allocations offer grantees vital gap financing, which gives affordable housing projects the necessary capital to leverage additional funding and continue development. Consequently, candidates understand that there are often more barriers to the construction of new homes than there are bridges. Joe Biden, Booker, Castro, Delaney, Warren and Andrew Yang will incentivize municipalities to scale back policies that hinder the development of new affordable housing and increasing supply. These include eliminating 26

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parking space minimums, impact fees and zoning restrictions that dramatically increase the cost of construction. NAA’s U.S. Barriers to Apartment Construction Index found that complex local regulation severely restricts new housing development, further exacerbating the affordable housing gap in some of America’s major metro markets. It is important that candidates who are discussing housing policy and infrastructure continue to support the mechanisms that fuel new construction, while simultaneously discouraging those which exclude, hinder and deter. Candidates have also made climate and energy policy a centerpiece of their campaigns, taking special aim at the carbon footprints of America’s building stock. Biden would like to see a 50 percent reduction in carbon emissions from all buildings by 2035, while Beto O’Rourke campaigns for 50 percent net-zero emissions nationwide by 2030. Pete Buttigieg and Sanders promise to build a 100 percent clean energy America. Castro will establish a $200 billion green infrastructure fund. Tom Steyer describes a $2 trillion effort to curb global warming by 2045. Amy Klobuchar, Booker and Bullock all call for deep energy efficient retrofits of America’s existing housing stock. On their face, the proposals portend herculean efforts that will require massive participation from the building industry to even come close to achieving the goals set out. This will result in higher housing costs and increased compliance monitoring for buildings of all types. Luckily, each candidate has acknowledged the significant effort required by property owners and propose leveraging federal funds to accomplish such a task. With more than half of America already committed to some standard of energy efficiency policy, NAA encourages proposals that ensure financial

mechanisms are in place to make policy compliance accessible and affordable. While infrastructure and climate talks appropriately encompass housing issues, the candidates’ arguments for social equality provide some of the most direct impacts to housing. Candidates look to elevate historically oppressed communities through policies that will assist with rental payments, expand access to financing and increase availability of government benefits with the following proposals. Castro, Michael Bennet and Klobuchar would expand the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program; Castro would go so far as to transform the program into a fully funded entitlement program that will cover all families making under 50 percent of the annual median income (AMI). The candidates’ attention to the HCV Program is laudable, however, NAA would like to see more discussion on enhancing the program to maximize its capacity for success. NAA strongly supports the mission of the HCV program and urges each candidate to address the barriers that discourage many property owners from participating. We believe that proposals in this area should focus on streamlining the program to make it work for all parties involved to ensure optimal results. At least three candidates want to make rent more affordable for those residents who are considered rent burdened. Booker, Castro and Kamala Harris will push for their own versions of a renter’s tax credit that will provide annual reimbursements for all rental payments exceeding 30 percent of their income. This direct benefit to renters is well-intentioned, however, NAA is concerned about potential unintended consequences. We continue to review the various versions of this concept.

www.haaonline.org

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Both Harris and Warren aim to increase individual creditworthiness through expansion of the Fair Credit Reporting Act and the Community Reinvestment Act, respectively, thus impacting the ways in which individuals are approved for tenancy. Harris’ proposal, which would include rent, utility and phone payments in an applicant’s credit analysis, will give property owners and operators a clearer picture of a prospective renter’s payment history. Regarding evictions, Booker, Delaney and Klobuchar have all noted their intention to establish a federally-funded right to counsel fund for low-income residents facing eviction. Sanders released details of his housing affordability strategy, pushing for a national rent cap of no more than 3 percent or 1.5 times the inflation rate. However, 40 years of research shows the significant, negative impacts of rent control. There is the great likelihood that this proposal, like the others before it, would achieve the inverse of its intention and development of critically needed rental housing would decline, as would preservation of existing housing. Finally, no report on social equality would be complete without mentioning Yang and his Freedom Dividend, a Universal Basic Income (UBI) offshoot that will guarantee every American $1,000 a month in lieu of social welfare benefits. When analyzing each candidate’s policy agenda, we must remember that housing is a foundational issue greatly impacted by other components of their platforms. And as policies continue to take shape, candidates must remember that the apartment industry houses nearly 38.7 million Americans. New policies should benefit all parties involved in the housing process and there must be reforms to existing programs that do not deliver. NAA will press for more in-depth and more nuanced housing policy discussions as the vetting process for presidential candidates continues and election day draws near. This is a summary overview of the 2020 Presidential Candidates. NAA submitted a questionnaire on housing affordability to the candidates and their responses will be made available in NAA’s UNITS magazine. For more information on the 2020 Presidential Candidates’ Housing Policies, please contact NAA Manager of Public Policy, Sam Gilboard. www.haaonline.org

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On the Road with HAA

Baytown Region Meeting Wednesday, September 25 at Sapphire Bay Sponsored by 1 The Liberty Group HAA hit the road to Baytown. Product Service Council Secretary David Lindley gave a presentation on property capital improvements and due diligence for managers. Local managers also heard from Tiffany Foster, City of Baytown Planning and Development, as well as BJ Simon from the Baytown Economic Development Foundation. Thank you to Nicole Willis and the team at Sapphire Bay for hosting.

HAA IS REACHING OUT to better serve our members by bringing targeted networking and educational events to different parts of our 12-county service area. Contact Director of Outreach Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org to sign up for these FREE, management-only events where you can learn about issues affecting your area and network with your fellow managers. Want to host an event? We are looking for member properties to host a Region Meeting. Contact lturner@haaonline.org. 28

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Northwest Chamber Lunch & Learn Wednesday, September 11 The Northwest Chamber, Harris County Sheriffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office, HAA and Northwest Assistance Ministries have teamed up to provide local area managers a Lunch & Learn seminar every other month. In September, HAA General Counsel Howard Bookstaff gave a presentation on late fees. Area managers also received an update from the sheriff's office. A big thank you to Northwest Assistance Ministries for providing the space to host our meetings.

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On the Road with HAA

Onsite Goes Offsite – Pearland Thursday, September 12 Sponsored by 1 Hire Priority Staffing & Executive Search Local area managers had the opportunity to network with each other over drinks and appetizers. A big thank you to our sponsor Hire Priority Staffing & Executive Search. We hope to see you at the next outreach event.

TARGET QUALIFIED LEADS www.haaonline.org

jobs@haaonline.org

Visit jobs.haaonline.org today and find your candidate or career for tomorrow. 713-595-0300

With HAA’s job board, you’ll discover a professional community that’s committed to helping you find the right candidate or your next job opportunity in the greater Houston and surrounding areas. 30

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On the Scene Photos by MARK HIEBERT, Hiebert Photography HAA Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon honoring Cesar Lima Sponsored by AAA Plumbers, Crestmark Construction Services and Guardian Construction Thursday, September 19 at the Hotel ZaZa Members braved the flooding of Tropical Storm Imelda to honor HAA’s fifth Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Cesar Lima of AAA Plumbers. The Lifetime Achievement Award is HAA’s highest award for a supplier member. Cesar’s friends, family and peers presented entertaining and heartfelt speeches and a video in his honor.

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On the Scene Photos by MARK HIEBERT, Hiebert Photography HAA Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon honoring Cesar Lima

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By Morgan Taylor, HAA Staff Photgraphed by Mark Hiebert, Hiebert Photography

A Lifetime of Achievements AAA Plumbers was started by two men by the names of Steve Park and Cesar Lima, who only had three trucks and some service parts when the company was created 35 years ago. Today, the company has 70 employees, 25 service trucks and a 17,000 square foot warehouse. You either recognize the company name, have seen their service trucks on Houston’s roads or know the man with the mustache. This year the Houston Apartment Association is honoring the man with the mustache, Cesar Lima of AAA Plumbers, with the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award came to fruition in 1996 because the Hall of Fame Committee wanted to honor two supplier partners who made a lifetime commitment of service to the association and the apartment industry, instead of a legendary apartment owner or developer. The committee came up with what was originally called the Lifetime Service Award. Those two supplier partners were Nora Krakower of Royal Plumbing Supply and John Moore of John Moore Plumbing Co., now called John Moore Services. Lima is only the fifth supplier partner to receive this high honor. “Who could be more deserving of this award than Cesar? (The committee) didn’t even have

to launch into the whys. (Past President Darlene Guidry of Hettig Management and Past President and Hall of Fame member Eileen Subinsky) said his name and everyone in the room just felt so good about making that decision. We didn’t even have to discuss all of his contributions. We didn’t have to compare his resume to 20 different resumes, everyone knew,” Past President and Hall of Famer Suan Tinsley of DayRise Residential said about the committee’s decision to select Lima as the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. “In watching people since I’ve been involved in the association, which was in the 1980s, and not that there aren’t others, but (Lima) is a supplier partner who has put so much time and effort into the association over the years that I just couldn’t see anyone else … who would be worthy. There are very few vendors – we’ve only given this award to Nora Krakower, John Moore, Ken Bohan (The Liberty Group) and Mike Koch (Camp Construction Services),” Guidry, who was the first to nominate Lima for this award, said. “I was really pleased that the rest of the committee agreed, because I think it was time for Cesar. It’s his time.” The first, and only, female recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, was Lima’s very

dear friend, mentor and the driving force of Lima’s HAA involvement. Krakower put Lima and AAA Plumbers on the HAA map, as some would say, and he agrees that his success within the association and the industry is the result of her influence. While Krakower is no longer with us today, her spirit lives on through Lima and other supplier partners who she pulled into association involvement, including another Lifetime Achievement Award recipient and HAA volunteer, Koch. Meeting Mikey Koch and Lima met 35 years ago, at the first HAA meeting Lima ever attended. This was when HAA held meetings at the Shamrock Hotel, which vanished from the Houston skyline in the late 1980s. Lima walked into the hotel, unsure of where to go, and heard Koch’s big, bellowing laugh all the way from the bar. If you know Koch, you know the laugh. Eager to meet the man with the lively laugh, Lima introduced himself, “I was standing out in the lobby, I didn’t know what to do, and then I heard you laughing. I had to come in here and meet you because I figured you would know everybody.” Lima had been an HAA member, attending meetings and networking functions, for some

Photos from left: A little Cesar Lima. Cesar with his children Henry, Cesar Jr., Candis Mohr and Charlie.

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For his more than 35 years of dedication to the multifamily industry, HAA presents Cesar Lima, AAA Plumbers, with the HAA Lifetime Achievement Award.

From left: The Lima family on vacation in the ‘70s. Cesar’s parents. Cesar with his wife Natalie and daughter Alexa. Cesar’s passport photo for his arrival from Guatemala. www.haaonline.org

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What follows are excerpts from the speeches during Cesar Lima’s Lifetime Achievement Luncheon:

“Cesar is a smart, savvy businessperson, a loyal and trusted member of our industry and our association. He is a loving husband, a caring father, and a doting grandfather. But more than that, he is a good man. You know about his successful business venture, AAA Plumbers is dependable and operates with consistency, efficiency and integrity. … You have all heard about his contributions and achievements within our association. They are stellar. The vote to award Cesar Lima the Houston Apartment Association Lifetime Achievement Award was unanimous and given with jubilation! I could not be happier for my friend Cesar, and hope he enjoys the honor, has stories to tell about this day and brags about it for many years to come.” – Eileen Subinsky

“There are a few things that make Cesar stand out in a crowd. I don’t know if you have noticed, but Cesar has a slight accent. Wherever you are, you don’t have to see him…you can hear him with his wonderful accent as he sees you across the room and calls to you, arms open to welcome you. And Cesar is always present in conversations. I’m sure that you have all known people that you’re in a conversation with but you know they are already thinking about something they want to say… somewhere they need to be. Not Cesar, he looks right at you and you feel that he’s taking in every word you say. That’s a sign of not only a good listener, but of a good friend.” – Kathy Clem

time at this point, but Lima didn’t get the courage to really get involved until later. Meeting Koch may have given Lima the boost of confidence he needed. “After that, he stuck to me like glue. I introduced him to Nora Krakower and John Moore, Lee Craven (Craven Carpet), and all the guys who used to be players back then. He was stuck to me like glue, for a long time, until Nora grabbed him, and then he became Nora’s protégé.” A Plumbing Protégé Krakower, the plumbing supplier, and Lima, the plumber, did business together before AAA Plumbers came into existence, but the pair wouldn’t become a dynamic duo until years later. One day in 1978, Lima walked into Royal Plumbing Supply and introduced himself. From that day on, the two did business together throughout his plumbing career, even when he and Park started their own company, until she passed away 2013. Hanging out with Koch in the environment of HAA allowed Lima to get closer to Krakower and other top HAA volunteers of the time. In 1988, 10 years after they met, Krakower invited Lima to the Texas Apartment Association’s tradeshow, an event that became the catalyst of their close friendship. Krakower showed up to the tradeshow with only a box of plumbing supplies. Unsure of how she was going to win first place for her booth, but determined to do so, Lima took the challenge upon himself. He left the tradeshow and came back with the wooden letters of the alphabet. They glued plumbing parts to the alphabet, winning Royal Plumbing Supply first place in the booth competition that year. “From that point on we were glue,” Lima remembered. “I love that woman. We had an understanding that it was easy for both. She let me do things – she trusted me … We both were loyal to each other and she trusted what I was

going to do for her because she knew that I was going to 100% deliver, and I only know how to do things 100%.” Lima had a great deal of respect for the Royal Plumbing Supply queen. He saw how successful she was and wanted that same success for AAA Plumbers. “I admired her passion. I admired her intense desire to help. She put her spirit in it, all her soul into anything. And I loved it. That woman had a special aura,” Lima said of the late female powerhouse. Helping Krakower win first place sparked Lima’s involvement with HAA. After the tradeshow, he decided to dedicate his time and effort to HAA. “I decided I was going to be explosive,” Lima said. Momma Lima taught her son that life is an action plan. One cannot succeed without doing, without action. She would always say, “Any good intentions without action is nothing.” A man with innate passion and enthusiasm, Lima attended every HAA event and meeting he could. He joined just about any committee he could. He sponsored events. He donated his time and effort. He was everywhere. “He was in everything, he wanted to be involved in everything. He saw how Mary Mount and everybody who was involved in the association as vendors seemed to be very successful, and that’s who he wanted himself and AAA Plumbers to be. From that day forward, I don’t know if he missed a meeting,” Koch said of Lima. Lima, who you can catch snapping selfies at most HAA events, has always loved to take photos. Krakower noticed this about Lima and invited him on the upcoming Royal Plumbing Supply trip. Royal Plumbing Supply would take its clients on weeklong trips to all sorts of destinations, New Zealand, Portugal, etc. Much like the Go-Getter trips of the past, these trips were legendary.

Photos from left: Cesar and Nora Krakower on a Royal Plumbing Supply trip. Cesar and Eileen Subinsky at a recent HAAPAC luncheon. Cesar and Natalie vacation with Ron and Darlene Guidry. Cesar with 2003 HAA President Kathy Clem and the dress he made for her for the HAA Gala.

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There were 80 HAA members on this trip, owners and suppliers, and Lima was the designated photographer. He was very proud of his brand-new, highly sophisticated for its time, Canon. At the end of the trip and 40 rolls of film later, Lima had all the film developed. Lima, a rookie photographer, never pulled the film at the teeth and the photos didn’t develop. Lima was sure Krakower would never invite him on another trip, but of course, she did. She invited him to come on another trip the very next year and on every trip thereafter. She even used his photography skills at other Royal Plumbing Supply events and family gettogethers. “I went on every trip that she had, every six months, every year, whatever local things that she did. I was taking pictures left and right, all over Houston. Family events, plumbing events. We became like glue! Including her husband. We were all like a team, to the point that my hobby of taking pictures turned to be a great tool. She was so involved in so many different groups and areas of HAA that actually, just basically, she made me famous,” Lima said. A True Go-Getter A few short years after the first Royal Plumbing Supply trip Lima went on, he and Guidry were on a trip together to New Zealand and the two, along with their spouses, became good friends. Guidry, who was the HAA Go-Getter chair that year, influenced Lima to become a Go-Getter and recruit for the association. At this point, Lima’s knowledge of HAA was limited. He knew the association had a positive influence on the industry, that it was connecting apartment owners and managers to apartment suppliers, but he didn’t fully understand

its mission, which he felt was important to know if he was going to recruit members. “She (Guidry) gave me the ticket to succeed here because I made an effort to learn about HAA. How can I sell HAA to anyone if I don’t know it? So, this was a totally different situation than Nora – this was serious,” Lima said. When he started recruiting for HAA, Lima said, the partying was over, which is ironic because as I said earlier, the Go-Getter trips were legendary. He asked anyone and everyone he could about HAA. “What is HAA?” he would ask over and over again, but no one could give him an answer. Finally, someone had an answer for him. Koch told Lima that if he joined the HAA Political Action Committee (HAAPAC), or what used to be called the HAA Better Government Fund, he would understand what HAA is. Lima learned that a large sewer rate increase proposed in 1959 was the main event that led to the establishment of HAA. The proposed large sewer rate increase would effectively mean a sewer tax on apartment owners. This threat encouraged a small group of apartment owners – Harry Reed, Bill Schlotfeldt, Walker Stewart, Fred Rizk and Bland McReynolds – to come up with a solution. Out of this initial meeting, held at the old Graustark Restaurant off West Alabama in October of 1959, came the creation of HAA on Jan. 13, 1960. “The structure of HAA happened in a manner that was – it was needed. The people who created HAA put their heart into it, and for some strange reason it continued to be that way, which is why I feel the passion for HAA, too. HAA is the difference between money and progress,” Lima said. Lima’s sentiment for HAA reminds him of a diploma he received in Guatemala for his con-

“Besides our HAA relationship we’ve shared numerous good times together over the 28 years I’ve known him. … There was a small group of us who hung out together and Cesar was one of the group. My husband Ron and Cesar became close friends and they enjoyed several hunting and fishing trips with the guys. We socialized on a regular basis and watched our kids grow up. We also traveled together; to Acapulco, Hawaii, the Hill Country, several Mexico destinations, and Canada. Traveling with Cesar and the group was always full of fun and laughs. One of my favorite trips was to a Fishing camp in Canada. We caught so many fish and had the best time, even when our spouses came to blows over dominos. Cesar is a fascinating man. You’ll never find a more caring or giving person. I am honored to be his friend and colleague, but I cherish his friendship the most. He has spent numerous hours volunteering for HAA, and AAA Plumbers has been extremely generous with their monetary contributions. Cesar has been an incredible asset for our association, and few have contributed the time or money he has. He is certainly deserving of the Lifetime Achievement Award.” – Darlene Guidry

“Cesar has been one of the most enthusiastic, positive leaders in our association. His long-standing commitment to being a mentor shows where his heart is, and he truly makes a difference for many HAA members. He is a wonderful leader, husband, father, partner, friend and inspiration to many of us, and we are looking forward to his involvement for more years to come. ” – Starla Turnbo

From left: Cesar and Steve Park with the AAA team at the HAA 1997 Expo. Cesar, Suan Tinsley and the 7th Chili Fest Committee. www.haaonline.org

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“You might be a good friend of Cesar’s if: • You allow him to spank you, then give you a B12 shot in the hip from Guatemala. • You hear him sing “Two Ton Tomatoes” every single day on the Grand Cayman. • If you allow your husband to go to Cancun with him and your son. I left out that story, but what turned out to be a father-son trip turned into the fathers outlasting their sons. • You let him help your husband shop for an anniversary gift and he “helps” by having your husband donate $10,000 to the new HAA building that was his idea and the fundraising was his job as well. • When you’re right by his side as you get kicked out of Pat O’s for grabbing the mic to sing versus the piano singer. • You’re always invited to share in his love with his family for birthdays, holidays and etc. • Your home’s plumbing is always in good shape. Cesar, we’ve experienced Maui together, Mexico more times than I can count, North Africa, the Texas Hill Country – too many to count, but never too many to forget. This award is deserving, and I am honored to share my great memories with you all.” – Suan Tinsley

tribution in a three-month community service project. The phrase on his diploma translates to: “a useful member of the community.” “When I thought about HAA, I used the same theme of the diploma. A useful association for the community. That’s the way I see HAA,” Lima said. “If everyone contributed just a little bit, poured their heart into it with real meaning, it would be a much better world.” Lima, a man with a servant’s heart, recognized that HAA serves apartment properties, management companies, supplier companies and every individual who works in the industry. His reverence for HAA is what has inspired him to serve the association all these years. “That's exactly what HAA is doing – building a strong community. If people could work with a good attitude – we are all servants in some way. One way or another. We are all that,” Cesar said. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, growing membership by recruiting companies to join the association was the most popular, competitive and steadfast form of involvement for the time. So, to serve the association, he did what Guidry asked of him and began recruiting for HAA. He recruited enough members to go on those legendary Go-Getters trips to destinations such as Mexico, the Bahamas, Jamaica and etc. with the big stars such as Krakower, Koch, Guidry, Craven, Sonny Unverzagt (Best Plumbing), Mel Kieke (Kieke Properties) and Tinsley, just to name a few. “It was a different time. I can’t tell you how exciting it was to bring in new members and work so hard for the association. Knowing that you were going to be in a beautiful destination with 100 people that you knew very well – and we just had so much fun. The comradery that we shared while we were working on our membership campaigns was just so much fun. It was very competitive, but everything was done in the best of spirits,” Tinsley said. Today, Lima has recruited 62 member companies and counting, crowning him as a Royal Go-Getter.

Explosive Involvement Lima’s heart is as big as the Rio Grande is wide, he has as much (or maybe even more) Texas pride as a native Texan and will wrap his arms around you in a big bear hug whether you just met him or met him 30 years ago. Lima is known for his bold behavior. Whether it be a gleaming, giant, gold toilet or an out-ofthe-box idea, Lima’s involvement really has been explosive over the years. If you’ve been to an HAA Education Conference and Expo, you’ve seen the AAA Plumbers giant gold toilet. “He has just given his life to HAA. His dedication to our association is off the charts,” Tinsley said of Lima’s contributions to the association. Lima never turns down an opportunity to donate his time or money to the association with, of course, a dose of passion. He and Moore were big advocates of the association’s Sponsorship Auction, which allows supplier partners to bid on sponsorships for various HAA events. He was also very enthusiastic of the Chili Cook-off, which has historically been the Houston Apartment Foundation’s top fundraiser. Since its inception in 1990, AAA Plumbers has been in attendance every year. “(Lima and Park) were big time in (Chili Cook-off). Cesar was really the one who made it grow because he started buying whiskey and beer for everybody at the cook-off. It brought in a lot of people surprisingly,” Koch finished with a hint of sarcasm. The bar AAA Plumbers built as part of its Chili Cook-off booth started a trend that lives on today. Lima is so fiercely passionate about education that one year at Chili Cook-off, he shaved off his iconic mustache to raise money for education grants. “I find it extremely fulfilling, being a member of HAA, but I will say that my highlight is education. I will promote that forever because it is the key to success,” Lima said. For the past 35 years, AAA Plumbers has sponsored HAA education seminars and classes. He encourages his AAA Plumbers employees to

From left: Cesar, Steve and Mike Koch sponsor a Bill Dinerstein Golf Tournamment dinner. Cesar and Suan during a Go-Getter meeting. Cesar with Starla Turnbo and Beth Rohani during the 2019 Expo. Cesar with Nora and Royal’s winning Expo booth.

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obtain their Certified Apartment Supplier (CAS) credential, and that same credential is now a requirement to serve on the Product Service Council (PSC) largely because of his influence when he was PSC president in 2007. AAA Plumbers has also supported education at the state level. In 2009, Tinsley called up Lima and asked if AAA Plumbers would donate money to the Texas Apartment Association for the purchase of a vehicle that would be raffled at their education conference and expo. “Cesar immediately agreed, he didn’t hesitate or think twice,” Tinsley said. TAA still raffles a car each year, and all the money that is raised is donated to its education foundation. Lima received the TAA Olin Steele Supplier of the Year Award the following year, in 2010, eight years after HAA honored him and Park jointly as Supplier of the Year at the HAA Honors Awards ceremony. Serving on the HAA Board of Directors since 2004, today he holds the elite position of an Advisory Director. He has been an HAAPAC Trustee for many years, he served on the PSC for five years before his presidency and served on the Golf Committee. He was one of the leading contributors, donating plumbing services, of a member-based project from 1991 to 1993 called Rehab Mission, a 30-unit apartment community for elderly homeless people in Spring Branch. Out of all his accomplishments, Lima considers being president of the PSC the highest accomplishment he could have achieved as a supplier member of HAA, because it gives supplier partners the opportunity to implement positive change. His PSC presidency wasn’t the only time he implemented change for the betterment of HAA. In true AAA Plumbers fashion, Lima made a bold suggestion during a board meeting his very first year on the board. Lima stood up and stated that HAA needed its very own combined office building and education center. Prior to the building

HAA is in today, education classes were held offsite at a building HAA rented. “I wasn’t really waiting for anyone’s approval for me to say it, because I’ve learned that I don’t want to be like everybody else. I want to be me,” Lima said of his suggestion to the board. “The area where the building was, was really not appropriate for the association. (The building was) all the way thrown out in the middle of nowhere that was instead of moving up, the whole area was going down. The association was growing … the future required a whole new building … The split costed more money – teaching classes here and having (the offices) here.” It was an innovative, almost crazy, idea at the time, but under the direction of then-HAA President Guidry, a Building Task Force was created, and three years later the HAA staff moved into its new building, where we are today 10 years later. “I’m glad Darlene was president that year,” Lima said with a smile. Carrying on a Legacy Lima loves to mentor others, always has. “One of the things he never brings up to anybody – almost anybody who was new, he would be their mentor or offer to be their mentor. He always tickled me. It made no difference what you were. You may be a plumber, be one of his big competitors, but he’s still trying to help you out. That’s just Cesar, he’s a good person,” Koch said. Leadership was an inherit trait of Krakower. She was the first female PSC president in 1982 and was influential in the creation of the HAA Ambassador Club, serving as its first chair in 1983. Both Lima and Koch speak of how she led them to get involved. “I just want to continue her legacy, and that’s why I like to mentor people … to basically give back what I received. It gave me so much,” Lima said of Krakower’s mentorship.

Photos from top: Cesar and Steve Park at the AAA office. Cesar has his mustache shaved for charity by Suan Tinsley. Cesar hits the runway for an HAF charity fashion show. Cesar has David Jones draw a prize from the AAA toilet bowl during Expo. The AAA Plumbers team sponsors a Membership Campaign meeting.

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In Lima’s opinion, all of HAA’s members are his mentors because he has something to learn from everyone. “I’ve always admired the way Howard Bookstaff (HAA general counsel) tells everyone their rights and later gets their money to support the HAAPAC. I am so grateful to the HAA staff, as well as many members like David Hargrove; Tim Myers; David Jones; Dick LaMarche, even if he thinks I need to go to English classes; ‘Barbie’ Alison Hall; Michelle Pawelek; John Fedorko; Ira Gross; Laura Lestus; Dean O'Kelley; Kelly Scott; Debbie Sulzer; Josh Allen; Gary Blumberg; Larry Hill; Steve Sweet; Kirk Tate; Vic Vacek; Beth Van Winkle; Kevin Fenn and Dwaine Capodice. I have learned a lot from the dry but friendly ways of Stacy Hunt, David Onanian and Billy Griffin,” Lima said. From Guatemala to New York, to Guatemala again, to Texas Lima was born in Guatemala, where he lived until he was 18 years old with his two parents and three brothers, before moving to the United States. He acquired his hardworking nature, curiosity and passion from his mother, who was an educator for 40 years, and his father, who was a businessman and doctor. “I learned from my parents … what it is to line up your life into a career,” Lima said. “I was programmed to two things: If you want to succeed, you can, and if you don’t, it’s because you don’t do anything.” When asked when he decided he wanted to leave Guatemala for Texas, he said “I think I heard about Texas when I was in my mother’s belly, honestly. Everybody knows about Texas in Guatemala.” After graduating from a four-year American trade school, Lima started his journey to the United States at the age of 18 with only $300 in his pocket. He arrived in New York, where he lived with a distant relative. Eager to make money, Lima made a living by washing dishes and selling soft drinks at community soccer games. While he was working and studying to

obtain his GED diploma, Lima was in the process of becoming a United States citizen. A lawyer in New York told him it would cost him $24,000 plus a $7,000 down payment. “It killed me,” Lima said of that moment. Washing dishes made him $60 a week. Lima had no clue how he would come up with the money, but he knew that he was going to do whatever it took to be a citizen. Whether it was a punishment or a way to keep them out of punishment’s way, Lima’s mother taught him and his brothers how to type. Typing, Lima said, gave him the confidence to read the U.S. Constitution. After reading the U.S. Constitution and paying the $25 application fee, Lima headed to the New York immigration court. Without a lawyer, Lima stood in front of the judge with his translator by his side. “Where is your lawyer?” the judge asked. “I don’t have one,” Lima said matter-of-factly. The judge, bewildered, told Lima what he was doing was not legal and that he couldn’t represented himself. The translator tells Lima this, Lima challenges the judge, stating what he’s doing is in fact legal. This debate between Lima and the judge with the translator stuck in the middle went on for as long as one can imagine. Walking out of the courthouse with an approved citizenship application is a memory that still chokes him up to this day. It only costed him $25, “plus my sweat,” Lima added. To finalize his U.S. citizenship, Lima had to go back to Guatemala and obtain paperwork from the country’s U.S. Embassy. He and his father, who wanted to go to the U.S. with him, made the return trip from Guatemala, through Mexico and landed in Loredo, Texas, where he finished the last step of his citizenship. The father and son duo took a few detours to visit Houston, New Orleans and Florida, when Lima finally decided it was time to go back to New York, where his boss was patiently waiting for his return. Before he went on this adventure, Lima was working at a record label. Lima ran out of money three months after returning to his job in New York. With his father

Photos from top: Cesar and Steve with Roger Camp during a Membership Campaign trip. Cesar with his daughter Candis Mohr and the NEXTers for the Spelling Bee Fundraiser. Cesar during the 2019 NAA Advocate visits with Congress. The AAA team sponsor a Go-Getter meeting in 2018. Cesar and some of his family and grandchildren. Cesar, daughter Yasmin and family. Cesar, Natalie and son Bryce.

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still with him, Lima tells his dad that he wants to go back to that town where his father’s friend lived. That “town” was Houston.

Photos from top: Cesar with his daughters Alicia, Alexa, Candis and Yasmin. Cesar with AAA Plumbers’ winning trophy for the 1994 Chili Cook-off. Cesar and Nora.

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The Start of his Plumbing Career It was his father who got the young Lima into the plumbing business, actually. His father connected Lima with an old business partner named David Lebedzinski who unbeknownst to Lima, owned a plumbing business called AAA Apartment Plumbers. Lima was so concerned about providing for his five-month-old son, he didn’t even ask what the job was. He showed up to work on a blistering hot, July day and was a little less than excited to learn he would spend his first day on the job jackhammering concrete. As time went on, Lima still wasn’t excited about plumbing. The hours were long, the work was tough and the money wasn’t great. His mother, in an attempt to encourage her children to go to school, would tell her sons that jobs that require skills, like plumbing, were only for the uneducated. “In a million years, if somebody asked me to write a hundred things that you may want to do, plumbing would never have been on the list,” Lima said. “But, of course, when you have a baby this big (Lima puts his hands up to show the size of how small his baby was), you do whatever it takes to feed that baby and the mother and take care of them.” Park was an experienced plumber at AAA Plumbing Supply by the time Lima joined the team. As part of Lima’s training for the position, he assisted Park with his service calls, which is how the two AAA Plumbers co-founders met. After six months of riding alongside Park, Lima wanted to drive the truck, but he needed to become a licensed plumber first. To become a journeyman plumber in Texas, the Texas plumb-

ing license requires three years of plumbing experience. With only six months of experience, Lebedzinski did Lima a big favor. “I told my boss, if I don’t pass, I’ll never ask you again for anything and I’ll just keep going, but I’m not going to let you down,” Lima said. Lima passed the test and earned his journeyman license, but Lebedzinski threatened to sell his company. Lima, already doubtful about plumbing as a viable career, was now also unsure of what was going to happen to the company he was working for. So, he left AAA Apartment Plumbers to work with his dad importing and exporting goods. One evening, Lima and his wife had dinner at a couple’s house. They talked about all sorts of things. Lima shared his distaste for plumbing with his friends and told them about his new job. “He said ‘What is wrong with plumbing?’ Just like that. He told me something that I'll never forget for the rest of my life. At that time, he cleaned my head up. He said, ‘What you have is a mental block. You have this mental block that psychology says was created in your childhood. When he was talking, (he was) so involved in the conversation. He really cared for what I was saying. He literally cleaned my head. He removed the block – all of that disappeared, completely,” Lima said. It was a dinner with friends that changed Lima’s life forever. That night, Lima walked and walked, processing what he was just told. “The next morning, I decided that I was going to repair the only truck that I had to start my plumbing business. Two weeks later, I put a whole truck together myself, an old truck that was supposed to be … an extra toy, but that toy turned to be my main machine, and I never looked back at that mental block. And I love plumbing,” Lima said.

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The 1983 Historic Freeze that Sparked AAA Plumbers With a DIY service truck ready to go, Lima was ready for business. He printed out business cards and handed them to anyone he came into contact with. That same year, the temperature in Houston dropped below freezing and remained there for five days, setting a record for the longest period of below-freezing temperatures in the city. For 10 consecutive nights, Houston’s temperature fell below freezing, bottoming out at 13 degrees on Christmas morning. “We were having a Christmas celebration with the kids, and I got in the first phone call. My brother was there, he actually wanted to help me out with plumbing. You know what, from that point on, I think I slept one hour a day for the next six weeks. I made more money in six weeks than I made in years. The whole town, they were paying people to repair Houston. December 1983 – that was the luckiest shot on earth for me,” Lima said. Park and Lima kept in touch and remained close friends after their time working together. So close, they even lived next door to each other. Park had also left AAA Apartment Plumbers to start his own company. Shortly after the freeze, Lima tried to recruit Park as a business partner. Park didn’t jump on the

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opportunity the first time. Every so often, Lebedzinski would invite Lima to come back to work for him, but Lima would graciously decline his offer every time. The two stayed in touch and Lebedzinski never sold his business, so days after Lima asked Park to go into business with him, Lima pitched yet another bold idea to Lebedzinski. “One day it occurred to me, a very crazy idea. I said, ‘I have an idea. You said you were going to close this business, but you haven't. Let's do business … how about if you just get out of (AAA Apartment Plumbers) and I can just take over with Steve?’” Lima said of his conversation with Lebedzinski. So, Lima starts tag-teaming the two, trying to convince Lebedzinski to sell him his company and Park to go into business with him. Lebedzinski liked Lima’s idea. He was tired, frustrated and fresh out of a divorce. Lima managed to convince Park to join him, and the two bought AAA Apartment Plumbers and changed the name to AAA Plumbers. On June 1, 1984, AAA Plumbers was launched with three trucks, two plumbers and an office manager, who is still with them today. A Lifetime of Friendships HAA membership campaigns and Go-Getter

trips of the past bonded so many people. At the Lifetime Achievement Award Luncheon, Tinsley read a quote off a frame that she brought with her from her home that said, “We didn’t realize we were making memories, we just knew we were having fun.” That could not be truer of the friendships and memories Lima made during his HAA involvement. “I bet you with all the committees we had a minimum of 15 days a month that we were all together as part of the association. … It was a kick in the butt. We’d have a meeting, and then there would be about 30 of us who would get together after the meeting. We’d go have cocktails somewhere and just talk about life … It was a good life; it was a very good life,” Koch said. “It was really almost too much fun. It got to be an enormous part of your life. And almost everybody got to be your best friend. We were pretty tight.” When the two met, Krakower was in her 60s and Lima was a young 20-something year old, but the two shared a timeless bond. Because of Krakower, HAA became a very positive asset to Lima’s business and life. Sure, AAA Plumbers reaped the benefits of involvement through increased business and more clients, but Lima gained an invaluable gift out of his HAA involvement, a lifetime of friendships.

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Workforce Housing Houston needs apartments for its workforce renters. By

RICK GUTTMAN, Dakota Enterprises

While affordable housing has been a solution for decades, it should no longer be the solution.

s apartment industry insiders, we’re all familiar with the statistics and with the trends. We’ve not only seen the statistics surrounding the astounding rates at which luxury multifamily properties are being developed, but a quick drive around any part of our city will showcase the same. Luxury is in and it has been for quite some time. But where does that leave the majority of our city’s diverse citizens? And why has affordable housing been our go-to solution to date? The difference between affordable and workforce housing While affordable housing has been a solution for decades, it should no longer be the solution. Affordable housing typically refers to government-subsidized housing, where residents are able to take advantage of lower rental rates and developers take advantage of tax write-offs. Workforce housing, on the other hand, offers similar affordable rental opportunities but for residents who make up our city’s workforce, and without having to apply for government assistance. With workforce housing, developers are able to build based on the best interest of their residents and the market’s demands. The affordable housing crisis in Houston According to a 2018 report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, only 19 Houston-area rental units are affordable and available for every 100 extremely low-income renter household, some of the worst numbers out of the nation’s top 50 metroplexes. Consider this alarming statistic along with February 2019 data showcasing that the waiting list for affordable housing in Houston went from 14,000 people to over 112,000 people after Hurricane Harvey and it becomes even more clear that our city is facing a

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major issue. While government incentives are being offered to apartment developers and non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity to tackle the problem, even these incentives aren’t providing a platform where developers can meet demand in a timely manner. The numbers above aren’t the only barometers to measure the affordable housing crisis, we’re seeing tent city communities pop up in new neighborhoods within our city every day, as well. Enter workforce housing Sure, it may be enticing to build affordable housing knowing that the government will reward you with tax incentives and write-offs galore, but is this the best option for renters and the developer alike? I’d argue that the answer is a clear no. There are positive effects of investing in workforce communities that include amenities. First, renters often have few choices when looking to affordable housing: old, run-down Class C apartments or older and more rundown Class C apartments. If a resident can’t take pride in his or her place of residence, the developer will not only face challenges with collecting rent in a timely manner but with safety, cleanliness, resident retention and more. By investing in market-rate workforce housing, developers and residents face new opportunities: ● Reasonable rent allows Houstonians to contribute to their own neighborhoods. While many developers opt to either invest in affordable housing or ground-up luxury apartments in many of Houston’s most diverse neighborhoods, market-rate workforce housing offers a better alternative. By building a great apartment community within the neighborhoods where our workforce already lives, contributes and thrives, we’re investing in its continued excellence instead of encouraging gentrification and changing the entire face of the neighborhood. ● Class A amenities offers a better quality of life for future generations. Developers can take it one step further by investing in Class A apartment community features and amenities to provide safe, secure and positive residences for our city’s workforce. By offering dog parks, onsite security, playgrounds and more, workforce housing can contribute to a better quality of life, and it can be more than just a quick collection of next month’s rent. ● Spending less on rent enables our workforce residents to invest in their futures. By providing cost-effective, high-quality housing solutions to the workforce, we can enable individuals to spend fewer of their hard-earned dollars on rent and more on where it matters most: their families, their education and the future of Houston as a whole. While rents continue to increase and luxury apartment communities seem to pop up by the day in Houston, as multifamily developers, owners and property managers, let’s not forget about our city’s growing workforce community and their needs. Let’s not forget about the contributions each of us offer to make our city great. Let’s continue to build solutions to provide safe, comfortable and high-quality roofs over each and every Houstonian’s head.

Rick Guttman is the CEO of Dakota Enterprises, a Houston-based multifamily developer. Dakota Enterprises has focused on rehabilitation and ground-up construction of market-rate workforce housing since its inception in 2006.

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RCR Update

By TINA DEFIORE, Director of Rental Credit Reporting, with RANDALL C. PATTON, CoreLogic

ELIMINATE RENTERS INSURANCE RISKS

An automated solution can reduce coverage lapses and insurance risks for multifamily owners.

TODAY, MANY PROPERTY managers choose to employ fully automated renters insurance platforms. These solutions are efficient and effective because they deliver bottom-line benefits to both property managers and residents. Most important, they help ensure 100% coverage of all leaseholders, 100% of the time. When implemented properly, a fully automated program eliminates time-consuming manual tasks for property managers and gives residents access to top quality renters insurance, but there are several factors to consider in ensuring the property, residents and the business are each adequately protected. The availability of gap coverage and tracking is one such factor, however, there are also lesser known risks that an effective renters insurance platform must address. The following scenarios illustrate common real world issues that, if not addressed, could prove costly. Mind The Gaps After a grease fire damaged two units and the hallway, the property manager verified on the community’s internal system that the unit’s leaseholder carried renters insurance with adequate liability coverage. However, when the property manager filed the claim, the insurance company responded with a notification that the renters insurance lapsed a week before the fire. That doesn’t make sense because the property management company worked with a preferred insurance provider and had a gap insurance policy in place, as well as third-party tracking to prevent this from happening. Unfortunately, what the property manager learned is that policy cancellation notifications can take 10 days or longer to travel through third-party tracking

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and to the community where When implemented properly, a fully automated the information is manually program eliminates time-consuming manual entered into the internal systasks for property managers and gives residents tem. Unaware of the lapse, the property management comaccess to top quality renters insurance, but there pany didn’t add the unit to its are several factors to consider in ensuring the gap insurance policy and was property, residents and the business are each forced to pay for the repairs. adequately protected. Though the property management company sued the leaseholder for damages, it was unable to recoup that insurance company’s subrogation dethe losses. partment sued the property management What this property manager didn’t realize company to recoup its losses. is that there are hidden cracks in most liabilMost property management companies ity insurance tracking systems that leave track coverage by unit rather than by individproperty management companies vulnerable ual leaseholder. A look at a map of the units and exposed. Slow communication is just may show 100% coverage when actual coverone of those cracks. The following scenario age is far less. As one property manager put represents another: it, “If my property had 100% coverage, I don’t A resident accidentally left the bathtub even know what that would look like. I would water running to answer a phone call. The be free to focus on other things like claims overflowing water seeped into the walls and incidents and sales.” dripped through the floor into the apartment below, causing significant damage to both The Devil is in the Details units and the first-floor resident’s laptop. InThe next scenario demonstrates another ternal records confirmed the unit was covered common, unforeseen cause of losses. for liability, however, the covered leaseholder A leaseholder’s party gets out of hand, and was out of town when the incident happened. one of the guests tosses a beer bottle from the While both leaseholders presented insurance balcony, hitting a passerby below. A witness verification at move-in, the leaseholder who called 911, and the passerby was taken to the left the water running canceled her policy emergency room for medical treatment. after one month. Because the tracking system Though the leaseholder carried the required the community used tracked by unit rather insurance, she failed to add the community to than by leaseholder, the property managethe policy as an interested party. When her ment company was unaware of the policy credit card expired, the insurance company cancellation. Once again, the property mancanceled the renters insurance, but because agement company was forced to cover the cost the community was not listed on the policy, of repairs. The first-floor unit leaseholder was third-party tracking was unable to notify the able to file a claim with his renters insurance community. Once again, the property mancompany to pay for the damaged laptop, and agement company was left to pay the medical www.haaonline.org

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costs of the injured passerby, who later sued the property management company for pain and suffering, as well as lost wages. According to one risk management director interviewed, “We have no way to cover gaps in insurance coverage if they don’t add us as an additional interested party. We’re not added on renewals about 45% of the time.” To Err is Human While each of the lapsed-insurance examples above can happen, the final scenario may be the most common, but it is worth considering. Jill manually performed a weekly check to match insurance cancellations against the community rent roll, adding canceled units to the gap insurance policy and notifying leaseholders that they will be charged a noncompliance fee until they provide proof of coverage. When Jill left, a new employee took over the process but failed to follow through with the next step – adding the units to the gap insurance plan. If something were to happen in one of the units with lapsed coverage, the property management company would be left without coverage. Unfortunately, any process that relies on people to perform one or more steps quickly and accurately is almost certain to fail at some point. An automated solution can eliminate that problem. With the right automated solution, a property management company can avoid most coverage lapse problems. The Ideal Automated System To protect against the scenarios above, an automated renters insurance tracking system should provide the following: • Verification that the community is listed as an interested party on each leaseholder’s renters insurance policy. • Tracking of insurance coverage by individual leaseholder, rather than by unit. • Third-party tracking and landlord protection with an automatic endorsement that adds the unit to a gap insurance coverage policy on the date the policy lapses, eliminating lag times and the need for human intervention in the process. Before signing up with a preferred renters insurance program that offers third-party tracking, be sure to ask questions about each of the points. 1. How do you verify that each new policy includes our community as an interested party? 2. Does your third-party tracking system track and record all changes and coverages, not just the cancellations? / See RCR Update, Page 67

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Help Wanted: • Babysitter • Counselor • Teacher • Coach • Cheerleader • Purchasing Agent • Contractor • Repairman • Designer • Computer Wizard • Social Media Influencer • Salesman • Banker • Bookkeeper • Enforcer • Investigator • Mediator • Collection Agent • Scheduler • Conductor

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How Fabulous are Your Hats? We wear many hats in property management. By

MICHAEL KNIGHT, Better World Properties LLC

Sounds like apartment management. Successfully running an apartment community requires wearing many hats. How is your hat collection going?

The Perfect Hat My best outfit in fourth grade included boots, chaps, twin cap guns, a black fringe vest over my plaid shirt and an awesome straw hat with a star on it. I love my mom, but I really wish she had read the note reminding parents there would be no dressing up for Go Texan Day. Over 30 years of leading teams, studying what works and helping countless service professionals around the world find greater success, I figured out a few useful things. It starts with everyone appreciating that a property manager’s job is one of the hardest and most important. Those in the leasing office wear many hats. Those under the property manager may have a basic collection, and those above the manager may have the most glamourous chapeaus, but no one wears more hats than the property manager. On any given day, you have to satisfy regulators, owners, residents, bosses, employees, supplier partners and more. Juggling these hats can be overwhelming. What about your personal satisfaction? As a board member once counseled me, “You can get with the program and be satisfied or do something else that makes you happier.” If you are ambitious and have a better way, you may be able to coax your existing world to a better place. The point being, we get to choose what hat we wear, unless you’re in the fourth grade. How Does Your Hat Make You Feel? Crowns represent power, honor, legitimacy, triumph and glory. St. Edward’s Coronation Crown weighs as much as a sack of potatoes. A common misconception is that the environment in which people work is a major determinant of job satisfaction. A study was done comparing satisfaction between employees at Campbell Soup Company’s World Headquarters with those at a U.S. steel mill. You would think working in a pristine office building with free soup would be better than sweating around hot blast furnaces, but surprise, the opposite was found to be true.

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Often what makes the most difference in job satisfaction are the colleagues we are surrounded by day by day. If you wear the hiring hat, wear it well, and surround yourself with great performers. Successful property managers surround themselves with expert teams both above and below them. When we hire wisely, appreciate and respect those around us, we also enjoy the experience. Never wear a hat that doesn’t fit. Black Hats and White Hats In the cyber world, those trying to work around systems are known as black hats. White hats play by the rules. Have clear priorities, understand what has worked and what has not worked in the past, have love in your heart and you will know where to draw the line on right and wrong. Following policy is a requirement, but one shouldn’t need a manual to decide what is right. There will be gray areas like, “Do I take another PTP from a longtime resident who just had surgery or do I cut my losses?” Knowing your owner’s priorities will help make these decisions clear. “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain Understand there is a difference between doing things right and doing the right things. Success requires action. How do you know what the right things are? You have to get out and look. If you wait for the phone to ring or insight to show up in your email, you’re mostly going to hear about squeaky wheels. If you ask for reports, you’ll get another view, but it may not be the whole view. Get out from behind the desk, walk the property, talk to those residents who never come in, inspect apartments, visit your comps, learn something new. Then, you’ll know the right things to do. Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, knew a thing or two about business. He used to call it management by walking around. At Better World Properties LLC, our priorities are: • Being honest and safe • Pleasing investors • Delighting residents • Maximizing income • Enriching lives • Making it a better world Leaders Collect Great Hats A craftsman who makes hats is known as a milliner. In 1900, over 80,000 women in New York worked in the millinery trade. If apartment managers were perfect, employees would be perfect. If employees were perfect, we wouldn’t need apartment managers. Real life is not perfect. Every issue is an opportunity for progress and a chance to wear a different hat. It starts with knowing your customers. Residents are customers. Who you report to is also your customer. If you work for a property management company, your primary customer is the property owner. Jan Carlzon, a great Swedish business leader, put it best, “If you’re not serving the customer, your job is to be serving someone who is.” In my collection of leadership hats, these are some of my favorites. • Motivating and inspiring others. Leading by example.

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• Expecting results and being less concerned with activities. • Knowing what’s going on and always learning. • Not having all the answers but asking questions. • Knowing every question is a teaching opportunity. • Guiding the team with clear direction and goals. • Remaining strong and positive under pressure. Never crumbling. • Knowing when to be flexible, democratic and gentle and when to be firm and authoritarian. • Being consistent and honest. What you see is what you get. • Doing what is right, not what is convenient. Fabulous Hats At the annual Royal Ascot horse races, the queen dictates the dress code. As you consider your many hats, give thought to what makes each of your hats fabulous. Like a hat shop, the multifamily industry is full of opportunities. Each position can be a career or a stepping stone to something even better. Here are some thoughts on how to make your career in the apartment industry fabulous: • You impact many lives. Make them better and rewards will follow. • Everyone has a story. Listen with a smile. • When you have to clap back at the trolls, do it with great karma. • Preventing fires is far less exhausting than fighting fires. • Never burn bridges. We’re all in this together. “What do you want to do when your grow up?” Michael Knight’s answer has always been, “Make the world better.” Knight was previously a worldwide consultant to providers of facility services and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Building Service Contractors Association International. In 2016, he helped found Better World Properties LLC. Today, the Better World Companies provide apartment owners, REITs and apartment investors complete apartment life cycle solutions all under one roof. https://www.betterworldllc.com.

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On the Scene with ACES ACES Luncheon Sponsored by 1 Apartments.com and 2 CORT Furniture Rental Friday, September 27 at Cadillac Bar & Grill In September, the Apartment Community Executives & Supervisors Luncheon featured “At Your Service” with industry-favorite presenter Lisa Trosien.

IN PURSUIT OF AN EVER-INCREASING LEVEL OF PROFESSIONALISM, the Apartment Community Executives & Supervisors group was created to offer executive-level members a way to network and exchange information and knowledge. It offers them an opportunity for educational programs and presentations, along with greater knowledge of the political and legislative needs of the industry. ACES is intended for those on the property management side of HAA membership in an executive or leadership role. For more on ACES, see online at www.haaonline.org or contact Emily Hilton at ehilton@haaonline.org. 58

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On Site with ABODE

Photos provided by Creekside Parks The Residences

CREEKSIDE PARK THE RESIDENCES Honors Awards Property of the Year for a new development apartment community.

Property: Creekside Park The Residences Owner/Management: The Howard Hughes Corporation/The Dinerstein Companies Location: 26700 Kuykendahl Road, The Woodlands Units: 292 Built: 2018 Web: www.creeksideparktheresidences.com Interesting features: Creekside Park The Residences is an innovatively designed, hybrid community that The Woodlands has been waiting for. This property offers high-end amenities and upscale customer service is very similar to what one would find in a brand new, Class A high-rise in the heart of Houston. With elements of both mid-rise and garden style communities, this unique apartment community is a blend of modern livng with traditional charm. Creekside Park The Residences opened in May of last year. It began phase occupancy three months later, in August, and closed out the end of the year at 45.5% occupied, exceeding its budgeted occupancy of 36%. Creekside led its submarket at $1.48 per square feet without concessions. The team secured 186 leases and facilitated 134 move-ins. This community volunteers and donates money to KIPP public charter schools, The Woodlands Chamber of Commerce, the American Heart Society and more. Congratulations, Creekside Park The Residences!

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On Site with ABODE

Photos by MORGAN TAYLOR, HAA STAFF

VILLAS OF PARK GROVE Honors Awards Property of the Year for a senior living community.

Property: Villas at Park Grove Owner/Management: Allied-Orion Group Location: 600 Park Grove Drive, Katy Units: 150 Built: 2003 Web: www.villasatparkgrove.com Interesting features: Villas at Park Grove offers a mix of market rate and tax credit apartment homes for seniors age 55 and older. As senior independent living community, there are an abundance of events and activities. Every month residents take local trips around Harris County to places such as the Houston Zoo and Kemah, just to name a couple. There is a bus that takes residents to Walmart, Target and Kroger. Bible study and communion are held twice per month at the community. The community teams up with businesses in the area that offer services to their residents, such as Randalls that offers flu shots and Bissel that offers hearing tests. The community teamed up with Maud Mark Library, as well. The library delivers books to Villas at Park Grove for residents who cannot drive, and they even hold a book club every month. Boasting a 99% occupancy rate, Villas at Park Grove saw a 6% rental income last year. Congratulations, Holden Heights! www.haaonline.org

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The Go-Getters HAA’s MEMBERSHIP RECRUITERS

GO-GETTERS CELEBRATE Recruit for HAA and become part of the Go-Getter Club.

Mark your calendars! Recruit all year long! Go-Getter meetings are quarterly: Don’t miss our 2019 finale on December 4 at Cadillac Bar & Grill, 1802 Shepherd Drive, 77007.

Visit www.haaonline.org/gogetters for details

Join our Quarterly Meetings! Be the top recruiter for each quarter and win one of four fabulous prizes! 1st Quarter: 2-nights at the Hotel San Luis 2nd Quarter: Portal Package from Facebook 3rd Quarter: Ring Doorbell 4th Quarter: $500 Holiday Cash Plus, for each new member you recruit, you’ll earn a chance to win gift cards ranging from $25 to $250! JOIN A TEAM and build relationships with like-minded members. Get involved with Go-Getters and make lasting industry connections. Visit www.haaonline.org/gogetters to get all the information you need. HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS Members who have recruited more than 100 companies Monette Reynolds Claude Arnold Sherry Stevenson Kenn Brown Kirk Tate Tina Cavaco Suan Tinsley Terri Clifton Sonny Unverzagt Kevin Fenn Del Walmsley Diane Gilbert Nancé Wells Anita Harrison H.P. Paul Young Dwayne Henson Jeanne Marie Zublin Dicks Mike Koch Merry Mount

Congratulations to Terri Clifton who became an Honorary Life Member by recruiting her 100th member!

THE GO-GETTERS ARE THE BACKBONE of the Houston Apartment Association. By recruiting new members, the Go-Getter Club helps both new management and supplier companies and the association grow for the future. To join the club and get going on recruitment, see online at www.haaonline.org or contact Amanda and Kaylon in the Membership Department at members@haaonline.org. 62

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Go-Getters Happy Hour Wednesday, September 25 at Cadillac Bar & Grill 1. Event co-sponsors Hire Priority Staffing & Executive Search and 2. Pavement Services 3. Top Team of the quarter for recruiting, The Better Getters 4. Top Recruiter Terri Clifton wins the third quarter prize, a Ring Doorbell.

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The Go-Getters HAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MEMBERSHIP RECRUITERS

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Legislative Update, continued from Page 9 performing elementary schools that may not have been otherwise available. More vouchers, combined with greater choices for voucher holders, could do a lot to ease the affordable housing crisis for those whose circumstances are the most dire. Third, HAA is working closely with Justice of the Peace Jeremy Brown to pilot an eviction diversion program in Harris County Precinct 7. Non-judicial, and entirely voluntary, the program is designed to intervene in temporary financial situations that could cause a family to be evicted. While the program can’t save everybody, it could bridge a gap for somebody who gets laid off from a job, has a new job, but doesn’t get their first paycheck until the middle of the month. There are a number of funding sources for this, and they all have different eligibility requirements. Additionally, the timing for this program is tight. A potential recipient would need to apply after receiving a vacate notice, but before an eviction suit is filed with the court. While this program isn’t a panacea, it could prevent a lot of evictions that stem from one-time unanticipated problems. Our hope is that this program, proven effective, can be taken county-wide and serve as a model for programs in other jurisdictions. With all the great, forward-looking programs we undertake, the most important objective will always be helping elect public officials who understand the connection between government-driven expenses and the cost of providing housing. Houston isn’t Austin, and we are blessed to have city and county officials, Republicans and Democrats, who have a better grasp of the impact of their policy decisions than their peers in other cities. If you’re not contributing to the HAA Political Action Committee, consider making this your priority for 2020. Without a strong business voice in local government, policymakers can quickly forget that good intentions are no match for basic economics. If you have a regulatory problem or question, call the HAA main line at 713595-0300 and ask for Public Affairs. If a particular code requirement or issue concerns you, let us know by emailing Andy at ateas@haaonline.org. Want to read more Legislative Update? See the ABODE archives online at http://issuu.com/haa_abode.

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Welcome Mat

Introducing HAA’s NEW MEMBERS

OWNERS Arrapahoe Management Diana P. Tearpock 6340 N Eldridge Pkwy #N288 Houston, TX 77041 281-743-2244 Arrapahoe Management Homes Avan Property Management Karun Magon 1200 Blalock #380 Houston, TX 77055 832-606-2537 The Place at Greenway Rama Estates Continental Properties Company Inc Nekesha Lyles W134 N8675 Executive Parkway Menomonee Falls, WI 53051 262-502-5500 Springs at Summer Park D & B Properties Denyse Parrage-Bray 13615 Lakehill Park Lane Sugar Land, TX 77498 832-274-7118 D & B Properties - Homes D. Scott Vaughn & Todd J. Russo Todd Russo 21311 Fairhaven Meadow Drive Cypress, TX 77433 832-534-2199 Vaughn-Russo Group, LLC Homes Elevated Asset Management LLC John Whitaker 6140 Hwy 6 S. #165 Missouri City, TX 77459 346-308-1104 Referred by Justin Duke Keyworth Capital Management LLC Andrew R. Gillott 18310 Little Fawn Drive Houston, TX 77084-5667 832-444-8293 Greenbriar Apartments Referred by Greg Meech

Paul Faraca Paul Faraca 101 Big Trail Circle Missouri City, TX 77459 617-909-2091 Referred by Randa Dick Real Houston Properties LLC Alvaro Gacha 1900 W. Gray St #131292 Houston, TX 77219 832-405-4259 Shawn Carter Shawn Carter 1211 Magnolia Lane Kingwood, TX 77339 713-582-3796 Silberman Realty Philip Silberman 2060 N. Loop W. #220 Houston, TX 77018 713-900-4087 Redemption Square Verve Apartments St. Anderson Management LLC Casey Delperdang P.O. Box 541631 Houston, TX 77254 832-301-9128 St. Anderson Management LLC Homes 1660 Richmond 2322 Dunlavy 513 Ridge St. Castle Court Steady Oak Property Group Clark Godfrey 11420 Log Cabin Lane Tomball, TX 77375 832-263-2838 TASS Partners Tina Ho 1647 Walton St. Houston, TX 77009-2525 832-382-8223 Truxillo Apartments

ALL SUPPLIER MEMBERS are listed online at haabuyersguide.com, searchable by product/service category or company name. 66

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EDT Construction Services Erick Estrada P.O. Box 2391 Alief, TX 77411 201-673-0606 Welding, Painting Contractors, Carpenters, Concrete Repair Referred by Katie Schieffer

Handcrafters Painting & Remodeling, Inc Lazaro Guevara P.O. Box 722479 Houston, TX 77272 346-714-8790 General Contractors, Paint Hi-Tech Pest Pros Glenn Mitchell 6205 W. 34th St. Stuite A Houston, TX 77092-6420 281-335-5725 Pest Control Services, Pressure Washing - Equipment & Service Energy To Go Beau Budde 3131 W. Alabama #150 Houston, TX 77098 713-586-4324 Insurance, Insurance Consultants ITWS LLC Benny Ban 10425 S.W. Plaza Drive Houston, TX 77074 832-310-7499 Home Theater Systems - CCTV, Security Systems Consultant King’s Granite and Marble Aldin Mejia 2206 Maurine St. Houston, TX 77039 713-992-4326 Counter Tops, Granite Referred by Chris Chavez LeaseHawk T.J. Golson 16435 N. Scottsdale Road Scottsdale, AZ 85254 228-217-5651 Advertising Tracking, Call Center - Leasing Service, Telephone Answering Service, Text Message Service, Communications Services Referred by Tina DeFiore

Onyx Restoration LLC Rowdy Robertson 32438 FM 529 Brookshire, TX 77423 832-839-0025 Fire/Water Damage Restoration, General Contractors Referred by Jason Guzak Powerhouse Retail Services Bruce Boykin 812 S. Crowley Road #A Crowley, TX 76036 817-368-1911 Apartment Maintenance Property Liability Specialists, General Contractors PrintWithMe Kimberly Cameron 311 W Superior St #402 Chicago, IL 60654 425-891-2650 Amenities, Business Machines Rock Fin Countertops Inc Raj Settipalli 5830 Gessner Houston, TX 77041 713-460-4441 Counter Tops, Corporate Housing Service Master by Century Bonnie Reynolds 32014 Tamina Road Magnolia, TX 77354 832-460-5535 Fire/Water Damage Restoration, Mold Remediation Referred by Tracey Moore, CAS Streamline Construction Houston LLC Rick Scott 9803 Hwy 242 #170 Suite 200 Conroe, TX 77835 713-346-1863 General Contractors, Painting Contractors Referred by Shaun Lewis Trustwork Raj Viswanath 2420 W. Mississippi Ave. Tampa, FL 33629 713-71-5264 General Contractors, Make Ready Vazquez Company Abel Vazquez 9707 Bredbur Glen #11 Houston, TX 77074 832-949-7693 Carpet Cleaning, Painting Contractors Referred by Terri Clifton I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

www.haaonline.org I wasn’t expecting it at all. I was surprised that they nominated me!” he said, laughing. “ I’ve been with this business for 15 years. I never expect anything. For me, if I get my job done or get it right, I’m satisfied with that. I don’t need recognition. As long as my resident and my management and the owner are happy, I’m happy. It was a good experience, though, feeling that way. I didn’t know that someone was watching!”

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RCR Update, continued from Page 53 3. Does your policy provide coverage by unit or by individual leaseholder? 4. Do you automatically and immediately add a unit to the gap insurance policy if a policy you wrote is cancelled? 5. What do you do when third-party tracking spots a policy cancellation? Can you walk me through the steps? 6. If you automatically add a unit to a gap coverage policy if a leaseholder cancels or fails to pay for a third-party policy, how long does that process take? 7. Are policy cancellations automatically entered in our communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s system or do we have to do that manually? 8. Do you automatically notify leaseholders of renters insurance cancellations and that they are in noncompliance with the lease terms? If so, how long does that process take, and how is it handled? 9. Do you inform leaseholders who fail to carry insurance that a noncompliance fee (to cover gap insurance costs) will be added to the rent statement? 10. Does your process require any manual intervention or is it fully automated? Remember, what your community needs is 100% of the leaseholders covered 100% of the time. An unsatisfactory answer to any of the questions above represents a crack in your liability insurance coverage that exposes you to potentially costly risk. CoreLogic is a quarterly, featured columnist for ABODE in 2019. CoreLogic has been a valued partner for HAAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rental Credit Reporting for 13 years. Randall C. Patton is a senior professional in sales at CoreLogic with over 15 years of credit experience in the multifamily industry, including applicant screening, online leasing, renterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s insurance and more. Patton supports the partnership between CoreLogic and HAA by helping to expand the RCR presence for Houston-area apartment owners and management companies. He holds a CAS designation, has been a licensed insurance agent for 13 years and is regarded as an industry expert on applicant fraud and identity theft.

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The Ambassador ONE Society HAA’s WELCOMING COMMITTEE

HELPING OUT

The Ambassadors collect for the HAA Food Drive and network with fellow HAA members.

Join us for our monthly meetings at Craft Republic 11470 Westheimer Road, Houston 77077 Mark your calendars and join us! Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month. Don’t miss our final meeting for 2019 on November 6

1. “ONE of the Month” Janell Richter, JMI Contractors, with 58 points. 1

Ambassador ONE Society members with at least 10 points, ranked by points earned: Janell Richter JMI Contractors 1559 Raedean Mitchem ApartmentData.com 308 Vanessa Guerrero Home Turf Texas 277 Amanda Kelly Corinthian Construction 185 Liz Levins Rasa Floors 180 Shera Lehman Texscape 144 Kerri Eckes Fish Window Cleaning 78 Kyle Turney Impact Floors 73 Tito Estrada Multifamily Ancillary Group 67 Jennifer Devine Valet Living 62 Tracey Leach-Moore Flooring Warehouse 62 Arely Pena The Liberty Group 52 Marcy Holmes Designs by Holmes Interior Design 45 Will McGinnis Infinity Power Partners 45 George Morrison Bio-One Houston 37 Angel Lopez Metropolitan Staffing Solutions 36 Blaise Spitaleri Gemstar Construction 33 Kelsey Eggleston Valet Living 31 Shaun Callaway Earthworks, Inc 30 Doug Oehl Flooring Warehouse 29 Logan Richter JMI Contractors 29 Blake Subinsky HD Supply 28 Danyell Wilkerson ApartmentData.com 27 Phillip Price HD Supply 26 Jarred Henrietta Impact Floors 25 Megan Stone The Liberty Group 25 Chelsea Urbanczyk CORT Furniture 24 Matthew Nunn Camp Construction Services 24 Amelia Mantilla Green City Security 22 April Shane Presto-X 22 Deborah DeRouen Designs by Holmes Interior Design 22 Jim Martensen Camp Construction Services 22 Juana Estrada Century A/C Supply 22 Marcus Wheatfall Triple Seal Insulation 21 Will Carroll Paul Davis Restoration of North Houston 21 Chelsea Quinteros Gail Construction 20 Giovanna Gone Earthworks, Inc 20 Karen Nelsen ALN Apartment Data, Inc 19 Ryan Hess Horisons Roof & Exterior Solutions 19 Alan Young Dixie Carpet 18 Amy Anderson Impact Floors 18 Susan Alvarado Century A/C Supply 18 Alexa Ramey Willbanks 17 Candis Mohr AAA Plumbers 17 Shannon Russell Day Ferguson Facility Supply Ambassadors earn points by sharing leads, making introductions and visiting communities to promote HAA events and news.

THE AMBASSADOR ONE SOCIETY is an organized network exchange that helps supplier partners build their business contacts within HAA. It’s the perfect way for new suppliers to get started with the association. Group members share leads, make introductions and support HAA and its members. For details on how to join and for meeting dates, visit www.haaonline.org/ambassadors or contact Amanda in the Membership Department at 713-595-0316, or email asherbondy@haaonline.org. 68

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2. First Place Team “The Bomb Squad” with 83 points 3. Second Place Team “Stay Classy” with 82 points 4. Third Place Team “Green Machine” with 32 points www.haaonline.org

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Portfolio Changes The following owner/management companies have added the listed properties to their portfolios: • American Landmark: Elite 99 West, 360 units at 23400 Kingsland Blvd., Katy. • Asset Living: The Crawford at Grand Morton, 336 units at 23223 First Park Drive, Katy. • Better World Properties LLC – Sumar: The Life at Forest View, 520 units at 201 Hackberry St., Clute. • Blue Abby Management LLC: ASP Holdings – Residential Homes, 1 unit at various locations. • Bo Management: Delta Fountain Apartments, 18 units at 3007 S. Broadway St., La Porte; Delta Garden Apartments, 43 units at 3003 S. Broadway St., La Porte; Delta Court Apartments, 34 units at 3101 S. Broadway St., La Porte; Delta Heights Apartments, 48 units at 3141 S. Broadway St., La Porte and Delta Residence Apartments, 56 units at 3030 Old Highway 146 South, La Porte. • Bravo Capital Management: Johanna Court Apartments, 39 units at 1928 Johanna Drive. • C&C Silver Properties LLC: Belfast, 2 units at 10402-10404 Belfast Road, Seabrook. • CAF Management LLC: Bar Harbor, 316 units at 2601 N. Repsdorph Road, Seabrook; Regency Park, 348 units at 11300 Regency Green Drive, Cypress and Park 610, 276 units at 2701 W. Bellfort Ave. • Continental Properties Company Inc.: Springs at Summer Park, 280 units at 7210 Reading Road, Rosenberg. • Cornerstone Income Properties: Townhomes on Three, 90 units at 15240 Galveston Road, Webster and Merwin Villa, 34 units at 4822 Merwin St. Cortland Partners: The Boulevard at Deer Park, 216 units at 401 W. Pasadena Blvd., Deer Park. • Creative Property Management: Falcon Point Apartments, 64 units at 708 Alabama St., Katy; Cedar Wood Apartments, 46 units at 1201 S. Johnson St., Alvin; Hidden Park Apartments, 52 units at 4225 Mangum Road; Oaks of Moritz Apartments, 56 units at 1541 Moritz Drive and Pine Arbor Apartments, 114 units at 5310 Lost Forest Drive. • D. Scott Vaughn & Todd J. Russo: Vaughn-Russo Group LLC – Homes, 1 unit at various locations.

• FDI Management Group LLC: Fulton Lofts, 80 units at 5451 Fulton St.; EaDo Lofts, 80 units at 3448 Coyle St., Spring and The Cardiff at Louetta Lakes, 168 units at 3400 Louetta Road, Spring. • Fogelman Management: The Retreat at Steeplechase, 390 units at 11245 West Road. • GKS Enterprises Management: 331 W. 18th Apartments, 12 units at 331 W. 18th St. • GPI Real Estate Management Corp: Relux Senior Community, 118 units at 9901 United Drive. • Grayco Partners Management: Venue Museum District, 224 units at 5353 Fannin St. • Greystar: Reserve at City Place, 264 units at 1560 League Line Road and The Westerly, 357 units at 10333 Clay Road. • Grove Texas Capital Management LLC: Welch Apartments, 14 units at 1608 and 1610 Welch St. • Indus Management Group LLC: The Atrium at 5606, 144 units at 5606 Bissonnet St. • Keyworth Capital Management LLC: Greenbriar Apartments, 87 units at 2001 Avenue F, El Campo. • Knightvest Management: Crossroads Ranch, 256 units at 12655 Crossroads Park Drive. • Madera Residential LLC: Portico Kirby, 263 units at 7550 Kirby Drive. • McCormack Baron Management Inc.: Gateway at Lake Jackson, 160 units at 111 Loganberry St., Lake Jackson. • Monument Property Management: Block at Montrose, 62 units at 1508 California St. • Portico Property Management: 14220 at Park Row, 318 units at 14220 Park Row Drive. • Price Realty Corp: Creekstone Apartments, 338 units at 10440 Deerwood Road. • Relik Realty LLC: Residence at Oakmont, 0 units at 4225 Pendleton Drive, Bryan. • Roscoe Properties: Wood Glen, 152 units at 3451 Tangle Bruch Drive, The Woodlands; Park Avenue at Boulder Creek, 292 units at 11575 Pearland Parkway; Kensington Crossings, 254 units at 14651 Philippine St.; Holly Creek, 332 units at 333 Holly Creek Court, The Woodlands and Cobblestone Park, 562 units at 3800 County Road 94, Manvel.

Need Meeting Space? The Houston Apartment Foundation Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center is here for you. The HAF Education Center is located at the HAA/HAF facility, 4810 Westway Park Blvd. in the Westway Park Development at Clay Road and Sam Houston Parkway. This premier location with easy access for members and their employees offers several options to choose from.

Keep the education center in mind when your company is in need of a facility for your next meeting or employee training. The center is available for rental to members and is the perfect venue for budget meetings, planning sessions and more. For more information, contact Susan at 713-595-0300, e-mail shinkley@haaonline.org or visit us online at www.haaonline.org.

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• Rose Capital Management: Rabon Chapel Apartments, 16 units at 16957 Rabon Chapel Road, Montgomery. • Silberman Realty: Redemption Square, 32 units at 202 W. Cole, Webster and Verve Apartments, 56 units at 3201 Garth Road, Baytown. • Smartly Capital: Inwood Village, 12 units at 7200 West TC Jester Blvd. • Town Square Apartments LLC: Town Square Apartments, 92 units at 1123 Witter St., Pasadena.

In the News The Houston Chronicle recognizes Don Ibanez, maintenance director for Treemont Retirement Community, for 34-plus years of service. Drewery Place gets mentioned in the Houston Chronicle for its smart features. The McAdams receives coverage of its eighthfloor amenity level, featuring an open-air terrace with an infinity pool, lounge seating, private cabanas, a firepit and an outdoor kitchen and bar areas. Stonemark Management announces Diane Gilbert as its new regional vice president, overseeing Stonemark’s multifamily portfolios in Texas and Tennessee. Gilbert

The Houston Business Journal reports on the Residences at la Colombe d’Or, highlighting that the 35-story tower will be one of several projects in Houston that combines a hotel with a multifamily development. Boardwalk at Town Center, a five-building rental property of 450 units, announces the completion of 40% of the exterior and interior renovations that have been in progress since fall 2018. The Houston Business Journal ranks the Houston Apartment Association as number 11 in its list of largest Houston-area business advocacy groups. Five Greystar properties took on water due to the rain Houston experienced during Hurricane Ilmeda. Those properties were Lofts at City Centre, Grey House, Rayford’s Edge, Milano and Latitude. A total of 29 units. Have big news to report? Email us at comm@haaonline.org. www.haaonline.org

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On the Scene with HAA COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Rebuild Houston Friday, September 13 Many thanks to the group of HAA volunteers who spent a day helping a veteran whose home was damaged by Hurricane Harvey. Elvia Bustos, Veritas Equity Management Anthony Campise, Carroll Organization Felicia Clifton, Better World Ben Corley, GoBravura Bryan Currier, Dixie Carpet Installations Chris Danna, Dixie Carpet Installations Jennifer Devine, Valet Living Kerri Eckes, Fish Window Cleaning Roberto Guzman, Veritas Equity Management Harrison Hanner, Dixie Carpet Installations Samantha Hernadez, Houston Waste Solutions Darlene Hunter, Greystar Jacob Kunath, Century A/C Supply Brityn Maddox, Veritas Equity Management Jammy Malone, FTK Construction Michala Mindiola, Dixie Carpet Installations Monica Morales, Whitney Management Paula Raper, Highmark Residential Brenda Reyes, Veritas Equity Management Daniela Valdez Serrano, Highmark Residential Ruha Vohra, Veritas Equity Management Tammy Wetterer, Carroll Organization Jess Williams, Dixie Carpet Installations Tracie Yoder, Avenue 5 Residential Alan Young, Dixie Carpet Installations

ABODE

November 2019

www.haaonline.org

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Join the HAA Food Drive for people and pets to help those in need this holiday season

HAA is asking all members to collect food, for both people and pets, to donate to the Houston Food Bank and The Rescue Bank. The collection drive is during the month of November. Food should be dropped off by Wednesday, December 4. HAA would like to challenge Regional Property Managers/Supervisors to lead the way. Can your portfolio collect the most food? The regional/supervisor who has the portfolio with the most donated items will win a fabulous prize. Prizes will also be awarded to the top three properties who collect the most.

Have questions? Contact Susan at shinkley@haaonline.org.

Steps for Collecting: • Identify central and highly visible areas, and designate them as your official display/food collection locations. • Decorate a display/food collection area and a food box to draw attention to collecting and to make it more fun. 1st, 2nd, 3rd prizes will be given to the property with the best decorated display. • Place a flyer at each resident's door or in your newsletter or place a flyer in the mailbox area to announce you will be collecting food during November and where to donate. For more ideas and a list of most needed items, follow this link: www.haaonline.org/fooddrive. • Drop off all donations no later than December 4 to either Camp Construction, 15139 S. Post Oak Road, 77053 or Cotton Commercial, 3010 Claymoore Park Drive, 77043.

ad index pg 74.qxp_Ad Index pg 74 10/17/19 7:40 AM Page 1

Index of Advertisers By CATEGORY A/C Supplies

Landscape Contractors

HAA Products & Services

Century A/C Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 281-530-2859 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.centuryac.com

Outdoor Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47 713-955-0990 . . . . . .www.outdoorelementstx.com

Rental Credit Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 713-595-0300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.haaonline.org/rcr

Texscape Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 281-846-3779 . . . . . . . . . .www.texscapeservices.com

Answering Service On Hold USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 800-755-4142 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.onholdusa.com

Laundry Equipment & Supplies WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems . . . . . . . .56 281-967-9507 . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.washlaundry.com

Carpet Installation Dixie Carpet Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46 281-261-6334 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dixiecarpet.com

Locks & Locksmiths CKI Wholesale Lock Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 713-462-0704 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ckilock.com

Collection Agencies Alexander-Rose Associates Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 713-644-4441 . . . . . . . . . . .www.alexanderrose-inc.com

Maintenance Supplies Johnstone Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 713-803-6231 . . . . . . . . . .www.johnstonesupply.com

HAA reserves the right to reject any advertising if its content is inappropriate or inconsistent with HAA’s standards for publication or HAA’s business interests, in HAA’s sole opinion.

Electric Contractors Affordable Quality Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 713-695-5992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.acuityelectric.com Brandt Electrical A/C & Heating Services . . . . . .1 281-693-3383 . . . . . . . . . . .www.brandtelectrical.com

Paving Contractors Pavement Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 281-758-8434 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.nopothole.com

Foundation Repair

Personnel Agency

Church Foundation Repair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 713-468-8400 . . .www.churchfoundationrepair.com

ASAP Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 972-432-6667 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.asapdo.com

General Contractors

Plumbing Contractors

Camp Construction Services . . . . . . . .Back Cover 713-413-2267 . . . . . . . .www.campconstruction.com

AAA Plumbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 713-462-4753 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.aaaplumbers.com

Cotton Commercial USA Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 877-511-2962 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.cottongds.com Crestmark Construction Services . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 713-426-6161 . . . . . . . . . . .www.crestmarkservices.com FSI Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 832-767-1115 . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fsiconstruction.com

Resident Screening Service CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Front Cover 888-297-8821 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.corelogic.com

Gemstar Construction & Development . . . . . . .31 281-821-1195 . . . . . .www.gemstarconstruction.com

Resurfacing

Guardian Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 832-672-4196 . . . . . . . . . . . .www.guardianconst.com

Perfect Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 713-952-0202 . . . . . . . .www.perfectsurfaceinc.com

JMI Contractors LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 713-343-0035 . . . . . . . . . . . .www.jmicontractors.com

Screens

MultiFamily Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 713-266-9100

Ameristar Screen and Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 713-683-6767 . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ameristarglass.com

RENCON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover 713-666-3636 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rencon.com

Glass – Plate, Window, Etc. Ameristar Screen and Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 713-683-6767 . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ameristarglass.com

Security Control Equipment/Systems SentriForce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17, 51 888-671-2202 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sentriforce.com

Swimming Pool Service Poolsure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 800-858-POOL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.poolsure.com

Insurance Harco Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65 713-681-2500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.harco-ins.com

Trash Hauling

www.haaonline.org/rcr

Waste Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 713-354-5230 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.thinkgreen.com

Want to see current and previous issues of ABODE online? Go to http://issuu.com/haa_abode. Or view this issue on your computer, iPad or smartphone at http://issuu.com/haa_abode/docs/abode_nov2019. 74

ABODE

November 2019

www.haaonline.org

Marketline pg 75.qxp_Layout 1 10/17/19 7:40 AM Page 1

MarketLine By BRUCE MCCLENNY, President, ApartmentData.com

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 1025 – • • • • •

HOUSTON

1050 –

Snapshot 90.3% $1,050/mo. $1.19/sq.ft./mo. 883 sq.ft.

Past 12 Months: 3.0% rental rate growth 12,128 units absorbed

– 90.0 975 –

– 89.0

– 88.0

•

Recently Opened (12 months): 49 communities 12,546 units

1000 –

Under Construction: 80 communities 22,956 units Sep 19

Aug 19

Jul 19

Jun 19

May 19

Apr 19

Mar 19

Jan 19

Feb 19

Dec 18

Nov 18

Oct 18

Sep 18

Aug 18

Jul 18

Jun 18

Apr 18

May 18

Mar 18

Feb 18

Jan 18

Dec 17

Nov 17

Oct 17

– 87.0

Proposed Construction: 91 communities 27,947 units

History of Effective Rental Rate & Occupancy for All Units

Hottest Submarkets Over the Past Three Months

Concessions

Annualized Rank 1 2 3 4 5

Occupancy (%)

Operating Supply: 2,812 communities 659,188 units

Rental Rate (¢/sq.ft./mo.)

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

• • •

Submarket Downtown I-69 North U of H/I-45 South Sugar Land/Stafford/Sienna Friendswood/Pearland East

% of Market Absorbed 13.7% 8.8% 7.8% 6.8% 3.3%

Rental Rate Growth % 2.5% 3.3% 0.9% 1.2% 2.6%

Total Units Class w/Concessions All 288,418 A 77,910 B 111,767 C 85,712 D 13,029

% of Total Units 44% 50% 43% 43% 28%

Average Special -2.8% -4.0% -2.2% -2.2% -1.9%

Citywide Effect -6.1% -7.5% -5.1% -5.2% -6.6%

One Month Free = -8.33%

THE FIRST TABLE ABOVE GIVES A SNAPSHOT of the current market conditions. The graph displays the overall occupancy and effective rental rates over the past 24 months. These statistics are derived from a continuous survey of all apartment communities in the Houston region. The effective rental rates are the calculated net of concessions and utility adjustments. The second table lists the five hottest submarkets in the Greater Houston area. There are a total of 42 submarkets, and the ranking is based on the best combination of rental rate growth and absorption over the past three months. The third table distributes and analyzes concessions (specials) by classification. Concessions generally are represented by three types of specials: move-in, months free or floor plans. The effect of these specials is captured and prorated over a lease term to arrive at a percentage reduction in market or street rents.

TEXAS

Dallas/Ft. Worth

San Antonio

Austin

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

91.7% $1,158/mo. $1.32/sq.ft./mo. 875 sq.ft.

91.5% $980/mo. $1.15/sq.ft./mo. 852 sq.ft.

92.4% $1,313/mo. $1.50¢/sq.ft./mo. 873 sq.ft.

Past 12 Months: 5.1% rental rate growth 20,275 units absorbed

Past 12 Months: 5.0% rental rate growth 5,716 units absorbed

Past 12 Months: 7.4% rental rate growth 9,130 units absorbed

Operating Supply: 3,125 communities 736,221 units

Operating Supply: 912 communities 194,078 units

Operating Supply: 1,003 communities 232,880 units

www.haaonline.org

ApartmentData.com has been providing apartment data and marketing products since 1986. ApartmentData.com provides real-time access for property specific information, market surveys and historic submarket data for more than 3.5 million apartment units in Texas, Florida, Georgia, Arizona, North Carolina and Tennessee. For more information, contact Bruce McClenny at 800-595-8730. © 2019 ApartmentData.com November 2019

ABODE

Backpage pg 76 nov.qxp_Layout 1 10/17/19 7:41 AM Page 1

Back Page

with News from around the COMMUNITY

Join “Deck the Halls” with Purdy’s Angels in Memory of Lisa Purdy For many of us, the holiday season is full of joy and happiness. Unfortunately, there are families living in your community that may not be as fortunate. “Deck the Halls” is a charity and resident recognition event dedicated to giving a family in need from among the multifamily community some holiday spirit. “Deck the Halls” was founded by Lisa Purdy, a multifamily professional who passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2016. In loving memory of Lisa, her friends and colleagues have continued this tradition. “Deck the Halls” will do everything possible to make this holiday season special for one family. The family selected will have their home fully decorated for the holiday. This

will include a fully decorated Christmas Tree, a wreath for the front door, a dining table decorated with all the trimmings, gifts under the tree, and a holiday dinner. If donations exceed these basics, we will work to provide other home décor and furniture as needed. If you would like to nominate a family or contribute or volunteer please contact Elaine Clayton at ElaineClayton@PurdyInteriorDesigns.com. Nominations are due by November 22, 2019.

Please contact Elaine Clayton at elaineclayton@purdyinteriordesigns.com to nominate a family. The entry deadline is November 22.

ABODE IS THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION. Serving the multihousing industry in Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Waller and Wharton counties. Statement of Ownership, Management and Circulation signed and filed with the USPS by Deborah Nix, Editor. ABODE (USPS 024-962) is published monthly by the Houston Multi Housing Corporation. Publishing, editorial and advertising offices are located at 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041. Telephone 713-595-0300. The $50 annual ABODE subscription rate is included in all member dues and additional subscriptions are available. The annual subscription rate is $50 for members, $65 for non-members. Periodicals Postage Paid at Houston, Texas. Copyright © 2019 by HAA.

ABODE Magazine ABODE Magazine

0 2 4

Monthly

9 6 2

09/16/2019 $50.00

Houston Apartment Association/Houston Mulithousing Corp. 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041

Deborah Nix 713-595-0300

Houston Apartment Association/Houston Mulithousing Corp. 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041

September 2019

Monthly trade association periodical publication for apartment/multifamily industry members of HAA/HMHC

4,979

5,000

1,208

1,225

3,541

3,587

4,749

4,812

Deborah Nix, Editor/Director of Publications 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041

Jeff Hall, Publisher/Executive Vice President 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041

Houston Mulithousing Corp.

4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041

Houston Apartment Association

4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041

206

183

4,955

4,995

4,979

5,000

95.8%

96.3%

x November 2019 09/16/2019

ABODE

November 2019

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Houston Apartment Association 4810 Westway Park Blvd. Houston, Texas 77041

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