ABODE October 2017

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THE HOUSTON APARTMENT ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE

www.haaonline.org

ABODE October 2017

HOUSTON

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CONTENTS October 2017

ON THE COVER

FEATURES & PHOTOS

36

30 On the Scene – Photos from the HAA Business Exchange.

HoUSton Strong – After Harvey hit Houston, the city came together to support one another. In this issue, we are giving an update on all that HAA, TAA and the City of Houston are doing to rebuild, starting on Page 36. Q&As with Senator Paul Bettnecourt and the Houston Housing Authority’s President and CEO

Tory Gunsolley start on Page 46.

Cover Image by © AFPPhotography/Dreamstime.

36 HoUSton Strong – HAA, the City of Houston, housing providers, charities, TAA and NAA are all stringing together for Houston.

COLUMNS & MONTHLY UPDATES 7 President’s Corner – HAA President Kyle Brown and Mayor Sylvester Turner send a letter to our members.

8 Patron of the Month – Meet and support FSI Construction.

40 7 Steps – Here are seven steps business owners can take post Harvey to improve their insurance claim.

9 Legislative Update – Legislators propose seven changes to our state government blueprint.

42 Staying Resilient – Resilience and gratitude in times of tragedy.

11 It’s The Law – What rights owners have after Harvey.

44 On the Scene – Photos from the PAC luncheon in September.

14 Resident Relations – Cats and carpet are never a good combination.

46 Betting on Bettencourt – Post Harvey, ABODE and the HAA Government Affairs team sat down with Senator Paul Bettencourt.

50 Great Gunsolley – ABODE and the HAA Government Affairs team sat down with the Houston Housing Authority’s Tory Gunsolley.

54 Thanks, PAC Contributors – Thanks to those who contribute to the HAA PAC. 58 On Site with ABODE – Honors Awards More than 300 Units, Mid-Rise, Built 2000-2015 of the Year.

59 On Site with ABODE – Honors Awards High-Rise, Built 2000-2015 of the Year.

60 On Site with ABODE – Honors Awards 2016 New Development Garden of the Year.

61 On Site with ABODE – Honors Awards 151-330 Units, Mid-Rise, Built 2000-2015.

62 On the Scene – Photos from the NEXT “Krazy Karaoke.”

19 Upcoming Education – Find out what education courses the Houston Apartment Foundation is offering in October and November.

20 Calendar – HAA’s schedule of events for the next coming months.

26 NAA Update – Information on Equifax security breach, plus Harvey information.

28 On the Road with HAA – Photos from the Clear Lake Area Council.

64 Welcome Mat – Meet the newest HAA members.

66 Go-Getters – Making membership matter!

68 The Ambassador ONE Society – News from the HAA welcome wagon.

70 Portfolio Changes and In the News – 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

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OFFICERS AND ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP

JOHN BORIACK Vice President at Large

MICHELLE PAWELEK President-Elect KYLE BROWN President

JOHN FEDORKO Vice President at Large

DIANE GILBERT Vice President at Large

KELLY SCOTT Secretary/Treasurer

CLAY HICKS Vice President at Large

HOWARD BOOKSTAFF General Counsel

STARLA TURNBO Vice President at Large JEFF HALL Executive VP

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alison Hall, Immediate Past President Josh Allen Mack Armstrong Jeff Blevins John Boriack Kyle Brown Joe Bryson Tina Cavaco Grant Crowell Scott Douglas Ian Douglas John Fedorko Paula Forshee Amy Funk Israel Garza Diane Gilbert Stephanie Graves Ira Gross Bryan Head Clay Hicks David Jones Jacob Kunath Barby Lake Laura Lestus Kristin McLaughlin Carlos Neto Dean O’Kelley Michelle Pahl Velissa Parmer Jenifer Paneral Mark Park Michelle Pawelek Jackie Rhone Christy Rodriguez Kelly Scott Kurt Seidel Kim Small Debbie Sulzer Dana Tucker Starla Turnbo Beth Van Winkle Quintina Willis Tracie Yoder DIRECTORS EMERITUS Gary Blumberg Ken Bohan Kathy Clem Jack Dinerstein

Darlene Guidry Jenard Gross David Hargrove Larry Hill Stacy Hunt Hap Hunnicutt Mike Koch Dick LaMarche Tim Myers P. David Onanian John Ridgway Eileen Subinsky Steve Sweet Kirk Tate Suan Tinsley H.J. Tollett Pat Tollett Vic Vacek Jr. Jerry Winograd ADVISORY DIRECTORS Terri Clifton Brenda Crawford Billy Griffin Cesar Lima Robert Lopes Sonia Lopez Karen Nelsen Shelley Watson 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 Israel Garza, CAS, President Maintenance Supply Headquarters Grant Crowell, CAS, Vice President The Urban Foresters Jacob Kunath, CAS, Secretary Century A/C Supply Laura Lestus, CAS, Treasurer The Liberty Group Kristin McLaughlin, CASE, Immediate Past President Mohawk Industries MEMBERS Marivel Bownds, CAS, Valet Waste Dixie Caldwell-Greer, CAS, The Liberty Group Peggy Charles, CASE, Sunny Rock International LLC Dylan Coleman, CAS Camp Construction Services Deborah DeRouen, CAS, Respage Derek DeVries, CAS, Camp Construction Services Brian Febbo, CAS FSI Construction Jimmie Hotz, CASE, HD Supply Dan James, CAS Redevelopment Services Debra Knight, CAS, Valet Waste

Stephanie Krop, CASE, Buyers Access Liz Levins, CAS David Lindley, CAS, FSI Construction Inc. Candis Mohr, CAS, AAA Plumbers Doug Oehl, CAS Power Express PATRON MEMBERS 1980 CSC ServiceWorks 1982 Republic Services 1986 Craven Carpet 1987 For Rent Media Solutions 1994 AAA Plumbers Presto Maintenance Supply 1996 Houston Planned Energy Systems 1997 RentPath 1999 FSI Construction Inc. 2003 Dixie Carpet Installations 2009 Camp Construction Services 2013 Criterion Brock

SPONSOR MEMBERS 1968 Century A/C Supply Hoover Slovacek LLP Reliant 1973 Brady Chapman Holland & Assoc.

CORT Furniture Rental 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 Namco Mfg. Co. Inc. Sherwin Williams Company 1984 RENCON 1985 Gemstar Construction Development Inc. 1986 ApartmentData.com 1988 Wallace Garcia Wilson Architects Inc. 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 Classic Touch Painting Direct Energy LP Keystone Resources Southwest Painting Contractors Inc. 2003 Sign-Ups & Banners 2005 LSR Multifamily 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 ARE Business Solutions Flavor Finish Resurfacing HARCO Insurance Services Texas Turf Management 2009 Contractors Inc. Moen Inc. Redevelopment Services Storm Maintenance & Monitoring 2010 ALN Apartment Data Inc. BAC Products Belfor Property Restoration Certified Termite and Pest Control Cotton Commercial USA FTK Construction Services 2011 DNM Contracting Inc. Fantastic Floors Greenway Environmental Services Infinite Energy Inc. Parking Management Company/PMC Towing 2012 ABC Supply Co. Inc. Accent Sign & Awning Co. Brown & Gay Engineers Cantrell McCulloch Inc. EnviroSmart Multifamily Pest Solutions Floor and Decor Giordano Construction Go-Staff Inc. Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping Inc. Nationwide Eviction

Texas Concrete Professional Company 2013 ACTIV Answer by Audio Images Arbor Contract Carpet ASAP Steamers Carpet Cleaning Capitol Wrecker LLC Comcast Gambit Construction Gorman Roofing Services Outdoor Elements Pool Works LLC ProMaster Roofing & Gutter StoveTop FireStop Tidal Renovations LLC 2014 Adventure Playground Systems Inc. Chadwell Supply Classic Same Day Blinds D & G Quality Roofing J National Jonah Systems LLC MX2 Commercial Paving Pathfinder Insurance Group Perma-Pier Foundation Repair of Texas Ram Jack Foundation Solutions SisTerra Landscape Texas Apartment Pool Services The Katy Plumbing Co. Virtual Leasing Systems WCA Waste Corporation Zillow Group 2015 Admiral Linen & Uniform Service by Alsco Air Pro Systems America Outdoor Furniture American Painting & Renovations Inc. ASAP Personnel Inc. BSI Cameras Onsite CertaPro Painters Citi Fence Commercial Competitive Choice Inc. CSILED.com DeNyse Companies Division-9 Inc. Duke Sys Fix My Slab Foundation Repair Fulton Law Group PLLC Gateman Inc. Goes Heating Systems Greater Houston Pool Management H.S. Services Holder’s Pest Control Infinity Power Partners Kathy Andrews Interiors Lane Law Firm Notifii LLC Pace Mechanical Services Power Express Prestige Restoration LLC Smith Protective Service The Allshouse Group LLC Torocon Services LLC Wilsonart 2016 3'D Painting & Construction LLP 5885 Roofing & Construction Inc. Action Window Coverings Inc. Air Rescue Allied Fire Protection, LP Armadillo Professional Landscaping LLC Bath Fitter BH Fitness North America Cinc.h – Cabinet Refacing Kits Citi Fence & Concrete CoverAll Pests E-Systems Pest Management Inc. Ecolo Environmental Inc. Embark Services Entrust Movers Express Employment Professionals EZneeds Fidus Construction Services Fun Abounds Furniture Options Green City Recycler Green City Security Green Days Lawn Care Guardian Chimney Sweep Halo Doors Inc. Hillcroft Group LLC Hive Houston Metro Security JLL Johnstone Supply Kastle Systems KONE Leah McVeigh Design and Consulting Liquid Waste Solutions

Manning Pool Service McCann Total Security Solutions Murrah & Killough PLLC Murray Insurance & Financial O’Conor, Mason & Bone PC Paul Davis Restoration North Houston Pet and Playground Products Platinum Enterprises LLC Progressive 1 Roofing & Construction Quantum Fitness Ram Construction Roadrunner Restoration RoofTec Ross Fried Consulting Sparkle Wash Pressure Washing Sustain-Ability Solutions Texan Glass & Solar Control Texas Southwest Floors The Home Depot The Perfect Light The PI Company ValencePM VMI Premier Group LLC WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems WellKept WF Athletic Supply Whitmans Contracting and Roofing 2017 911 Security Cameras Inc. Abilities Unlimited Inc. ACT Security Group Advanced Property Services All About Doody Pet Soutions LLC All American Mailboxes of Houston Inc. Allegion American Fire Protection Group Apartment Total Services Apartment Total Services BioTechs South Houston Brooklet Energy Distribution Buddy's Roofing & Construction Co. Byte Time Computing Cano Electric Inc. City Supply Co. Inc. Classic Towing CoreServ LLC Creative Surface Cypress Landscaping & Irrigation Inc. D&C Painting Designs by Holmes Disaster America Eagle Restore LLC Energy Ogre Ernie Smith and Sons Roofing LLC Fast Forward Services LLC Finishes Etc LLC Flooring4.Us Frost Insurance Agency Gage Multifamily Services Genesis Panel Systems Gravely & Pearson LLP H Town Movers and HVAC Services HousingManager.com Lithotech Printed Products/Forms Center Maven Auto Detailing McMahan’s Flooring Inc. Media Nation Outdoor MPS Direct Norman Construction NorthMarq Capital On Site Towing LLC Pack-It Movers Paragon Roofing Inc. Paul Ryan Windows POPIC Re-Mark Technologies Group LLC Reliable Fire Protection Rent Accelerator Richmond Equipment Roof Top Innovations Rutherford Services Inc. SEAL Security Solutions Secure Insurance Securecomm Inc. Special Touch Landscaping State Sign - A Comet Signs Company Student Movers Inc. Symmons Industries TD Waterproofing Texas Crime Prevention Agency Texas Engineered Roofing & General Contracting Texas Eviction LLC USA Patrol Division Willbanks & Associates

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ABODE OCTOBER 2017 I VOLUME 40, ISSUE 10 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 asherbondy@haaonline.org CONTRIBUTING STAFF

Vice President and General Manager SUSAN HINKLEY, CAE shinkley@haaonline.org Vice President of Professional Development EMILY HILTON, CPP 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 EMILY BANNWARTH, CMP ebannwarth@haaonline.org Director of Rental Credit Reporting TINA DEFIORE tdefiore@haaonline.org Education and Meetings Coordinator KAREN MITCHELL kmitchell@haaonline.org Strategic Growth Manager LAUREN TURNER, CMP lturner@haaonline.org Membership and Marketing Coordinator LAUREN WOLFSON lwolfson@haaonline.org Public Affairs Specialist ALPA PATEL apatel@haaonline.org Webmaster and IT Specialist WILL ALFARO walfaro@haaonline.org PRINTER

TGI PRINTED www.tgiprinted.com HOUSTON COMMITTEE Executive Program & Budget Nominating Ethics Investment Fair Housing By-Laws Past Presidents Council Strategic Growth Legislative PAC Fundraising HAA Better Government Fund Century Club Multifamily Fire Safety Alliance Media Relations Golf Developers Leadership Development Product Service Council Community Outreach Resident Relations Appeals Resident Relations A Resident Relations B Membership Ambassador ONE Society 2017 Expo IROC Education Advisory Council Career/Community Development NEXT HAF Fundraiser Property Awards HAA Street Team

APARTMENT ASSOCIATION COMMITTEES CHAIR STAFF ADVISOR KYLE BROWN JEFF HALL MICHELLE PAWELEK JEFF HALL ALISON HALL JEFF HALL EILEEN SUBINSKY JEFF HALL KELLY SCOTT JEFF HALL BRYAN HEAD JEFF HALL KIM SMALL JEFF HALL JENIFER PANERAL JEFF HALL KELLY SCOTT LAUREN TURNER MICHELLE PAWELEK ANDY TEAS JERRY WINOGRAD ANDY TEAS STACY HUNT/JOHN RIDGWAY ANDY TEAS LAURA LESTUS ANDY TEAS JOHN FEDORKO ANDY TEAS JOHN FEDORKO ANDY TEAS CLAY HICKS ANDY TEAS CYRUS BAHRAMI ANDY TEAS MACK ARMSTRONG SUSAN HINKLEY IZZY GARZA SUSAN HINKLEY JOHN BORIACK SUSAN HINKLEY DARLENE GUIDRY MATILDE LUNA HEATHER LACLAIRE MATILDE LUNA KARI CARGLE MATILDE LUNA CLAY HICKS AMANDA SHERBONDY DEBORAH DEROUEN/DEREK DEVRIES AMANDA SHERBONDY GRANT CROWELL AMANDA SHERBONDY STEPHANIE BRYSON EMILY HILTON STARLA TURNBO EMILY HILTON DIANE GILBERT EMILY HILTON LINDSAY TORRES/DAVID LINDLEY EMILY HILTON SUSAN WELLS/ARRIE COLCA EMILY BANNWARTH DAVID JONES/STEPHANIE GRAVES TINA DEFIORE CARINA BRYARS LAUREN WOLFSON

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.

Visit HAA Online at www.haaonline.org 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, OCTOBER 2017 VOLUME 40, ISSUE 10 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 © 2017 by HAA. Periodicals Postage Paid at Houston, Texas.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to ABODE, 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041.

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HOUSTON

STRONG The Houston Apartment Association is raising funds for the Greater Houston Community Foundation directly benefitting the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund set up by Mayor Sylvester Turner. Every little bit helps!

As an association we can make a big difference.

Your tax-deductible flood relief donations will directly go to those affected by the recent floods.

Visit https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/team/haahurricaneharveyrelief to donate.

Photo Š AFPPhotography/Dreamstime.com

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President’s Corner By KYLE BROWN, CPM, 2017 HAA President

WORKING TOGETHER

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and HAA President Kyle Brown send a letter to members.

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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

For Rent Media Solutions

HAA Member since 1978

HAA Member since 1987

Republic Services

Criterion Brock

HAA Member since 1982

HAA Member since 1985

Presto Maintenance Supply

AAA Plumbers

HAA Member since 1983

HAA Member since 1984

CSC ServiceWorks

FSI Construction Inc.

HAA Member since 1961

HAA Member since 1999

Craven Carpet

Dixie Carpet Installations

HAA Member since 1986

HAA Member since 1987

Camp Construction Services

RentPath

HAA Member since 1994

HAA Member since 1979

October Patron of the Month

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Legislative Update

By MICHELLE PAWELEK, CPM, CAPS, HAA Legislative Chair, with ANDY TEAS, CAE, Vice President of Public Affairs

AMENDMENTS

Proposed Texas Constitutional Amendments: Legislators propose seven changes to our state government blueprint.

NEXT MONTH, ALL Texas voters have a chance to decide the fate of seven proposed changes to our state constitution. Because Houston will see a high-dollar campaign to pass Mayor Sylvester Turner’s hard-fought pension bond issue, Houstonians will likely turn out in larger numbers, playing a greater role than the rest of the state on proposed constitutional amendments.

Texas adopted its first state constitution in 1845, when it first joined the Union, changing from an independent nation to one of the United States. As with most other state constitutions written before the Civil War, Texas’ constitution was modeled after the U.S. Constitution: a short, vague list of general guiding principles for state government. Texas adopted several more constitutions just before, during and after the Civil War. After being re-admitted to the United States, Texas found itself governed by a 1869 Constitution that created a powerful state government with most judges and executive officials appointed by the governor.

Many Texans considered the Constitution of 1869 to be a document imposed on Texas by the Radical Republicans, and set out to replace it with a new one. In the fall of 1875, 83 Texans gathered in Austin to draft the constitution that is still in effect today. The delegates included Republicans and Democrats, and included several African-Americans. The largest group of votes among the delegates belonged to the Texas Patrons of Husbandry, better known as the Grange. The Grangers’ vision of a weak central state government, with direct election of most judges and executive officials by the people to brief terms of office, became the focus of the new Texas Constitution. Distrustful of big business interests, the Grangers also placed severe restrictions on banks and railroads in the new constitution, some of which remain in the document today. Texans adopted our current constitution on Feb. 15, 1876, by a vote of 136,606 to 56,652. www.haaonline.org

The Texas Constitution contains a bill of rights that, in some respects, grants greater individual liberty to citizens than the bill of rights in the U.S. Constitution. The Texas Constitution also provides that a two-thirds vote of the legislature and a majority vote of the people may amend it. Over the years, legislators have used the Texas Constitution for “super-legislation,” making the document less of a blueprint for government than a collection of statutes that are hard to repeal. Since its adoption in 1876, the Texas Legislature has proposed 670 amendments to voters, who have approved 491 of them. Several attempts to enact a new constitution, most recently in 1972, have not been successful.

Without a new constitutional convention, the job of revising and updating our state’s principal governing document falls squarely on the voters. This year, the Texas Legislature has voted to recommend seven specific changes for your consideration.

Proposition 1 – “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of part of the market value of the residence homestead of a partially disabled veteran or the surviving spouse of a partially disabled veteran if the residence homestead was donated to the disabled veteran by a charitable organization for less than the market value of the residence homestead and harmonizing certain related provisions of the Texas Constitution.”

This proposed amendment would fix an anomaly in current law that can increase the financial burden on a partially disabled veteran who paid some amount of the cost of a donated home. Unlike a partially disabled veteran whose home is donated in full, a veteran who paid part of the cost of a donated home receives no property tax exemption on its taxable value. This can lead to a sizable property tax bill that the recipient may not have anticipated and an ongoing cost that the veteran may not have the income

to offset. Veterans in this situation are at risk of losing a donated home to unpaid property taxes, even if that home was built or renovated specifically for the individual's disabilities, with features such as wheelchair-accessibility.

Proposition 2 – “The constitutional amendment to establish a lower amount for expenses that can be charged to a borrower and removing certain financing expense limitations for a home equity loan, establishing certain authorized lenders to make a home equity loan, changing certain options for the refinancing of home equity loans, changing the threshold for an advance of a home equity line of credit, and allowing home equity loans on agricultural homesteads.”

This would amend the Texas Constitution to revise the cap on fees that can be charged when making a home equity loan, allow the refinancing of home equity loans into non-home equity loans, repeal a prohibition on home equity loans for agricultural homesteads, revise a provision governing home equity lines of credit, and amend the list of approved lenders.

Proposition 3 – “The constitutional amendment limiting the service of certain officeholders appointed by the governor and confirmed by the senate after the expiration of the person’s term of office.”

Texas government has a lot of official, but unpaid, boards and commissions with members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the state senate. This amendment would address concerns about some appointees being held over in their positions long after their terms have expired. This proposal would amend the Texas Constitution to place a limit on how long an appointee whose term had expired could continuing serving in office. Placing the limit at the end of a regular legislative session would allow the Texas Senate to hold confirmation hearings on replacement appointees. / See Legislative, Page 73

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It’s the Law

By HOWARD BOOKSTAFF, Hoover Slovacek LLP , HAA General Counsel

THE AFTERMATH

As Houston apartment professionals and owners work through the devastation of Harvey, many are asking a number of questions. Here are your answers.

MANY COMMUNITIES IN and around Houston suffered damages from the effects of Hurricane Harvey. Many lost power and numerous properties suffered substantial water damage. Roads turned into rivers.

Cars were replaced with boats. Transistor radios replaced TVs. As we work to recover from the devastation, apartment owners and managers have a number of questions with respect to various owner/resident issues. Here are some of the commonly asked questions, and some guidance with respect to the answers. Please note that the answers to these questions presume the resident has signed a standard TAA Apartment Lease Contract. If another lease is being used, the lease should be reviewed to determine whether the answers given should be modified.

If my property has substantial damage, do I have the right to terminate leases?

Yes. Section 26.5 of the lease states that if the owner believes that catastrophic damage is substantial or that performance of needed repairs poses a danger to the resident, the owner may terminate the lease by giving at least five (5) days written notice.

If I terminate leases, do I have to refund rent and security deposits?

Yes. Section 26.5 of the lease also states that if the lease is terminated, the owner will refund prorated rent and all deposits, less lawful deductions. The amount of prorated rent refunded will depend on the date the lease is terminated. Since the property would have been substantially damaged, chances are that most, if not all, of the security deposit should be refunded.

If the owner does not believe that the damage warrants the termination of the lease, does the resident still have www.haaonline.org

the right to terminate the lease?

As we work to recover from the devastation, apartPossibly. Pursuant to Section ment owners and managers have a number of ques92.054(b) of the Texas Property tions with respect to various owner/resident issues.

Code, if after a casualty loss the Here are some of the commonly asked quesrental premises are as a practitions, and some guidance with respect to the cal matter totally unusable for answers. Please note that the answers to these quesresidential purposes, either the owner or the resident may tertions presume the resident has signed a standard TAA minate the lease by giving writApartment Lease Contract. If another lease is being ten notice to the other any time used, the lease should be reviewed to determine before repairs are completed. If whether the answers given should be modified. the lease is terminated, the resident is entitled to a pro rata refund of rent from the date the resident moves out and to a refund of any seidential purposes, the resident is entitled to curity deposit otherwise required by law. reduction in rent in an amount proportionOf course, the question is whether the loss ate to the extent the premises are unusable rendered the rental premises “totally unusbecause of the casualty, but only on judgable for residential purposes.” This will dement of a county or district court. This secpend upon a number of factors, including tion also states that an owner and resident the type of damage, how long repairs will may agree otherwise in a written lease. take, and whether someone can live in the Based on the language of the lease, rent unit while repairs are being made. If you will not abate in whole or in part. Since the have damage that will take a couple of days statute allows an owner and resident to agree to repair, the argument that the unit was toon this issue in the lease, the lease should tally unusable for residential purposes would prevail. Furthermore, even under the statute, probably not carry much weight. If, however, if a resident is seeking a reduction in rent, the the unit cannot be lived in for a period of resident would only be entitled to a reducweeks, the resident might have a better argution if the resident proceeded to court and ment that the unit is totally unusable for resiobtained a judgment allowing the reduction. dential purposes.

Can a resident terminate the lease only If the unit is partially unusable, is the because the community lost power? resident entitled to a rent abatement?

No. Although an argument might be made Probably not. Section 26.4 of the lease that the resident would have the right to terstates that the owner will act with customary minate the lease if the loss of power rendered diligence to make repairs and reconnections, the unit “totally unusable for residential purtaking into consideration when casualty-inposes,” Section 92.052(c) of the Texas Propsurance proceeds are received and that “rent erty Code provides that this subchapter (the will not abate in whole or in part.” subchapter that includes the resident’s right Section 92.054(c) of the Texas Property to terminate the lease after a casualty loss if Code states that if after a casualty loss the the unit is totally unusable for residential rental premises are partially unusable for respurposes) does not require an owner to furOctober 2017

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In determining whether a period of time is a reasonable time to repair or remedy a condition, there is a rebuttable presumption that seven (7) days is a reasonable time. To rebut the presumption, the date on which the owner received the resident’s notice, the severity and nature of the condition and the reasonable availability of materials and labor and of utilities from a utility company must be considered.

nish utilities from a utility company if as a practical matter the utility lines of the company are not reasonably available.

If my community is up and running and I want to offer leases to residents displaced from other properties, how much rent can I charge?

Owners can’t “price gouge.” The Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act provides it is unlawful to take advantage of a disaster by selling or leasing fuel, food, medicine, or another necessity at an exorbitant or excessive price or demanding an exorbitant or excessive price in connection with the sale or lease of fuel, food, medicine, or another necessity.

How long do I have to make repairs?

There is not a clear answer to this question. Section 92.056(b) of the Texas Property Code provides that an owner is liable to a resident for failing to repair or remedy a condition if: (i) the resident has given the owner notice to repair a remedy the condition; (ii) the condition materially affects the physical health or safety of an ordinary resident; (iii) the resident has given the owner a subsequent written notice to repair or remedy the condition after a reasonable time following the resident’s first notice (unless the resident gave the first notice by certified or registered mail); (iv) the owner has had a reasonable time to repair or remedy the condition after the owner receives the resident’s notices; (v) the owner has not made a diligent effort to repair or remedy the condition after receiving the resident’s notices; and (vi) the resident was not delinquent in the payment of rent at the time any notice required by this subsection was given.

In determining whether a period of time is a reasonable time to repair or remedy a condition, there is a rebuttable presumption that seven (7) days is a reasonable time. To rebut the presumption, the date on which the owner received the resident’s notice, the severity and nature of the condition and the reasonable availability of materials and labor and of utilities from a utility company must be considered.

Section 92.054(a) provides that if a condition results for an insured casualty loss, the period for repair does not begin until the owner receives the insurance proceeds. As indicated above Section 26.4 of the lease provides that the owner will act with customary diligence to make repairs and reconnections, taking into consideration when casualty-insurance proceeds are received.

Based upon these statutory and lease provisions, it would appear to be reasonable for an owner to have at least seven (7) days to make repairs after the storm. However, the law allows an owner additional time if the failure to make repairs is due to the severity and nature of the condition or the unavailability of materials, labor or utilities. Therefore, the answer will depend on whether there are sufficient insurance proceeds to pay the cost of repairs, the circumstances relating to the extent of the damage and what the owner needs to do in order to make proper repairs. Of course, if you are electing to terminate leases, time to repair is more or less irrelevant.

a practical matter, totally unusable for residential purposes as a result of a natural disaster, an owner that allows a resident to move to another rental unit owned by the owner may not require the resident to execute a lease for a term longer than the term remaining on the resident’s lease on the date the premises was rendered unusable as a result of the natural disaster.

This law would prevent you from requiring a resident who has two months left on the lease (pre-Harvey) to sign a new 12-month lease if the resident is transferring as a result of Harvey. The law does not prevent an owner from leasing for a longer term if the longer term is not required. However, there may be an issue proving that a longer term was not required. One approach might be to transfer the resident and have the resident sign a new lease for the same term as the resident’s old lease, but then have the resident sign a longer term after the resident has transferred. Of course, this would have to be with the agreement of both parties that sign the new lease and the longer term could not have been a condition of the resident’s ability to transfer for the remainder of the existing term.

Hopefully we have answered some of the questions you may have. Obviously, in this environment, there may be additional issues you may need to consider with any situation.

Let’s all hope the recovery process will go smoothly and we can look forward to getting back to a sense of normalcy.

Are there any restrictions to transferring residents to other units?

Yes. Pursuant to Section 92.062 of the Texas Property Code, if a rental premise is, as

Want to see more “It’s the Law?” You can access current and previous issues of ABODE online.

Go to http://issuu.com/haa_abode View this issue on your computer, tablet or smartphone at http://issuu.com/haa_abode/docs/abode_oct2017.

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www.haaonline.org

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Resident Relations from the RESIDENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

CATS AND CARPETS

A management company shows fairness in a time of despair for a resident, but the resident asks for more.

A RESIDENT FILED a complaint with HAA to dispute cleaning charges. At move-out the resident had a final bill of $716.59, which included outstanding bills, cleaning charges, a new carpet and blind replacements. In the resident’s complaint, he agreed to pay for two out of the four blinds that needed to be replaced, but that the carpet was in perfect condition.

Management responded to HAA and that response was forwarded to the resident. Management felt the resident was charged accordingly.

Enclosed were copies of the application, lease, move-out statement and invoices. Pictures were also provided.

It should be noted that during the time of his lease period, this resident was admitted to the hospital in ICU on life support. Management

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was asked to enter the apartment to feed the resident’s three cats while he was in the hospital. Upon reviewing the resident’s file, management discovered that he failed to list his pets on his application nor was there a pet addendum to his lease.

According to management, after several conversations with the resident’s family, management agreed to void the 60-day notice and to instead require the resident to inform management, via a written notice, as to when the unit would be vacant. Management stated the overwhelming smell of cat urine throughout the dwelling forced them to replace the carpet.

When management was notified that the unit was vacant, management walked the unit, damages were assessed and photos were taken.

The committee decided in favor of management with an adjustment made. The committee adjusted the charge for the carpet replacement of $500 to $436.30 based on a standard carpet’s four-year life expectancy. After the adjustment was made, the resident owes the property $652.89.

The resident may pursue this complaint in small claims court.

If you are a manager with a resident issue, call HAA at 713-595-0300 for direct assistance. Renters can be referred to HAA by calling 713-595-0300 to speak to a trained consultant Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Residents can also be directed online to www.haaonline.org/renters.

www.haaonline.org

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Who are your new leaders?

HAA Annual Business Meeting Thursday, November 16 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

JW Marriott 5150 Westheimer Road, Houston, TX 77056 Cost: $45 (before November 10); $65 (after November 10) $450 for a table of 10 (before November 10); $650 (after November 10) Reserved tables of 10 with company name are available when paid in full by one company.

Reception and Seated Dinner

Join us as we elect our leadership for 2018 and celebrate the achievements of 2017.

Nomination and Election of 2018 Officers and Board of Directors Recognition of 2017 Committee Members Recognition of 2017 NAA Designates Presentation of 2017 Appreciation Awards

Sponsored by Gemstar Construction Development Inc. and TPI Construction & Painting Inc. Requests for refunds must be received in writing by end of business day on November 10, and will be subject to a $50 cancellation fee. No refunds will be granted after November 10 or for no shows. No refunds will be given for individual tickets, but tickets are fully transferrable. For reservations and information, contact the Meetings and Events Department at 713-595-0323, email events@haaonline.org or online at www.haaonline.org.

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Bill DinersteinMemorial T o u r n a m e n t Benefiting the Houston Apartment Association Political Action Committee

Monday, October 16, Riverbend Country Club, 1214 Dulles Ave, Sugar Land, TX 77478

Join us for the 38th annual HAA Golf Tournament.

Prizes for: Closest To Pin • Longest Drive • Tournament prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, net scores.

Check-in opens at 8 a.m. with a breakfast buffet. Shotgun start at 9 a.m. with award reception to follow.

Two owner/management and two suppliers per team.

NEW! Tiger Drive One “Tiger Drive” may be purchased for $50 per team. The Tiger Drive may be used on Hole #12 and assumes that “Tiger” hit your first shot and allows teams to skip the tee box and proceed to the designated area where they will hit their second shot.

Registration fee includes golf fees, breakfast, beverages during play and reception. *Please note this event is open to sponsors and players only, no spectators.

In the event of rain, your contribution will go to the HAA Political Action Committee. Contributions are not tax-deductible as charitable contributions under the Internal Revenue Code. Paid for by HAA Political Action Committee, Stacy Hunt, Treasurer.

Payment must be made by personal credit card Visa, MasterCard, American Express or Discover or personal check payable to HAA PAC. Payment must accompany registration.

HAA is prohibited from accepting corporate contributions for PAC events.

Name __________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________ Company________________________________________________________________ Phone (____________)_________________________ MC____ Visa____ AmEx____ Discv_______ Credit Card #________________________________________________________________________ CC Security Code____________ Expiration Date__________ Name on Card______________________________________________________________ Number of players (two owner/management, two supplier) paid for___________ @ $180 each by October 9/$200 after October 9 = $_________ Add “Tiger Drive” for $50 $_________ = _____________ (total amount paid).

Owner/Management Name____________________________________________Company_______________________________ Handicap___________ Owner/Management Name____________________________________________Company_______________________________ Handicap___________ Supplier Name________________________________________________Company___________________________________ Handicap___________ Supplier Name________________________________________________Company___________________________________ Handicap___________ Mail completed form and payment to: HAA PAC, 4810 Westway Park Blvd., Houston, Texas 77041.

Credit card registrations may be emailed to haapac@haaonline.org or faxed to 281-582-1520; payment must accompany registration.

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Tuesday, November 28

Breakfast and Registration: 8:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Program: 9 a.m. to Noon Fee: $89. Worth three CE credits for all NAA credential holders.

Register online at www.haaonline.org.

Sponsored by FSI Construction and The Liberty Group

Join Anne Sadovsky, CAM, CAPS, CSP, and learn the answers to your Fair Housing questions, such as: • Do we now have to rent to criminals?

• Do I have to print all my documents in different languages?

• Who is responsible for translating if the prospective resident doesn’t speak English?

• Can I evict a resident who keeps calling 911 because of her ex-spouse?

• My boss says we need to stop writing with black ink. Is that true?

• We have so many handicapped parking spaces that others can’t find a place to park? Is there a limit?

• A resident has a new puppy and when questioned says that it is her emotional support animal. I think that isn’t true.

What can I do?

• A prospect has a parrot and claims that it is a service animal. Can a bird do that?

• An applicant has a certificate saying his kitten is a service animal. The document looks fake to us. How should we handle it?

• We have discovered a hoarder on our property. When we approached her, she cried and said she could not part with her treasures. Her neighbors report bad smells from her apartment. What should we do?

• Residents are complaining about the smell of marijuana smoke coming one particular apartment. We have asked the pot smoker about it and he denies it.

What should we do?

• The maintenance tech found a marijuana plant growing in a resident’s apartment. It’s just one little plant. Can we just ignore it?

• A female resident says that one of our employees patted her on bottom. He says they always hug when they say hello and she usually initiates the hug. Do we have a problem?

Anne will answer your questions and may make you question your own answers!

Pot, Pit Bulls, Parrots, Parking and Perps –

Today’s s l l a f t i P in Fair Housing

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Upcoming Education

From the HAA EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

OCTOBER NALP I: Bringing in New Residents: Be Prepared Tuesday, October 3 8:30 a.m. to noon Program fee: $325; $65 per seminar Sponsored by Best Plumbing This course focuses on the skills needed to deliver exceptional leasing support. Visit www.haaonline.org for details.

NALP II: Marketing and Maintaining Your Community Tuesday, October 3 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Program fee: $325; $65 per seminar Sponsored by Best Plumbing Explore the importance of image, reputation and brand in wellmaintained communities. Visit www.haaonline.org for details.

HAA NEXT: Professional Development Breakfast Friday, October 6 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Program fee: $10 Sponsored by Brandt Electrical Services This niche group within HAA is dedicated to the networking and professional development needs of HAA members 35 and younger. Network with your peers at this low-cost breakfast and grow your career together

among the next generation of HAA leadership.

NALP III: Why Your Competition Matters Tuesday, October 10 8:30 a.m. to noon Program fee: $325; $65 per seminar Sponsored by Best Plumbing A loyal and satisfied resident is at the heart of this course. Visit www.haaonline.org for details.

NALP IV: Relevant Laws and How to Apply Them Tuesday, October 10 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Program fee: $325; $65 per seminar Sponsored by Best Plumbing This course teaches a full spectrum of Fair Housing and ADA compliance. Visit www.haaonline.org for details.

APPLE: Core Session 6 – Ultimate Closing Thursday, October 12 9 a.m. to noon Program fee: $50 Sponsored by The Liberty Group See Page 22 for details.

It's the Law Luncheon Friday, October 13 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Program fee: $25 Sponsored by Redevelopment Services Join HAA's Legal Counsel, Howard Bookstaff, for lunch and a legal discussion in a casual environment.

NALP V: The Sales Process and Building Relationships Tuesday, October 17 8:30 a.m. to noon Program fee: $325; $65 per seminar Sponsored by Best Plumbing Lean the foundation of relationship selling and the importance of problem solving for both the prospective and current resident. See www.haaonline.org for details.

NALP VI: Effectively Meeting the Needs of Current Residents Tuesday, October 17 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Program fee: $325; $65 per seminar Sponsored by Best Plumbing Once the prospective resident moves in, the leasing professional's relationship and responsibilities continue. See www.haaonline.org for details.

No credit card or HAA login? No problem!

We do not accept registrations over the phone. However, if you do not have access to a credit card, just use our “Express Registration” page (no login required) at www.haaonline.org/expressregistration. This simple form generates an email to us with your registration request. This is a binding transaction, and all cancellation policies still apply. NOTE: For your own individual HAA login ID and password, please email us at ebreg@haaonline.org.

SCHEDULE AND FEES

are subject to change without prior notification. Notice of cancellation is required two days in advance to receive a refund, less a $15 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

NALP Market Survey Presentation & Exam Tuesday, October 24 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Program fee: $325; $65 per seminar Sponsored by Best Plumbing A required component, students take a comprehensive online exam and present their market survey findings to the class. See www.haaonline.org for details.

APPLE: Leadership Session 3 – Making the Move from Peer to Supervisor Wednesday, October 25 8:30 a.m. to noon Program fee: $50 Sponsored by Best Plumbing See Page 22 for details.

Industry Math Tuesday, October 31 8:30 a.m. to noon Program fee: $99 A New curriculum authored by NAA, this half day workshop is an excellent opportunity to sharpen your mathematical skills in preparation for attending any of the credential programs. From calculating percentages, to converting fractions to understanding averages and more, this is your chance to "go back to school" in a relaxed and low-stakes environment. Learn how various mathematical calculations influence operations and get introduced to the more advanced concepts you'll need to know to advance in your industry career. / See Education, Page 25

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.

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Calendar HAA Education, Events and Meetings SCHEDULE

OCTOBER S M T 1 2 3 8 9 10 15 16 17 22 23 24 29 30 31

W 4 11 18 25

T 5 12 19 26

F 6 13 20 27

S 7 14 21 28

NOVEMBER S M T W 1 5 6 7 8 12 13 14 15 19 20 21 22 26 27 28 29

T 2 9 16 23 30

F 3 10 17 24

S 4 11 18 25

OCTOBER 3

6

11

18-20

NALP I: Bringing in New Residents: Be Prepared Tuesday, October 3 8:30 a.m. to noon Sponsored by Best Plumbing

PSC Supplier Education Program: Coffee Talk Friday, October 6 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Program fee: FREE for supplier members It all starts over coffee and good conversation. HAA and the Product Service Council offer this special program to help supplier representatives gain a better understanding of the opportunities available in the multifamily industry. Learn how to develop relationships with management personnel that result in business for your company.

Register online at ww.haaonline.org/ supplierprogram.

Sponsored by the HAA Product Service Council

Fort Bend Happy Hour – Management Personnel Only Wednesday, October 11 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Calling all Fort Bend-area management and property professionals, please join us for some networking and fun. Meet your industry peers, and take a break from the summer heat. Your first drink is on us. Contact Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org for details.

TAA Board Meetings Wednesday, October 18 through Friday, October 20 Hyatt Regency Houston/Galleria 2626 Sage Road, 77056

NALP II: Marketing and Maintaining Your Community Tuesday, October 3 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sponsored by Best Plumbing

4 New Supplier Member Orientation Wednesday, October 4 3 p.m.

Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub 10001 Westheimer, 77042 All new supplier members welcome.

Contact Amanda at asherbondy@ haaonline.org for details.

Ambassador ONE Society Meeting Wednesday, October 4 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub 10001 Westheimer, 77042 Contact Amanda at asherbondy@ haaonline.org for details.

5 HAA PAC Luncheon Thursday, October 5 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Program fee: $30 per PAC member; $40 per non-PAC member Contact Alpa at apatel@ haaonline.org for registration and details.

Sponsored by Secure Insurance

10 NALP III: Why Your Competition Matters Tuesday, October 10 8:30 a.m. to noon Sponsored by Best Plumbing Area Council: Rosenberg Tuesday, October 10 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location: TBD Contact Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org for details.

NALP IV: Relevant Laws and How to Apply Them Tuesday, October 10 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sponsored by Best Plumbing

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HAA NEXT: Professional Development Breakfast Friday, October 6 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Sponsored by Brandt Electrical Services

Resident Relations Committee A Wednesday, October 11 2 p.m.

12 APPLE: Core Session 6 – Ultimate Closing with Rebecca Rosario Thursday, October 12 9 a.m. to noon See Page 22 for details.

Sponsored by The Liberty Group

13 It's the Law Luncheon Friday, October 13 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sponsored by Redevelopment Services

16 Bill Dinerstein Memorial Golf Tournament Monday, October 16 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Riverbend Country Club 1214 Dulles Ave. Sugar Land, 77478 See Page 17 for details and sponsorship information.

17 NALP V: The Sales Process and Building Relationships Tuesday, October 17 8:30 a.m. to noon Sponsored by Best Plumbing NALP VI: Effectively Meeting the Needs of Current Residents Tuesday, October 17 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Sponsored by Best Plumbing

18 Baytown Happy Hour – Management Personnel Only Wednesday, October 18 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Calling all Baytown-area management and property professionals, please join us for some networking and fun. Meet your industry peers, and take a break from the summer heat. Your first drink is on us. Contact Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org for details.

24 NALP Market Survey Presentation & Exam Tuesday, October 24 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

See Page 24 for details.

Sponsored by Best Plumbing

25 APPLE: Leadership Session 3 – Making the Move from Peer to Supervisor with Sue Weston Wednesday, October 25 8:30 a.m. to noon See Page 22 for details.

Sponsored by Best Plumbing

26 Webster Happy Hour – Management Personnel Only Thursday, October 26 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Calling all Webster-area management and property professionals, please join us for some networking and fun. Meet your industry peers, and take a break from the summer heat. Your first drink is on us. Contact Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org for details.

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.

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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.

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27th Annual Chili Fest: Cancelled Saturday, October 28 Due to flooding at the Farm & Ranch Club, this event has been cancelled.

IROC Breakfast Friday, November 3 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Sponsored by Brandt Electrical Services

31

NAA Assembly of Delegates Monday, November 6 through Thursday, November 9 Fort Worth, Texas

Extreme CAM (5 days) Monday, November 13 through Friday, November 17 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sponsored by Apartments.com, Blackmon Mooring/BMS CAT, Brook Furniture Rental, Hoffer Furniture Rental & Sales, Rasa Floors, Texas Apartment Pool Services, Texas Southwest Floors, Texscape Services, The Lane Law Firm and Valet Living

Blue Star Thursday, November 16 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Tracy Gee Community Center 3599 Westcenter Drive, 77042 Contact Alpa at apatel@haaonline.org for more information.

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Area Council: Webster Tuesday November, 7 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location: TBD Contact Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org for details.

Extreme CAS Monday, November 13 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Industry Math Tuesday, October 31 8:30 a.m. to noon

NOVEMBER 1 New Supplier Member Orientation Wednesday, November 1 3 p.m.

Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub 10001 Westheimer, 77042 All new supplier members welcome.

Contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org for details.

Ambassador ONE Society Meeting Wednesday, November 1 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Sherlock’s Baker St. Pub 10001 Westheimer, 77042 Contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org for details.

2 APPLE: Maintenance Session 3 – Be Prepared – Total Property Winterization with Don Willard Thursday, November 2 9 a.m. to noon Program fee: $50 Sponsored by Hire Priority Staffing & Executive Search

6

8 Resident Relations Committee B Wednesday, November 8 2 p.m.

Richmond/Rosenberg Fair Housing Seminar Wednesday, November 8 8:30 a.m. to noon Springhill Suites by Marriott Rosenberg 6815 Reading Road, 77469 Join Howard Bookstaff for a refresher course in Fair Housing.

Contact Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org for details.

14-15 CAMT HVAC Maintenance & Repair (2 days) Tuesday, November 14 and Wednesday, November 15 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sponsored by Blackmon Mooring/BMS CAT

16-17 CAMT Appliances Maintenance & Repair (2 days) Thursday, November 16 and Friday November 17 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sponsored by Presto Maintenance Supply

9 Montgomery County Justices of the Peace and Constables Holiday Party Thursday, November 9 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Contact Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org for more information.

Board Meeting Thursday, November 16 4:30 to 6 p.m.

JW Marriott Houston 5150 Westheimer Road, 77056 Sponsored by Texscape Services Annual Business Meeting Thursday, November 16 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

JW Marriott Houston 5150 Westheimer Road, 77056 Sponsored by Gemstar Construction Development and TPI Construction & Painting

17 Brazoria County Justices of the Peace and Constables Holiday Party Friday, November 17 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Contact Lauren Turner at lturner@haaonline.org for more information.

23-24 Offices Closed The HAA offices will be closed from Thursday, November 23 through Friday, November 24 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

28 Annual Fair Housing Seminar Tuesday, November 28 8:30 a.m. to noon See Page 18 for details.

Sponsored by FSI Construction and The Liberty Group

29

Mark your calendars!

Leasing 101 (Day and a half) Wednesday, November 29 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For the final Go-Getter meeting hosted at Cafe Adobe in the Marq-E Center, 7620 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77024 December 7 at 3:30 p.m.

Register online today! www.haaonline.org/gogetters/

www.haaonline.org

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Here’s a taste of the next three sessions:

t h g ri e th h it w er re ca r ou y w ro G ideas, the best advice and watch your future blossom –

Grab an APPLE! APPLE is sponsored by

APPLE features some of the best nationally acclaimed speakers in the industry.

Individual sessions are priced at only $50 each, a real steal for quality education.

APPLE: Core - Session 6 October 12 Ultimate Closing With Rebecca Rosario Apply sure-fire closing techniques to your leasing presentations that can double or triple your closing rates.

• Take the fear out of asking for the money • Learn 10 closing cues to develop your personal sales techniques • Integrate closing questions throughout your leasing presentation APPLE : Leadership – Session 3 October 25 Making the Move from Peer to Supervisor With Sue Weston Intended for aspiring and new managers, we start with a “how you are perceived” assessment and then talk about the typical company response to your promotion. The transition from strong performer to manager is often unsupported and misunderstood. Former teammates are confused and even confrontational. Leadership may assume too much and be distant. Too many times it ends in dissatisfaction and poor results. This workshop provides the tips and tools for a successful transition for the newly-ascended supervisor.

Learn how to: • Move from tactical to strategic thinking • Separate personal from professional relationships • Delegate to and defend a team of former peers

• Use humor and camaraderie to support, not undermine, your new role • Ask for help • Measure your own success APPLE: Maintenance – Session 3 November 2 Be Prepared – Total Property Winterization with Don Willard Winterizing your property takes a lot more than just dripping faucets. We all know that pipe breaks can be very expensive, inconvenient and possibly dangerous for the property and all the residents. This is why preparing for the dropping temperatures is really important. During this informative session you will learn tips, tricks and great information to prepare your property for Old Man Winter.

You will learn: • What to winterize • How to keep community laundry facilities safe • How to winterize shops, store rooms and mechanical rooms • Pools, spas and hot tub winterization plans • Irrigation and plan winterization processes

Annual Property Subscriptions are also 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.

Visit www.haaonline.org for details.

Take a bite out of these education opportunities and enroll for 2017 today.

Contact the HAA Education Department at education@haaonline.org or register online at www.haaonline.org.

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Spend a few days with HAA building your future!

Certified Apartment Maintenance Technician Program’s objective is to further the technical, business and personal development skills of today’s multifamily maintenance technician, resulting in improved on-the-job performance and a heightened awareness of customer service and responsibility.

Course Schedule: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Total Program Cost: $795 Tuition can be paid per module: $165 per module for five modules.

Non-Technical Courses: The two non-technical courses are taught entirely online, allowing learners to take each course at their own convenience and at their own pace. After learning the new content in each course, students will go through a set of scenarios in which they evaluate the performance of maintenance technicians in realistic situations, then rate them on a set of criteria related to the learning points in the course.

Each online course is approximately two-anda-half hours in length. Online courses can be available via the HAA computer lab for students without access to a computer or highspeed internet.

• Inside the Apartment Business • People, Projects and Profits Both courses online only

Programs sponsored by AAA Plumbers, Blackmon Mooring/BMS CAT, Ferguson Facility Supply, Presto Maintenance Supply and Texas Apartment Pools

CAMT Course Required Modules: Technical Courses: The five technical courses take place in the classroom with an instructor presenting core concepts and procedures, as well as leading course participants through reinforcing learning activities. These activities will range from discussions to solving “what if” scenarios to hands-on activities. After each course, learners will go online to go through practice scenarios for that course. These scenarios let learners play the role of a maintenance technician in a realistic and safe environment. They will make decisions to prioritize, diagnose and repair problems, just as they would on the job.

Interior and Exterior Maintenance and Repair Tuesday, September 12 Electrical Maintenance and Repair Wednesday, September 13 Plumbing Maintenance and Repair Thursday and Friday, September 14-15 Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Maintenance and Repair Tuesday and Wednesday, November 14-15 Appliances Maintenance and Repair Thursday and Friday, November 16-17 Comprehensive Exam Wednesday, December 20

Register online today at www.haaonline.org or call 713-595-0300 for details. www.haaonline.org

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GO EXTREME with the Extreme CAM Program The Certified Apartment Manager designation is already exceptional. Presented in a supercharged format, Extreme CAM accelerates the education process and allows you to attain the Certified Apartment Manager designation on a schedule that works best for you. (Recommended for experienced managers only.)

Extreme CAM Course Schedule Fall Schedule: Classes are held during the work week only: November 13-17 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Program Cost: $1,050, pre-registration required Classes sell out – register early!

Proctored exam dates to be announced throughout 2017

Register online today at www.haaonline.org or call 713-595-0300 for details.

Need the info? Get the LOWDOWN A new video series featuring HAA legal counsel, Howard Bookstaff, The Legal Lowdown is legal education on demand!

Check out these short two- to four-minute videos on a wide range of timely legal topics anytime via our website at www.haaonline.org/legallowdown.

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Education, continued from Page 19

NOVEMBER APPLE: Maintenance Session 3 – Be Prepared: Total Property Winterization Thursday, November 2 9 a.m. to noon Program fee: $50 Sponsored by Hire Priority Staffing & Executive Search See Page 22 for details.

IROC Breakfast Friday, November 3 7:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.

Program fee: $25 per nonmember Sponsored by Brandt Electrical Services The Independent Rental Owners' Connection (IROC) offers customized education and networking programs just for you!

Whether you're a brand-new apartment community owner, or have been a part of the industry for many years, we encourage you to network within your fellow independent owners.

Extreme CAM (5 days) Monday, November 13 through Friday, November 17 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sponsored by Apartments.com, Blackmon Mooring/BMS CAT, Brook Furniture Rental, Hoffer

www.haaonline.org

Furniture Rental & Sales, Rasa Floors, Texas Apartment Pool Services, Texas Southwest Floors, Texscape Services, The Lane Law Firm and Valet Living A super-charged and accelerated five-day format, EXTREME CAM is designed for those experienced managers hoping to attain the CAM designation in a shorter duration, with less time away from the property. Scheduled for November 13th -17th from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Exams are held in December.

Due to shipping constraints, registrations received within one week of the course cannot be guaranteed course materials at the time of class.

Extreme CAS Monday, November 13 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Program fee:: $625 Extreme CAS candidates attend four of the CAM modules beginning on November 13.

Required modules are: The Resident Experience, Legal, Financial Management, Risk Management and Supplier Success. See www.haaonline.org for more details.

CAMT HVAC Maintenance & Repair (2 days) Tuesday, November 14 and Wednesday, November 15 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Program fee: $165 as a standalone course; $795 for the program Sponsored by Blackmon Mooring/BMS CAT The heating, ventilation and air conditioning maintenance and repair course teaches students how various heating and air conditioning systems work, as well as how to maintain and repair these systems. Topics include: air conditioning safety key air conditioning tools, refrigerants and their special properties, the air conditioning system, simple fixes, refrigeration cycle repairs, electrical system repairs, air distribution system repairs, unit replacement, and SEER 13. See Page 23 for more details.

CAMT Appliances Maintenance & Repair (2 days) Thursday, November 16 and Friday November 17 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Program fee: $165 as a standalone course; $795 for the program Sponsored by Presto Maintenance Supply The Appliances Maintenance and Repair course teaches students how to install, diagnose and repair the key appliances that they will encounter on the job.

See Page 23 for details.

Annual Fair Housing Seminar Tuesday, November 28 8:30 a.m. – Registration and breakfast 9 a.m. to Noon – program Program fee: $89 if pre-paid with credit card. $99 if invoice/at the door Sponsored by FSI Construction and The Liberty Group See Page 18 for details.

Leasing 101 (Day and a half) Wednesday, November 29 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Program fee: $65 prior to November 29; $75 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 topics includes: 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 this registration form: http://www.haaonline.org/images /programs/pdf/leasing101_ 2017.pdf.

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

RESOURCES

More information for the Equifax security breach and Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

YOU HAVE PROBABLY heard about the Equifax security breach potentially affecting 143 million consumers.

For further information about the security breach, please refer to reporting from the New York Times and Market Watch.

If you haven’t already done so, you can go online to https://www.equifaxsecurity 2017.com/potential-impact/ to see if your information was compromised and enroll in the free (1 year) credit monitoring. If you check Equifax's site to see if your data was stolen, you waive your rights to sue Equifax or be part of a class action suit.

If you enroll in the free credit monitoring, you will receive a date on the web page.

Put this date on your calendar. On or after that date, you will have to go to https://www.equifaxsecurity2017.com/ to continue the enrollment process. Your monitoring will cease unless you return to the site and renew the enrollment.

The credit monitoring is just the one step in protecting yourself, only notifying you of suspicious activity. It does not protect you in any way.

Because credit card information and bank account information were part of the breach, you should monitor your accounts for any suspect transactions. If you see anything questionable, you should immediately contact your bank or credit card company.

– Bob Pinnegar, CAE, NAA President & CEO NAA Statement on Efforts to Those Affected by Hurricanes Sept. 8: As the flood waters recede from the Gulf Coast and Irma threatens Florida, NAA is working with our affiliates and members in the affected areas to assess the depth and breadth of impacts from these hurricanes and to support recovery efforts. Following is a summary on actions by the federal government in this area and ask for your help as NAA engages with policymakers.

The industry can play a role by letting us know what Congress or a government agency can do to address gaps in existing recovery programs and other issues to speed your recovery and bring your business back online.

Send an email to stormrecovery@naahq.org and tell us:

• How have you been impacted by Harvey or Irma?

• Are you accessing federal recovery resources through FEMA, the Small Business • Administration or other federal agencies? What has been your experience?

• What are the remaining obstacles to bringing your apartment community or rental housing property back to full operation?

The more specific you are, the more precise we can be in our outreach to federal regulators and lawmakers.

NY Property Manager Relates ‘Sandy’ to ‘Harvey,’ ‘Irma’ Sept. 8: Henry Dubro of Douglas Elliman Property Management shared these thoughts on his experience with SuperStorm Sandy in 2012 and its relevancy to Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma: Yes, I had to work with recovery efforts after Hurricane Sandy in Coney Island and in Carnarsie. Most work necessary in Coney Island was with the property’s insurance adjusters. Within 1 to 2 weeks the adjusters were onsite, working with my staff, and giv-

The Houston Apartment Association is raising funds for the Greater Houston Community Foundation directly benefitting the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund set up by Mayor Sylvester Turner. Every little bit helps! As an association we can make a big difference.

Your tax-deductible flood relief donations will directly go to those affected by the recent floods.

Visit https://www.crowdrise.com/o/en/team/haahurricaneharveyrelief to donate.

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ing us the necessary assistance to begin the necessary work on my site.

What helped the board of directors and owners the most was that an ongoing point of contact was assigned to our insurance adjusters and engineer, and an individual kept track of the expenses for the work that was being done.

In Carnarsie (Brooklyn), our condominium did not have very good insurance coverage and could not get a SBA Loan. It instead had to work with the Build it Back Program for NYC. The work has finally started, and the condominium association has received more than $1.5 million in grant money from Build it Back. Through this painstaking process, it has taken until this past summer for it to begin.

The time and effort that Texas and Florida communities who work with FEMA and perhaps sub-grantees to FEMA will be extensive.

Every step needs to be documented.

• It’s not going to be quick. Repairs to some communities that had poor insurance did not start until five years later.

• Start taking pictures and documenting everything ASAP, including work and communications.

• Assign a point person to seek assistance, track assistance, and communicate with all parties: insurers, contractors, government and residents. In other words, while different management personnel may deal with each of these individually, based on knowledge or job responsibility, there needs to be an individual who filters it so that actions or messages are not lost or miscommunicated.

Fannie Mae Provides Consumer Resources in Regard to Hurricanes See http://www.freddiemac.com/multifamily/news/2017/20170830_hurricane_harvey_update.html for more regularly-updated information.

Freddie Mac Statement on Adjusted Servicing Standards for Disasters Go to http://www.freddiemac.com/multifamily/news/2017/20170830_hurricane_harvey_update.html for regularly-updated information.

HUD Provides Consumer Resources in Regard to Hurricanes Sept. 8: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provides these resources and information in regard to the ongoing hurricane crisis. Go to https://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/ harvey. www.haaonline.org

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On the Road with HAA Clear Lake Area Council Meeting Thursday, August 24 at San Palmilla Sponsored by 1 Texas Eviction LLC HAA traveled to NASA/Clear Lake for our August apartment managers meeting featuring guest speaker HAA General Counsel Howard Bookstaff. His presentation focused on “Laws You Need To Know� for the group of more than 30 attendees. Thank you to Property Manager Sandy Heinrich for hosting the event.

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 strategic growth manager 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 Area Council meetings. Contact lturner@haaonline.org.

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On the Scene Photos by MARK HIEBERT, Hiebert Photography HAA Take 5 Business Exchange Thursday, August 10 at Ayva Center Thanks to our supplier partners and property managment leaders who attended the exchange and raised $52,000 for education grants to help industry professionals earn their CAMT and CAM designations.

Thank you to our supplier participants: AAA Plumbers ACTIV Answer by Audio Images Advanced Waste Solutions LP Allegion American Technologies Inc. Ameritex Movers Inc. Apartment List ApartmentData.com Arbor Contract Carpet Inc. Atlas Foundation Repair BAC Products BetterNOI BG Staffing BH Fitness North America Bio-One Houston Bio-One Houston South Blackmon Mooring/BMS CAT Brookway Horticultural Services Buyers Access Camp Construction Services Cano Electric Inc. Capitol Wrecker LLC CASK Industries Century A/C Supply Chadwell Supply Cinch – Cabinet Refacing Kits Comm Fit CoreLogic Rental Property Solutions Classic Towing Cotton Commercial Criterion Brock D&G Quality Roofing Inc. DepositIQ Designs by Holmes DNM Contracting Inc. Docusign Dog Paws eConserve LLC Entrata® Envirotrol Pest Solutions Ferguson Facility Supply Fidus Construction Services Flooring Warehouse FSI Construction Gage Multifamily Services Gambit Construction Gravely & Pearson LLP Green City Recycler Green City Security HD Supply H Town Movers and HVAC Services HandyTrac Key Control Incite Energy LLC JMI Contractors/ Jim’s Maintenance Inc. Johnstone Supply Just Energy Kastle Systems Lane Law Firm Leah McVeigh Design and Consulting LeaseHawk LeaseTerm Solutions LSR Multifamily Maintenance Supply Headquarters Major League Gutter Cleaning Maldonado Nursery & Landscaping Inc. McMahan’s Flooring Inc. National Credit Systems Inc. Odor Eliminators

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PayLease Perma-Pier Foundation Repair of Texas Pest Management Inc. Pet and Playground Products Poolsure Power Express PPG Paints Presto Maintenance Supply Rainmaker LRO Rasa Floors Redi Carpet Sales of Houston Ltd. Respage Roofing-restoration.com LLC Roto-Rooter Services Co. Save Water Co. Scott Equipment Inc. SentriForce Shaw Industries Smart Apartment Data Southwest Utility Billing LLC Sunbrite Outdoor Furniture Sunny Rock International LLC Symmons Industries Tenant Tracker Inc. Texas Apartment Pool Services Texas Eviction LLC Texas Southwest Floors Inc. Texscape Services The Countersource The Liberty Group The Urban Foresters LLC Triple Seal Insulation LLC Valet Living Vinson Guard Service Inc. WASH Multifamily Laundry Systems WastePoint WeDoTrash White’s Trash Willbanks & Associates Inc. Wilmar Industries Inc. Yardi Systems Inc. Zters Waste Value Zumper Inc.

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Thank you to our owner/management company participants: Abbey Residential Allied-Orion AMLI Residential Asset Plus Companies Austin Management Group Better World LLC Camden Capstone Real Estate Services Celtic Realty Advisors Centra Asset Partners Central Management City Gate Properties Dayrise Residential Dinerstein Companies Francis Property Mgmt Gables Greystar HM Equity Management Harbor Group Hettig Management Judwin Properties Landmark Management Group Linebacker Equity Management Lincoln Property Company Lynd Company Milestone Management Morgan Mosaic Residential Pinnacle Q10 Property Advisors Relik Realty Rockstar Capital Mgmt SMI Realty Management Southhampton Management Stellar Equity Management Tarantino Properties Texas InterFaith Housing US Residential Group Venterra Realty Veritas Equity Management Wood Residential

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On the Scene Photos by MARK HIEBERT, Hiebert Photography HAA Take 5 Business Exchange

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On the Scene Photos by MARK HIEBERT, Hiebert Photography HAA Take 5 Business Exchange

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The Houston Apartment Association, the City of Houston, housing providers, charities and our state and national associations rally to support each other following Hurricane Harvey.

Information compiled by

A

s of press time for ABODE, the Houston Apartment Association, the Texas Apartment Association and our local government, charities and housing providers have been hard at work to answer questions and provide services to Houston residents and multifamily owners.

Donations Needed The Houston Apartment Association Executive Committee met Wednesday, September 6 and approved a donation of $50,000 to the Mayor and County Judge’s Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund (administered by Greater Houston Community Foundation) and $10,000 to the American Red Cross – Greater Houston Chapter. Members and others (including several apartment associations both in Texas and elsewhere) asked how they could help, so a Crowdrise site was set up.

Donations can be made at www.crowdrise.com/o/en/team/haa Continued hurricaneharveyrelief.

The Housing Program In response to Hurricane Harvey, The Way Home, under leadership by the Coalition for the Homeless, has created a disaster recovery shelter transition housing program to help individuals and families displaced by the storm get into housing and on the road to recovery. Many of those people remaining in disaster recovery shelters today are not immediately eligible for FEMA assistance and do not have a home to return to.

On September 7, the call went out to area property managers from Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Houston Apartment Association, asking for any available units that might be earmarked for people still residing in disaster recovery shelters. In just a few days, more than 100 properties had offered up available units. Landlords who were able to offer blocks of more than 20 units at a property are being prioritized (for efficiency in the process) and are beginning the process of dedicating units for this program.

Properties with fewer than 20 units may be contacted by smaller re-housing operations within local disaster recovery shelters.

This new program comes with guaranteed, six-month rental assistance as well as case management support to ensure that, at the end of the rental assistance period, households are either self-sufficient or can enroll in a different, longer term rental assistance program. The goal of this program is to help households get back on their feet more quickly by living in their own apartment unit. Though the program is being piloted at the Red Cross shelter located at the George R. Brown Convention Center, the team leading Housing for Harvey would love to replicate the program at all disaster recovery shelters in our area. Properties that are interested but have not yet signed up can visit www.housingforharvey.com to fill out a brief form to submit their information.

– Coalition for the Homeless

www.haaonline.org

HAA STAFF

Media Outreach The hours and days during and after Hurricane Harvey generated a tremendous number of media requests to the Houston Apartment Association. HAA members owe a big "thank you" to Starla Turnbo and Norma Alvear from SMI Realty, Greystar's Stacy Hunt and Michelle Pawelek, HAA General Counsel Howard Bookstaff and Adelqui J. Boue' from Hoover Slovacek, Camden Property Trust CEO Ric Campo, Better World Properties' Terri Clifton and Michael Knight, Apartment Data Services' Bruce McClenny and the many others who helped answer reporters' questions. Alvear alone did five Spanish-language interviews in three days for Houston's Univision and Telemundo stations.

Here is just a partial list of links to media stories: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-storm-harvey-housing/forhouston-homeowners-tough-decisions-on-whether-torebuild-idUSKCN1BG0HD http://www.chron.com/business/real-estate/article/Tens-ofthousands-of-short-term-homes-needed-for-12162705.php https://www.click2houston.com/news/renting-after-harveywhat-you-need-to-know-to-protect-yourself https://www.click2houston.com/news/renters-find-issues-withflood-damaged-units-property http://www.houstonpress.com/news/how-will-houston-andharris-countys-housing-market-handle-thousands-seekingnew-homes-9754627 http://www.wisconsingazette.com/news/when-houston-wentunder-harvey-brings-historic-floods/article_8d7c42c2-8e5b11e7-9170-37c022ce5969.html https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/multifamily/ashomes-flood-thousands-of-harvey-evacuees-look-to-houstonsrental-market-78480 https://www.bisnow.com/houston/news/economy/houstonscommercial-property-gets-off-lucky-in-wake-of-harvey-78473 http://wuky.org/post/your-apartment-flooded-rent-stilldue#stream/0 http://wuky.org/post/after-hurricane-harvey-many-houstonstruggle-apartment-rent-dilemma#stream/0 https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/hurricane-harvey/firstthey-fought-storm-now-they-fight-their-landlord-n799206 http://www.wisconsingazette.com/news/when-houston-wentunder-harvey-brings-historic-floods/article_8d7c42c2-8e5b11e7-9170-37c022ce5969.html

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Housing Needs As of September 11, the total number of people still at the George R. Brown and NRG shelters was larger than previously thought – approximately 3,800 total. The City focused on moving them into transitional housing (apartments and hotels) as soon as possible.

HAA officers and staff met with City of Houston officials on Friday, September 8 to work out the details of a Harvey housing plan and to answer any questions. At that time, at least 2,500 units were submitted to the City. On Monday, September 11, HAA representatives held a first meeting with city officials, apartment owners and management company executives on the City of Houston’s Harvey Housing program (www.housingforharvey.com). An agreement was reached on most of the details on the contract between the City and owners.

This program involves staff from the City of Houston Housing & Community Department, Houston Housing Authority, Coalition for the Homeless and others. See the President’s Column on Page 7 for a letter from Mayor Sylvester Turner and HAA President Kyle Brown about the program.

At press time, plans were arranged for continuing meetings about the program with additional owners and managers to be held at the HAA offices every Tuesday and Thursday until no longer needed.

Tracking Available Units Portals have been set up by Entrata, Yardi, ApartmentData.com and MRI offering information on the market, including available and unavailable damaged units. Go to the HAA website at www.haaonline.org and see https://www.entrata.com/harvey/ and http://www.rentcafe.com/HurricaneHarvey.

HAA asked ApartmentData.com to compile unit information. At press time, early reporting for damaged units was approximately 9,000 units with 71 percent of properties responding. Many of those extensively damaged were not yet reported and ADS was working to complete their survey, with data sorted by submarket. Visit http://bit.ly/2xl6GB8 to report your properties. It is expected that at least 20,000 apartment units were substantially damaged and off the market. See next month’s ABODE for an update from Bruce McClenny of ApartmentData.com.

Media Response As of press time, dozens of media stories have been published and aired with HAA representatives participating. Media sources include the Houston Chronicle, Houston Business Journal, Bisnow, Reuters, New York Times, KHOU-TV, KPRC-TV, KTRK-TV, FOX-TV, NBC, CBS, CW, KUHFFM, Houston Press, Univision and more. See the sidebar on Page 37 and thank you to everyone who assisted HAA in our media outreach efforts.

If you need assistance, talking points have been developed and updated for media opportunities. See the HAA website at www.haaonline.org for more information or contact the HAA Public Affairs department at 713-595-0300 or email public_affairs@haaonline.org.

More Information A briefing on Harvey-related legal questions was held in Justice of the Peace Precinct 4, Place 2, Laryssa Korduba’s court with 35 residents and other participants. HAA’s General Counsel Howard Bookstaff also participated.

HAA has uploaded frequently asked questions and other Harvey information on our website at www.haaonline.org and on social media sites including the HAA Facebook group. More information is also available at the HAA Blog at www.haaonline.org. / See Harvey, Page 57

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Here are seven steps business owners can take Post-Hurricane Harvey to improve their insurance claim

7 Steps Here is a list of items property owners need to know before filing an insurance claim.

By

MARJORIE MUSICK, Jansen/Adjusters International

I

t’s been only two weeks since Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Coast and caused “life-threatening and devastating flooding near the coast due to heavy rainfall and storm surge,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center (NHC). With FEMA making a Major Disaster Declaration in Texas and an Emergency Declaration in Louisiana, catastrophic damage was sustained in areas along the path of this Category 4 Hurricane.

This damage understandably has many home and business owners in Texas and Louisiana worried not only about safety issues but also about the security and state of their business properties.

David Moore, Jansen/Adjusters International’s chief operating officer, notes that managing a commercial property damage insurance claim resulting from a hurricane can be an enormous undertaking due to its complexity. Hurricanes bring both wind damage and water damage as well as the need to decipher not only which came first but also which one actually caused the resulting property damage.

“Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the

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many residents of Texas and Louisiana who were impacted by the catastrophe of Hurricane Harvey. With FEMA making a Major Disaster Declaration in Texas and an Emergency Declaration in Louisiana, many affected property home and business owners must now turn their attention to their own personal road to recovery; a road that can be both long and expensive. As these storm victims struggle to regain some normalcy in their lives over the next few months, they will soon find themselves in the middle of a very complicated insurance claims process,” said Moore.

In order to help affected policyholders, we have compiled a list of post-hurricane steps that business owners can take to improve their insurance claim:

2. Beware of contractors asking you to sign a contract for non-emergency services.

Ideally, you should not hire a contractor to rebuild your damaged property until you have agreed on a repair/replacement scope of damage and an estimate of pricing with your insurance company; then you will know how much you have to spend on reconstruction.

1. Protect your property from further damage.

It’s your responsibility to perform emergency work such as putting up tarps, removing wet drywall and carpeting to prevent mold, boarding up openings, installing fencing where necessary, to protect your belongings, and keep others from getting hurt.

4. Request a complete copy of your insurance policy.

Read and make sure you understand your rights and obligations under your insurance policy before entering into any serious discussions or negotiations with your carrier. Seek out a professional to help you understand what your policy actually covers and just as important, what it excludes.

3. Document the damage.

Photograph or videotape the scene, including the “debris pile,” before you begin any cleanup efforts. When estimating damages do not rely solely on your historical records – instead, secure replacement cost estimates.

/ See Claims, Page 67

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Staying Resilient Resilience, grit, strength and courage are skills, and times of difficulty, adversity and tragedy are the time to practice those skills.

Image Š Mikhail Dudarev/Dreamstime.com

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Resilience and gratitude in times of tragedy.

By

A

s a life-long Texan and someone who has friends and family living in and around Houston, including my mom, I can’t begin to tell you how heartbreaking it has been to see and hear about the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey.

As millions of people begin to recover, and people who have lost everything begin to pick up the pieces of their lives, it has been refreshing to see stories of love, resilience and gratitude. We have seen people risking their lives to save others, neighbors offering their homes to strangers and an outpouring of support from businesses, government and the community. When we are knocked down, when we are tired, sad and overwhelmed, it can seem impossible to get back up.

Our Grit and Resilience Are Built In These Very Situations By embracing discomfort and adversity as an opportunity, we not only climb our way back from challenge, but we become better, stronger and more resilient as a result. It can be difficult to practice gratitude during hard times, but that is exactly why it is so important.

Gratitude is a powerful and proven resilience building strategy and research suggests it is the number one predictor of wellbeing. Practicing gratitude during the tough times is what builds our resilience muscle.

The list of benefits of practicing gratitude is impressive. Hundreds of studies have clearly proven the positive effects of practicing gratitude and my personal experience navigating trauma with the practice of gratitude, while not scientific, has been pretty extensive. These are just a few of things that are positively impacted through practicing gratitude: • Sleep • Mood • Problem-solving & decision making • Relationships • Self-esteem & self-worth • Leadership & emotional intelligence • Physical health

www.haaonline.org

ANNE GRADY, www.annegradygroup.com

If we know such a simple act can provide so many benefits, why is it so hard to practice?

We Have To Train Our Brain Our brain is wired to protect us from threats, and there is no shortage of threats in our everyday lives. A car that cuts us off, a rude email, fight with your partner, bad news from your boss, an illness in the family – these are just a few of the mundane things that can cause our brain to operate from a threat state. In times of adversity and crisis, we operate at a heightened threat state for an extended period of time.

Practicing gratitude has been found to reduce cortisol (the stress hormone) and produce serotonin and dopamine (the feel good neurotransmitters). This means that simply the act of trying to find something to be grateful for tamps down our stress response and helps reset our nervous system.

Because our brain prefers the familiar, the more we practice gratitude, the easier it becomes. Try one of these strategies for seven days. If by the end of the week you don’t feel stronger, more resilient and more grateful, I’ll give you permission to be unhappy.

Gratitude Strategies 1. Practice Random Acts of Kindness When we come from a place of abundance, we want to do for others. Hold the door, pay for coffee or simply smile. A little goes a long way.

2. Volunteer!

Helping others is one of the best ways to practice gratitude. Make yourself available and provide any support possible for those in need.

3. Write Someone You’re Grateful For A letter, an email, even a text message will do! Be specific about what they did, how you felt, and the impact this had on you.

4. Keep A Gratitude Journal Rather than quantity, focus on quality.

Each day write down three things for which you feel grateful. Explain each one.

5. Practice Mindful Gratitude

Sit silently for five to 10 minutes. Focus on your breathing. As your mind wanders (which it will), gently bring your focus back to your breath. Think about someone or something for which you are grateful and let your mind do its magic. Just bring yourself back to gratitude and breathing. I know it sounds crazy, but it works.

6. Collect Delicious Moments Get a cork board and fill it with pictures, post-it-notes, cards and anything else that reminds you of a delicious moment – a moment you want to savor. Every time you look at it, you will be reminded of the beautiful moments that make up your life.

7. Create a Gratitude Jar Every time you think of something for which to be grateful, write it down and put the paper in the jar. Over time, that becomes quite the collection of gratitude.

Resilience, grit, strength and courage are skills, and times of difficulty, adversity and tragedy are the time to practice those skills.

This doesn’t mean you can’t grieve, feel sad or get angry. It means after you feel those emotions, you begin to focus your energy on moving forward. Make time to feel and express gratitude. You will see your resilience muscle start to grow.

Anne Grady is an internationally recognized speaker and author, two-time TEDx speaker and contributor to the Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Fast Company, and Inc. magazines. Grady shares humor, humility, refreshing honesty and practical strategies anyone can use to triumph over adversity and master change. She is the author of two books: “Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience and Triumph” and “52 Strategies for Life, Love & Work.” Grady is a presenter for the HAA Leadership Lyceum Program. For more information, visit www.annegradygroup.com

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On the Scene with the HAA PAC 1

HAA Political Action Committee September Luncheon Monday, September 11 at the HAF Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center Sponsored by 1 Redevelopment Services The September PAC luncheon featured Senator Paul Bettencourt with a special session wrap up.

Staff from the Texas Apartment Association were in attendance with TAA President Jackie Rhone.

WE’RE ALL ABOUT BETTER GOVERNMENT Threats from government are coming at the apartment industry at a rapid pace. The HAA PAC, 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. 2017 registration forms are now available! To join, renew or learn how to become involved with the PAC, see online at www.haaonline.org or contact apatel@haaonline.org.

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Post Harvey, ABODE and the HAA Government Affairs team sat down with Texas Senator Paul Bettencourt to discuss the impacts of Harvey, the Texas legislative special session, the future of Houston elections and much more.

Betting On Bettencourt

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Interview by

Despite your best efforts, (which we appreciate!) the House and Senate couldn't come to an agreement on property tax reform during the regular or special session. Where do we go from here?

The Texas Senate will pass another property tax relief bill at 4 percent the next time we meet, whether it’s in special or it’s in regular session. I think the votes are there for that. In fact, the lieutenant governor (Dan Patrick) summed up in our last meeting with the senators with that exact statement, because we are committed to property tax relief long-term. We were off by 4 percent to 6 percent, and if we could have agreed on 5 percent the bill would have passed and been the law of Texas. At 6 percent, there wasn’t enough property tax relief that I could stand behind and present to the public that it was going to be significant property tax relief. However, we’re going to do it again. As long as I’m there, we’re going to try.

Do you think we will have a second special session this year or are you thinking 2019?

Well unfortunately, on this issue, it may be looking more like 2019. I was hopeful to have a special session in 2018, but it looks like now with the Harvey disaster and relief efforts that will obviously have to take center stage and I don’t think the governor has great interest in calling another special at this time..

The House and Senate seemed miles apart on almost everything in the recent special session! What repercussions to you see ahead for state representatives and senators as a result?

Well, I think what you have is a little bit of role-reversal. Generally, the Senate is more moderate or liberal than its House counterpart, but by any measurement the Texas Senate is more of a conservative body, so it is for property tax relief whereas the House is not. There has been more turnover in the Senate and you can tell. For example, half of the Republican caucus that I am the chairman of are freshmen and sophomores. I think over time both bodies will come to more of a public policy agreement as more people are elected or retire. When you look at the ratings, whether it’s the Texas

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ANDY TEAS, ALPA PATEL and MORGAN TAYLOR,

HAA Staff

Tribune, you can see the ratings differential start between the Senate and the House. I think that it will all get discussed in the primary and the general election because there are different views. I wouldn’t want to go back and face any constituency in Texas and say that I wasn’t for property tax relief.

Are there any surprises you see ahead in the upcoming primary elections?

Well, I don’t see any surprises on the Senate side. Those folks seem to be locked in to come back. There are still two months before filing deadline.

There is a lot to come. We just weathered the single greatest loss in the history of America on a weather event, people have been flooded out of their homes sometimes that has a tendency to sharpen the mind on what is important.

Lately, Harris County has leaned Democratic in presidential election years, Republican in gubernatorial years, but Donald Trump got trounced by Hillary Clinton in Harris County (54 percent to 42 percent) in 2016, even as he carried Texas (52 percent-43 percent).

What does 2018 have in store for judges and other countywide elected officials?

I’m a survivor of 2008, when the first Obama wave came through. There were seven Republicans that were elected at the time, four judges, myself, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and the district attorney. Now, what happened after that was a near-Republican sweep in 2010 with the exception of then Mayor Bill White winning the gubernatorial vote in Harris County, a mixed vote in 2012, a near sweep in 2014 and then a complete sweep for the Democrats in 2016. I predict that the pendulum will swing back for the Republicans in 2018. I think these disasters have also helped the image of the president, as it does every time disasters are handled well as opposed to when they are handled poorly. I think the Republicans will be competitive, and my guess is they’ll win a majority of seats in 2018 here in Harris County. But,

your point is right. If you look at Harris County as a separate state, it would be the 26 largest in the United States. It would also be a purple state, because it would be red in gubernatorial years and blue in presidential years, and I think that pattern will continue for at least the next three election cycles.

What year is it that we go to nonpartisan judicial elections?

2020. And that is a big change in the law, because right now there has been straightticket voting and there will be one more year of that in 2018. Assuming the law withstands legal challenge, there will be no straight-ticket voting in 2020, which will change the pattern of these results.

It is tremendously important to the apartment industry that we elect good, down-ballot candidates such as the justices of the peace. However, most voters don’t really know who those people are or what they do, they’re typically just there to vote for the president.

And that is why the change in straight-ticket voting, I think, improves this. Without a straight-ticket vote to hide behind, you don’t go down the ballot for judges or a few people who you’ll cross over and vote on. We saw that in 2008. We had the Democrats that came in,

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#mynews #mynetwork #myfriends #myhaa

some of them were just patently unqualified.

With this pendulum swinging back and forth, a party’s reputation is dependent on what type of candidates you have and what their performance is, and especially on these judicial benches, so it’s very important for both political parties to nominate excellent candidates.

Controversy seems to follow President Trump, and his disapproval ratings are very high. Do think that will have an impact on local races in the upcoming election?

It could have been, but I don’t think it will be at this point. Big disasters like Harvey and Irma change the body-politic. For example, the story I told upstairs (During the September HAA PAC luncheon, Senator Bettencourt shared that President Trump authorized a 90 percent federal cost share for debris removal and a 100 percent cost share for emergency protective measures, which was a big increase to the original commitment by the federal government of 75 percent.), he (Trump) really did cut the best deal with Judge Emmett. Mayor Turner was very pleased by it and the White House confirmed it within 15 minutes. So, at this point of time, if he’s going to come through for Texans like that, that is a real positive for him. One thing I know about politics in Washington now is that they are anything but static. Down here in Texas, he has had nothing but positive notes from coming down and supporting Texas so strongly.

Get in the picture! ABODE magazine is your source for what’s happening in the Houston-area apartment market. Every month, our members-only publication highlights industry news and trends, plus photos of YOU, our members, from HAA events!

ABODE is your source for industry-specific legal and legislative news as well.

Share your promotions and new hires in our “People on the Move” column, or the latest development in your area of expertise by writing an article. Look for ABODE in the mail the first week of each month, or read online at issuu.com/haa_abode.

Contact the Communications Department at comm@haaonline.org for details and contact Amanda at asherbondy@haaonline.org to advertise.

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What can Houston Apartment Association members do to be a better partner for you and your legislative colleagues?

Going and talking to elected officials is very important, but going to see them now before there is a regular session is a critical thing. If you’re having issues with evictions or what have you, you need to go see them now. And more importantly, what you can do for us is, for example, the Lieutenant Governor would love to know what your figures are on how many available apartment units you have versus how many were damaged. It helps them set policy. The Houston Apartment Association and the Texas Apartment Association are valuable to the Texas economy, but also from the public policy standpoint, where people go will be a big help for us to know what is happening for our public policy.

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Before Harvey hit Houston, ABODE and the HAA Public Affairs team sat down with the Houston Housing Authority’s President and CEO Tory Gunsolley, to talk about affordable housing, the difference between HHA and the City of Houston’s Housing Department, how HAA-members can be better partners and much more.

Great Gunsolley Interview by

Tell us about yourself and your background.

I got started in the housing business on the demand side. I worked for a series of homeless shelters doing housing search for the homeless, and I found that I spent a lot of my time at housing authorities trying to get my clients in.

Because they were so low-income, market rate really wasn’t an option and I found that housing back then – this was over 20 years ago – wasn’t very receptive to trying to help the homeless. An opportunity came up to do waiting list commissions at a housing authority and I thought, “Huh, well they’re the ones who have all of the housing.

If I worked there, I would be helping more people than I am now.” That started an over 20-year career with public housing authorities. I’ve been in Houston for six years, I was in Newark, New

ANDY TEAS, ALPA PATEL and MORGAN TAYLOR,

HAA Staff

Jersey for five years and Cambridge, Massachusetts for 10. I’ve worked in all the different areas of a housing authority and I’m probably one of the few people crazy enough to say I really want to run a large housing authority, and that is what I had set as a goal to accomplish.

based Section 8 and public housing. That is the main portfolio. In the last several years, we’ve had a real focus on serving the homeless through smaller, boutique programs and really trying to support the community’s effort around homelessness.

Tell us about the organization you run.

The Houston Housing Authority serves about 60,000 people in Houston and we do that through two main programs and a number of smaller, boutique programs. The biggest program is the Housing Choice Voucher Program, which everyone still calls Section 8. Then we have apartments that we actually own, and we own about 6,000 units. It’s a combination of tax credit housing, Section 202 Housing, project-

How is the Houston Housing Authority different from the City of Houston’s Housing Department?

We’re completely separate organizations. The Houston Housing Authority is a standalone, government entity much like Metro is a separate entity from the city. We do not have a standing allocation of funding from the city, we partner with the city and we get funds from them through competitive processes just like any organization the city wants to support. I think one of the big distinctions is we develop, own and manage real estate and apartments, whereas the City of Houston’s Housing Department is a funder of those programs and relies on other folks to do that.

What are your biggest current challenges?

Currently, our biggest challenge is federal funding. We rely on HUD to provide funding, authorized by Congress. We are currently in a situation where we have a voucher short-fall and we don’t have enough money to run the program. HUD is being very helpful in helping us through this period, but the goal is to serve as many people as we can and the need in Houston for affordable housing is so great. Not just the Houston Housing Authority, but everybody who has affordable housing, that entire portfolio only represents 9 percent of the demand in the Houston-area. We need to be creating more opportunities and not less, and currently in Congress our budgets are slated for some rather dramatic cuts.

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Funding by Congress is certainly key, but beyond that, how does the new administration at HUD impact what you do?

The administration can set policy direction. So far, we haven’t seen any massive shifts in terms of policy direction from HUD. The new administration is still new and getting the lay of the land, trying to figure out what their priorities are going to be. At the end of the day, HUD is our partner and we are partnering with them to run our programs, and the core programs don’t really change. HUD’s role is to issue regulations in compliance with laws that Congress has passed.

If Congress doesn’t change any laws, generally the regulations don’t change. It’s kind of like we’re keeping the lights on and we’re going to continue to serve the people we serve until HUD says they want to emphasize this or that type of a program.

I’ve been through a number of administration changes and at the end of the day it’s generally different focuses on boutique programs that they are interested in seeing us do more of in one direction or another. Sometimes they want us to do more but they don’t provide any funding, and sometimes they do provide funding to do more.

I do know at this juncture, both in Houston and across the country, the housing programs are at capacity. One of the things that would be interesting for HAA members to know is that we’re routinely running our portfolio at 99 percent or more occupancy and the HHA routinely collecting rent at 98, 99 percent. And we’ve done that for several years where we are utilizing every apartment we have.

When looking at reports for a 6,000-unit portfolio, I’m looking at how few vacant units we have and the question is, what can Congress do, what can HUD do to expand our ability to serve more people? I think one of the biggest things that the new administration has talked about is expanding public, private partnerships, which a lot of housing authorities have not done, but here in Houston I would say we have done a lot of public-private partnerships and it’s a model we are very comfortable with to leverage the private sector along with public dollars to create more units. If the administration started to formalize their position towards that, Houston stands ready to do more.

How do we balance the need to provide low-income housing in "high-opportunity" areas with the need to maximize the amount of housing we can provide with the available budget, and the need to invest in historically minority communities?

We need to do all of those things. When you look at the demand, there are over 370,000 peowww.haaonline.org

ple who would benefit from affordable housing and they’re all over, they aren’t just in one specific neighborhood. I think the question becomes, how can we grow the pie so that we can do more? I think that the public-private partnership model is one way to be able to do more because it isn’t a question of do we need to do more.

Looking at the specific issue of how do we trade these things off, at the end of the day, these are real estate questions and they are also people decisions. The research on high-opportunity areas is clear that there is a real concrete benefit to children under the age of 10 moving to better neighborhoods. They have better life outcomes and substantially higher incomes throughout their life. That means they pay substantially more taxes throughout their life. We don’t have a system in place that allows the housing authority to say, “Hey if I can generate more tax payers who are paying $500 more in taxes a month, can I somehow use those additional resources to provide them that opportunity at $400 a month for a net-gain system wide of not just having better outcomes for the people we serve, but better financial outcomes?”

And this is a similar problem we have seen when we’ve looked at the homeless issue.

Permanent supportive housing is a proven model to save the system money and sometimes it’s very substantial numbers, where it could cost over $100,000 to take care of one individual in the old homeless model, but in the new permanent supportive model it costs $12,000. That’s a huge savings, but the system isn’t equipped to allow us to tap into those savings to be able to do more, because these are savings in the criminal justice system and/or health care system and they don’t touch the housing system, or its increased revenue to the IRS or the treasury that doesn’t tie back to housing programs.

That’s the same old equation of investing a dollar into education is $10 you don’t invest in the criminal justice system down the road, but it’s hard for people to see.

And I think that it is a societal issue that we need to wrestle with of where we are making investments because that is really what affordable housing is – an investment in someone’s future. In a revitalizing area, it’s an investment in the individuals, but it’s also an investment in the community to say we can change this community, we can make this community better and that will have spillover affects to everybody else in the neighborhood. I see less of a distinction in doing high-opportunity neighborhoods and doing low-opportunity areas and I look at it as more of a distinction of how

many people I am able to serve, how I am able to serve them best and how I am able to change communities that need to be improved. I think they are both great things to do, and what the housing authority is trying to do is balance those subjective things and not just choose one model over the other – we’re trying to do them both.

Many see the lack of affordability of market-rate, non-subsidized housing as a growing problem, with many of those costs driven by government policy (taxes, fee, regulatory compliance, utilities, etc.).

How should we address this in the context of affordable housing?

What is fascinating about Houston is that it disproves a lot of that argument. Historically, that argument was used in New York City and San Francisco as the poster children of overregulation and hampering the market’s ability to provide housing. Well, Houston has no zoning, we have a lighter touch on regulation and we have a growing affordability problem. You ask any nationwide builder who has both built in Houston, New York City and San Francisco where would they rather build, from an ease of building, they would rather build in Houston.

But in terms of at the end of the day, a return on investment perspective, well they still build in other places because they’re getting a return on their investment.

I think affordable housing, because it is artificially constrained on the income side, on the rents that can be charged, it provides less return on investment and so it requires somebody else to make up that deficit. And there’s only so much of that that goes on. As a system, we’ll build it and it’ll run at 99 percent occupancy, but if there isn’t someone – and generally, that only someone has been the federal government in Texas – who is willing to say “Yeah, we’re going to invest in that,” it won’t induce the private sector players to put their capital at risk for a lower return.

That is completely understandable to me, so I think it becomes a question of who is willing to make those investments. What you see across the country is areas where affordability has started to become extremely dire and it has impacted the middle class. In San Francisco, you can make six figures and not be able to afford to rent an apartment and suddenly that gets everyone’s attention. I think that part of the way to expand the pie is to have other people at the table who are willing to say this is a problem that we as a city or a state or a country need to address. If the country is going to back off, more and more of it October 2017

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HAA contacted the Houston Housing Authority on what HHA is doing post Hurricane Harvey:

is going to the cities and states if they want to make any progress.

Hurricane Harvey has had a tragic impact on our city and surrounding areas, and our hearts go out to those impacted by Hurricane Harvey.

We are doing everything in our power to help Houston Housing Authority residents and voucher recipients impacted by the storm and get them the support they need as the entire city of Houston begins to rebuild. We are working together with FEMA, the City, the State and volunteers to come back quickly and stronger than ever before.

We have launched an online system for the region that allows any PHA (public housing agency) resident to update their status and if they’ve been impacted by the storm. We urge HHA residents to update their status at www.housingforhouston.com. HHA residents can also call us at 713-260-0600. This is critical for ensuring that we’re able to assist and contact our residents, and get them the help they need. On our website, you will also find a FAQ page that will be updated in real-time as new information arises.

This historic flood has caused damage to thousands of homes in and around the city.

Our staff have identified locations that need help cleaning up and repairing. We have work crews at multiple properties already beginning the recovery process. Also, the HHA non-profit affiliate Houston Housing Resource is accepting online donations to help provide immediate emergency assistance to individuals and families affected by Hurricane Harvey.

We are proud to serve the City of Houston and will continue to support the needs of our residents. We understand that this will be a long-term recovery period and we are committed to exhausting all resources to provide our residents and voucher recipients with a safe and quality housing. As always, our top priority is ensuring everyone is safe and taken care of.

How can Houston Apartment Association members be better partners?

There are a number of ways that the membership already supports the work we do and we really value the Houston Apartment Association for the work we already do together. We partner with many apartment owners and managers in the voucher program and having more people come to the table is better.

We’ve made a number changes, specifically to try to make dealing with the voucher program easier for owners and we will continue to do that. We have a landlord forum where landlords can express how we can serve them better and make it easier for them to accept our clients, work with our clients and get paid.

Continuing to or starting to participate in the voucher program, and participate in the landlord forum is certainly one way.

I’m always willing to talk to people about suggestions, about making the program easier, with the understanding that at the end of the day it is the federal government who is paying me to run the program and they have a lot of rules and I’m not able to change those rules. However, there is a deregulation demonstration program out there known as Moving to Work and if the Houston Housing Authority became a Moving to Work agency, I would be able to make the program work even better for the local community, change the way we do business and not have to follow every single regulation that makes people go, “Why do we have to do it this way, it makes no sense.” And so, at an advocacy level, advocating for deregulation and more flexibility of housing authorities as an industry group is something that could pay dividends for both of us.

I know many of your members not only manage units, but they own and build units and we look for partnerships on the development side.

We currently have a request for proposal out on the street for project-based vouchers where we

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are willing to enter into a commitment to subsidize units for many years and work with the landlord on doing that, and that can be both in existing units and new development. That’s a commitment developers can take to the bank and say, “Look I have a guaranteed revenue stream here, let’s talk about how I can leverage that,” and that’s another way we can partner.

We’re also open to partnering on development opportunities. I think we will continue to see opportunities in the future where we want to build more developments than we can do on our own in-house, and we’ll be looking to partner with other players to do a public-private partnership and get something done that neither one of us can do by ourselves.

What are the biggest challenges you see ahead?

One of the biggest challenges is the NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) attitudes that the housing authority confronts and the affordable housing developers confront generally. There is a bias towards building apartments almost anywhere in the City of Houston. At the end of the day, we have to remember we are serving people. How many people in their lifetime have lived in an apartment? Many then go on to homeownership. Or they were in homeownership at one point, then lived in an apartment and then went back to homeownership. Trying to figure out a way to change the narrative, to change the mindset that somehow people who don’t live in single-family housing are different is something that both the HAA members and the housing authority and anybody who cares about apartments need to be invested in. I know for both the 6,000 apartments I own and your membership owns, we know that when we see people up close and personal they’re just like us – they’re working, they want what is best for their kids, they’re planning for the future, they’re invested in community and they just happen to live in an apartment, not in a house.

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Rental Credit Reporting provides Houston’s

apartment industry with the most effective rental credit reporting tool available.

RCR gives your leasing staff immediate access to information about which prospects have fulfilled their leases and who have been residents in good standing. RCR also tells you who hasn’t paid rent, who has broken leases and who has received their deposit refund.

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.

a service of

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

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Thanks, PAC Contributors The HAA PAC is the Political Action Committee of the Houston Apartment Association, a nonprofit trade association representing the Houston apartment industry. Without political capital, our industry could not be as successful in representing your interests.

Thanks to these contributing individual members:

Steering Committee Members – $1,500+ PAC Treasurer Stacy Hunt, Greystar . . . . . . .$15,577.65 Grant Almquist, Texas Apartment Pool Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Mack Armstrong, Greystar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Jeff Blevins, CAS, Camp Construction Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Kenneth J. Bohan, The Liberty Group . . . . $1,500.00 Howard Bookstaff, Hoover Slovacek LLP . .$1,500.00 John Boriack, CAM, IROP, Veritas Equity Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Kyle Brown, Milestone Management . . . . .$1,500.00 Joe Bryson, CAM, CAPS, IROP, Stellar Equity Management LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Terri Clifton, Better World Properties LLC - Sumar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Grant Crowell, CAS, The Urban Foresters LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Brian Cweren, The Cweren Law Firm . . . . .$1,500.00 Scot Davis, Trammell Crow Residential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Brian Febbo, FSI Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 John W. Fedorko, C&F Interests Inc. . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Gary Gates, Gatesco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Kevin Goodnight, Redi Carpet Sales of Houston Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Billy Griffin, Camp Construction Services . $1,500.00 Ira M. Gross, CAPS, Integrity Asset Management LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Darlene Guidry, Hettig Management Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Curtis Haines, CAM, Vende Capital LLC . . .$1,500.00 Alison Hall, Camden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 David Hargrove, Asset Plus Corp. . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Sheri Harrison, Landmark Management Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$3,008.00 Clay Hicks, The Dinerstein Companies/ TDC Management Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 David Hodge, Camp Construction Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Dan James, CAS, Redevelopment Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 David Jones, Southhampton Management Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Caroline Kane, CKR Property Management LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Theresa Lamar, Maintenance Supply Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Dick LaMarche, Creative Property Management, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$2,000.00 Ross Love, Scott Equipment Inc. . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Kristin McLaughlin, CASE, Mohawk Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Steve Moore, Villa Serena Communities . .$1,500.00 Carlos Neto, Auburn Regal LLC . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 David Onanian, PAS Online Marketplace .$1,500.00 Michelle Pahl, CAS, Century A/C Supply . . $1,500.00 Jenifer Paneral, Pinnacle Property Management Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Mark Park, CAS, AAA Plumbers . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Michelle Pawelek, Greystar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Jackie Rhone, CAPS, Greystar . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 John Ridgway, CPM, Celtic Realty Advisors LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Beth Rohani, CAS, Ameritex Movers Inc. . .$1,500.00

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Kelly Scott, Buyers Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Kyle Smith, Guardian Construction . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Eileen Subinsky, Michael Stevens Interests$1,500.00 Debbie Sulzer, CAPS, Francis Property Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Kirk Tate, CPM, Allied Orion Group . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Sal Thomas, Tarantino Properties Inc. . . . . .$3,566.50 Suan Tinsley, Dayrise Residential . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Patrick J. Tollett, Oak Leaf Mgmt. Co. . . . . . .$1,500.00 Victor E. Vacek, Jr., Central Management Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,832.00 Neal Verma, Nova Property Management $1,500.00 Christy Wheeler, Richfield Real Estate Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$1,533.00 Tony Whitaker, FSI Construction . . . . . . . . . .$1,500.00 Jerold Winograd, Judwin Properties . . . . . .$1,500.00 Anthony Wonderly, Olympus Property . . . .$1,956.00 Trustees – $500+ Joshua Allen Sr, J Allen Management Co. Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Nick Altman, Infinity Power Partners . . . . . . .$500.00 Joseph Batdorf Jr., J Turner Research . . . . . .$500.00 Gary Blumberg, Brite Real Estate Investors, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Arrie Colca, CASE, Craven Carpet Inc. . . . . . .$500.00 Kory Davis, Maintenance Supply Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Derek DeVries, CAS, Camp Construction Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Ian Douglas, Allied Orion Group . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Scott Douglas, CAM, CAPS, Creative Property Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Paul Faulkner, Advaloremtax.net . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Kevin Fenn, CAS, Pavecon LTD . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Sharon Fortmeyer-Selan, CAM, Kalitera Assets LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Garrett Graham, Bettencourt Tax Advisors LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Clark Gregg, NALP, CAPS, Fidus Construction Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Teresa Harrell, Brookway Horticultural Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Christopher J. Hilton, National Credit Systems Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Mike Koch, Camp Construction Services . . .$500.00 Barby Lake, CAPS, Westdale Asset Mgmt Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Laura Lestus, CAS, The Liberty Group . . . . . . .$500.00 Cesar Lima, AAA Plumbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Sonia Lopez, CAM, CAPS, Southhampton Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Robert Martinez, IROP, Rockstar Capital Management LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 David Nargang, CAPS, The NRP Group . . . .$500.00 Dean O'Kelley, CAS, The Liberty Group . . . . .$500.00 Velissa Parmer, Mosaic Residential Inc. . . . .$500.00 Lee Reeves, CAM, Triumph Equity Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Kim Small, CAPS, Wood Residential Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$500.00 Starla Turnbo, SMI Realty Management . . .$500.00 Richard Wood, Ameristar Screen & Glass . .$500.00 Christy Yonge, Brown & Yonge LLC . . . . . . . . . .$871.50

Voting Century Club Members – $125+ Mike Andrews, CAM, Marquette Companies $125.00 Joslin Aquino, The Dinerstein Companies/ TDC Management Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Michelle Baxter, AMLI Residential . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Becky Belanger, The Barry Company LLC . .$256.00 Ginger Bernstein, Q10 Property Advisors . . . .$125.00 Crystal Biggs, CAM, The Dinerstein Companies/ TDC Management Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Julian Blum, Urban Southwest LLC . . . . . . . . . .$254.25 Marivel Bownds, CAS, Valet Living . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Travis Brandt, Brandt Electrical Services Inc. $125.00 Debbie Brueckner, CAS, Dixie Carpet Installations Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Kristin Buck, RentPath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Dwain Capodice, HD Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Tina Cavaco, Centra Partners Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Dylan Coleman, CAS, Camp Construction Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Mark DaRonch, Linebacker Equity Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Erin Edwards, Houston Waste Solutions . . . .$125.00 Marty Fanning, Summit Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Melissa Friend, Greystar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Israel Garza, III, CAS, Maintenance Supply Headquarters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Randy Ginnan, Apartment Life Inc. . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Mandy Gonzales, Behr Process Corporation .$125.00 Stephanie Graves, CAM, CAPS, Q10 Property Advisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Joanne Herrmann, CAPS, Morgan Management LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$194.00 Richard Hester, CAM, Southhampton Management Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Jimmie Hotz, CASE, HD Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Shannon Huskey, CAM, Southhampton Management Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Amber Hyde, CAM, Southhampton Management Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Crystal Jackson, CAM,CAPS, Pinnacle Property Management Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Kelley Jamison, The Dinerstein Companies/ TDC Management Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Ben Johnson, Apartment Butler Inc. . . . . . . . .$125.00 Marcus Juarez, ARC Group USA . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Randy King, Chadwell Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Debra Knight, CAS, Valet Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Gerald Kolbo, GHKT LP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$168.00 Tommy Ku, The Dinerstein Companies/ TDC Management Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Jacob Kunath, CAS, Century A/C Supply . . . .$125.00 Hai Le, Dover Cove LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Jacob Leatham, IROP, Linebacker Equity Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Norma Ledbetter, HD Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Keith Lee, VMI Premier Group LLC . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Liz Levins, CAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 David Lindley, CAS, FSI Construction . . . . . . . .$125.00 Brityn Maddox, Veritas Equity Management $125.00 Andrew Maloch, Chadwell Supply . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Rose Martinez, CAM, Greystar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Amber McCoy, CAM, CAPS, The Dinerstein Companies/TDC Management Co. . . . . . . . .$125.00 Will McGinnis, CAS, Incite Energy LLC . . . . . . .$125.00 Candis Mohr, CAS, AAA Plumbers . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 www.haaonline.org

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Debra Moore, ApartmentData.com . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Jay Morales, Citi Fence Commercial Inc. . . . .$125.00 Keely Park, The Dinerstein Companies/ TDC Management Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Jennifer Ramos, CAM, CAPS, Greystar . . . . . . .$125.00 MJ Reddy, Reddy Partnership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$499.00 Michelle Rhone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Sarah Rivera, American Wrecker Service . . . .$125.00 Christy Rodriguez, CAPS, Greystar . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Joseph Rodriguez, The Urban Foresters LLC $125.00 Becky Sanders, Valet Living . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Merideth Savoie, The Dinerstein Companies/ TDC Management Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Jackie Schuley, Southhampton Management Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Brad Smink, Behr Process Corporation . . . . .$125.00 Blaise Spitaleri, CAS, Rasa Floors . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Jeremi Spratt, CAM, AMLI Residential . . . . . . .$125.00 Jimmy Stevens, Redi Carpet Sales of Houston Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Carlos Taboada, CPA, Carlos Taboada & Company PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Mat Tilley, WeDoTrash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Jerry Turner, T4-HIM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$126.00 Sonny Unverzagt, Best Plumbing LLC . . . . . . .$125.00 Mark Stephen Webster, RentPath . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Ashley Wendt, CAS, Arbor Contract Carpet Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Quintina Willis, CAM, Capstone Real Estate Services Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Dusty Wolf, Centra Asset Partners . . . . . . . . . . .$125.00 Michelle Ybarra, AON Wakeforest Inc. . . . . . .$438.00 Christina Zimmerman, CAM, CAPS, Greystar$125.00

Non-voting Century Club Members – $100+ Jose Barbosa, J&R Resurfacing & Painting . .$100.00 Wes Batterton, Chadwell Supply . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Meg Belmontes, Arizona Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Liz Berglund, CAS, Poolsure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Reuven Bisk, Better World Properties LLC Sumar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Dixie Caldwell-Greer, CAS, The Liberty Group $100.00 Elizabeth Castro Gray, CAM, CAPS, NALP, IROP, Lamppost Capital Management . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Crystal Cauthron, CAM, Scenic Property Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Peggy Charles, CASE, Sunny Rock International LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 John Dang, CAM, CAPS, Mosaic Residential Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Yvette Davis, CAS, DepositIQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Maika Esacove, CAS, Ferguson Facility Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Austin Fatjo, Advanced Waste Solutions LP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Jacqueline Galeana, Ameritex Movers Inc. .$100.00 Lucerito Garcia, Scenic Property Group . . . . .$100.00 David Gilkeson, Westchase District . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Nir Goldberg, Elite Street Capital . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Ronnie Harris, Brown & Gay Engineers Inc. .$100.00 Dale R. Hicks, Alief American Door Tech . . .$100.00 Michael KnightBetter World Properties LLC - Sumar $100.00 Stephanie Krop, CASE, Buyers Access . . . . . .$100.00 Valerie Lacy, CAM, CAPS, Wood Residential Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00

Howard A. Lang, Jr, Lang Property Co. . . . . . .$100.00 Angie Lavrack, CAM, CAPS, The Liberty Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Jerry L. Lewis, II, Ameritex Movers Inc. . . . . . . .$100.00 Cookie Long, Perma-Pier Foundation Repair of Texas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Paul Marks, eConserve LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Jim Michael, Roto-Rooter Services Co. . . . . . .$100.00 Peggy Mundt, H J Brelsford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Les D. Munson, Sweet Cicely LLC . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Doug Oehl, CAS, Power Express . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Wang Pei, Profico Investment Inc . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Arely Pena, The Liberty Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Ron Rabbitt, Gambit Construction . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Brenda Reyes, Scenic Property Group . . . . . .$100.00 Ed Schultheis, Embark Services . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Kurt Seidel, Lincoln Property Company . . . .$100.00 Natalie Spratt, NALP,CAM, IROP, Scenic Property Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Megan Stone, The Liberty Group . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Jessica Wheeler, Greystar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$100.00 Contributors Kathleen H. Beirne, KHB Consultants Inc. . . .$20.00 Rivka Borentstein, 10 Cooper St LP . . . . . . . . . . .$62.75 Alvin Cheung, GC Cheung Fountain Spring Apartments LLC, $40.00 Cornelis Hoogendam, Cornelis Hoogendam $97.00 Kim Lacy, Finlay Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$98.00 George Lin, Captain Investment Corp . . . . . . . .$90.50

Answer the Call We need a hero, and your contribution to the Houston Apartment Association PAC can make you one.

Join the HAA PAC today and see what a difference you can make as an industry advocate. You don’t have to have super-human strength to save your business from over-regulation, just the willingness to help. www.haaonline.org/haapac govaffairs@haaonline.org

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FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers Disaster recovery centers offer in-person support to individuals and businesses in 39 counties included in the Texas federal disaster declaration for Hurricane Harvey and the subsequent floods. Recovery specialists from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), the State and other agencies will be at the centers to talk about assistance and to help anyone who needs guidance in filing an application. The new centers are at the following locations (information as of press time): Netrality Building Suites 125 & 150 1301 Fannin Street Houston TX 77002 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Bayland Community Center 6400 Bissonnet Street Houston TX 77074 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Church Without Walls 5725 Queenston Boulevard Houston TX 77084 Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Cowboy Memorial Football Stadium 1303 West Gayle St. Edna, TX 77957 Hours: Daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Colorado County Services Facility 305 Radio Lane Columbus, TX 78934 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m Randolph Recreation-Activity Center 653 East Pearl Street La Grange, TX 78945 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center 650 S. Griffin Street Dallas TX 75202 Hours: Daily, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The former Goodwill Building 3871 Stagg Drive, Unit 166 Beaumont TX 77701 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fort Bend County Sienna Annex 5855 Sienna Springs Way Missouri City TX 77459 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Simonton Community Church 9703 FM 1489 (Simonton Rd.) Simonton TX 77476 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Goliad Memorial Auditorium 925 S. State Hwy 183 Goliad TX 77963 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Friendship Center/Community Center 31355 Friendship Drive Magnolia TX 77355 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Wharton County Wharton Civic Center 1924 N Fulton Street Wharton TX 77488 Hours: Daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Bay Vista Center Suite 174 & 178 2334 Hwy 361 Ingleside TX 78362 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Pattie Dodson Public Health Center 2805 N Navarro Victoria TX 77901 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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Calhoun County Public Library 200 West Mahan St Port Lavaca TX 77979 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Webster Civic Center 311 Pennsylvania Avenue Webster TX 77598 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Port Aransas Community Center 408 North Alister Street Port Aransas TX 78373 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

League City Recreation Center 450 West Walker Street League City TX 77573 Hours: Daily from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Old Amegy Bank 2401 Termini St. Dickinson TX 77539 Hours: Daily, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Deweyville Senior Citizen Center 43435 State Hwy 87 S Orange TX 77614 Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Bay City Civic Center 201 Seventh St. Bay City TX 77414 Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Brookshire Volunteer Fire Department 910 Gresham Road Brookshire TX 77423 Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.,

Harvey, continued from Page 38 HAA will have a Harvey update for owners/managers presented by Howard Bookstaff at our next It’s the Law Luncheon on Friday, October 13. Additional briefings on the legal and legislative aspects are possible.

The Texas Apartment Association has an extensive amount of resources available to management and residents on their website at https://www.taa.org/resources/hurricaneharvey-disaster-relief-resources. TAA was presenting a Harvey Response Forum webinar on September 21. See their website for more information to come.

The National Apartment Association has a blog specifically for Harvey Updates at https://www.naahq.org/news-publications/ hurricane-harvey-situation-updates.

Also see Page 56 for more information on FEMA Disaster Recovery Center locations.

An Unfortunate Cancellation Due to the storm, the Houston Farm & Ranch Club was seriously flooded. Sadly, as a result, the Houston Apartment Foundation Chili Fest planned for October 28 has been cancelled. Our thoughts go out to the staff at the Farm & Ranch during the long recovery ahead.

We will have continuing coverage of Hurricane Harvey recovery efforts and industry-related news in the coming months of ABODE. www.haaonline.org

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On Site with ABODE

Photos provided by Morgan Group

MORE THAN 300 UNITS Mid-Rise, Built 2000-2015

Property: 2121 Mid Lane Apartments Owner/Management: Morgan Group Location: 2121 Midlane St., just off the 610 Loop on the corner of San Felipe Street and East Briar Hollow Lane Units: 189 Built: 2015 Web: www.2121midlane.com Interesting features: Situated on the edge of the Highland Village-area, residents who want an inside the loop experience have access to high-end shopping, an exciting nightlife experience, dining and entertainment venues. 2121 Mid Lane offers studio, one and two-bedroom apartment homes with 10’ ceilings, full-size washers and dryers, electronic key systems, granite kitchen countertops and more.

Residents have access to a sparkling pool, outdoor kitchens that are perfect for social gatherings and a newly-upgraded dog park. Competitive resident services include 24-hour maintenance, parcel pending, paperless leasing, Relate 24/7 (an email platform that allows management to be in constant contact with residents), MW Cleaners Lockers (on-site, free pickup and delivery) and “warm calls” (a system where each resident is contacted every 45-60 days).

What makes this property special is the relationship the on-site team has with the residents, which they have cultivated by providing excellent service, hosting resident events and creating opportunities for residents to give back to the community and receive incentives at the same time. Every year, 2121 Mid Lane holds a book drive for the Sunshine Kids.

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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!”

October 2017

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

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

www.haaonline.org

On Site with ABODE

Photos provided by Olympia at Willowick Park

HIGH-RISE Built 2000-2015

Property: Olympia at Willowick Park/Townhomes at Willowick Park Owner/Management: Martin Fein Interests Location: 3939 W. Alabama Street, just miles from the Southwest Freeway on West Alabama Street and Weslayan Street Units: 189 Built: 2015 Web: www.olympiaatwillowickpark.com Interesting features: Before even walking onto this property, the neighborhood’s 75-year-old oak trees will welcome you to the area. Located in the Upper Kirby district, just miles from Highland Village, this property is surrounded by upscale shopping, dining and much more.

This property boasts an inimitable collection of 189 homes in a distinctive six-story high-rise. Featuring spacious open floor plans and the elegant finishes found in fine custom homes, Olympia at Willowick Park offers 24-hour concierge service and resort-style amenities within a peaceful enclave overlooking formal gardens and a magnificent one-acre park. It’s the one-of-a-kind setting for stylish living in one of Houston’s most desirable in-town neighborhoods.

Amenities include a 24-hour strength and cardio center, a social lounge with multiple seating areas and views of Willowick Park, a spa and salon with two treatment rooms, lounge and pampering area (manicure/pedicure/makeup/hair cutting and styling stations), 8th floor observation lounge and so much more. 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!”

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

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

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On Site with ABODE

Photos provided by Cottages at South Acres

2016 NEW DEVELOPMENT Garden

Property: Cottages at South Acres Owner/Management: Hettig Management Location: 11409 Scott St., located in the Crestmont Park-area just miles from Highway 288.

Units: 150 Built: 2016 Web: www.cottagesatsouthacres.com Interesting features: Cottages at South Acres isn’t your typical apartment community. In fact, it’s more of a rental home community designed specifically for families.

Notice the playground? This community offers five floorplans, three being four-bedrooms, one two-bedroom and a single, one-bedroom. Each home has an energy-efficient design, an attached garage, a gourmet kitchen design with a double sink, walk-in closets, crown molding, washer and dryer connections, a private patio, highspeed internet access and more.

The lush property offers community amenities that include a resident club room, a sparkling pool, a picnic and BBQ area, a playground and park and a buss depot.

Cottages at South Acres is the third phase of the South Acres development and is located adjacent to South Acres 1 and South Acres 2 properties that include 130 four-bedroom single-family units. South Acres Ranch Phase I opened in May 2010 and received a U.S. Congressional Recognition Award, as well as a Houston Business Journal Landmark Award. Phase II opened in October 2011. The City of Houston Housing and Community Development Department contributed $3.1 million in HUD HOME funds for the $22.8 million complex.

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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!”

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!”

October 2017

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

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

www.haaonline.org

On Site with ABODE

Photos provided by The Grand at LaCenterra

151-300 UNITS Mid-rise, built 2000-2015

Property: The Grand at LaCenterra Owner/Management: Martin Fein Interests Location: 2727 Commercial Center Boulevard in Katy, right off the Grand Parkway Units: 271 Built: 2015 Web: www.thegrandatlacenterra.com Interesting features: Just steps away from Katy’s lively town center within the award-winning Cinco Ranch community. The Grand at LaCenterra is a luxury, four story community built along a serene lake, featuring 271 refined studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartment homes, many with magnificent lakefront views.

Along with a selection of desirable amenities, The Grand at LaCenterra offers a blend of relaxed lakeside living in a vibrant Main Street-style setting. Stroll along the waterfront boardwalk, or be part of the lively urban scene of LaCenterra with its charming shops, urbane dining and entertainment establishments and the concerts, events and public gatherings at Central Green.

Community amenities include a poolside social lounge with latte bar, billiards and poker table, soft seating and two outdoor TVs; a game room with a pool table, ping pong table, three indoor TVs, entertaining and dining area; a 24-hour strength and cardio center with Wellbeats Fitness on Request and much more. 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!”

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

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

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On the Scene with the HAA NEXT NEXT “Krazy Karaoke” Sponsored by 1 Foundation Specialists Thursday, August 17 at Midtown Bar & Grill

1

The HAA young professionals group sang their hearts out for a special karaoke networking event. Thanks to judges Michelle Pawelek, Debbie Sulzer, Suan Tinsley and Tony Whitaker.

MEET THE NEXT GENERATION OF HAA LEADERSHIP. This niche group within HAA is dedicated to the networking and professional development needs of HAA members 35 and younger. Network with your peers and grow your career together among the next generation of HAA leadership! To Learn how to become involved with NEXT, see online at www.haaonline.org/next.

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Welcome Mat

Introducing HAA’s NEW MEMBERS

OWNERS

City Gate Property Group Dawn Waye 8111 LBJ Fwy #1550 Dallas, TX 75251 972-979-1442 The Alara Apartments Referred by David Lindley, CAS

DBTR Properties LLC Ed Oravetz 3220 Salisbury Court Friendswood, TX 77546 281-687-8635

Emart Inc Cynthia Guevara 17107 Kildonan Court Richmond, TX 77407 832-732-2478 La Bella Vista Apartments

Fairway Square Apartments Village Fairway Square Apartments Village 2301 Fairway Drive Alvin, TX 77511 281-331-8541 Fairway Square Apartments

Gateway Capital Management Angelee Kumar 1450 Trace Drive Houston, TX 77077 832-605-5253 Kirkwood Vista

Prime Realty Property Management Aaron Styron 3515 Preston #100 Pasadena, TX 77505 281-487-3345 French Quarter Residence Colonial Manor Apartments

PURE US Apartments REIT Inc Bernice Plange 5810 Tennyson Pkwy #450 Plano, TX 75024 469-345-7873 The Boulevard at Deer Park Apartments

SAL Holdings LLC Cindy ParDue 1201 6th St Bay City, TX 77414 979-244-8787 The BayTex Apartments Cottonwood Park Townhomes

Einstein Roofing Inc Jim Carlin 16311 Townes Road Friendswood, TX 77546 281-581-0004 Roofing Consultants, Roofing Contractors Referred by Tina Cavaco

SUPPLIERS

Elevation Sourcing LLC Todd Huff 15565 Wright Brothers Drive Addison, TX 75001 214-572-2000

Elite Fence & Gate Inc George Samartzis P.O. Box 25051 Houston, TX 77265-5051 713-609-9014 Fences, Gates & Gate-Operating Devices Referred by Aaron Potier

Heartland Payroll Solutions Lucy Alanis 209 Abode Terrace North Montgomery, TX 77316 713-445-6819

911 Security Cameras, Inc Dan Stricklin 10874 Plano Road #B Dallas, TX 75238 214-341-6565 Security Guard/Patrol Service, Security Systems Consultant Referred by Aaron Potier

Buddy’s Roofing & Construction Co Blake Stuart 2411 Marquette Trail Katy, TX 77494 281-935-0329 Remodeling & Repair-Building Contractors, Roofing Contractors Referred by Ryan Weis

Building EngineeringConsultants Inc Andrew Creamer 6823 Theall #B Houston, TX 77066 713-970-1718 Engineers, Roofing Consultants

Cano Electric Inc Heather Griffing 7607 Flagstone St Fort Worth, TX 76118 682-626-5311 Electric Contractors, Lighting Outdoor

D&C Painting Isabel Dominguez 6102 Flintlock Road Houston, TX 77040 713-462-7165 Painting Contractors, Carpet Cleaning Referred by Aaron Potier DocuSign Tiffany Tanquary 221 Main St #1000 San Francisco, CA 94105 408-781-3327 Computers - Software & Service, Computers-Software Property Mangement

HSI Services Inc Stephen Marino 13020 Murphy Road #G Stafford, TX 77477 713-675-7663 Roofing Consultants, Roofing Contractors

Icon Bank of Texas Kendra Targac 23123 Cinco Ranch Blvd. #100 Katy, TX 77494 281-944-2402 Banks, Real Estate Loans

Roof Top Innovations Jason Cole 311 N. Sycamore St. Tomball, TX 77375 281-351-7663 Roofing Consultants, Roofing Contractors, Roofing Materials

Solar Power Everywhere Chad Lang 4019 Pearl Pass Sugar Land, TX 77479 832-886-7046 Energy Provider, Energy Conservation/Management Student Movers Inc Garrett Berger 8630 Lipan Road Houston, TX 77063 713-728-4900 Movers, Moving Supplies Texas Engineered Roofing & General Contracting Brad Briggs 33300 Egypt Lane #L800 The Woodlands, TX 77354 281-259-3300 Gutters & Downspouts, Painting Contractors, Remodeling & Repair-Building Contractors, Roofing Contractors, Roofing Consultants, Siding Contractors Referred by Tina Cavaco 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!”

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!”

Securecomm Inc Billy Tipps 305 Wells Fargo Drive #A9 Houston, TX 77090 832-857-1183 Fire Alarm Systems, Security Control Equipment/Systems, Sound Systems & Equipment Referred by Lori Lindley, CAPS

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

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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

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Need Meeting Space?

The Houston Apartment Foundation Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center is here for you.

The Direct Energy LP and Liberty Personnel & Executive Search Computer Lab seats 24 and is fully equipped with computers and a sympodium system, including an electronic dry erase board and collaboration tool.

The Dinerstein Reed Prokop Education Center is located on the second floor of the HAA/HAF facility, 4810 Westway Park Blvd. in the Westway Park Development at Clay Road and Sam Houston Parkway, a premier location with easy access for members and their employees.

Available features for each room include: • Podiums • Ceiling-mounted LCD projectors • Automated projection screens • DVD/VCR with direct projection • Fully functional sound systems • Hand-held microphones or lavalier microphones • Wireless internet access • Kitchen facilities And much more…

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 Marie Garza at 713-595-0306, e-mail mgarza@haaonline.org or visit us online at www.haaonline.org.

The Michael Stevens Interests and Camden Room can be divided into two training rooms, each seating 60 to 72 classroom-style, 102 to 112 theatre-style or 80 in rounds. The entire space will seat 120 classroom style or 200 theater style. Other table arrangements are also available. Call for more information.

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The Go-Getters HAA’s MEMBERSHIP RECRUITERS

MAKING MEMBERSHIP MATTER Recruit all year round and become part of the Go-Getter Club.

Meetings are now quarterly!

Be the top recruiter for each quarter and win one of the following items: 4 1st Quarter: Yeti 40 Hopper cooler 4 2nd Quarter: Apple Watch 4 3rd Quarter: Samsung 40” Smart TV 4 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/gogetterscorner to get all the information you need.

Mark your calendars!

HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS Members who have recruited more than 100 companies Claude Arnold Monette Reynolds Kenn Brown Sherry Stevenson Tina Cavaco Kirk Tate Kevin Fenn Suan Tinsley Diane Gilbert Sonny Unverzagt Anita Harrison Del Walmsley Dwayne Henson Nancé Wells Mike Koch H.P. Paul Young Merry Mount Jeanne Marie Zublin Dicks

The final meeting will be hosted at Cafe Adobe in the Marq-E Center 7620 Katy Fwy, Houston, TX 77024 December 7 Register online today!

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 or Lauren in the Membership Department at members@haaonline.org.

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Claims, continued from Page 40 5. Document all your activities and expenses.

Keep a log of all activities and save all receipts including those for property replacement and extra expenses. This will provide the documentation a disaster recovery professional requires to present expenses to your carrier, and you will know which expenses will be reimbursed as you rebuild.

6. Make decisions that are best for the survival of your business.

Policyholders often expect the insurance company to tell them what to do to save their business. Insurance company adjusters are simply auditors of your property insurance claim. Only you know your business and what’s best for your recovery.

7. Hire your own experts.

The insurance adjuster sent by your carrier to evaluate the damages is working exclusively for the insurance company, not for you. It’s your responsibility to document and submit your claim. Make sure you have someone on your side who knows the insurance claims process to ensure a full, fair and expedited settlement — while you concentrate on maintaining your operations, not on claim details. Understand that your claim will have to be verified.

Moore notes that although it might never be possible to be 100% prepared for any and all types of hurricane damage, by working with qualified experts and following the tips above, business owners will have a much better chance at thriving financially after most major property losses.

“We understand the extreme strain that communities, businesses and local residents can face due to a hurricane’s devastating power and force. Our experts will be standing ready to assist business owners across our home state of Texas and our neighboring state of Louisiana with the entire property insurance claim and recovery process,” said Moore.

Jansen/Adjusters International’s public adjusters can help you recover from severe property damage. Visit the contact us page https://ai-texas.com/contact/ or call 800-992-7771.

www.haaonline.org

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The Ambassador ONE Society HAA’s WELCOMING COMMITTEE

DONATIONS! The Ambassadors collect supplies for Hurricane Harvey relief.

Mark your calendars and join us in 2017! Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of the following months: October 4 November 1

Ambassador ONE Society members with at least 10 points, ranked by points earned:

1. The Ambassador “ONE of the Month” is Vince Mallace, Roto-Rooter Services Co with 74 points.

2. Top Team “The Cool Kids Corner” with 113 points 1

2

Shera Lehman Vince Mallace Raedean Mitchem Chelsea Quinteros Angie Lavrack Mat Tilley April Shane Wilton Paul Marks Marivel Bownds Logan Richter Liz Levins Shala Johnson Arely Pena Doug Oehl Shannon Bass Alex Antonov Kristin McLaughlin Keith Sobolik Angel Lopez Marcus Wheatfall Kurt Allshouse Will McGinnis Zamara Nitcholas David Lindley Ryan Weis Paul Gilmore Matt Mistica Phillip Price Megan Stone Blake Subinsky Pete Lopez Diamela Bravo Hector Mendez Peggy Charles Joey Rodriguez Whitney Yeakey Chad Emrie Jason Norbeck Jerry Lee Lewis Shaun Callaway Danyell Wilkerson

Texscape Roto-Rooter Apartment Data Services Gail Construction The Liberty Group WeDoTrash PrestoX eConserve Valet Living JMI Contractors Redi Carpet The Liberty Group Power Express Lee & Barrier Builders Lone Star Pro Services Mohawk Industries Ted W Allen & Associates Metropolitan Staffing Solutions Triple Seal Insulation The Allshouse Group Incite Energy LLC Greenlogic Lighting & Electric FSI Construction Impact Floors Vinson Guard Service Bio-One HD Supply The Liberty Group HD Supply HD Supply Green City Security PPG Paints Sunny Rock International The Urban Foresters PPG Paints BH North America Impact Floors Ameritex Movers Earthworks, Inc ApartmentData.com

330 276 196 155 113 94 91 86 63 53 51 49 47 37 33 32 32 28 20 20 19 19 17 16 16 16 15 13 13 13 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 10 10 10

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, attend an orientation and one of the meetings listed here, or contact Amanda in the Membership Department at 713-595-0316, or email asherbondy@haaonline.org.

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The Ambassador One Society collected donations for Hurricane Harvey at their September 6 meeting.

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Portfolio Changes The following owner/management companies have added the listed properties to their portfolios: • Asset Plus Corp: Ashwood Park Apartments, 144 units at 3520 Burke Road in Pasadena.

• City Gate Property Group: The Alara Apartments, 155 units at 17601 Wayforest Drive.

• Dwell Communities: Dwell at Clear Lake Apartments, 198 units at 4101 NASA Road 1 in Seabrook.

• Gateway Capital Management: Kirkwood Vista, 42 units at 4315 S. Kirkwood #128.

• GPI Real Estate Management Corp: Woodtrail Apartments, 304 units at 9900 Richmond.

• Greystar: Villages of Cypress Creek Apartments, 384 units at 10300 Cypersswood Drive and Alta Heights Apartments, 256 units at 145 Heights Blvd.

• Greystone Property Management: Havenwood Place Apartments, 64 units at 600 Hickerson St. in Conroe.

• Karya Property Management: Legacy at Westchase Apartments, 324 units at 10070 Westpark and Champions Green Apartments, 192 units at 14141 Champions Drive.

• Milestone Management: Regency at First Colony Apartments, 324 units at 225 Fluor Daniel Drive in Sugar Land; Foundations at River Crest Apartments, 280 units at 1700 River Crest Drive in Sugar Land; Foundations at Lion’s Head Apartments, 277 units at 15700 Lexington Blvd. in Sugar Land; Foundations at Edgewater Apartments, 292 units at 2222 Settlers Way in Sugar Land and Foundations at Austin Colony Apartments, 237 units at 1800 Austin Pkwy in Sugar Land.

• NOI Property Management: The Hamptons Apartments, 347 units at 16202 El Camino Real and Las Brisas on El Dorado Apartments, 202 units at 707 El Dorado Blvd.

• Portico Property Management: Casa Palmas Apartments, 308 units at 3500 Red Bluff Road in Pasadena.

• PURE US Apartments REIT Inc.: The Boulevard at Deer Park Apartments, 216 units at 401 W. Pasadena Blvd. in Deer Park.

• Russ and Company Real Estate Investment LLC: Milby Apartments, 14 units at 203 N. Milby.

• Stonewall Associates LLC: Barrington Apartments, 308 units at 5959 Bonhomme.

• Verve Assets LLC: Mirabella Apartments, 98 units at 816 Oak St. #61.

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_oct2017.

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In the News

Moore

Gage Multifamily Services is proud to announce Kristen Monroe has joined the team as Regional Account Manager & Luxer One Package Locker Specialist.

Have something to report from your company or for yourself? Email us your news at comm@haaonline.org.

The Houston Apartment Association’s committees and clubs are some of the most productive tools we have to ensure that we remain the nation’s largest and most effective apartment association. Committee and club members face the challenge of getting involved to carry out the duties and purpose of each club and committee.

Some general responsibilities of committee and club members include a commitment to attend all meetings and help develop marketing strategies (i.e. telemarketing, developing handouts, fliers, articles).

To serve on any of these committees and clubs, please contact the HAA office at 713-595-0300, online at www.haaonline.org or email the departments listed below.

Education education@haaonline.org Education Advisory Council Career and Community Development Committee Government Affairs govaffairs@haaonline.org HAA PAC* Fair Housing Committee Strategic Growth Committee Membership members@haaonline.org Ambassador ONE Society Go-Getter Membership Recruitment Club Expo Exhibitor Committee* Community Outreach shinkley@haaonline.org Community Outreach Committee Product Service Council* Resident Relations resrel@haaonline.org Resident Relations Committee *Note: These committees have specific requirements for membership. Contact HAA for details. www.haaonline.org

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Are you ready to take your HAA involvement to the next level?

“Such a great experience to see firsthand, and understand how our local association works with our local and state government.”

– Tammie Garcia, CAM, CAPS, Greystar

Leadership Lyceum HAA created this leadership development program to identify high-caliber, effective, well-informed industry professionals and educate them on the mission and strategic objectives of the association and its affiliated associations.

Who is eligible?

Individuals working for HAA members are eligible to apply. If you have three or more years of multifamily property management experience and have served on an HAA committee you may apply. If you are a supplier partner, you will need at least two years experience working for a supplier company and have served on an HAA committee.

What does the program include?

The program includes four - five sessions with specific topics, with a half a day commitment and attendance at other committee meetings which typically last on average of an hour.

We schedule the sessions to occur the first half of the year. You have two years to complete the program so if you miss a session this year, you can catch it when it is offered the following year.

“I learned so many things about both HAA and TAA that will allow me to serve both organizations better.”

– Brian Febbo, CAS, FSI Construction

How many people will be selected?

Up to 15 individuals will be selected for each class.

How do I apply?

If you would like to apply for the 2018 class, please contact Susan at shinkley@haaonline.org Your application must be accompanied by TWO letters of recommendation. One letter of recommendation should be from a supervisor and the 2nd letter from a colleague active in the industry. The Leadership Development Committee, comprised of HAA Executive Committee leaders, past lyceum graduates and Past Presidents of HAA will review applications and select participants. Applicants will be notified after the committee meets, typically in early December.

Once I complete the program how will I be recognized as a graduate?

All candidates that have completed the full program by the end of May will be recognized at the Awards event in June. Candidates who complete the program by the end of October will receive recognition and their HAA Lyceum pin at the Annual Business Meeting in November.

All graduates will also receive recognition in HAA’s monthly magazine ABODE and the HAA website.

Questions?

Contact Susan Hinkley at shinkley@haaonline.org.

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Legislative, continued from Page 9 Proposition 4 – ““The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to require a court to provide notice to the attorney general of a challenge to the constitutionality of a state statute and authorizing the legislature to prescribe a waiting period before the court may enter a judgment holding the statute unconstitutional.”

This proposed amendment would ensure that the state has an opportunity to defend Texas laws from constitutional challenges by clarifying that courts can be required to notify the attorney general when a suit challenges those laws. In 2013, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals struck down the Texas law establishing that requirement. Legislators feel this protects the prerogative of the legislature to pass laws on behalf of Texans and to have those laws maintained.

Proposition 5 – ““The constitutional amendment on professional sports team charitable foundations conducting charitable raffles.”

Gambling is generally prohibited by the Texas Constitution. There are specific

www.haaonline.org

exceptions for pari-mutuel racing and the state lottery, along with an additional exception created two years ago to allow professional sports teams to hold lotteries for charity. This proposed amendment would expand the definition of a “professional sports team,” giving more team-connected foundations the ability to hold charitable raffles.

Proposition 6 – “The constitutional amendment authorizing the legislature to provide for an exemption from ad valorem taxation of all or part of the market value of the residence homestead of the surviving spouse of a first responder who is killed or fatally injured in the line of duty.”

This proposed amendment would extend the same property tax exemption given to surviving spouses of veterans and disabled veterans to surviving spouses of first responders. The spouse of a fallen first responder loses a source of income, which can jeopardize his or her ability to pay property taxes and may ultimately affect the ability of surviving spouses to maintain their homesteads.

Proposition 7 – “The constitutional amendment relating to legislative authority to permit credit unions and other financial institutions to award prizes by lot to promote savings.”

This proposed amendment would authorize the legislature to allow banks and credit unions to host savings promotion raffles, also known as prize-linked savings accounts (PLSAs), which offer incentives to save rather than spend or gamble away earnings. More than one-third of Texas households lack a savings account, and about half do not have a three-month emergency fund.

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.

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Index of Advertisers By CATEGORY

A/C Contractors

Landscape Contractors

Trash Servoce Valet

Air Rescue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 832-876-4471 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.airrescuetx.net

Outdoor Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 713-955-0990 . . . . . .www.outdoorelementstx.com

White’s Trash Service LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49 832-529-7411 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.whitestrash.com

A/C Supplies

Laundry Equipment & Supplies

Century A/C Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 281-530-2859 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.centuryac.com

Scott Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 713-686-7268 . . . . . . . . .www.scott-equipment.com

HAA Products & Services

Carpet Installation

Locks & Locksmiths

Arbor Contract Carpet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45 832-384-8232 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.arborcarpet.com

CKI Wholesale Lock Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 713-462-0704 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ckilock.com

Rental Credit Reporting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53 713-595-0300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.haaonline.org/rcr

Dixie Carpet Installations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 281-261-6334 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.dixiecarpet.com

Management Companies

Jobline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 713-595-0300 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.haaonline.org/rcr

Nova Asset Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 713-464-7790 . .www.novaassetmanagement.net

Electric Contractors Affordable Quality Electric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 713-695-5992 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.acuityelectric.com

Movers

Brandt Electrical Services Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 281-693-3383 . . . . . . . . . . .www.brandtelectrical.com

Ameritex Movers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 713-484-MOVE . . . . . . . . . .www.stressfreemove.com

Fire Alarm Systems

Paving Contractors

American Fire Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 713-466-9898 . . . . . . . . . . .www.americanfiresys.com

Pavement Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 281-758-8434 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.nopothole.com

Foundation Contractors

Personnel Agency

Foundation Specialists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 832-767-1115 . . . . . . . . .www.foundationexperts.com

ASAP Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .70 972-432-6667 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.asapdo.com

General Contractors

Plumbing Contractors

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

AAA Plumbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 713-462-4753 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.aaaplumbers.com

Cotton Commercial USA Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 877-511-2962 . . . . . . . . . . .www.cottoncompanies.com Disaster America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 888-4-CATUSA . . . . . . . . . . . .www.disasteramerica.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.

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

FSI Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35 832-767-1115 . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.fsiconstruction.com Gambit Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 832-987-4242 . . . . .www.gambitconstruction.com Gemstar Construction Development . . . . . . . . . .1 281-821-1195 . . . . . .www.gemstarconstruction.com RENCON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Inside Back Cover 713-666-3636 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.rencon.com

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

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

Glass – Plate, Window, Etc. Ameristar Screen and Glass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57 713-683-6767 . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.ameristarglass.com

Security Control Equipment/Systems SentriForce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 888-671-2202 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.sentriforce.com

Insurance Harco Insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67 713-681-2500 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.harco-ins.com

Trash Hauling Waste Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 713-354-5230 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .www.thinkgreen.com

www.haaonline.org/rcr

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_oct2017.

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MarketLine By BRUCE MCCLENNY, President, ApartmentData.com

• • • • • • •

HOUSTON (As of August 2017, pre-Harvey reporting)

Snapshot

•

89.1% $984/mo.

111.6¢/sq.ft./mo.

882 sq.ft.

Past 12 Months: 0.5% rental rate growth 12,340 units absorbed

98.0 – – 90.0

96.0 –

– 89.0

94.0 –

– 88.0

•

Recently Opened (12 months): 82 communities 21,859 units

• • • • • • • • • •

Under Construction: 29 communities 7,658 units

Occupancy (%)

Operating Supply: 2,725 communities 638,603 units

Rental Rate (¢/sq.ft./mo.)

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

• • • • • •

– 87.0 Jul 17

Aug 17

Jun 17

May 17

Apr 17

Mar 17

Feb 17

Jan 17

Nov 16

Dec 16

Oct 16

Sep 16

Jul 16

Aug 16

Jun 16

May 16

Apr 16

Mar 16

Feb 16

Jan 16

Nov 15

Dec 15

Proposed Construction: 57 communities 16,786 units

Oct 15

Sep 15

92.0 –

History of Effective Rental Rate & Occupancy for All Units

Hottest Submarkets Over the Past Three Months

Concessions

Annualized % of Market Rank Submarket Absorbed 1 Downtown 18.1% 2 Tomball/Spring 7.3% 3 Montrose/Museum/Midtown 7.3% 4 Conroe North/Montgomery 10.8% 5 Highland Village/Upper Kirby/West U 5.0%

Rental Rate Growth % 4.6% 5.2% 5.1% 2.9% 3.2%

Total Units Class w/Concessions All 263,779 A 79,626 B 86,981 C 85,775 D 11,397

% of Total Units 41% 55% 36% 42% 25%

Average Special -3.7% -6.6% -2.2% -2.4% -1.6%

Citywide Effect -8.4% -11.3% -6.1% -5.8% -6.7%

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 41 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:

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

Occupancy: Price: Rental Rate: Size:

92.0% $1,078/mo.

123.8¢/sq.ft./mo.

871 sq.ft.

90.4% $917/mo.

108.1¢/sq.ft./mo.

848 sq.ft.

91.8% $1,200/mo.

137.6¢/sq.ft./mo.

872 sq.ft.

Past 12 Months: 4.7% rental rate growth 13,507 units absorbed

Past 12 Months: 1.9% rental rate growth 3,761 units absorbed

Past 12 Months: 1.3% rental rate growth 7,224 units absorbed

Operating Supply: 2,945 communities 684,744 units

Operating Supply: 858 communities 180,891 units

Operating Supply: 913 communities 211,108 units

www.haaonline.org

ApartmentData.com has been providing apartment data and marketing products since 1986.

ApartmentData.com covers Texas’ four largest metro areas and provides real-time access for property specific information, market surveys and historic submarket data for more than 1.3 million apartment units. For more information, contact Bruce McClenny at 800-595-8730. © 2017 ApartmentData.com October 2017

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Back Page

with News from around the COMMUNITY

Join the HAA Food Drive for people and pets and help victims of Hurricane Harvey

HAA is asking all members to collect food, for both people and pets, to donate to the Houston Food Bank and The Rescue Bank. HAA held its first food drive in 1983, and the Houston Food Bank lists HAA as one of the top 25 donors to the organization.

If your property or company plans on a community effort this holiday season, why not collect food for displaced residents and help us make HAA and the apartment industry the largest contributor in the city? Don’t forget our four-legged friends, too!

Apartment managers, here are some ideas for collecting food on site: • Set up a collection box at the leasing office. The Houston Food Bank has collection boxes available, or you can decorate your own box.

• Place a flier at each resident’s door or in your newsletter announcing that you will be collecting food during November.

• Visit your local grocery store and ask for a supply of paper bags that you can use to place at each apartment door asking residents to fill the bag with nonperishable food for people and pets.

• Place a flier in the mailbox area announcing the food drive and where/how to donate.

Member locations for food drop-off are: • Camp Construction, 15139 S. Post Oak Road, 77053 • Cotton Commercial, 3600 Brittmoore Road, Suite 190, 77043 Last year HAA members and residents collected 50,000 pounds of food. Let’s keep up the good work!

Please contact Susan Hinkley at 713-595-0313 or shinkley@haaonline.org to participate.

ONLINE STATISTICS for the Houston Apartment Association Website and Social Media www.haaonline.org Total visits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16,454 Visitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11,701 Most visited pages: 1. Jobline Board 2. Rental Credit Reporting 3. Renter Online Complaint Form

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HAA Jobline Apply button clicks . . . . . . . . .3,745 Job postings for the month . .107 Resume postings . . . . . . . . . . . . .199 Job seeker signups . . . . . . . . . . . .117

Twitter @HAAOnline www.twitter.com Followers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,420

Facebook http://tinyurl.com/2ae7gnq

Houston Apartment Association Group members . . . . . . . . . . .2,027

Linkedin http://tinyurl.com/2667ppr Houston Apartment Association Group followers . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,701

www.haaonline.org

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Houston Apartment Association 4810 Westway Park Blvd.

Houston, Texas 77041

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