IHM News, Volume 29, Spring 2007

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Volume 29, Spring 2007

ENHANCING THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS OF PROPERTY MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONALS

Welcome Spring!

Inside President’s Message - What Do We Do as Property Managers? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 What’s Hiding in That Closet? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 The Power of Long-term Thinking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Bed Bugs - Biology and Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Building Sandcastles that Endure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 President’s Commentary - Shaping Your Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

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P r e s i d e n t ’s M e s s a g e

What Do We Do as Property Managers? what you do in order to determine how effective a property manager you are.

M

anagement is a profession simply by doing what you do.

Add an element of property management and you become a professional due to your skills, knowledge, and ability.

Take this one step further and ”manage by example” and you became a top notch professional in your field.

That’s what makes you a winner and is the strength of IHM! I have written previous messages on the ”Ethics of Managing” and ”The Property Manager’s Life is Like a Chameleon”. I think reading and building on these messages, it is important to take stock of

The following list shows examples of some of the things you do as managers of property, people, and contractors, to name a few: • You assume responsibilities • You balance competing goals • You are both an analytical and conceptual thinker • You must be accountable • You work with and through other people • You are a mediator • You are a politician • You are a diplomat, and • You make difficult decisions.

You do these functional activities every day but in all likelihood you may not realize the number of hats you wear, a

particular role you play at any given time, and above all, your adept ability to recognize the appropriate role that must be played.

Regardless of what type of person you are, you will have taken on more characteristics of your organization then you know. This happens simply due to natural process of osmosis and your desire to be the best of the best, to meet the objectives of your group, whether that be controlling vacancy loss or reducing arrears and vandalism.

A property manager IS what a property manager DOES and as your President, I have the greatest respect for all of you and what you do!

Greg Grange, B.A., F.I.H.M. President

2006-2007 Board of Directors PRESIDENT:

TREASURER:

Greg Grange, FIHM Director, Housing Division Dept. of Community & Family Services City of Kingston 362 Montreal St. Kingston, ON K7K 3H5 Tel: (613) 546-4291 Ext. 1265 Fax: (613) 546-3004 Email: ggrange@cityofkingston.ca

Harry Popiluk, FIHM Victoria Park Community Homes 155 Queen Street North Hamilton, ON L8R 2V7 Tel: (905) 527-0221 Ext.215 Fax: (905) 527-3181 Email: hpopiluk@vpch.com

VICE-PRESIDENT: Deborah Filice, AIHM Co-Chair, Communications Committee CityHousing Hamilton Community Services City of Hamilton 55 Hess Street South, 23rd Floor P.O. Box 2500 Hamilton, ON L8N 4E5 Tel: (905) 546-2424 Ext. 7817 Fax: (905) 546-2762 Email: dfilice@hamilton.ca

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DIRECTORS: Lee Campbell, AIHM Co-Chair, Communications Committee Chair, Conference Committee Dept. of Community & Family Services City of Kingston 362 Montreal St., Kingston, ON K7K 3H5 Tel: (613) 546-2695 Ext. 4916 Fax: (613) 546-2623 Email: lcampbell@cityofkingston.ca Joan Cranmer, FIHM Chair, Education Committee Victoria Park Community Homes 155 Queen Street North Hamilton, ON L8R 2V7 Tel: (905) 527-0221 Ext. 213 Fax: (905) 632-5554 Email: dcranmer@cogeco.ca

Kevin O’Hara, AIHM Chair, Marketing Committee Regional Municipality of Waterloo Waterloo Region Housing #202–385 Fairway Road South, Kitchener, ON, N2C 2N9 Tel: (519) 575-4800 Fax: (519) 893-8447 Email: kevino@region.waterloo.on.ca David Chambers, AIHM Chair, Membership Committee CityHousing Hamilton 2255 Barton St., East Hamilton ON L8H 7T4 Tel: (905) 523-8496 ext 7897 Fax: (905) 546-2256 Email: dchamber@hamilton.ca Don White, AIHM Toronto Housing Manager of Special Initiatives Asset Management 931 Yonge Street – 2nd Floor Toronto, ON M4W 2H2 Tel: (416) 981-4370 Fax: (416) 981-5960 Email: Don.White@torontohousing.ca

Lynn Alexander Candidate Representative Region of Durham Housing Services P.O. Box 623, Whitby, ON L1N 6A3 Tel: (905) 666-6222 Fax: (905) 666-6225 Email: Lynn.alexander@region.durham.on.ca

IHM OFFICE: Lynn Morrovat Administrator 2175 Sheppard Ave. East, Suite 310 Toronto, ON M2J 1W8 Tel: (416) 493-7382 Ext. 254 Fax: (416) 491-1670 Email: ihm@taylorenterprises.com Josee Lefebvre Administrative Assistant 2175 Sheppard Ave. East, Suite 310 Toronto, ON M2J 1W8 Tel: (416) 493-7382 Ext. 255 Fax: (416) 491-1670 Email: ihm@taylorenterprises.com

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Feature

What’s Hiding in That Closet?

By Kevin O’Hara, A.I.H.M.

A

s a Property Management professional how many vacancies have you dealt with in your career, and what have you found in some of those vacated units?

Property Managers work in an always interesting profession, helping people make a home for themselves and their families. However, there are often times we can be astonished at the extremes of how our clients keep their homes, either during routine inspections or when tenants vacate. People can keep their homes either very well or quite poorly, and people can often leave behind what I call “the refuse of their tenancy”. On occasion there can be a great deal of ‘stuff’ that vacating tenants wish to throw away, but apparently they lack either the will or ability to do this work themselves.

When speaking about what comes after we depart this world, C.S. Lewis said “There are better things ahead, than any we leave behind.” As Property Managers/Owners, I imagine that some of the clients we house might feel the same way when leaving behind various and, at times, copious fragments of their tenancy for us to throw away for them (with a charge-back of course). I have been involved in Property Management for almost 20 years and recently came across a never-before experienced, interesting, intriguing and yet moving item left behind in a closet… well, a cupboard to be exact.

What would you do if you found the cremated remains of a person in a vacancy? IHM members ascribe to the IHM code of ethics, and one article in

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the code states that Property Managers will exercise independent professional judgement on behalf of clients and employers. I know every member would agree that cremated human remains must be treated with dignity and a respectful internment is the only disposal option.

So, here I am with “J. Smith” in my office and knowing that despite what the person may have done in life that led to their being left behind, it is now my responsibility to ensure their ashes are dealt with properly; professionalism demands nothing less. The box holding J. Smith provides information on where the cremation took place. I call the crematorium, explaining the circumstances, and ask for any helpful details including other known next of kin and the certificate of cremation. I talk with a solicitor about the situation and promptly compose letters to the former tenant advising our course of action on what must be an oversight on their part, but with no forwarding address I can only hope that their mail is being forwarded. I contact a next of kin on file, not related to the deceased, to explain the situation and this proves unhelpful with the immediate need to locate the former tenant; all efforts resulted in a dead end.

arrangements are made. Now feeling an increased sense of responsibility, and after sharing my office for several weeks, I feel compelled to personally transport J. Smith to a local funeral home that has agreed to store the remains for 3 months. After this waiting period the remains will be transported to a second funeral home that conducts community internments in conjunction with the local Social Services Department. There will be records kept of where J. Smith has been interred just in case there are relatives looking for their family member in the future.

At the end of a tenancy the remains people leave behind can certainly be interesting. However, as people shed their former tenancies, Property Managers are there to act professionally and ensure any and all items left behind are dealt with appropriately. ■

After acquiring the very little information available, I follow the advice of the lawyer I had contacted and suitable

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Feature

The Power of Long-term Thinking

By Wayne Humphries & Jim Dimanis

H

ave you seen the price of computer printers lately? With just a little shopping around you can often find a nice inkjet printer for around $40 to $50. At those prices, you’d have to be crazy to consider the $500 models that are for sale.

Or would you? Because if you did buy a $50 printer, you would find that you have quickly run out of ink. And, as it turns out, ink is not cheap. On some models, a new ink cartridge can cost almost as much as a new printer! In fact, the initial price of a printer tells you almost nothing about the true cost of operating one. Only by knowing the price of ink can one calculate the cost per page. And the cost per page will indicate whether it is in fact cheaper to buy a $500 printer than to buy a $50 model.

But why are we talking to you about printers? There’s a simple and powerful lesson here for property managers, building owners and asset managers. In our jobs, we must make capital investment decisions on budgets that are often very tight. Whether it is a roof replacement, a new carpet for an office or a boiler retrofit in a high-rise, maintaining a building can be very expensive.

It is tempting to choose capital invest-

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ments that have a minimal up-front expenditure. The pressure to keep costs down can be tremendous. The decision becomes even more complex when tenant satisfaction is strained due to capital repair issues.

Fortunately, you need not always make such critical decisions under pressure.

The Life Cycle Costing (LCC) analysis tool – sometimes called a “cradle-tograve” analysis – provides an analytical justification for making the right longterm capital investments. Although LCC has been around for generations, it’s surprising how often we meet people who are either afraid to use it, or who believe it to be a waste of their time. In our opinion, spending 30 or 45 minutes on an analysis that could save tens of thousands of dollars is time well spent.

Rather than evaluating a capital project or repair based solely on the basis of initial costs, LCC looks at the total cost of an asset over its useful life, including its initial cost, installation, ongoing maintenance, additional labour and replacement components. LCC often shows that a project with a higher initial cost, in fact, has a lower cost in the long run.

A classic example of LCC’s use is in the evaluation of energy efficiency projects, since these projects typically require a

high initial investment but have lower operating and maintenance costs over their lives.

An example of LCC The following example shows how LCC is used by ABC Realty Inc. to decide which hot water tank to buy. Tank A has an initial cost of $4,000, while Tank B’s initial cost is $3,000. The property manager is inclined to recommend Tank B because of its initially-lower cost.

However, applying the LCC formula shows that this may not be in the best interests of the building owner over the longer term.

As the comparison on the following page shows, choosing the tank with the lowest initial cost would not result in the lowest overall cost. Tank A is more cost-effective, and the property manager was amiss in his recommendation.

This calculation includes a discount factor of 0.64, which reflects the time value of money.

The myths and realities of LCC There is a myth that LCC can provide an easy answer to all capital investment decisions. LCC works best if building owners intend to hold the property for

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The formula for calculating LCC is: Life Cycle Cost = initial cost + (annual costs x project life x discount factor)

Initial Cost Annual Costs Annual Maintenance Annual Electrical Costs Project Life (Years) Discount Factor

Hot Water Tank A $4,000

Hot Water Tank B $3,000

$50 $1200

$85 $1700

15 0.64

15 0.64

$4,000 + (($50+1200) x 15 x 0.64) $16,000

$3,000 + (($85+1700) x 15 x 0.64) $20,136

(Based on an interest rate of 3%)

Calculations Life Cycle Cost

the capital asset’s life, or if they are inclined to make investments for the building’s long-term interests. However, in the real world, many owners buy and sell real estate over much shorter periods than the expected life cycle of capital betterments. So, as an investor or owner, LCC could become less relevant if the hold period for a property is less than the life expectancy of a capital investment.

Often, the value of a new capital investment can be factored into any sale price.

Furthermore, LCC does not even begin to consider the qualitative benefits of investing in higher-quality equipment.

Tenant satisfaction is important for every owner/manager, and minimizing disruptions for repairs can improve tenant relations.

The reality is that LCC can be an effective tool in capital planning, but it has to be used in concert with other factors, which include the amount of funds available for capital improvements, the investment strategies of the investor/owner and the overall condition of the property.

Wayne Humphries is the President of M&P Property Management, one of Canada’s leading property management companies. Wayne can be reached by phone at (416) 644-4353 or by email at wayne_humphries@mintzca.com. Jim Dimanis is Vice President, Asset Management with M&P Property Management. Jim can be reached by phone at (416) 644-4489 or by email at jim_dimanis@mintzca.com. ■

CALLING ALL PROPERTY MANAGERS … with stories to share!

IHM News • Spring 2007

New Members New Candidate Members Aqui, Anne Bowness, Sue Bradimore, Julie Ellis, Stacy Hall, Kelly Lacarte, Kendra Mahadana, Don Andrew McEachern, Kimberley Nezhat, Shirin Pyzhov, Michael Pyzhov, Tatiana Raman, Anil Kumar Wessof, Lloyd West, Lori Ann White, Paul Zdraila, Bianca New Corporate Members AM FM Consulting Mintz and Partners Nepean Housing Corporation New Accredited Members Alexander, Lynn Gourlie, Lynda Humphries, Wayne

We know that a Property Manager’s job can be both challenging and interesting. How often have you come to work with your day all planned in your head only to have something unexpected come along …

We are looking for some stories to share with your colleagues in the Property Management field. If you have an interesting story that you would be willing to author, please contact the Newsletter Committee…

Lee Campbell at lcampbell@cityofkingston.ca Deborah Filice at deborah.filice@hamilton.ca

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Feature

Bed Bugs ~ Cimex lectularius (Cimicidae) BIOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

By Richard Pollack, Ph.D., Laboratory of Public Health Entomology, Harvard School of Public Health and Gary Alpert, Ph.D., Environmental Health & Safety, Harvard University

Bed bugs are increasingly becoming a problem within residences of all kinds, including homes, apartments, hotels, cruise ships, dormitories and shelters. We have drafted this document to provide basic information about the biology and health significance of these pests, and to offer guidance on how to safely and effectively manage an infested residence.

What are bed bugs?

Bed bugs are small wingless insects that feed solely upon the blood of warmblooded animals. Bed bugs and their relatives have evolved as nest parasites.

Certain kinds inhabit bird nests and bat roosts and await the return of their hosts; others have adapted well to living in the ‘nests’ (homes) of people.

seek shelter in dark cracks and crevices.

Cast skins of bed bugs are sometimes discovered. Although such a finding confirms that bed bugs had been present previously, it does not confirm that any continue to infest the residence. Thus, inspect carefully for live crawling bed bugs. Because many other kinds of small brown bugs may be discovered, it is critical to ensure that the bugs are correctly identified (more about this below).

Do bed bugs cause harm or spread pathogens (disease-causing germs)?

Hatchling bed bugs are about the size of a poppy seed, and adults are about 1/4 of an inch in length. From above they are oval in shape, but are flattened from top to bottom.

Their color ranges from nearly white (just after molting) or a light tan to a deep brown or burnt orange. The host’s blood may appear as a dark red or black mass within the bug’s body. Because they never develop wings, bed bugs cannot fly. When disturbed, bed bugs actively

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Bed bugs seek out people and animals, generally at night while these hosts are asleep, and painlessly sip a few drops of blood. While feeding, they inject a tiny amount of their saliva into the skin.

Repeated exposures to bed bug bites during a period of several weeks or more causes people to become sensitized to the saliva of these bugs; additional bites may then result in mild to intense allergic responses. The skin lesion produced by the bite of a bed bug resembles those caused by many other kinds of blood feeding insects, such as mosquitoes and fleas. The offending insect, therefore, can rarely be identified by the appearance of the bites. A physician should be consulted to rule out other causes for the lesions

and to offer treatment, as needed. The affected person should resist the urge to scratch the bites, as this may intensify the irritation and itching, and may lead to secondary infection. Physicians often treat patients with antihistamines and corticosteroids to reduce allergic reactions and inflammation. Despite what you may have heard or read elsewhere, bed bugs are not known to transmit any infectious agents.

Where do bed bugs occur?

Bed bugs and their relatives occur nearly worldwide. Bed bugs became relatively scarce during the latter part of the 20th century, but their populations have resurged in recent years, particularly throughout parts of North America, Europe, and Australia. They are most abundant in rooms where people sleep, and they generally hide nearest the bed or other furniture used for sleeping. Bed bugs are most active in the middle of the night, but when hungry, they will venture out during the day to seek a host. Their flattened bodies allow them to conceal themselves in cracks and crevices around the room and within furniture. Favored hiding sites include the bed frame, mattress and box spring. Clutter around the room offers additional sites for these bugs to hide, and increases the difficulty in eliminating bed bugs once they have become established.

How do bed bugs invade a home?

Because bed bugs readily hide in small crevices, they may accompany (as stowaways) luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes, and other such objects when these are moved between apartments,

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homes and hotels. Used furniture, particularly bed frames and mattresses, are of greatest risk of harboring bed bugs and their eggs. Thus, one should carefully scrutinize and consider the history of any used furniture, particularly ‘street’ items so plentiful at the beginning and end of each academic year. Because they readily survive for many months without feeding, bed bugs may already be present in apparently ‘vacant’ and ‘clean’ apartments.

Bed bugs can wander between adjoining apartments through voids in walls and holes though which wires and pipes pass.

In a few cases, bats and/or birds may introduce and maintain bed bugs and their close relatives (bat bugs and bird bugs).

Pest control personnel should be mindful of the presence of blood feeding insects and mites that may be left behind after removing nests or roosts of birds and bats in and on the home.

How can you tell if the residence is infested?

Bed bugs infest only a small proportion of residences, but they should be suspected if residents complain of bites that occurred while sleeping. The bedroom and other sleeping areas should be carefully examined for bed bugs and signs of bed bug activity. Folds and creases in the bed linens, and seams and tufts of mattresses and box springs, in particular, may harbor bed bugs or their eggs. They may also be found within pleats of curtains, beneath loose areas of wallpaper near the bed, in corners of desks and dressers, within spaces of wicker furniture, behind cove molding, and in laundry or other items on the floor or around the room.

Sometimes, characteristic dark brown or reddish fecal spots of bed bugs are apparent on the bed linens, mattress or walls near the bed. A peculiar coriander-like odor may be detected in some heavily infested residences. Adhesive-based traps used for sampling insects or rodents are not particularly effective for trapping bed bugs.

What should you do if you find bed bugs?

Because several different kinds of insects resemble bed bugs, specimens should be

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carefully compared with good reference images (such as those in this document) to confirm their identity. If any questions remain regarding the identity of your samples, then submit them to a competent entomologist for evaluation.

Once their identity is confirmed, a careful plan should be devised to eliminate the bed bugs in a manner that promotes success while limiting unnecessary costs and exposure to insecticides. Don’t discard furniture and don’t treat until and unless you have a plan.

What can you do to manage bed bugs?

Refer to the management scheme (flow chart) for more guidance. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/m anagement.html Before considering treatment, collect specimens and confirm their identity (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/s pecimen.pdf). Managing bed bugs requires a multi-faceted approach that generally includes cleaning, room modifications, and insecticidal treatments to the residence.

Search for signs of bed bugs.

Carefully inspect the bed frame, mattress, and other furniture for signs of bed bugs and their eggs. Although dead bed bugs, cast bug skins and blood spots may indicate an infestation occurred previously, they do not confirm that an infestation is still active. Search for live (crawling) bugs and ensure they are bed bugs before considering treating. To confirm the identity of the specimens, refer to our evaluation form http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/specimen.pdf.

Reduce clutter to limit hiding places for bed bugs.

Thoroughly clean the infested rooms as well as others in the residence. Scrub infested surfaces with a stiff brush to dislodge eggs, and use a powerful vacuum to remove bed bugs from cracks and crevices. Dismantling bed frames will expose additional bug hiding sites.

Remove drawers from desks and dressers and turn furniture over, if possible, to

inspect and clean all hiding spots.

Mattresses and box springs can be permanently encased within special mattress bags. Once they are installed, inspect the bags to ensure they are undamaged; if any holes or tears are found, seal these completely with permanent tape. Any bugs trapped within these sealed bags will eventually die.

To prevent bed bugs from crawling onto a bed, pull the bed frame away from the wall, tuck sheets and blankets so they won’t contact the floor, and place the frame legs into dishes or cups of mineral oil.

Caulk and seal all holes where pipes and wires penetrate walls and floor, and fill cracks around baseboards and cove moldings to further reduce harborages.

If you own your residence, we suggest you contact a licensed pest control operator who is knowledgeable and experienced in managing bed bug infestations.

Ask the pest control company for references, and ask at least a few of their customers about their experiences before you agree to any contract.

If you are a tenant, contact your property manager or landlord to discuss your respective obligations and to agree on a plan to manage the infestation. Generally, landlords are legally required to contract with a licensed pest control operator.

Request a written integrated pest management (IPM) plan from the pest control operator. This plan should detail the methods and insecticides to be used by the pest control operator, and describe the efforts expected by the building manager as well as by the tenants.

Because bed bugs and other pests may spread through cracks and holes in the walls, ceilings and floors, it is wise to inspect adjoining apartments on the same floor as well as those directly above and below.

What are your rights and obligations?

Landlords and property owners have specific legal obligations to provide safe and

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habitable accommodations for tenants.

Certain infestations, including bed bugs, may constitute an unacceptable condition.

Tenants have an obligation to cooperate with owners and landlords. This includes preparing the apartment so that the pest control operator can easily inspect the rooms and treat if necessary. Contact your state or municipal health agency or housing authority for more guidance on these issues.

What shouldn’t you do?

Don’t panic. Although bed bugs can be annoying, they can be battled safely and successfully if you adopt a well-considered strategy.

Do not apply pesticides unless you fully understand what you are applying and the risks involved. You are legally liable if you misapply a pesticide, or apply it without a license to the property of another (including common spaces in apartment buildings). Generally, landlords, owners and building managers cannot legally apply pesticides. They should, instead, hire a licensed pest control operator to confirm the infestation and to develop an integrated pest management plan.

Do not dispose of furniture that is useful.

Infested furniture can be cleaned and treated. Placing infested furniture into common areas or on the street may simply help spread bed bugs to the homes of other people. Infested furniture intended for disposal should be defaced to make it less attractive to other people. Officials in some municipalities affix to potentially infested furniture a label to warn of bed bugs. To reduce opportunities of infested furniture re-entering their building, building managers should ensure that any disposed furniture is locked within a dumpster or immediately carted away to a landfill or waste facility.

How can you have specimens examined?

Specimens suspected of being bed bugs should be collected into small breakresistant containers (such as a plastic pill bottle or a zipper-lock plastic bag. They may also be secured to a sheet of white paper using clear packaging tape. These containers should be packaged carefully to prevent damage/crushing of the sample, and be sent to a knowledgeable

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expert for positive identification. We provide a form that may be downloaded and printed for this purpose: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/s pecimen.pdf

What should you know about insecticides and other methods for treating bed bugs?

Property owners may purchase and apply certain pesticides to their own property, and tenants may do so (with certain exceptions) to their own apartments.

Generally, owners and tenants may not, however, apply these products to common use areas or to the property of another person. A licensed pest control operator may perform these tasks more effectively, safely and legally. If one apartment or room is found infested, adjoining rooms and those immediately upstairs and downstairs should be inspected and managed, as appropriate.

Carefully read the label before applying any pesticide. Apply the product only if you fully understand the instructions, and if you have the appropriate training/certification and equipment.

Do NOT apply any insecticide or pesticide to mattresses or to surfaces that would be in direct contact with a person, unless the label instructions specifically state that the product can be applied in that manner.

Some products can be harmful to people and pets. READ and UNDERSTAND the label.

Insecticide formulations used to treat bed bug infestations consist mainly of the following: • Insecticidal dusts abrade the insect’s outer waxy coat and cause the bugs to dry out quickly. Some consist of a finely ground glass or silica powder. These dry dusts may be applied in cracks and crevices, as well as within the hollow interior of a tubular bed frame. Some dust formulations include another kind of insecticide.

• Contact insecticides are those that kill the bugs shortly after they come into direct contact with the product or its residue. These mainly consist of one or more kinds of pyrethoids (synthetic analogs of the extract of chrysanthemum flowers). These products tend to

rapidly ‘knock down’ bugs that wander over or otherwise contact the insecticide. Because pyrethroids can be irritating and repellent to many insects, bed bugs may avoid treated surfaces. A different kind of contact insecticide, chlorfenapyr, is now available in a product available to pest control operators. This product is non-repellent and effective for a longer period.

• Insect Growth Regulators (IGR) affect the development and reproduction of insects. Although these products can be quite effective in reducing the population of the pests, they do not kill bugs quickly. Thus, pest control operators often use these products as a supplement to other kinds of insecticides.

A pest control operator may consider and propose a variety of other methods to manage bed bugs. An infestation that affects most or all units in a building may be best managed by treating the entire building with insecticides. This requires close cooperation by managers and tenants, and may require the tenants to leave the building for a few hours or even several days. Only licensed and knowledgeable pest control operators should attempt such treatments.

Be aware that you may spread bed bugs from your own infested residence if you move to another apartment, home or hotel. Generally, it is best to leave your possessions in your home or apartment when it is treated. All food and eating utensils should be protected from insecticidal products.

Some building managers have allowed infested apartments to remain vacant of tenants for extended intervals in attempts to ‘out wait’ or ‘starve’ the bed bugs. This strategy would rarely make good sense, as bed bugs are well adapted to patiently wait for the return of their hosts. Each bed bug needs only one full blood meal to develop to the next developmental stage, and they can readily wait months between feeding opportunities. Under ideal conditions, adult bed bugs can survive for more than one year between meals. Thus, infested residences should be aggressively managed to eliminate bed bugs. continued on page 11

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Yo u r E x p e r i e n c e s

Building Sandcastles that Endure

By Merge Gupta-Sunderji

A

s I write this month’s Mega Minute, I am sitting on a tropical beach under a thatched canopy, watching the relentless ebb and flow of the ocean as the waves crash on the shore. I am looking out to the very edge of the water where a tall sandcastle, built just a few hours ago by a group of children, is beginning to crumble and fall to the might of the sea. In just another few hours, there will remain no trace that a sandcastle ever stood here; as the high tide comes in, all evidence of the children’s hard effort and dedicated exertion will have been washed away.

thoughts aloud to my husband sitting next to me, he jumps in with the possibilities. “Perhaps the kids didn’t know where the high tide mark was,” he offers.

“Or maybe they just didn’t care because they won’t be here tomorrow to see whether the sandcastle survived or not.”

As I stare out over towards the horizon, my practical mind kicks into gear. “Why didn’t they just build the sandcastle another twenty feet inland?” I wonder to myself. “It would have been above the high-tide mark, and then it would have lasted much longer.” As I voice these

Immediately, my mind jumps from building sandcastles to the parallels in leadership – specifically, the importance of knowledge and the consequence of caring. As leaders, it’s important to equip yourself with knowledge, not only about your people and their circum-

IHM News • Spring 2007

stances, but also about the skills and behaviours that you can develop within yourself to create leadership excellence.

As leaders, it’s vital that you care, both about your people and the impact of your words and actions on other. Just like improved knowledge and greater caring could have built a more enduring sandcastle, your investment in knowledge and your commitment to caring will build not only strong employees and teams capable of resisting outside forces, but also positive workplaces that endure.

Reprinted from “Merge’s Monthly Mega Minute – March 2007.

Merge Gupta-Sunderji helps turn managers into leaders. Through engaging keynotes and facilatated workshops, she gives people specific and practical tools to achieve leadership and communication success. Contact her at www.mergespeaks.com or 403-605-4756. ■

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Education

Attention Accredited Members!!

The Institute of Housing Management

NEEDS YOU! Due to recent growth in the number of student members taking our Certificate in Property Management courses, the Institute requires Accredited members in good standing to proctor exams for Distance Learning students located throughout the Province.

Acting as a Proctor would involve negotiating with the student a convenient time to write a three hour exam in a quiet place in your offices/facilities. You would be responsible for providing the exam at start time, signing the exam as proctor at the end of the three hours, and then returning the documents to the Instructor directly for grading.

This is a great opportunity to give back to the industry through the Institute and at the same time help to ensure a well-trained pool of individuals to fill the evergrowing need for Accredited Property Managers.

If you would be interested, please fill in the following information and submit it to the IHM Office: â?? Yes, I would like to volunteer as a Proctor

Name Organization Address

Phone Fax

IHM Certificate in Property Management - Course Completions Program Completion Certificate Alexander, Lynn Hunter, Linda Course Completions Property and Building Administration Csordas, Tracey Jones, Catharine Ip, Janice Ragbirsingh, Robert Stupar, Dragan Vanderspek, Jeff Human Relations for Property Managers Bains, Kuldip Boem, Cynthia Botezatu, Cornel Botezatu, Mariana Brandabur, Corina Chu, Chiyan Clivet, Beatrice Craciun, Florin Feather, Kimberley Gamage, Dona Kassam, Nabeel Manteiga, Shana Mijatovic, Kim Moldovan, Mariana Mollah, Ahm Ziaul Navarro, Sarita Nondo, Nhlanhla Pranko, Yuliya Pricopciuc, Liliana Puka, Vitore Pulaj, Ilir Pulaj, Irena Risco, Viorel Sankiewicz, Adam P. Spafford, James Stupar, Dragan Tudor, Cristina Vrgovic, Dina Welch, Kyle Xhoxhaj, Feta Xhoxhaj, Mimoza Building Maintenance for Property Managers Alex, Ananthie Baxhaku, Dritan Caranci, Eileen J. Cesar, Carlos

Cutrona, Nina E. Dennis, Monique Dragu, Marius Halder, Dilip K. Hranisavljevic, Zoran Kassam, Nabeel Moldovan, Mariana Petricca, Helenio Pranko, Yuliya Pribicevic, Behka Pricopciuc, Liliana Pulaj, Ilir Pulaj, Irena Rawat, Niloufer (Nishma) Roopchand, Ronald Welch, Kyle Wiley, Tina Xhoxhaj, Feta Xhoxhaj, Mimoza Strategic & Financial Planning for Property Managers Adeoba, Adegbenro B. Besserer, Jennifer Brajak, Michael Carter, Caline Chouinard, Chantel Cutrona, Nina E. Danaj, Luan Dennis, Monique Di Battista, Anthony Ip, Janice Jano, Fjoralba Liao, Michael Mucio, Francesco A. Ndreca, Bardhok Papp, Daniela Pelletier, Lorraine Perkovic, John Petritaj, Evelina Qylafi, Luiza Rahman, Habibar M. Rawat, Niloufer (Nishma) Roopchand, Ronald Shakaj, Majlinda Shtembari, Ajlinda Vrindavan Raman, Ani Zaharia, Dora

Email

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P r e s i d e n t ’s C o m m e n t a r y

B e d B u g s Cont’d.

What might you do when returning from a visit to an infested residence?

Shaping Your Community Greg Grange, B.A., F.I.H.M. President

I

was reviewing the IHM Code of Professional and Ethical Business Practices recently and something came to mind when I read the section entitled: A Property Manager’s Responsibility to the Public: A member must always act with respect and acknowledgement of the public interest and shall: • Have special concern for the consequences of present and future actions.

• Perform their professional duties in a manner that respects the needs, values, and aspirations of the public at large.

The consequences of what you do as property managers has a tremendous impact on many tenants who live in your communities. Directly or indirectly you shape your community every day which, in essence, making you specialists in community development and you may not even know it.

You can strengthen your communities as self-taught community development practitioners. I would suggest, as community development practitioners, you reinvest and rediscover this natural abil-

IHM News • Spring 2007

ity in every decision you make each day.

Whether you are in the public or private sector, you set up tenant groups, forums and networks, and organize events with the objective to enable tenants to work together and work across organizational and community boundaries.

You tackle social inequities and discrimination to make your tenant communities inclusive, not exclusive. Your values and practices as professional property managers play a very special role in overcoming issues that face those traditionally disadvantaged in everyday life.

With experience, your values become entrenched in you as a professional and using your skills and techniques you create, facilitate, and encourage others to think about others in your community.

How rewarding your profession really is and by doing so you fulfill one of your obligations under the Code which is to: “Perform your professional duties in a manner that respects the needs, values, and aspirations of the public at large”.

Kuddos!

Travelers increasingly encounter bed bugs during their stays away from home. If signs of bed bugs were observed or suspected, consider the possibility that you may have unwittingly transported bed bugs or their eggs in your luggage and other personal effects. Clothing should be laundered in a manner to kill bugs and their eggs before or as soon as these items are brought back into the home. Suitcases should be carefully inspected, scrubbed with a stiff brush, and thoroughly vacuumed. Leaving such luggage for several hours in a closed vehicle in full summer sun may render the items bug free.

We hope this information will help you to more effectively identify and safely manage a suspected bed bug infestation. This document has been assembled to assist homeowners, property managers and tenants with information relevant to the identification and management of bed bugs. Brand names have not been mentioned, nor do we endorse any particular commercial product. This web site is intended for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by a medical professional. Always consult a physician if you have personal health concerns.

Costs associated with assembling this information and responding to inquiries are borne by our general laboratory funds. Please feel free to contact us if you found this information useful and are inclined to assist with support of our work. We encourage inquiries regarding the support of further research and educational efforts.

Prepared by Richard Pollack, Ph.D., 617-432-1587 rpollack@hsph.harvard.edu Gary Alpert, Ph.D., 617-495-1983 gary_alpert@harvard.edu http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/pes_be dbug.shtml ■

Greg Grange, B.A., F.I.H.M. President ■

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2 0 07 I H M A n n u a l E d u c a t i o n a l C o n f e r e n c e

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! Wednesday, April 18th to Friday, April 20th, 2007 Holiday Inn Peterborough-Waterfront, Peterborough, Ontario Sessions to include ■ Marketing Your Property ■ Mould - Prevention, Prevention, Prevention!

■ Unmasking Urban Graffiti ■ Community Development ■ Residential Tenancy Act Update ■ Energy Conservation ■ Managing in a Disaster ■ “Grow Ops” ■ Accessibility and Scooter Storage

Pre-conference Session “How to Successfully Negotiate”

Tuesday, April 17th and Wednesday, April 18th John Saunders, Labour Lawyer - Hicks Morley Tuesday, April 17th – 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm and will continue on Wednesday, April 18th – 9:30 am -11:30 am Luncheon - Thursday, April 19th Play/presentation – “Ghost of the Tree” is a one person performance which tells the story of love, sacrifice, and finding a place to call your own in a world where being yourself means breaking all the rules.

Watch the IHM Website for Conference News

www.ihm-canada.com

IHM Institute of Housing Management

Institute of Housing Management, 2175 Sheppard Avenue East, Suite 310, Toronto, ON M2J 1W8, Tel: (416) 493-7382, Email: ihm@taylorenterprises.com