Apartment Operations: Respond or go to Jail
This is one of the more extreme documented cases of neglect by a property owner that I have ever read about. By the looks of it jail might be the best place for him but what if the judge ruled instead by requiring the owner to participate in the fixes. What if he demanded 500 hours of hands on repair by the owner to include living in the building until the work is complete. His hours would have to include education as to the ill effects of turning a blind eye to the issues. Requirements might also include certification, at the owners expense, in applicable remediation measures and practices, HVAC licenses and a minimum number of operation related education from IREM or NAA. I like that option in lieu of tax paying residents paying for his incarceration –
Bronx Landlord Jailed for Continued Housing Violations – Bronx Housing Court last week ordered Sam Suzuki to be held behind bars until he corrects the nearly 700 open housing violations | Katy’s Exposure
Apartment Education – The Heat of the Moment
It’s summer time and many – if not all- of us are heavily involved in turning apartments and fielding A/C calls. It’s a busy time of the year and as a result education and safety meetings have the propensity to get put off. The idea of that brings to mind a scene from the movie Crimson Tide where Denzel Washington’s character questions Gene Hackman’s character on a decision to run a missile readiness drill all the while there was a fire going on in the galley. Hackman’s response was along the lines of – war does not stop for fire’s in the galley and Hackman’s character suggest that is the best time to run a drill.
As it relates to our own operations: I am a big believer in repetition when it comes to education and this coming week, despite the busyness, might be a good week to dust off your mold remediation policies, procedures and brief your teams. The story linked above might be a nice supplement to the training. Siting the article as a example of the use of social media to draw attention to the story might be a good preface on the power of ignorance.
Have a smashing week – and feel free to sound off in the comment section below –
