budget
Simple Timeline
Lay it out –
I heard a story this week (it was really a rant) about a broken system. The system existed between a project management team and an accounting team. As I listened (from a third-party removed perspective), it became clear to me that there was a fair amount of pre-work to include simple timelines did not exist.
Timelines
Simple maps that memorialize the steps between inception and conclusion. Simple steps put down on paper that capture the essence of letting out a contract for work to be done and the follow through to completion and payment for that work.
In the absence of a simple timeline you get chaos. You get the finger-pointing. You get he said and she said and they said and we all said – time-sucks. It’s exhausting and it usually involves the highest of pay grades to solve.
Creating an Apartment Project Timeline
1. Budget
2. Bid work (even though you have a budget, do the bid work)
3. Make sure the money is there (remember your apartment community budget was written months ago – in some cases many months ago). If the property is not performing to budget – the project may need to be put on a shelf.
*Item of note – don’t skip #3, it is where 99% of the problems can be traced back to
4. Put together a simple vendor list – who is working on the job, telephone number, lead (accounting contact), roughly what they are to be paid and when
5. Host a project launch meeting (in person if possible, by phone if not). Invite the property manager, maintenance supervisor, every vendor involved and your accountant
6. Give a weekly check-in update (via email or by phone whereby the above team calls in)
7. Wrap it up – tie up the loose ends and deliver the product
8. Host a post-mortem for every project no matter the scope. This is where you create excellence. Set the stage for an unadulterated conversation and tear apart the good the bad and the ugly of the project. Have your simple timeline laying in front of everyone and up on a computer screen for all to see. Have it set in an edit mode and change it (for the good) right there on the spot.
No system is perfect but every system should be evolving at all times.
Your counting on simple timelines all the time multifamily manic,
M
Apartment NSF Fees
Apartment Budget Installment
NSF or Non-Sufficient Funds Fees are not uncommon thing in the world today. In fact they have been around for a very long bit of time. Simply defined, it is a fee for a returned check be it paid by electronic or paper method.
NSF Amounts
The amount can be anything within reason. I have seen them range from $25 to $125 depending on average rent rates, markets and sub-market primers.
Reason for NSF
The chief reason in my head is to shape behavior. Not to penalize. Suffice it to say – if a resident has to add $125+/- to their rent check, they will likely not do it twice. It will likely feel like an excessive amount and thus a penalty but it will shape the behavior you are after.
How to Budget for NSF Fees
Where you have trailing historical numbers, you can simply take a 12 month trailing average and plug that number for the forward-looking 12 months. Where you have no information, you can look for like kind assets in the market do per unit comparisons to come up with your averages [something I will define with more detail in future articles].
I leave it at that this week. NSF Fees are fairly straight forward but I have left some nuggets out in hopes that we pick them up in the comments.
Publicly Calling Out
Speaking of – I am going to reduce to a lower means of influencing by publicly calling out a member of our accounting team. I will only identify her as CK for now and I hope that she joins the conversation at some point as it was her idea to get the budget series started.
Your enjoying the weather today multifamily maniac,
M
Employee Rent Concessions
This week we are rounding out our budget concession discussion with the topic of employee concessions. People are the difference that make a difference in property management. I would argue that it is not location location location but rather people people people that make or break the present and future value of an asset. You can have the best location on planet earth with the worst people and you are guaranteed sub-par valuation. Relocate that asset to a B+ location and team it with A+ characters and you will have yourself a winner. It really is all about the people. And, employee rent concessions are one way of saying thank you.
Value in Responsive Service
Beyond the concept of reward, concessions can be looked at as incentive for an employee to live on-site. There are clear advantages to owners when an employee lives on-site. It lends well to responsive customer service, especially if that employee works on the service side. As an example, if you have an A/C go out after hours, he/she can provide rapid and responsive service. If you provide lock-out services; the idea of rapid response is a real plus. In the event of a major crisis, employees living on-site can act as first responders in the way of organize and deploying crisis management protocols.
Things to Think About
I have seen this amount vary over the years and is certainly subject to ownership or property management protocols. It typically ranges from 15% to 100% and is credited monthly over the course of a lease term. It also typically carries a caveat in the way of an employee addendum that spells out strict concession payback and move-out protocols if the work relationship turns sour.
The biggest thing to consider is IRS implications. Always consult a good tax attorney when thinking about giving away money as I am certain our great Uncle will want his part.
Your – advocate of employee rent concessions – multifamily manic,
M
Resident Referral Money
Before we continue with our budget discussion on the topic of resident referrals, I want to back up and remark on a comment that I saw this last week. The comment was posted on Facebook and whether it related to our post or not, I found it a bit amiss. It was along the lines that discounts for specific groups be it students, seniors, city service workers are dumb.
Now I would not debate the merit of the remark in the sense that there are more creative ways to give money away. I would/will take the position that if it works – do it. It’s kind of like print media. Despite our need/want/desire to get away from our reliance on print media and ILS’s – if they work – we should use them. That is until they run their respective courses.
Resident Referrals
I am fairly certain that resident referrals or giving money or gifts away in exchange for move-ins is employed by every multifamily operator out there in some form or fashion. On that note – are they dumb? If I apply the same logic as our Facebook commenter then I posit – yes. It’s a concession given to a specific group. And, there are more creative ways to give money, influence or incentive to that group. That said, I am both a fan and an advocate of using them be it in the form of a concession, gift card or otherwise. After all they are much cheaper that most print media and or ILSs.
Resident referrals are used to reward your best in place marketing machine. The people who live with you currently. Every single one of them are a marketing opportunity waiting to happen. And, giving them reward can/is a good thing. And, that reward can come in any number of means.
They are monies given in the way of a concession, gift card and or hard tangible item (think flat screen, iPod, iPad, etc..). Now, we could debate the amounts given or the merit of a gift in lieu of money. We can suggest that money is not remembered after it is given. In my mind, we could suggest the same for a gift.
It doesn’t matter where you book it (Read: which line item it hits in your budget) it all shakes out in the bottom line.
Make it Smashing
No matter how you give it away, I would suggest you make it an experience. If you give them a concession – couple it with an impromptu in-home celebration. If you give them an iPod – record an uber-cool celebration message and load it in. Have a party centered around resident referrals and introduce the idea of making a commitment to share 10% (matched by your company) of the fee. Invite the charity in to share in the experience. Get creative and make it worth remarking about.
Your – believing that if it works – use it – multifamily manic,
Student Concession
We are continuing our budget discussion this week with another short and sweet concession entry. Student concessions are used to attract those who are pursuing advanced educational opportunities at schools or institutions around your apartment community. This is a way that apartment operators can both attract and retain students in addition to giving them cause to talk about you. It’s all marketing all the time.
Concessions or Discounts
As an item of clarity – a concession is not a discount and a discount is not a concession. Both impact the bottom line but one lives on while the other has a one time impact. Student concessions are typically given up front at the beginning of the lease and or at the time of renewal. They are considered a one time event whereas a student discount is some that lives on over the life of the lease. Example of a concession might be: $200 off of your June rent if you move in by June 10.
A student discount on the other hand is a rent reduction from the market rent over the course of the lease. Example: you give a 5% or flat dollar amount discount off the market rent rate for the term of the lease that you sign if you move in by June 10. Both have an impact on the bottom line and both have a potential opportunity for you in the way of marketing.
Your – continuing the budget journey – multifamily manic,
M
