UPDATE
Monthly Newsletter Published by the Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland
November 2012
President’s Message Page 2
Press Release From the Bureau of Labor & Industry Page 7
Property Management & Crime Page 13
VISIT US AT www.RHAGP.org
DINNER MEETING When:
Wednesday November 28, 2012 from 6:15pm-9pm 5:30pm Ask the Expert-Karen Clark, Department of Labor, Wage Hour Division. Where: Rheinlander Restaurant 5035 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97214 Price:
$27.00 per person, Call 503/254-4723 for reservations
Speaker: Karen Clark, Department of Labor, Wage Hour Division
When a Handyman Becomes an Employee Karen Clark from the Department of Labor, Wage Hour Division will speak on When a Handyman Becomes an Employee and other fine points in the labor law.
Menu: Dinner
Swiss Cheese Fondue House Salad Rotisserie Pork Loin with Chutney and Julienne Leeks Crisp Chicken Schnitzel with Madeira Sauce and Creamy Mashed Potatoes and Fresh Seasonal Vegetables Fresh Baked Bread Coffee, hot tea, iced tea or milk Homemade Apple Strudel
Directions:
Rheinlander Restaurant 5035 NE Sandy Blvd. Portland, OR 97214 From East Portland take I-84 W/US-30 West toward CITY CENTER. Take Exit 2 toward 43rd Ave., turn RIGHT onto NE HALSEY ST., turn LEFT onto NE 47th Ave., turn RIGHT onto NE SANDY BLVD to Rheinlander. From West or South take I-5 North toward VANCOUVER. Merge onto I-84 E/US-30E via EXIT 300 toward PORTLAND AIRPORT/THE DALLES. Take the 39th Ave Exit, EXIT 2. Turn LEFT onto NE 39th Ave., turn RIGHT onto NE SANDY BLVD to RHEINLANDER.
Affiliate Speaker: John Sweet, Energy Diet
November 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS Dinner Meeting............................................................ 1 President’s Message................................................... 2 RHA Calendar............................................................. 3 How Does Apartment Owner Respond to Economy....4-5 Upcoming Holiday Dinner Party.................................. 6 BOLI.. ......................................................................... 7 Ten Guidelines for Landlords to Follow when Rent is Not Paid...................................................................... 8 RHAGP Annual Toy Drive........................................... 9 www.RHAGP.org
Lily’s Diary............................................................10-11 RHA Election of 2013 Directors & Officers ............. 12 Property Management and Crime............................ 13 Ways to Create Extra Apartment Revenue.............. 14 Maintenance Men.................................................... 15 The Update Q & A ................................................... 16 Tools have Changed................................................ 17 Preferred Service Guide .....................................18-20 November 2012
1
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland has added several new programs this year. We are committed to offering the rental housing industry the resources needed to operate in a professional manner. It does not matter if you own or operate one rental house or a one hundred unit complex, the laws and the motivation are the same.
RHAGP LIST OF COMMITTEES Building Chair: Phil Owen, Phone: 503-244-7986 RHA President Phil Owen
The motivation is clear, when you invest in real estate and work hard to provide quality housing for people, you hope to get some cash flow and gain equity. The Laws are a minefield that can take everything you have worked for away. The RHAGP is landlords helping landlords to avoid mistakes that would cost them. You may be dealing with the neighborhood association, City, County, State, Health department, EPA, DEQ, Fair housing, Neighborhood inspection … Gone are the days when good intentions and common sense are enough to keep you out of trouble. You need the ongoing training and up-to-date forms to protect what you have built. There are people that think if they can micro-manage your business by adopting laws and rules everything will be better. I would like to point to the failed housing projects where their policies failed. The best housing is provided by people that have a personal and financial interest in the property and customers. We are expanding our website to better serve the rental housing owners and operators. This will include a forum section where we can post information that is submitted to us and is pertinent to the industry. Since we want to serve all landlords we have adopted a policy that we don’t endorse individual vendors, parties or causes. That being stated we feel we need to raise awareness of issues affecting the rental housing industry. The forum will allow us to post articles and comments that we feel are relevant. You can find these at rhagp.org. This month we are posting a article by Larry Southall related to the Keel vs. Gordon Properties case. This article is a summary of the case where a misunderstanding of the rules and the request generated $ 1,000,000.00 compensatory damages, plus attorneys' fees and prevailing party cost. Visit www.rhagp.org to see the details and outcome. What is on the horizon? The City of Portland is gearing up to expand the enhanced inspection program to North Portland and further if possible. To do this they would like to charge property owners a per-door fee to pay for the added inspectors. Commissioner Fish in the city and Representative Tina Kotek at the State level are trying to make acceptance of section 8 vouchers mandatory. The landlord /tenant coalition has been discussing a proposal to limit use of FED and eviction records in the screening process. They are looking at ways to encourage landlords to accept EX-offenders and allow landlords to require tenants to purchase renters insurance. The RHAGP through their volunteers and paid lobbyist are involved and representing our members. We will continue to keep you posted. Phil Owen
Community Relations/Donations Chair: Tony Kavanagh, Phone: 503-522-4474 Dinner/Program Chair: Lynne Whitney, Phone: 503-284-5522 Education Chair: Ron Garcia, Phone: 503-595-4747 Forms Chair: Mark Passannante, Phone: 503-294-0910 House Chair: Robin Lashbaugh, Phone: 503-805-5993 Legislative Chair: Phil Owen, Phone: 503-244-7986 Membership Chair: Elizabeth Carpenter, Phone: 503-3146498 Newsletter Chair: Will Johnson, Phone: 503-221-2163 Office Chair: Robin Lashbaugh, Phone: 503-805-5993 Public Relations Chair: Margaret Baricevic, Phone: 503-329-5223
RHAGP LOBBYIST
Cindy Robert, Phone: 503-260-3431
RHAGP OFFICE STAFF Alita Dougherty, Office Manager - alita@rhagp.org Pam VanLoon, Bookkeeper - pam@rhagp.org Cari Pierce, Member Svcs - cari@rhagp.org Lisa Craddock, Member Svcs-lisa@rhagp.org
RHAGP OFFICE
Monday - Friday * 9:00am - 5:00pm Phone: 503-254-4723 * Fax: 503-254-4821 10520 NE Weidler St Portland, OR 97220 www.rhagp.org
“Landlords doing good things in their communities”
See Page 7 of this issue of the newsletter for the press release from BOLI on the Keel vs. Gordon Properties case. Also visit us at www.rhagp.org for the full article by Larry Southall related to the Keel vs.Gordon Properties case.
2 November 2012
RHAGP Update
RHA Calendar EVENTS Date
Event
11/14 Board Meeting 11/28 Dinner Meeting Holiday Dinner Party
12/12
Location
Time
RHA Office
5pm
Information
Rheinlander
6pm
See Page 1 for details.
Refectory
6pm
See Page for details. DECEMBER
NOVEMBER Su M
Tu W
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12 13 14 15 16 17
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Su M
Sa
18 19 20 21 CLOSED 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1
CLASSES
In observance of Holidays the RHA Office will be closed November 22nd & 23rd and December 24th & 25th
Tu W
Th F
Sa
25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2
3
9
10 11
4
5
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12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 CLOSED 24 25 26 27 28 29
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Date
Class
Location
Time
Information
11/8
Fair Housing & Screening Review
RHA Office
6:30pm
Taught by Marcia Gohman, National Tenant Network
11/9
Understanding Your Decision Point WebEx Report
11am
Register by 11/8/12, FREE for Members Only, with current Service Agreement for tenant screening.
11/13
Online Tenant Screening
11am
Register by 11/12/12, FREE for Members Only, with current Service Agreement for tenant screening.
11/16
Understanding Your Decision Point WebEx Report
7pm
Register by 11/15/12, FREE for Members Only, with current Service Agreement for tenant screening.
11/27
Online Tenant Screening
7pm
Register by 11/26/12, FREE for Members Only, with current Service Agreement for tenant screening.
11/30
Understanding Your Decision Point WebEx Report
11am
Register by 11/29/12 FREE for Members Only, with current Service Agreement for tenant screening.
12/4
Collections for Landlords
6pm
Taught by Don Eva, Anderson & Associates Credit Services
12/7
Understanding Your Decision Point WebEx Report
11am
Register by 12/6/12 FREE for Members Only, with current Service Agreement for tenant screening.
12/11
Online Tenant Screening
11am
Register by 12/10/12 FREE for Members Only, with current Service Agreement for tenant screening.
7pm
Register by 12/12/12 FREE for Members Only, with current Service agreement for tenant screeing.
RHA Office
WebEx
Standard TV & Appliance
RHA Office
12/13 Understanding Your Decision Point WebEx Report
Collections for Landlords
Fair Housing & Screening Review Review of Fair Housing basics and how they apply to the screening process. Discussion on protected classes, accepting applications, possible evictions, criteria and exceptions. If you have taken a class from Marcia before, you know that the class will give you a lot to think about. Hope to see you there! 1 Continuing Education Credit Hour $25.00/Member, $35.00 Non-Member
www.RHAGP.org
*Registration is required for all classes/events, Call RHA at 503/254-4723. Three day advance registration required to receive early registration discount of $5.00 on classes.
Holistic approach to collections, beginning with initial interview with the prospective tenant, through the landlords efforts to collect the money him/herself and finishing with the use of a collection agency when the tenant refuses to pay. 2 Continuing Education Credit Hours $25.00/Member, $35.00 Non-Member
November 2012 3
HOW DOES A PORTLAND, OREGON APARTMENT INVESTOR RESPOND TO ECONOMY?
By Cliff Hockley, Sperry Van Ness, Bluestone & Hockley
Oregon is an interesting state. Not only do we have an economy that is dependent on farms, ranches, timber, tourism and food processing but we also have a strong manufacturing base (think Intel, Precision Castparts, Esco, Greenbrier Cos, Freightliner, Western Star, Boeing, Flir, Epson as examples) and being a port city, Portland acts as a conduit for goods travelling out of the United States and generates jobs moving freight. To that end, the Portland Metro area has exercised a magnetic influence for people seeking employment as those from rural Oregon and other parts of the United States come here to find a home. This growth is accelerated because sixty two percent (62%) of Portland’s jobs and sixty nine (69%) of Beaverton’s jobs are family wage jobs as compared to Bend (and other rural areas) where only 55% of the jobs are family wage jobs (see attached chart). Yes, there are a lot of baristas in Portland but other industries (other than retail) have slowly grown as well. For example, construction has grown by 7.4% over the last 12 months (thank you Intel for a new 3 billion dollar fab, and all of the apartment developers). The vacancy rate for apartments is between 2% to 4% in the Portland metro area and rents have slowly been increasing. This has motivated apartment developers to build. In the short term we see over 2000 apartment units under construction, many as urban infill projects.
Is there demand for all of these units? Developers and bankers seem to think so. Older baby boomers (ages 55 to 64) are preparing for retirement by selling their suburban homes and moving into the city (where many of them still work), and yes, into condominiums and apartments. They want to be in neighborhoods with good walkability scores, close to restaurants, entertainment, stores, medical care, and public transportation (busses and street cars). Those that like to bike also want to live in bike friendly areas. Additionally, Gen Y cohort (late teens to early 30s) is graduating from colleges and is looking for employment opportunities. They are tired of living with roommates or mom and dad and want a place of their own. As an example, I just read a rental application last week for a one bedroom unit. Question: Why are you moving? Answer: I want to have my own bathroom. This cohort is tired of sharing space, they want a small space of their own. They too want to move into the city. Do they make enough money to pay the rents for these new units? If you consider that many of them will not have a car and therefore will not have car insurance, car payments, fuel expenses or car repairs, they most probably will have enough cash to justify the higher rents that these units (being new) will command. Consider also, that many of these units will be “environmentally sustainable” thus they will have lesser environmental impact, meaning that they will be smaller and have lower utility expenses. Most of the Gen Y cohort will choose to live in apartments, because they will not have enough money for a down payment on a new house. Reflecting at the losses of home value (equity) in the current recession Gen Y’ers are also sensing that they may not want to own a home, and that they might be better off, at least in the short term, to be apartment renters.
4 November 2012
CONTINUED ON PAGE
5
RHAGP Update
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4
At a recent Portland State University real estate conference (30 May, 2012) Mary Ludgin, Director of Global Investment research for Heitman said “We will see a long term future of apartment dwellers vs. homeowners, homeownership will stay at lower rates.” Given these environmental factors developers should do well on these new “smaller and environmentally friendly units”. An additional saving for developers is that many of the units will have fewer parking spaces (a real boon for developers that have to pay for the land), and many more bike parking spaces. It remains to be seen if that will work. A good place to compare is Northwest Portland between 21st and 23rd street and Burnside to Overton. Most of those apartment units are studios or one bedroom units and have a dearth of parking available, it seems to work there, but tenants with cars tend to park on adjoining streets much to the chagrin of their neighbors. The apartment density in Northwest is shared with single family housing and commercial tenants, so there might be a little more parking elasticity. In the past, suburban developers planned 1.5 to 2 spaces per apartment unit, which has shrunken to about 1.1 cars per unit (due to the high cost of land). If you live in downtown, don’t bother inviting your friends for dinner, and don’t plan on being a two car family. Urban developers are planning on 2 bikes per unit and guests that want to visit you, come via mass transit or on their bikes. Newer apartment units will be so small that you will find tenants taking their friends out to eat dinner, which ought to be good for the restaurant trade. The addition of new jobs is still necessary for the economy to rebound but as the economy reset’s itself, we will find that there currently is sufficient demand for additional apartment housing in the Portland Metro area (for approximately 2000 units on the drawing boards.) How does this affect apartment housing already in place? New units coming into the market place will cost more to rent. Those that can afford them will gravitate to those units; other tenants will stick with the existing units in the market place which, in most cases, will have a lower basis and lower rents. The good news is that as new units command higher rents the older units will also be able to ask more especially in the inner east side of Portland. Key to investor’s success is a focus on continual upgrading of their units. You cannot afford to let your units age out. New paint, new carpeting, new appliances (that are more efficient), cabinetry and lighting upgrades will give real estate owners of older properties the opportunity to compete with new product and for good quality tenants. The biggest challenges Landlords face are crime related. Tenant screening is critical. Bad tenants can make life miserable for you and adjoining tenants. Help the police. Trim your landscaping down. Have your onsite managers (if you have one) establish neighborhood watch programs. Make sure you have lots of lighting. Keep your units in excellent repair. Be proactive in caring for your property. Evict tenants involved with drug dealing. In these ways, you can protect the value of your real estate investment and create islands of desirable property in tough neighborhoods. The big picture glows brightly for those that invest in multifamily in the Portland Metro area even with the sudden burst of new unit development. I would encourage you to keep investing and as usual keep your eye on the competition. Clifford A. Hockley is President of Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services, greater Portland’s full service real estate brokerage and property management company. Founded in 1972, Bluestone & Hockley’s staff totals nearly 110 employees, including 20 licensed brokers. The company’s property management division serves commercial buildings, apartments, condominium associations and houses in the Portland / Vancouver metro area, while the brokerage division facilitates both leasing and sales of investment properties throughout Oregon and Washington. Cliff earned a degree in Political Science from Claremont McKenna College and holds an MBA from Willamette University. He is a Certified Property Manager and has achieved his Certified Commercial Invest-ment Member designation (CCIM). Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services is an Accredited Management Organization (AMO) by the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM). Cliff is a member of the Institute of Real Estate Management and was named Certified Property Manager of the year in 2001 and 2003. Cliff is a frequent contributor to industry newsletters. Bluestone & Hockley offers customized brokerage, property and asset management, as well as maintenance services to property owners and investors throughout the Portland/Vancouver metro area. The company’s full-service approach benefits busy property owners and investors, who know they can count on Bluestone & Hockley for high quality real estate services start to finish.
www.RHAGP.org
November 2012 5
Holiday Dinner Party
When:
Wednesday December 12, 2012
Where: The Refectory Restaurant 1618 NE 122nd, Portland 97230
Time:
6:00 P.M. No host President’s Reception 7:00 P.M. Special Buffet Dinner
Price:
$29.00 per person
Guest Speaker: Jon Moon, Northwood Business Svcs.
Tax Tips for Rental Property
Installation of officers Gift Exchange Please bring a nice gift for the gift exchange - One Per Person - and a toy for the children of members of the National Guard and the reserve serving overseas.
Special Dinner Buffet Carved Breast of Turkey, Broiled Salmon, Pasta Salad, Caesar Salad, Tropical Fruit Ambrosia Salad, Roasted Red Potatoes, Fresh Seasonal Vegetables, Rolls, Special Desserts, Coffee, Tea, Milk
Directions From downtown Portland take I-84 East toward Portland Airport, take the HALSEY STREET EXIT #7 toward Gateway district. Turn slight right onto Halsey St. go 1.1 miles to 122nd, turn left on 122nd Avenue, 0.1 miles to right into parking lot just past Wells Fargo Bank. Refectory is behind Wells Fargo Bank. From South on I-205 travel North to merge onto I-84 E toward The Dalles. Take the 122nd Street exit #10, 0.2 miles, turn LEFT (south) onto NE 122nd Avenue 0.7 miles to Left into parking lot just before Wells Fargo Bank. Refectory is behind Wells Fargo Bank. Attention: We have plenty of space, please register by noon on Monday December 10, 2012 We need an accurate count. Please remember if you are unable to attend, you MUST cancel at least 24 hours in advance or you will be charged a no-show fee of $5.00..
6 November 2012
RHAGP Update
Commissioner Brad Avakian Bureau of Labor & Industries Press Release
For Immediate Distribution August 22, 2012 CONTACT: Bob Estabrook, 503-709-0730
BOLI Secures $75,000 in Portland Fair Housing Case
Landlord declined accommodation for a disabled child’s companion dog PORTLAND- The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries (BOLI) has concluded a settlement of unlawful discrimination charges against Fantasy Apartments (now Skylark Apartments) in Northeast Portland. BOLI’s formal charges against the owners and operators alleged that when the mother of a nine-year-old boy with depression and anxiety disorders sought to obtain a companion animal, following a doctor’s recommendation, she was told she could move to another of the respondents’ properties with her son and foster son. The recent settlement agreement includes a $75,000 monetary payment as well as policy revisions, training for the respondents' staff and ongoing monitoring by the state Civil Rights Division at BOLI. “This case is a perfect example of why BOLI’s protection for housing rights is so essential to our state,” said Brad Avakian, state Labor and Industries Commissioner and head of BOLI. “This case could have easily been resolved by making a reasonable accommodation, but instead it took the pressure of a state agency investigation and formal charges to finally bring a just resolution.” Under contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, BOLI enforces federal fair housing law and “substantially equivalent” state fair housing law, protecting access to housing free from discrimination based on race, color, national origin, sex, religion, familial status and disability. State law also protects sexual orientation and gender identity, source of income and marital status. In addition to investigating and prosecuting potential violations of the law, BOLI provides training to landlords and other housing professionals to promote compliance with the law before enforcement action is necessary. “This case was ready for prosecution,” Avakian continued. “When BOLI gets ready to bring a case like this to court, it’s essential to have the formidable legal representation that the Oregon Department of Justice provides us. BOLI investigates more than 100 fair housing complaints every year from around the state, bringing tens of thousands of dollars as well as other remedies to harmed individuals.” Visit www.oregon.gov/BOLI for more information about all of BOLI’s work. The mission of the Bureau of Labor and Industries is to protect employment rights, advance employment opportunities, and protect access to housing and public accommodations free from discrimination. Editor’s Note: Mr. Gordon has given permission for their membership in RHAGP to be acknowledged with this article. This could happen to any landlord.
www.RHAGP.org
November 2012 7
The RHAGP Mission
The Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland is a group of rental housing owners and managers in the Portland metropolitan area who have joined together for the purposes of: • Providing information to improve the knowledge of rental owners and managers. • Enhancing the reputation of “landlords” by promoting professional practices. • Assisting local public officials on various community endeavors relating to public or private housing.
The Update is a monthly publication for members of The Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland. 10520 NE Weidler St, Portland, OR 97220 Phone 503-254-4723, Fax 503-254-4821 www.rhagp.org Hours: Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Editorial Staff Alita Dougherty Cari Pierce - Graphic Designer Publisher: The Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the authors and do not reflect those of the Board of Directors or the newsletter editor or committee. All advertising inquiries should be directed to Alita Dougherty or Cari Pierce at 503-254-4723. Please notify the RHA office of any address changes.
TEN GUIDELINES FOR LANDLORDS TO FOLLOW WHEN RENT IS NOT PAID 1. We get what we allow. 2. Be business like and professional, even with just one rental. 3. It has nothing to do with respect. If you're in this for respect, you're in the wrong business! Residents don't pay rent out of respect, they pay to avoid the pain of late fees or eviction. 4. No pain, no gain! Just like our kids, residents won't do what you want until there is some kind of pain to avoid or eliminate - not until Mom says, "No Supper until room's cleaned!" Set a deadline with a consequence. 5. Our judge was VERY clear and even emphatic at our landlord association meeting last month: "Standard practice" overrides any lease clause. If there are no late fees, dropping fees, accepting late, 5 days grace, etc., then HE must allow the same in court. His example: 5 days grace by the landlord forces him to allow 5 extra free days for the evictee. (I STILL cannot understand why landlords give grace periods!) 6. Residents lie. And landlords tend to be gullible. We WANT to believe in people. 7. In the end, they didn't pay because they flat out don't have the money. You cannot get blood from a stone. No amount of letters, talk, chest puffing, threats, etc., will make a hill o' beans difference. If they can't pay, they can't and they need to go. No hatred or harsh words - just time to work something out or have the judge tell them they gotta go. 8. Stick with the system. Rent, late fees, eviction...Both your life and the resident's lives will have less stress. Don't re-invent the wheel for every resident excuse. We ADAPT the system to unusual situations, but the system stays in place. 9. Landlords play games with grace periods, unenforced late fees, let rent slide, etc. then get upset when the resident blurs the lines. 10. Stay in control. The landlord is in charge, not the resident. The above tips are shared on the MrLandlord.com website and in the Mr. Landlord newsletter from landlord contributors and real estate advisors and authors featured on MrLandlord.com. To receive a free sample of Mr. Landlord newsletter, call 1-800-950-2250 or visit their informative Q&A Forum at LandlordingAdvice.com, where you can ask landlording questions and seek the advice of other rental owners 24 hours a day.
8 November 2012
RHAGP Update
RHA GP
ANNUAL
DRIVE
Please bring new unwrapped toys to the RHAGP at: RHAGP Holiday Dinner Party The RHAGP Office OR December 12 , 2012 10520 NE Weidler St. (see page 8 for details) Portland, OR 97220
Toys will be given to families of National Guard and Reserve personnel serving overseas. GIFT CARDS ARE WONDERFUL
Please remember these children live all over the state, gift cards should be from companies which serve many communities... i.e. Fred Meyer, Walmart.
GIFTS FOR CHILDREN AGES 9 & UP ARE ESPECIALLY NEEDED
www.RHAGP.org
November 2012
9
LILY’S DIARY- GOOGLE, APPLE AND EBAY OH MY! By Lily February 15 My tenant Megan—who’s just had her great mop of hair made swingy thanks to a Brazilian Blowout—complained again that the bathroom sink was stopped. After removing the stopper and working vigorously with my plunger, I realized I would have to call Francis, my handyman. But it turned out that Francis was on a Carnival cruise, so I decided to try to operate the old plumber’s snake by myself. God knows, I had watched him work it enough times. I haltingly crammed myself under the basin and with enormous difficulty removed the sink trap. I inserted the snake (correct term: “cable auger”) into the pipe stub sticking out of the wall and began to spool off the flexible metal cord. After 20 minutes of turning and withdrawing, I could see no difference in the flow of water down the drain.
drying as I went, before moving on to the next—climbing up and down the ladder to check for streaks. Then there was the challenge of not dripping the cleaning solution down the walls and having to scrub them, too. What a mess. My advice is: don’t start cleaning kitchen ceilings or walls unless you intend to paint. Let sleeping spots lie.
I finally decided to let the damn thing run out to its end. I turned and turned the crank. I rested, got a cup of coffee and began again. Finally I could go no farther and began to reel it back in. Up came an interesting collection of hair, dental floss and gunk. Success was in my sights. But as the cable reached its end, it flew out of the drain and flung the evil black stuff all over the bathroom. The rest of the day was spent spotting and laundering Megan’s bathmat, towels and pristine waffle-weave shower curtain. Take note: keep an old towel over the drain when you sense you’re getting to the snake’s rattles.
My friend Robert learned the hard way that you cannot let a building run itself, only responding to service calls. The tenants began to feel they owned the place and worked out their own ways of handling the building’s everyday problems, while tacitly flaunting the house rules. His infrequent visits were inevitably met with a next-door neighbor registering a complaint about one of the tenants (cigarette butts thrown in the yard, radio blasting from cars pulling into the car port, furniture placed on the sidewalk). None of these abuses were reported to him by any of the tenants because they had formed an alliance to each other, which excluded him. He found chairs stacked on the side of the building, which were used by several of the tenants who sat in the driveway to talk and smoke. One tenant’s car had such an oil leak that the others were carrying oil on the soles of their shoes and soiling the hall carpets. Again, they hadn’t complained because their allegiance was to each other.
March 9 My former tenants Robbie and Sam were gourmets. They probably still are. Saturdays were spent watching the food channel, breaking for just enough time to go to the Ferry Plaza farmers’ market, where they habitually over bought. Even though I was often the recipient of their bounty, you can only use so much garlic and bitter greens. When they vacated, after living in the building for two aromatic years, I noticed that there were spots on the ceiling over the stove. How, I wondered, could grease splatter with enough force to reach a ten-foot ceiling? I schlepped the tall ladder from the basement and, with a small bucket of ammonia solution, decided to remove the spots. To my delight, they came off immediately. I climbed down the ladder and carried it, with some difficulty, back to the basement. When I returned to survey the fruits of my labor, I saw white streaks across the ceiling. Evidently the ceiling was covered with a combination of grease and dirt that had gathered evenly over the surface, invisible from down below. But now that I had penetrated it with my spotting efforts, the clean patches stood out conspicuously. Oh, how I wished I had simply lived with the small spots. I then had to scrub the whole ceiling in small increments,
10 November 2012
April 7 How much do you owe the neighborhood where your rental property is? It’s easy for me to keep the front of my building clean, make sure the compost can is out, the front stairs are swept and the neighborhood meetings are attended because I live in my building. But what if you don’t? Then how responsible are you to the people who live in the neighborhood?
In a large building, you would have a manager to prevent this shift of loyalty, but many absentee owners take it for granted that, so long as they’re receiving the rent checks on time, the building will run itself. And, in a sense, it will. But to whose standards? April 12 I was having lunch at Westlake Joe’s the other day with my friend Helen, who has owned a variety of small buildings over her long lifetime. Now in her early eighties, she wondered why elderly landlords weren’t considered a “protected class” by the San Francisco Rent Board in the same way renters are. “Why couldn’t we be lifted from the burden of owning and managing rent-controlled buildings as a nod to our years of being housing providers in this fractious city?” she asked. CONTINUED ON PAGE 11
RHAGP Update
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
The waiter came with our chicken piccata and another carafe of wine as she continued: “As I look back on my many tenants, I have had to take on the role of a sort of ‘trusted advisor.’ I have welcomed immigrants, explained the arcane rules of recycling, told them how to get a library card and renter’s insurance, introduced them to NextBus, and shown them the effective cleaning methods for everything from carpets to porcelain sinks to garage floors. Most importantly, I have forced young tenants to grow up, and accept the responsibility of adult, considerate behavior, not something in the job description of an unmarried woman.” I happen to know that many of Helen’s long-term tenants have prospered over the years, drive expensive cars and take long vacations while she is still stuck with rents far below market. So, should they designate landlords of a certain age with “protected status”? Why not give it a whirl? ________________________________________ Lily’s Diary is written by a longtime rental property owner who reserves the right to remain anonymous on the grounds that her tenants might gang up on her. Comments, corrections or ideas are welcome at lilysdiary@aol.com.
www.RHAGP.org
November 2012 11
Election of 2013 Directors and Officers
VOTE NOVEMBER 28, 2012 President Vice President Treasurer Secretary
Elizabeth Carpenter Robin Lashbaugh Jon Moon Lynn Whitney
nominations for Directors ~ Two Year Term
Directors Continuing to Serve~ one Year Term Remaining
Denise Goding Jerad Goughnour Jim Herman Mark Passannante John Sage Don Adler Ami Stevens Wayne Stoll
Barbara Adler Margaret Baricevic Richard Schneider Tony Kavanagh Elaine Elsea Ron Garcia Kriste Martinez
The following will continue to serve on the board: Past President Phil Owen Election of Officers and Directors to serve in 2013 will be at the November 28, 2012 dinner meeting. Call the office for reservations 503-254-4723. DUES CHAnGE: The Membership Commitee chaired by Elizabeth Carpenter has been working on lowering the cost of membership for landlords with 1-4 unit members this year. The Board of Directors voted to lower the dues price from $110.00 to $99.00 for 1-4 unit members. In another motion the Board voted to change the InITIATIon FEE to SET-UP FEE and to lower the fee from $50.00 to $25.00 for the 1-4 unit members. The lower membership price will begin January 1, 2013.
Why attend a dinner meeting?
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
12 November 2012
Education, Education, Education A chance to network with other owners and vendors Great door prizes from Affiliate/Dual members Interesting Speakers Ask the Expert before every meeting
RHAGP UPDATE
PROPERTY MANAGEMENT AND CRIME By Carla Toebe, New Century Realty, Kennewick, WA One of your responsibilities as a property manager is to maintain a safe, secure, crime-free property. Unfortunately, there are a number of scenarios within property management that a criminal – or even just an opportunist – could exploit. The list below outlines some situations to avoid and some precautions to employ. Never accept cash. Never, under any circumstances, accept cash as payment of rent. By never accepting cash, you will prevent possible thefts by employees or outside people who have marked you as a target, and you will also attract fewer criminals who want to deal only in cash so they can launder money or keep their money trail off the records to avoid being tracked. Screen your applicants. Application screening is another very effective way of recognizing criminals, or people living beyond their means. Naturally a criminal record is a red flag and is generally considered a reason for denial. Another red flag is having a number of items in collections that are not being dealt with. This could mean the individual is living beyond their means. You have to consider the possibility that their wages might be garnished to take care of these bills. Would they be able to still pay the rent? Where is the rent money coming from in that case? Be aware when showing units. Showing a rental unit could also be potentially dangerous if you do not take appropriate precautions. When you are showing a place privately to a stranger, you are giving them a perfect opportunity to commit a crime against you. It is always a good idea before you meet them to get their information and do all the pre-screening you can. If you feel they may be an OK fit but are still uneasy about them, be sure to show the unit during daylight hours. One very good tactic is to set appointments for multiple prospects at the same time. If you must meet the person alone, require an ID prior to entering and leave their license info with someone who can follow up with police in the event you don’t return with the “all OK” message.
Keep sensitive information secure. You’re holding personal information about each of your tenants. All of this information needs to remain in locked cabinets when not in use and not given out to anyone without the tenant’s written authorization, unless it is requested by law enforcement. If it is requested by law enforcement, you will need to cooperate, but make sure you are dealing with an official of the local police or FBI before giving out personal information. Keep renters informed. If a crime does occur in one of the units you are managing and you have other tenants in the same vicinity, they should be notified of the crime so that they are aware and can protect themselves. Most crimes committed against people in rentals are crimes of opportunity, and renters can do simple things to make sure they do not become victims. Think twice about signs. If your rental is in a higher crime neighborhood and prone to vandalism, you may want to do some creative advertising that your unit is available. You do not want to leave a sign on the street indicating you have a unit ready to move into. If you must put a sign out there, you can request that the current tenants not be disturbed so that any onlookers will think it is occupied. Engage the community. Finally, there are neighborhood watches that you and tenants can become involved in, and many cities have crime prevention seminars that you can attend to learn more tricks of the trade in order to help keep you and all your tenants safe. This article was originally published at www. allthingspropertymanagement.com, a property management industry blog managed by property management software company Buildium, LLC
Change the locks. Always make sure you change the locks between tenants. There should be adequate key control in place as well. Keys marked with the unit number and street number can lead someone right to the tenant’s door in the event that key becomes lost, is not returned, or is left lying around by someone using it. Keys should only have limited information on the tags or a cross reference sheet identifying what the codes on the tags mean. Always keep proof that the locks have been changed; it protects you from liability in the event of a break-in. If a tenant loses a key, they should be charged a replacement cost to re-key the locks.
www.RHAGP.org
November 2012 13
Ways to Create Extra Apartment Revenue - Yield Management By Jim Baumgartner It is no mystery that the past few years have been tough on the multi family industry. We are seeing pockets of recovery while other regions are still suffering. Despite overall vacancy issues, you often will see certain floor plans or views maintain high demand. This is where market rate properties can boost revenue by practicing yield management. I first started practicing yield management when I worked with a client that primarily owned hotels. They taught me a lesson that I would never forget. When occupancy is high, the prices go up. When occupancy is low, prices drop. Basic right? The key, however, was to look for opportunities to grow revenue even when overall occupancy is down. I was curious as to what Wikipedia had for a definition and really like what they had to say - there are three essential conditions for yield management to be applicable: • That there is a fixed amount of resources available for sale.
time to analyze this. They are more concerned with “What do I get for my money and how much will it cost me each month?”) Are their amenities better or not as nice? Is the location comparable? Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. Be as unbiased as possible. If you were your customer, how much would you pay? As a result of this exercise you will discover where you can push rents and perhaps where some should be pulled back a bit. Increase rents for value items. Increase the base price for amenities such as fireplace, vaults, extra windows, upgraded finishes (appliances, carpet, remodels, etc.), which floor it is on (top floor is generally premium—unless you do not have an elevator, walk-outs are a premium due to convenience for dog owners and active residents) and views (pool or nature views). (One of the benefits of going through this exercise with your team and manually adjusting rents is that everyone understands the reasoning behind the pricing and can therefore explain it to their customers. This has been a frustration with yield management software.)
• That the resources sold are perishable (there is a time Invariably, when we have gone through this process we limit to selling the resources, after which they cease to be have ended up creating the equivalent of several units’ of value). worth of revenue. So, on a 100-unit site, we have ended up with revenue generation equivalent to 103 to 107 units • That different customers are willing to pay a different price (based on former average rents). At the high end you can for using the same amount of resources. end up with almost an extra month’s worth of revenue per year! Airlines jumped on yield management after deregulation. In essence, they cannot manufacture more seats just as we You will also find that you have enough income to more cannot add more rental units. Hotels quickly jumped on this than offset reduced rents on the apartment styles that trend as well. We all sell space for a specified time frame. typically do not move quickly. This gives you the benefit of We have a time limit—and if we don’t maximize that time a lower ‘loss leader’ for advertising purposes as well. There we lose money. is also snobbery on the upper end of the market so this increases your total range and broadens your appeal to a There are software programs available that will help you larger slice of the market. to do this; however, if you want to experiment without the investment, gather your front-line team, take a look at your At the end of this process you may find that you love property and ask, “Which styles always rent the fastest?” the extra income that yield management brings you. Every property has apartments that rent quickly. This is an (Undoubtedly your ownership will!) At that point you will opportunity to create revenue where there was none before. want to look at the benefits of utilizing a yield management Push the rents on those styles. software versus doing it yourself. There are pros and cons to both. Regardless of which you choose, you will grow Create a base price. This may be as simple as taking your your asset and hopefully increase bonuses and your career current pricing and adjusting from there. However, if upon growth! Seize the opportunity! review you find that some unit styles are always full and you have occupancy issues on others, you may have a Jim Baumgartner is Senior Vice President of RentSoda, a pricing problem. If you aren’t already doing so, do a market consulting company offering apartment marketing, business analysis to compare your pricing with your comps. Are their & operations consulting as well as industry-specific training. rents higher or lower than yours? (You can look at rents For more information visit www.rentsoda.com or email jim@ per square foot; however, most customers do not take the rentsoda.com. Reprinted with permission.
14 November 2012
RHAGP Update
Dear Maintenance Men: By Jerry L’Ecuyer & Frank Alvarez Dear Maintenance Men: I have a seam in a vinyl floor that is starting to open up and curl. The rest of the floor is in good condition & I don’t want to replace the flooring. What can I do to repair the seam? Ken Dear Ken: Vinyl seams are often found at transition points in a room, such as a doorway or between rooms. Of course, on a room that is larger than 12 feet, a seam may be found at any point in the room. If the seam is in good condition and only starting to curl, use a putty knife to gently open the seam and carefully clean out the seam using an old paintbrush and a vacuum to remove any debris. Any grit left behind can telegraph up through the vinyl and cause additional damage to the flooring. Apply painters tape along each edge of the seam to protect it during the repair process. Using multipurpose vinyl adhesive, inject the seam with the glue. After applying the adhesive, use a block of wood to press the seam together and run a damp rag over the seam to remove any excess glue. Lay wax paper over the seam followed by a 2x4 or scrap sheet of plywood and put weights along the top of the seam. A couple of cinder blocks or five gallon bucket of water or paint works great. Leave the weights in place over night. After eight to ten hours, remove the weights, clean up the joint and apply a seam sealant to finish the job. If the damaged seam is in a doorway, an easy and permanent repair can be done with a metal transition strip to cover the seam. Cut the metal strip to length, nail or screw the strip in place. We would still recommend sealing the repair before applying the metal strip to keep water from working its way under the flooring.
The sensor looks like a small upside down cup or float, normally located at the front corner of the tub. Calcium buildup can sometimes cause the water level sensor float to malfunction, causing too little water to be allowed into the dishwasher. Cleaning the float area with vinegar should help.
4:
Check the temperature of the water going into the dishwasher. The water should be at least 140 degrees.
5:
Hard water is most likely the biggest hindrance to having clean looking dishes. The dishes may actually be clean, but look dingy or milky. Hard water will cause calcium and mineral deposits to adhere to all wet areas of the dishwasher and over time the dishes themselves. The rotating spray arms may fill with mineral buildup and clog. To remove the hard water deposits, run the dishwasher empty on its longest setting, usually the pots & pans setting. Add a few cups of vinegar to the water without soap or dishes. Run the dishwasher with clear water through a short cycle to flush the vinegar before using again.
6:
Installation of a soft water system will greatly improve the performance of any dishwasher, as will using name brand dishwashing soap.
Dear Readers: We need more maintenance questions! If you have a maintenance question you want to see answered in the “Dear Maintenance Men:” column, please send us a note by email, fax or telephone. E-mail: maintenance@JLE1.com Telephone: 714 778-0480, Fax: 714 491-0864. Thank you!
Dear Maintenance Men: My units all have dishwashers. I am starting to get complaints from the residents that the dishwashers do not clean the dishes as well as they did when new. What is the problem and what can I do about it? Bill
Bio: Jerry L'Ecuyer is the owner of JLE Property Management, Inc. & Buffalo Maintenance, Inc. and is a licensed contractor & real estate broker. He is currently on the Board of Directors, Chairman of the Education Committee & President of the Apartment Association of Orange County. Jerry has been involved with apartments as a professional Dear Bill: since 1988 & can be reached at 714 778-0480 or Jerry@ A number of issues may cause this problem. ContactJLE.com. 1: Check that the dishwasher’s filter or grates are not Frank Alvarez is the Operations Director for Buffalo clogged. The filters are commonly found under the Maintenance, Inc. He has been involved with apartment rotating spray arms at the bottom of the dishwasher. maintenance & construction for over 18 years. He is also a The filters normally snap in and out of place. lecturer & educational instructor. Frank can be reached Remove them gently and watch for broken glass. at (714) 956-8371 Frankie@ContactBuffalo.com. Please 2: Check the operation of the water inlet solenoid view our web sites at: www.ContactJLE.com & www. BuffaloMaintenance.com valve. It should open and close crisply. 3:
Related to the inlet valve is the water level sensor.
www.RHAGP.org
November 2012 15
The Update Q & A Here is your opportunity, submit your landlord/tenant questions to Q&A at Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland at 10520 NE Weidler, Portland, OR. 97220 or email your questions to alita@rhagp.org. The following are questions and answers supplied by oregonlandlordlaw.com Q. When can I serve a 30 Day or 60 Day No Cause Notice? A. In month-to-month tenancies, the landlord may serve "No Cause" Notice of Termination. That Notice, must be 30 days long, if all tenants occupying the premises have lived there less than one year, or 60 days long if they have lived there more than a year. (Caveat: A landlord can serve a 30 day no stated cause Termination Notice to a month-tomonth tenant, regardless of the length of their residency, upon the sale of the rental property, if the buyer will be occupying the dwelling as their primary residence.) Monthto-month tenants are only required to give the landlord a 30 day notice of their intent to move out of the rental property. Note that different rules apply to fixed term tenancies. Q. Can I demand payment of a late fee in a Notice of Termination For Nonpayment of Rent? A. No. The nonpayment of rent notice may not require your tenant to pay a late fee in order to avoid termination. Q. What is the earliest date upon which I can serve a Notice of Termination For Nonpayment of Rent? A. You cannot serve a Notice of Termination For Nonpayment of Rent any earlier than the 8th day of the rental period (i.e., if rent is due on the 1st, you may serve the Notice on the 8th). Q. Can I demand payment of a late fee in a nonpayment of rent notice? A. No. The nonpayment of rent notice may not require your tenant to pay a late fee in order to avoid eviction.
16 November 2012
Q. Can I accept a partial rent payment and still serve a Notice of Termination For Nonpayment of Rent? A. In most instance, the answer is, "no." However, some limited exceptions may exist. Q. Can I require my residential tenant to do repairs? A. No. Q. Can I refuse to do repairs if my tenant is behind in his/her rent? A. No. Q. What do I do if my tenant is complaining about repairs and withholding rent? A. Get immediate legal advice before doing anything. Your tenant may be setting you up. Q. When can I serve a 24 Hour Notice of Termination For Outrageous Conduct? A. The 24 Hour Notice of Termination For Outrageous Conduct may be used when the following violations occur on or near the premises: Prostitution on the premises; Manufacture of a controlled substance; Delivery of a controlled substance; Burglary; Racial intimidation; Causing serious personal injury to another tenant; and Serious threats to immediately cause serious injury to another tenant. Any other act which is outrageous in the extreme.
RHAGP Update
TOOLS HAVE CHANGED By Linda Day Harrison, theBrokerList, Chicago, IL The other day a property manager asked me how one can make money for their company and building, using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or any other online network. It was a great question. I believe so many property managers, leasing agents and real estate professionals are confused about how these tools can be used. Networking sites are just that: tools. For example, just because you use Twitter, you will not make money. Twitter is a vehicle to carry a message with the potential for your message to be read by many more people without paper, postage or labor to stuff an envelope. So if you want to get the word out about a property you are leasing for instance, the goal is to touch as many people with your message as possible. How do you do that? Well if you are a leasing agent there are companies with many employees in a given market that you want to do outreach to. It is very difficult and time consuming to create email lists of those contacts and maintain current emails. Those businesses have employees who want to live as close to work as possible. By reaching those businesses, you have a very good chance that the employees at the company also follow their own company on Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIN. By sharing your information through their stream of influence, you are touching a wider audience. Yes, you have touched the company, but they touch many more people as well. Also, you can build up a great list, which is all part of the public domain and much easier to track and maintain than say a single person’s email address. If you can imagine the postcard, brochure or three fold flyer we all used to market our vacant apartments or spaces in the past, it was a stagnant piece of paper that might be read and maybe shared, but highly unlikely. Also, you needed to maintain actual email addresses as well for each contact. All of that is outdated almost as soon as you collect it. People move around, but company Twitter, LinkedIN and Facebook pages do not! Today, that postcard takes the form of a “post” hence the term is so closely related to the term postcard! So now you can post to that source or stream and that post does not go away. It is very powerful and lives online forever. So if you send a “post” today on any virtual business network, like Twitter or a business Facebook page or a LinkedIn status or your network du jour, your “post” does not get thrown in the garbage can. It is still alive, searchable and quite possibly being shared.
same, but our tools are different. We are greener, using less manual tasks, such as folding, stuffing, labeling, merging, stamping and doing more outreach and online networking. As well as more researching of who to follow and who to reach. There is no difference in the fundamentals that you need to create a powerful, target market list, it is just that when you send the “post” you are pushing a tweet button or a share link, in lieu of the manual labor we are most accustomed to. The plus of all of this is that once you get your outreach system in place, it actually begins to expand as opposed to a paper mailing list or labels which actually becomes stale and outdated. The outreach and contacts you build via your Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIN outreach, if done thoughtfully, can become an extremely valuable and powerful tool for filling vacant apartments or finding new employees, or giving your customers property updates. It truly is about quality and connecting to those people who are your target market and are likely to share your news and help to expand your reach! This article was originally published at www. allthingspropertymanagement.com, a property management industry blog managed by property management software company Buildium, LLC.
your window of opportunity to save Energy-efficient windows can prevent unwanted drafts and condensation, regulate temperatures, reduce noise and trim energy costs—benefits tenants value. Energy Trust of Oregon offers cash incentives on qualified windows—making the decision to upgrade even easier.
+To learn more, visit www.energytrust.org/multifamily or call 1.866.368.7878. Serving customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas.
So the moral of the story is that our fundamentals are the
www.RHAGP.org
November 2012 17
PREFERRED SERVICE GUIDE Accounting / bookkeeping Balancing Point, Inc.
Sandy Buhite-Landis P.503-659-8803, C.503-504-9466 12500 SE Oatfield Rd, Milwaukie, 97222 melandsandyl@hotmail.com
Cheryl C. Delozier, CPA 503-239-0111 Charlie Rogers & Vicki Martin Tax & Accounting Service charlie@cdelozier.com
Northwood Business Svcs
Jon Moon, P.503-297-2610 OBTP #B01422 LTC 5177 Accounting/Tax Services northwoodtax@comcast.net
Portland Tax Company
P.503-258-0700, F.503-256-1527 Full Service Tax and Accounting portlandrose@comcast.net
Advertising / marketing The Landlord Times
P.503-221-1260 News for Property Managers and Owners www.thelandlordtimes.com
The Oregonian Publishing
David Sandvig, P.503-221-8417 1320 SW Broadway, Portland 97201 dsandvig@oregonian.com
APPLIANCE-RENT,SERVICE,LEASE Azuma Leasing BJ Rosow, P.800-707-1188 P.512-236-9000, F.512-239-9009 2905 San Gabriel St #218 Austin, TX 78705
Mac-Gray Corporation
Formerly Web Laundry Company Karen Anthony P-503-330-9628
Mr. Appliance of PDX, CCB#190613
P.503-658-5204 25% Labor for RHAGP Members Any Problem, Any Brand, Any Time
Appliance-sales only G&C Distributing Company
Tony Kavanagh, P.503-288-0221 5010 NE Oregon St, Portland 97213
Standard TV & Appliance
Joe Mosee & Cathy Mosee P.503-619-0500, C.503-888-6927 3600 SW Hall Blvd, Beaverton 97005
APPLICANT SCREENING National Tenant Network
Marcia Gohman P.503-635-1118, F.503-635-9392 PO Box 21027, Keizer 97303 www.ntnonline.com
Prospective Renters Verification Service Charlie Kamerman P.503-655-0888, F.503-655-0900
RHAGP
P.503-254-4723, F.503-254-4821 Fast, affordable tenant screening www.rhagp.org
TrueSource Screening, LLC
David Mustard P.888-546-3588, F.888-546-3588 www.truesourcescreening.com
Dual and Affiliate members support the interest of rental housing through their membership in RHA.
Tenant Check LLC
Brent Vaughters P.360-574-3924, F.360-397-0196 www.aptcheck.com
Asphalt paving Hal’s Construction, Inc. CCB# 34434
Brian King, P.503-656-4999 20666 S HWY 213, Oregon City 97045 www.halsconstruction.com halspave@easystreet.net
Associations Metro Area Smoke Free Housing Project P.503-718-6145 www.smokefreeoregon.com
ATTORNEYS Bittner & Hahs, P.C.
Andy Hahs, P.503-228-5626 4949 SW Meadows Rd #260 Lake Oswego 97035
Broer & Passannante, P.S.
Mark G Passannante, P.503-294-0910 1211 SW Fifth #2330, Portland 97204
Jeffrey S. Bennett
Jeff Bennett, P.503-255-8795 850 NE 122nd Ave, Portland 97230 Protecting landlords’ rights in Oregon for over a decade.
Law Offices of Richard Schneider, LLC
P.503-241-1215, www.rbsllc.com 2455 NW Marshall St #11, Portland 97210 Business formation ~ LLCs
Scott A.McKeown, P.C.
Scott McKeown, P.503-224-1937 8700 SW 26th Ave, STE. S, Portland 97219 scottmckeown@comcast.net
Timothy Murphy, Attorney at Law
Always representing ONLY landlords Tim Murphy P. 503-550-4894 522 SW 5th Ave, #812, Portland 97204
Blind cleaning Alpenglow Window Treatment Co.
Paul Kuzmenko P: 503887-8630 paulkuzmenko10@gmail.com Featuring Ultrasonic Blind Cleaning
BASEMENT WATERPROOFING John’s Waterproofing, CCB# 15830 Crawlspace Waterproofing P. 503-233-0825 Fully Staffed www.johnswaterproofing.com
Carpentry & repairs Eaton General Construction, CCB# 154142 P.503-539-0811 Full Service General Contractor www.eatongeneral.com
G&G Construction Inc., CCB# 162743 P.503-826-9404 Maintenance & Painting Specialists miesner@comcast.net
CARPET CLEANING Apple Cleaning Co.
Order & Quotes for Carpet Steam Cleaning Apartment, House & Office Cleaning Call 503-380-5298/rolandhreed@msn.com
Dura Clean Carpet Cleaning
Upholstery, Pet odor removal, Flood Service P.503-914-8785 F.503-372-9163 www.duracleanllc.com dura-clean@comcast.net
O’Meara Carpet Cleaning
503-538-1983, 503-620-5005 Cleaning, Pet Odor Removal, Flood Damage www.omearacarpetcleaning.com
carpet sales Contract Furnishings Mart
Ross Williams P.503-230-1250, 800-275-6722 915 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland 97214 Patrick VonPegert P.503-542-8900, 800-935-1250 14160 SW 72nd Ave #110, Tigard 97224 Roger Harms P.503-656-5277, 877-656-5232 15140 SE 82nd Dr, Clackamas 97015 info@cfmfloors.com Pat Hockman P.360-896-6150, 800-267-6150 11013 NE 39th St, Vancouver WA 98682
The Floor Store
Ted Stapleton, P.503-408-6488 5628 SE Woodstock Blvd Portland 97206 ted@floorstoreportland.com
Cleaning / clean up All Surface Cleaning Co., CCB# 155380 Adam Zumwalt, P.503-781-3611 Exterior surface clean & restore www.allsurfacecleaning.com
Collection agencies Anderson & Associates Credit Svcs, LLC
P.503-293-5400, F.503-813-2159 PO Box 230286, Portland 97281 andersoncollectionagency@gmail.com
COMMUNICATIONS Comcast Business Services
Dave Dronkowski, P.503-957-4186 Telephone, Internet and Cable TV services david_dronkowski@cablecomcast.com
COncrete Hal’s Construction, Inc. CCB# 34434
Brian King, P.503-656-4999 20666 S HWY 213, Oregon City 97045 www.halsconstruction.com halspave@easystreet.net
Doors Goose Hollow Window Co., Inc. Mary D. Mann P.503-620-0898 marymann@goosehwc.com CCB#53631 goosehwc.com Energy Trust Trade Ally
EFFICIENCY Energy Diet
Free Efficiency Installations P. 503-960-5482 theenergydiet@gmail.com
Electric DeKorte Electric, Inc. CCB#159954
P.503-288-2211 5331 SW Macadam #258-113, Portland 97239
Portland General Electric
Anne Snyder-Grassmann, P.503-464-7534
Rental Housing Maint. Svcs. CCB#163427
energy conservation EcoTech LLC P.503-493-1040 info@ecotechllc.com www.ecotechllc.com
Estate planning Law Offices of Richard Schneider, LLC
P.503-241-1215, www.rbsllc.com 2455 NW Marshall St #11, Portland 97210
Evictions Action Services
Wally Lemke, P.503-244-1226 PO Box 69621, Portland 97239 Your eviction & process service specialists
Barrister Support Service
P.503-246-8934 Evictions, 1st appearances, process serving www.barristersupport.com
Landlord Solutions
P.503-242-2312, F.503-242-1881 PO Box 7087, Portland 97007 Online evictions & first appearances www.landlord-solutions.com
Portland Pioneer Properties
P.503-238-2560, F.503-232-0187 Full Prop. Management Service LIN# 200201113, CCB# 144531
1031 EXCHANGES/REITS TENANCY IN COMMON Peregrine Private Capital Corp.
P.503-241-4949 5000 Meadows Road, # 230 Lake Oswego 97035 rs@peregrineprivatecapital.com
Financial services American Commercial Mortgage Network Al Williams, P.206-264-1325 1366 91st Ave NE, Clyde Hill, WA 98004
Associated Mortgage Group, Inc.
Sandi Swinford 503-781-0092 sandi@associated mortgage.com Licensed Mortgage Broker, NMLS 89930
Chase Commercial Term Lending Tom Barbour, P.503-598-3657 Steve Mozinski, P.503-598-3661 steve.mozinski@chase.com
Commercial Lending Group, Inc.
Trevor T. Calton, P.503-704-4999 Professor of Real Estate Finance, PSU Commercial/Multifamily Mortgage Broker
RH Financial Services Inc.
Robert Hogg, P.503-781-4181 1944 NE 45th Ave, Portland 97213 roberth@rhfinancial.net
Wells Fargo Home Mortgage
Ron Eiseman, P.503-886-1497 1300 SW Fifth Ave. STE 950, Portland 97201 ronald.c.eiseman@wellsfargo.com
Fire / water damage restoration Cooper Construction, CCB#08587 P.503-232-3121, Since 1950 2305 SE 9th Ave, Portland 97214 www.fire-water-restoration.com
Horizon Restoration, CCB#160672
John Pedden P.503-620-2215, F.503-624-0523 7235 SW Bonita Rd, Portland 97224
Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136
While the Rental Housing Association accepts advertising at face value, it cannot endorse the Fully Licensed to do it all garyindra@rentalrepairs.com advertiser or otherwise guarantee the quality of the products or services being advertised. Such guarantees, written or implied, are solely the responsibility of the advertiser.
Let the advertiser know that you received their contact information through the Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland
18 November 2012
RHAGP Update
PREFERRED SERVICE GUIDE J.R. Johnson Inc., CCB#102676
P.503-240-3388, 24/7 Response Catastrophe Restoration Specialists www.jrjohnsoninc.com
Fire safety Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue
Eric T McMullen, P.503-612-7000 7401 SW Washo Ct, STE 101, Tualatin 97062 eric.mcmullen@tvfr.com
Floor COVERING Contract Furnishings Mart
Ross Williams P.503-230-1250, 800-275-6722 915 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland 97214 Patrick VonPegert P.503-542-8900, 800-935-1250 14160 SW 72nd Ave #110, Tigard 97224 Roger Harms P.503-656-5277, 877-656-5232 15140 SE 82nd Dr, Clackamas 97015 info@cfmfloors.com Pat Hockman P.360-896-6150, 800-267-6150 11013 NE 39th St, Vancouver WA 98682 Refinishing & Laminate flooring
Eaton General Construction, CCB# 154142 P.503-539-0811 All Types of Floor Covering www.eatongeneral.com
J & B Hardwood Floors, Inc.
Jim Cripps, P.503-519-4920 jandbhardwoodfloors@gmail.com
Rental Housing Maint. Svcs. CCB# 163427 Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136 Vinyl, VCT, ceramic, hardwood installs
The Floor Store
Ted Stapleton, P.503-408-6488 5628 SE Woodstock Blvd Portland 97206 ted@floorstoreportland.com
forms RHAGP
Dual and Affiliate members support the interest of rental housing through their membership in RHA.
Hauling Junk Away Hauling CCB# 177966
P.503-517-9027 Licensed, bonded, insured, trash outs jcdoud@msn.com
heating & cooling Midway Heating Co. CCB#24044
P.503-252-4003 12625 SE Sherman St, Portland 97233
Pyramid Heating & Cooling CCB# 59382 P.503-786-9522 Serving the Portland Metro area. info@pyramidheating.com
heating oil tank EcoTech LLC
P: 503-493-1040 info@ecotechllc.com www.ecotechllc.com
FURNITURE Express Contract Services Sean Filzen, P971-678-6691
www.EFRCONTRACT.com Because furnished units rent higher
handyman Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services Chuck Hodges, P.503-222-3800 9320 SW Barbur Blvd STE300, Ptld 97219 maint@bluestonehockley.com
Eaton General Construction, CCB# 154142 P.503-539-0811 Full Service General Contractor www.eatongeneral.com
G&G Construction Inc., CCB# 162743 P.503-826-9404 Maintenance & Painting Specialists miesner@comcast.net
Rental Housing Maint. Svcs. CCB# 163427 Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136 Fully licensed to do it all garyindra@rentalrepairs.com
Wieder Works, CCB#164323
Darren J Wiederhold, C.503-260-2133 Maintenance, Repair, Replacement www.wiederworks.com
P.503-240-3388, 24/7 Response Catastrophe Restoration Specialists www.jrjohnsoninc.com
Real Estate Roofing Service, CCB# 149575 Yost Espelien, P.503-232-6653 Free Inspections, Testing & Remediation www.realestatemoldsolutions.com
Movers-house Emmert Development Company
Terry Emmert, P.503-655-9933 11811 SE Hwy 212, Clackamas 97015
Paint / painters Brad Poppino Painting Co. CCB# 185497 Brad Poppino P.503-659-7551,/503-957-8298 Interior / Exterior Lead Paint Certified
Housing authorities Housing Authority of Portland
G&G Construction Inc, CCB# 162743
insulation Goose Hollow Window Co., Inc.
Rental Housing Maint. Svcs. CCB# 163427
Jill Riddle, P.503-802-8565 135 SW Ash St, Portland 97204
Mary D. Mann P.503-620-0898 marymann@goosehwc.com CCB#53631 goosehwc.com Energy Trust Trade Ally
insurance Larry Thompson Agency
P.503-924-2200, F.503-924-2202 15573 SE Bangy Rd, STE 220 Lake Oswego 97035
Robinson Financial Group
Rita J. Robinson , P.503-557-4997 Group & Indiv. Health Insurance
State Farm Insurance
P.503-254-4723, F.503-254-4821 Court-tested, up-to-date rental forms www.rhagp.org
MOLD J.R. Johnson Inc. , CCB#102676
Paul Toole, P.503-655-2206 6105 W “A” St #B, West Linn 97068
Stegmann Agency - Farmers Insurance P.503-667-7971, F.503-666-8110 202 SE 181st Ave #201, Portland 97233 lstegmann@farmersagent.com
Wolter Van Doorninck, CPCU
Elliot, Powell, Baden & Baker P.503-227-1771, F.503-274-7644 8355 SW Davies Rd, Beaverton 97008
investment services Peregrine Private Capital Corp.
P.503-241-4949 5000 Meadows Road, # 230 Lake Oswego 97070 rs@peregrineprivatecapital.com
Landscaping J. Salinas Landscaping
J. Salinas, P.503-816-1190
Oregon Tree Care
P.503-929-9437 www.oregontreecare.com info@oregontreecare.com
P.503-826-9404 Maintenance & Painting Specialists miesner@comcast.net
Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136 Professional interior & exterior painting garyindra@rentalrepairs.com
Richard Hallman Painting CCB# 142467 RichardHallman, P.503-819-1210 Quality interior painting
Rodda Paint
Tim Epperly, P.503-572-8191 tepperly@roddapaint.com
pest control Frost Integrated Pest Mgmt
P.503-863-0973 Residential • Commercial • Multi-Family www.frostpestfreezone.com
NW Pest Control
Bruce Beswick, P.503-253-5325 9108 NE Sandy Blvd, Portland 97220 www.goodbyebugs.com nwpestcontrol@aol.com
Orkin Pest Control
Dan Wolcott Account Manager & Inspector P-503-384-8384 dwolcott@orkin.com
plumbing / drain cleaning Grumpy’s Drains
Portland’s #1 Drain Cleaning Service www.grumpysdrains.com 503422-9476
MJ’s Plumbing, CCB# 36338
Michael LeFever, P.503-261-9155 1045 NE 79, Portland 97213
ProDrain & Rooter Service, Inc.
West 503-533-0430, East 503-239-3750 Drain cleaining/plumbing www.prodrainpdx.com
Rental Housing Maint. Svcs. CCB# 163427 Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136 Fully licensed to do it all garyindra@rentalrepairs.com
Mason contractors D&R Masonry Restoration, Inc., CCB#99196 PROPERTY MANAGERS Ray Elkins, P.503-353-1650 Action Management 8890 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Milwaukie97222 www.drmasonry.com
Wendi Samperi, P.503-710-0732
Alpine Property Management
Tiffany Arrington, P.503-641-4620 4750 SW Washington Ave, Beaverton 97005 www.alpinepdx.com
Associated Property Management Jane Raffety, P.503-648-2150 408 SE Baseline, Hillsboro 97123 www.associatedmgmt.com
Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services
Cliff Hockley, P.503-222-3800 9320 SW Barbur Blvd STE300, Portland 97219
Bridge City Properties
Tony Forhan, P.503-866-8894 Serving Multn., Clackamas, Wash. counties www.bridgecitypm.com
Fox Management, Inc.
Tressa L. Rossi, P.503-280-0241 C.503-750-8124, F.503-280-0242 1734 NE Broadway, Portland 97232 tressa@foxmanagementinc.com
The Garcia Group
Ron Garcia, P.503-595-4747 5320 SW Macadam STE 100, Portland 97239 www.4-homes.com
Gateway Property Management
P-503-303-8545 www.gatewaypdx.com Property Management Done Right!
Lakeside Property Management Co.
Michelle Wrege, P.503-828-2283 Finding Home Owners Qualified Tenants www.lakesidepmc.com
Micro Property Management
“We focus on the small details” P- 503-473-3742 jeannie@micropropertymgmt.com
Portland Pioneer Properties
P.503-238-2560, F.503-232-0187 Full prop. managment service LIN#200201113, CCB# 144531
Prim & Prosperous Property Management 3PM, 503-635-8926 Patricia Turner turnerfp@yahoo.com
Rappold Property Management
Troy K. Rappold, P.503-232-5990 1125 SE Madison St STE 201, Portland 97214 troy@rappoldpropertymanagement.com
University Real Estate Services, Inc. Tom Coulter, P.503-492-8668 929 NE 181st STE C, Portland 97230
Voss Property Management
Richard Voss, P.503-546-7902 6110 N Lombard St, Portland 97203
radon Cascade Radon Inc.
P: 503-421-4813 cascaderadon.com office@cascaderadon.com
EcoTech LLC
P: 503-493-1040 info@ecotechllc.com www.ecotechllc.com
Real estate sales Bluestone & Hockley Real Estate Services
Cliff Hockley, P.503-222-3800 9320 SW Barbur Blvd STE300, Portland 97219
Chris Anderson
John L. Scott Real Estate 503-783-2442 chrisanderson@johnlscott.com
Denise L Goding
Keller Williams Realty P.503-336-6378, C.503-799-2970 www.denisegoding.com
Let the advertiser know that you received their contact information through the Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland
www.RHAGP.org
November 2012 19
PREFERRED SERVICE GUIDE Elizabeth Carpenter
LizC Real Estate Investments, LLC P.503-314-6498, F.503-698-6566 liz @ lizcrei.com, www.lizcrei.com
HFO Investment Real Estate
Greg Frick, P.503-241-5541 1028 SE Water Ave, STE 270, Portland 97214 www.hfore.com
Ilse Norman
Associate Advisor Sperry Van Ness Bluestone & Hockley p-503-459-4376 www.svnbluestone.com
J.L. Lutz & Company
Jim Lutz P.503-297-7101, F.503-291-7851 5440 SW Westgate Dr #115, Portland 97221 info@jllutz.com
M. Maltase Real Estate Group
Michelle Maltase, P.503-730-2596 www.mmaltasegroup.com michelle@mmaltasegroup.com
The Garcia Group
Ron Garcia, P.503-595-4747 5320 SW Macadam STE 100, Portland 97239 www.4-homes.com
Restoration / reconstruction Eaton General Construction, CCB# 154142 P.503-539-0811 Full Service General Contractor www.eatongeneral.com
Dual and Affiliate members support the interest of rental housing through their membership in RHA.
Horizon Restoration, CCB#160672
John Pedden P.503-620-2215, F.503-624-0523 7235 SW Bonita Rd, Portland 97224
J.R. Johnson Inc., CCB#102676
P.503-240-3388, 24/7 Response Catastrophe Restoration Specialists www.jrjohnsoninc.com
Rental Housing Maint. Svcs. CCB# 163427 Gary Indra, P.503-678-2136 Fully licensed to do it all garyindra@rentalrepairs.com
ROOFING AAA Roof Service, CCB# 78618
Jack Robinson, P.503-642-5353 Shingle & Flat Roof Systems www.aaaroofservice.com
All Surface Cleaning Co., CCB# 155380 Adam Zumwalt, P.503-781-3611 Replacement, repair, cleaning www.allsurfacecleaning.com
Real Estate Roofing Service, CCB# 149575 Lynne Whitney, P.503-284-5522 Free Inspections, ReRoof and Repairs www.realestateroofing.com
Seal coating Hal’s Construction, Inc. CCB# 34434
seismic retrofits EcoTech LLC
P.503-493-1040 info@ecotechllc.com www.ecotechllc.com
SIDING J.R. Johnson Inc., CCB#102676 P.503-240-3388 General Contracting Services www.jrjohnsoninc.com
windows / storm windows Goose Hollow Window Co., Inc. Mary D. Mann P.503-620-0898 marymann@goosehwc.com CCB#53631 goosehwc.com Energy Trust Trade Ally
J.R. Johnson Inc.., CCB#102676 P.503-240-3388 General Contracting Services www.jrjohnsoninc.com
TELEPHONE Comcast
Telephone, internet, Cable and TV Services Dave Dronkowski P.503-957-4186
UTILITY BILLING Minol USA
15280 Addison Rd. Suite 100 Addison, TX. 972-386-6611 minolusa.com
Scan QR Code on Smartphone for Online Vendor Info.
waterproofing / concrete repair D&R Waterproofing, Inc. CCB# 99196
Ray Elkins, P.503-353-1650 8890 SE McLoughlin Blvd, Milwaukie97222 www.drmasonry.com
Brian King, P.503-656-4999 20666 S HWY 213, Oregon City 97045 www.halsconstruction.com halspave@easystreet.net
Let the advertiser know that you received their contact information through the Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland
20 November 2012
RHAGP Update
RENTAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION of GREATER PORTLAND
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PORTLAND, OR PERMIT NO. 655
10520 NE Weidler Portland, OR 97220
The Floor Store For All Your Flooring Needs
Property Managers and Owners ... We are offering special package deals just for you! Package # 1 $16.50 per sq. yard ✔ Filament plush nylon or cut & loop ✔ 7/16 rebond pad ✔ Carpet Installation ✔ Tear & haul of old carpet & pad
his ion t Ment hen you ad w me in co
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(503) 408-6488
24
January 2013
RHAGP Update