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From your CTAA Communications Committee
Dear CTAA Members,
We hope you are enjoying your summer, as is it quickly making its way to cooler temperatures! Soon people from around the country will be taking the time to travel up to The Nutmeg State to experience the vibrant colors of the changing leaves. This is definitely the time when Connecticut is its most beautiful and most colorful! There may even be 1 or 2 “out-of-towners” who are looking to call Connecticut home simply based on the autumn colors and coastline attractions. Not only is it Connecticut’s time to shine, but it can also be yours too!
This issue we want to look at community safety! If you wish to contribute an article for a future issue of our newsletter, please do not hesitate to contact any member of the CTAA Communications Committee at the e-mail addresses below.
We hope you enjoy the rest of the summer, and a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!
Sincerely,
Amy Belmonte, CT Apartment Guide - Communications Committee Chairperson (abelmonte@apartmentguide.com)
Lauren Harris, Resident Data – Communications Committee Team Member (lharris@residentdata.com)
Amy Tedesco, Santini Villa – Communications Committee Team Member (ATedesco@santiniliving.com)
Upcoming Events
Mid Year Membership Drive
Join the CTAA for a Panel Discussion on Maximizing Your Associate Membership to Its Fullest Potential.
Wednesday, September 15, 2009 - 4:00 – 7:00 pm
4:00 – 4:30 pm Registration & Networking
4:30 – 5:30 pm Panel Discussion
5:30 – 7:00 pm Networking & Cocktail Hour
Location: The Hawthorne Inn - 2421 Berlin Turnpike, Berlin, CT 06037
Click here for the mid-year meeting registration form
Certified Apartment Manager & Certified Apartment Supplier
The CAM course was developed by the NAA Education Institute to provide the highest standard of professional training for the on-site manager. CAM contains 9 modules. CAS was also developed by the NAA and is designed to provide product and service council members with basic training in property management to more clearly define for the supplier the role of a property manager and thereby build a better partnership between them. CAS contains 4 modules.
When: Tuesday, September 15, 2009 - Thursday, September 17, 2009
Time: 9:00 - 5:00
Location: 242 Trumbull Street - Dodd Room, Hartford, CT 06106
CAM / CAS Courses Agenda is:
Tuesday, Sept 15: Financial Management (9-5)
Wednesday, Sept 16: Risk Management (9-12:30) & Fair Housing (1:30-5)
Thursday, Sept 17: Apartment Community Analysis (9-11), Management of Residential Issues (12-3) & Marketing (3-5)
Click here for the CAM registration form
2009 CTAA Tradeshow
Join the Connecticut Apartment Association November 20, 2009 at the Mohegan Sun Hotel and Convention Center for its Seventh Annual Conference and Tradeshow. This is an event where apartment professionals will learn inside information on issues and trends, while enjoying the opportunity to network with industry colleagues. You’ll enjoy high powered educational sessions providing insight into the future from the industry’s most knowledgeable and well respected management professionals. Maintenance professionals will have the opportunity to participate in Maintenance Mania! And you will have the opportunity to visit the exhibit hall to see the latest in industry needs and enjoy a cocktail at CTAA’s NUTMEG Awards Cocktail Reception.
For a 2009 Tradeshow Booth & Attendee Registration Form & Brochure Click Here
To Access Sponsorship Opportunities Click Here
For the Sponsorship Opportunities Registration Form Click Here
Maintenance Mania
Friday November 20, 2009 at the Annual Tradeshow
Maintenance Mania is a national competition hosted by the National Apartment Association and their affiliates and presented by HD Supply, a leading distributor of maintenance and renovation products. The national competition consists of seven games including a garbage disposer install, a lockset install, a faucet install, a smoke alarm install, light bulb install, a blind tool identification competition and the finale of the event concludes with a race car competition, where the competitors build a model car using at least one maintenance part and race it down a pinewood derby-style racetrack. Consisting of these seven maintenance focused challenges, the competitors will test their maintenance skills and knowledge of the industry, as they compete to earn a chance for an all expense paid trip to the NAA hosted national championship to compete for the title of Maintenance Mania National Champion.
Click here for more information & the registration form
The Welcome Mat
The Connecticut Apartment Association would like to welcome our new members:
New Members
Apartment Management Members:
Fairfield Residential
597 Westport
Chris Crampton
597 Westport Ave
Norwalk, CT 06851
Phone: (203) 846-3500
Fax: (203) 846-4000
leasing@597westport-apts.com
www.597westport.com
Trio Real Estate Services
50 CT Avenue
Tom Evan
50 CT Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06854
Phone: (203) 846-8010
Fax: (203) 846-8050
teven@trioonline.com
Trio Real Estate Services
80 Fair Street
Tom Evan
80 Fair Street
Norwalk, CT 06851
Phone: (203) 846-8010
Fax: (203) 846-8050
teven@trioonline.com
Associate Members:
Advanced Masonry
Mark Tellier
214 Southampton Road
Holyoke, MA 01040
Phone: (413) 532-6516
Fax: (413) 532-9270
advancedmasonry@msn.com
AppFolio
Chris Camacho
55 Castillian Drive
Goleta, CA 93117
Phone: (805) 617-2170
Fax: (805) 968-0646
chris.camacho@appfolio.com
www.appfolio.com
Assurant Specialty Property
Debbie Nicholson
260 Interstate North Circle, SE
Atlanta, GA 30339
Phone: (770) 763-2719
debra.nicholson@assurant.com
www.assurant.com
C.V. Mason Co.
Tim Wilson
P. O. Box 569
Bristol, CT 06011
Phone: (860) 583-4127
Fax: (860) 314-2720
apt@cvmco.com
www.cvmco.com
Chutemaster Environmental
Craig Berlin
1331 Stuyvesant Ave.
Union, NJ 07083
Phone:(800) 234-4656
Fax: (908) 964-7999
sales@chutemaster.com
www.chutemaster.com
www.madicostore.com
Lantern Energy
Joe Podchaiski
26 Broadway
North Haven, CT 06473
Phone: (203) 494-8467
Fax: (203) 265-6323
joe@lanternenergy.net
www.lanternenergy.net
Welcome new members!!!
CTAA Biography – Heidi Casertano
Interviewed by Lauren Harris
Heidi Casertano is a Director of Associate Affairs for the Connecticut Apartment Association.
How did you enter the multifamily industry? I have always had an interest in the Real Estate industry and Sales and Marketing. I began in Property Management in 1988 and have held the positions of Leasing Consultant, Assistant Property Manager, Property Manager, Sales and Marketing Manager/Director, Account Executive in Corporate Housing and still current - REALTOR.
Who do you currently work for and what are your responsibilities? I am the Account Executive for CT/Western MA for ForRent Media Solutions. ForRent.com is relatively a newer apartment advertiser in CT but becoming one of leading lead sources for apartment shoppers. I am responsible for maintaining our current advertisers and building new business.
How long have you been in involved with the CTAA and what made you want to become more active in the association? I had been introduced to the CTAA last fall when I started with ForRent. I have always felt it was important to get involved and support different organizations and associations I have been related with and wanted my thoughts and opinions to count.
Do you have a vision of what you would like CTAA to become? I would love to see 100% participation from all apartment communities in CT and related vendors. To have a common service center serving all of the various needs of the communities throughout the state would be beneficial to all.
What is the one thing that you can do to help the CTAA grow their membership in the upcoming year and beyond? Promote the CTAA to all I meet. Relay the benefits the CTAA has to offer, encourage new ideas and stay involved.
What is your favorite CTAA event and why? What is your favorite aspect of this particular event? My favorite CTAA event would be the Tradeshow. I love to network and believe in ForRent.com and in its results. The tradeshow is an ideal opportunity to reach out to our advertisers along with future advertisers. It is a fun atmosphere and I was pleased to see the participation from so many in all aspects of this industry.
What do you like to do outside of work and in your spare time (i.e. hobbies)? I love the beach and spending time with my friends. I have seventeen nieces and nephews whom I love to spoil! I enjoy softball, golf, exercise, arts and crafts and watching movies with my husband Michael!
The Property Perspective
By Amy Tedesco – ATedesco@santiniliving.com
Throughout the past few years the safety of Real Estate Agents has been questioned. There have been more and more stories across the nation of agents being victimized while showing properties and as leasing agents in the same type of industry our safety is also at stake. The safety of leasing agents is easily set aside and rarely thought about. Sit back and think about the last time you were on a showing, Did you head down to a basement where there is only one way out, did you walk in front of your perspective tenant instead of behind, or were you ever in a position where if something happened you wouldn’t be able to get out? One can never be too careful, always go with your gut and if you come across someone you really do not feel comfortable with take extra precautions. Here are some helpful hints that may help you in the future:
• Carry a cell phone with you on every showing
• If you do not feel comfortable taking someone in your car, have them follow you to the unit
• Have another agent tag along on the showing
• Make a photo copy of the person's ID for anyone that you show a unit to, if they refuse do not take them out
• Show a model if you have one in your office
• Don’t go down to the basement with them
• Have a check in procedure with your leasing office for showings that go over a certain time
These small security measures can make all the difference.
Amy Tedesco
Leasing Manager
Deer Valley Townhomes
Featured Property
This month’s Featured Property is another CTAA Award Winning Community (pre-1988): 600 Apartments.
600 Apartments offers a variety of amenities for its residents and is nestled is a beautiful wooded setting just north of Hartford. Where is your property located? Bloomfield, CT.
What management company manages your property? 600 Apartments is managed by The Kamson Corporation.
How many units are on your property? 162
What amenities does the property have to offer? 600 Apartments offers an outdoor pool, fitness center, gated community, reserved covered parking, free trash removal & extra storage, grounds maintenance, no amenities fees at all!
What three words best describe your property? Beautiful, Gated, Quiet
Do you have any other communities in Connecticut? Kamson Corporation manages several other communities in The Nutmeg State all around the Hartford Metro Area.
What type of floor plans does your property offer, one, two, or three bedroom units?
We have 1 bedroom, 1 bedroom w/den, 2 bedroom, 2 bd w/den & townhouse
What makes your property unique?
The gated community and covered parking.
We are looking for a featured property for our next issue! Want to highlight one of your communities in our next newsletter? Please e-mail Valerie at the CTAA for consideration! Deadline is September 31, 2009!
News You Can Use
Fire Smarts: For Professional Property Managers
Posted By: Pauline Handy, Marketing Assistant V.F. McNeil Insurance
Multifamily dwellings are particularly vulnerable to widespread fire. They are very densely populated communities and are highly susceptible to severe damage and/or devastation if just one catches fire. Once a fire begins to burn, it can double in size every thirty seconds and could spread to several other units in a matter of minutes.
There are many causes of home fires that could potentially endanger any multifamily dwelling. However, stove top fires still remain as one of the leading causes of home fires. In fact, according to the NFPA, three in every ten reported fires starts at the stovetop, more than any other place in the home. Safeguarding your tenants and the property you manage from stove top fires is one of the most important measures of risk control you can take.
We recommend to our clients, and any others involved in the management of multifamily dwellings, to invest in a product called, StoveTop FireStop®. Installing this product in all rental units helps to prevent damage and devastation to your property if one of your tenants has a stove top fire. It also helps to build goodwill with your tenants and reduces unfavorable publicity if a fire should start in one of your units. In addition, the use of this product may entitle you to savings on your insurance program, if available.
Fire prevention and safety most importantly saves lives. It also helps to minimize risk to your property, your number of insurance claims, and helps to keep your insurance premiums from rising. It’s peace of mind all around.
Keep fire prevention at the forefront of your mind! Use fire smarts; investigate preventative measures for your property. For more information, visit our fire safety page, the NFPA, and StoveTop FireStop®.
Are You Gambling with the Consistency of Your Criminal Screening Decisions?
By Nevel DeHart, Executive Vice President, First Advantage SafeRent
An increasing number of management companies are utilizing criminal screening tools to improve the safety of their communities for residents, guests, and staff. While criminal screening can decrease a management company’s liability due to criminal acts, it can also expose the company to Fair Housing compliance issues. In order to minimize compliance risks, it is imperative that management companies establish a criminal screening policy that treats applicants equally and fairly. While each management company should consult their legal counsel when establishing or updating a criminal screening policy, some questions to consider include:
• Does your criminal screening policy define accept/decline criteria by specific offense type and offense date?
• Does your leasing staff have the skills required to interpret complicated criminal records?
• Are you certain that criminal screening decisions are made fairly and consistently at your properties?
• Can your leasing staff make criminal screening decisions without assistance from mid or senior-level management?
• Does your current process allow you to monitor criminal screening data, offense types found, and accept/decline trends in order to update the policy to current business conditions?
• Can you ensure and verify that criminal screening is run on all applicants?
If you answered “no” to any of these questions, an automated criminal screening service may enable you to establish and enforce a more consistent and compliant criminal screening policy. With most criminal screening tools, leasing agents are expected to make real-time decisions about what searches should be conducted and to determine if criminal offenders should receive an “accept” or “decline” leasing decision. This places undue burden on the agents and increases the risk of Fair Housing violations if searches are conducted or interpreted inconsistently. Consequently, most existing criminal screening tools expose multifamily businesses to unnecessary risk.
Look for a criminal screening product that categorizes criminal records and automatically provides a clear accept or decline leasing decision based on criteria established for the community. The product should allow you to set the policies for accepting or declining criminal offenses using criminal offense categories covering crimes against person property, and society. The technology should quickly evaluate criminal record search results and automatically deliver an accept/decline decision to your staff. Ideally, your criminal screening product should include management reporting to monitor the number of accept and decline decisions returned and to view the breakdown of criminal search results by offense type. With this insight, you can monitor staff performance and adjust screening criteria to meet business and legal demands.
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First Advantage SafeRent offers an automated criminal screening service called Registry CrimSAFESM that frees your staff from the burden of interpreting criminal search results. Automated decisions ensure consistency and improve Fair Housing compliance. For more information about CrimSAFE contact First Advantage SafeRent at (800) 566-2831 or visit www.FADVSafeRent.com/CrimSAFE.
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