Behind The Leasing Desk . Com: Recent Comments

Comment on Open to Interpretation?

2011-07-07T17:09:15Z

I have to wonder if part of it is that many places have too many policies. It always amazes me when I talk to someone about their P&P manual, which usually weighs about 12 pounds, and they admit to me that they haven't really read it. Even though it's part of new hire orientation, people do all they can not to read it, because it's dry and boring and "annoying." It's no wonder employees get a little confused.

Thanks Jon!

Comment on Open to Interpretation?

2011-07-07T17:05:49Z

I like TC - I just mostly dislike Arrington.

If you're not going to be consistent, then you have to be willing to deal with both high resident turn over and high employee turn over, because it's not only frustrating for your residents - it annoys the heck out of the staff as well!

Thanks Zach!

Comment on Open to Interpretation?

2011-07-07T15:50:20Z

Inconsistency breeds discontent which breeds lack of productivity which breeds employee turnover. None of these things a property management company can afford. Spot on post Heather regarding consistent policies. Stability is a key element to a company's success.

Comment on Open to Interpretation?

2011-07-07T00:56:11Z

Heather - very funny, thanks. Mike can certainly be an a*! at times. But I love TechCrunch!

Anyway, consistency is important for residents, so they don't feel like someone else is being treated better than them. It's also important for your staff, so they can speak with confidence. When they explain a policy to a resident, it is important for them to be able to confidently say that that policy is enforced uniformly for everyone.

Zach

Comment on I don't care what your policy says.

2011-04-14T20:21:28Z

Unfortunately, there really isn't another solution. The delivery should have been better on the message, and an apology and perhaps a concession of some sort to cover cat placement costs is in order. But if they want to maintain order and their policies, they don't have a choice. They could tell him at renewal he will have to make a choice to give up the cat or not be offered a renewal. That would perhaps satisfy any fair housing concerns and give him time to figure things out.

Policy doesn't have to be an ugly word. Policies protect owners and residents alike, but it is easy to lay blame on them for poor customer service events.

Did someone make a mistake and tell him he could have another cat? Sounds like they did. Did he not have a pet lease for his first animal? Did he not think that perhaps he should get something in writing for this pet? No, it isn't his fault, but he anytime you have a legal contract like a lease with policies and addendums, you should be wary when given the gentleman's agreement of a handshake on something. I think it is wise at lease signing to point out this fact to all residents. Get and give everything in writing please.

Comment on I don't care what your policy says.

2011-04-14T20:08:47Z

Sondrah-

You're also right about that as well We do hear residents stretch the truth about things like this. Frankly, I would be SHOCKED if they didn't have several residents with two cats, dogs, or whatever. It's so rare to see a pet policy these days that doesn't allow for two pets. But I still have a problem with I hear "It's Our Policy" as the final word to things.

This isn't an easy problem to fix, but there has to be someway to work with the resident to find a solution that does work rather than telling them "Get rid of the cat."

Any Ideas?

Comment on I don't care what your policy says.

2011-04-14T17:56:36Z

I don't think they'd be covered Heather. Unfortunately if we could write a note every time we made an exception, there'd be no reason for the law in the first place. This one is tough and I imagine infuriating for your friend. I have to also point out that even though I know your friend is being honest, MANY times I've heard residents use the "but she told me it was okay" defense to circumvent policies. So I'd have a hard time with this one.

Comment on I don't care what your policy says.

2011-04-14T17:10:22Z

Jennie-

You're EXACTLY right! When you have an employee who consistently performs poorly, but you, for whatever reason, cannot dismiss them, it creates a TON of problems, the least of which can lose us residents or land us in Fair Housing court. Just imagine if you were in a state where verbal contracts must be upheld!

Performance management is one of those skills that we often forget to train managers on, but if you're working with someone who's flapping gums are putting the owners of the asset you manage at risk, it's time to weed that person out. If they can't be taught, they shouldn't be there anymore. My advice to you is to start your paper trail NOW. You can't get rid of someone for no reason, but when you have a stack of write ups and complaints - it's hard to argue with empirical evidence. Correlate her performance to the poor cashflow/renewal rate on the property and you've got more than enough reasons to let her go and to convince anyone that you're not just whining for no good reason. This person is a liability, pure and simple.

Good luck with your situation, and let me know if I can be of any help.

Comment on I don't care what your policy says.

2011-04-14T17:04:32Z

Sondrah-
You raise a great point! "What you do for one, you must do for all." Fair housing says all things have to be equal. We all know what a huge fan of Fair Housing I am, but in this case, I think that because the policy was misquoted to the resident, it would be worth considering an exception, in writing, documented so that the specific case was written down, thus covering the Fair Housing backside. This isn't a guy who knew the policy and went out and adopted another cat anyway, and tried to hide it. He actually asked permission and was told by someone in the office that everything was copacetic. There has to be an equatable way to address the situation with a positive outcome for all parts. What do you think? Is that right or wrong?

Thanks for the comment!
-Heather

Comment on I don't care what your policy says.

2011-04-14T13:24:20Z

I just have to say that I agree with Heather but when I was a manager I had problems with an employee giving out bad info all the time, with no support from my upper mgmt to dismiss this employee. Its a rough occupation and I feel most apologetic to the residents since they are fed misinformation via poor communication skills more often than we think.