The HAA Blog has Moved!

Our newly redesigned website at www.haaonline.org has finally launched! 

That means we can blog directly onto our own web page.  Please join the conversation there!

Don’t Forget to Vote Today!

Today is the last day to make your voice heard in elections for Houston City Council, Mayor and Controller!

You can find your polling place at www.harrisvotes.org.

When you head to the polls, please consider the following Houston Apartment Association Better Government Fund endorsed candidates.  Also, please share the following sample ballot with your family, friends and colleagues!

HAABGF endorsed candidates:

Mayor – Gene Locke

Controller – Ronald Green

At Large 1 – Stephen Costello

At Large 2 – Sue Lovell

At Large 5 – Jolanda “Jo” Jones

District A – Brenda Stardig

District F – Mike Laster

For more information on the candidates, check out our previous post here.

New Year, New Laws

January 1, 2010, will ring in a new year for everybody, but will also bring some new city ordinances for Houston apartment owners and managers and state laws affecting all Texas apartment owners and managers.

• New Houston Registration Requirement – Houston’s new property inspection ordinance requires every apartment property in Houston’s city limits (threeplexes and up) to register with the city. If you already registered a couple of years ago for the crime ordinance, you still have to register again. It’s free of charge, but here’s what you’ll need:

Early Runoff Voting Begins Today!

Don’t forget to vote!  Early voting begins today and low turnout is expected!  That means your vote counts even more.  To find out where your nearest poll is, visit this site.  You don’t have to vote in your home precinct during early voting.

When you head to the polls, please consider the following Houston Apartment Association Better Government Fund endorsed candidates.

Sample Ballot:

Mayor – Gene Locke

Controller – Ronald Green

At Large 1 – Stephen Costello

At Large 2 – Sue Lovell

At Large 5 – Jolanda “Jo” Jones

District A – Brenda Stardig

District F – Mike Laster

For more information on the candidates, check out our previous post here.

Electricity Theft

Yesterday, the Houston Apartment Association hosted a program with the Brays Oaks Management District regarding the growing problems of electricity theft and meter tampering. 

The program featured three panelists, Director for Corporate Security for Centerpoint Energy - Lewis Griffith, Director of Public Relations for Crime Stoppers of Houston - Amy Smith, and HAA General Counsel – Howard Bookstaff. 

Griffith started his presentation by describing the increases in electric diversions that CenterPoint has seen over the past few years.  In 2004, CenterPoint confirmed 2,980 cases of electricity diversions, but this year over 14,000 cases have already been confirmed.  People may steal electricity in a few ways.

HAABGF Makes Runoff Endorsements

The Houston Apartment Association Better Government Fund PAC endorsed candidates in the December 12, 2009, City of Houston runoffs.

Please consider voting for thier picks….

(i) denotes incumbent

Mayor – Gene Locke

Controller – Ronald Green

At Large 1 – Stephen Costello

Industry Execs Dish on Declining Markets and Trends (with Video!)

“We’re telling our people to ‘Hang on in ’10 and it’s going to be heaven in ’11,’ ” said Beth Van Winkle, President of Milestone Management, at today’s Executive Panel Program for the Society Of Apartment Property Supervisors (SOAPS) held at the fabulous new Eddie V’s restaurant in Town Center. 

The annual program features a Q & A with some of the industry’s leading company executives. Questions ran the gamut from anticipated market conditions in 2010 to employee compensation and even bedbugs.  Clay Hicks, Director of Operations for Greystar, feels that despite a new learning curve, there’s great opportunity out there for those companies that can meet the challenge. “Clients are changing because of the foreclosures. The styles of properties are totally different from what we’re used to, but as an industry that’s how we can grow as we haven’t ever before.”

Always a popular topic at this program, it didn’t take long for the questions regarding salaries and compensation trends to crop up. The consensus among the panel was that companies will reward performance via results-based bonuses, rather than cost of living adjustments. 

Though many acknowledged the challenge in motivating employees in difficult economic conditions, Matthew Summers, Director of Operations for Kaplan Management, shared that their company is cultivating employee loyalty via a new standard medical benefit package that is available at no cost to their employees.  Still others indicated a 2010 budget that reflects a two percent increase to salaries, although the distribution of those funds will not be implemented “across the board.” 

The topic of crime and property safety was also on the minds of many supervisors. Summers, a former police officer, shared an interesting experience and offered good advice on how best to work with local authorities.

Additional panelists included Stephanie Graves, Marketing and Training Director for Asset Plus, and Matt Anderson, Regional Director of Maintenance for Southhampton Management.

If you’re a management company executive, property supervisor or marketing director and would like to learn more about the SOAPS programs at HAA, email the education department at educ@haaonline.org for an application.

Fire Safety Magnets Now Available!

Our newest Houston Apartment Association / Houston Fire Department fire safety magnets have arrived! 

The magnets are available for FREE to HAA member properties.  Our latest shipment of magnets was produced with the kind sponsorship of Maintenance Supply Headquarters and TXU Energy!  In addition, Great American Business Products provided printing consideration to help make the magnets possible. 

Over the past two years, HAA and its partners have distributed 50,000 magnets to renters in the greater Houston area. 

Stop by the HAA office to pick up a box for your property today, or contact Aimee at AArrington@haaonline.org for more information.

New Ordinances Affect Houston Apartments

Houston City Council voted unanimously this week to enact three new ordinances affecting apartment communities, and agreed last week to a significant policy change about a previously adopted program on laundry room lint traps. The Houston Apartment Association worked with the city on these issues for many months, and was successful in getting many concessions and safeguards for owners.

We will be providing extensive information about these new city policies to HAA members in the coming weeks, but here is an early overview.

Houston Election Results

Candidates endorsed by the HAA Better Goverment Fund had a great day yesterday, with mayoral candidate Gene Locke coming from third in the polls to finish a strong second to City Controller Annise Parker. With no candidate getting even a third of the total vote, Parker and Locke are headed to a runoff on Saturday, December 12.

The surprise of the night was City Councilman Peter Brown, who spent more than any other candidate, led consistently in the polls, yet finished third – barely ahead of Roy Morales, who raised and spent almost no money.