U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan recently awarded $14,977,177 to six grantees in Oregon to rapidly re-house fami-lies who fall into homelessness, or prevent them from becoming home-less in the first place. The funding is provided through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to help persons and families facing a sudden financial crisis due to the economic recession.

As a result of the announcement, $567,404 will go to Eugene, $4,172,282 to Portland, $597,562 to Salem, $871,505 to Clackamas County,

$824,990 to Washington County and $7,873,436 to the Oregon Department of Housing and Community Services to serve smaller com-munities and rural areas of the state.

HUD's new Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Program (HPRP)provides a total of $1.5 billion for com-munities to provide short and medium-term rental assistance and services to either pre-vent individuals and families from becoming homeless or help those who

are experiencing homelessness to be quickly re-housed and stabilized.

"This is money that will not only spare families the hard-ships of homelessness, but will save taxpayers significant money in the long run," said Donovan. "Often times, a little bit of financial assistance can make all the differ-ence between finding a stable home and being forced to live in a shel-ter or on the streets."

Grants provided under HPRP are not intended to provide long-

term support for individuals and families, nor will afford mortgage assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure. Rather, HPRP offers a variety of short and medium-term financial assistance to those who would otherwise become homeless, many due to sudden economic cri-sis. This can include short-term rental assistance (up to three months), medium-term rental assis-tance (up to 18 months), security deposits, utility deposits, utility payments, moving cost assistance, and hotel vouchers. Payments will not be made directly to households,

CAS Financial Advisory Services (CAS FAS), the asset management arm of CAS Partners, recently announced the launch of its Green Capital Needs Assessment (CNA), the first product on the market to meet the green planning needs of residential building owners and man-agers. Each Green CNA is based on a detailed building inspection and an extensive building cost database, and provides quantitative cost-benefit analysis of all possible green improve-

ments, with solid numbers and clear recommendations. Building owners and managers have long needed such a planning tool.

"In the United States, buildings con-sume 65 percent of the electricity and create 30 percent of the greenhouse gasses," said Jed Lowry, director of capital planning for CAS Financial Advisor Services. "Owners want to do the right thing, but they still have to meet their budgets. Our Green CNA

Starting January 1st, 2010, land-lords will be required to disclose their smoking policies to their ten-ants as part of the rental agreement. According to the new Oregon law, “The disclosure must state whether smoking is prohibited on the prem-ises, allowed on the entire premises or allowed in limited areas on the premises. If the smoking policy allows smoking in limited areas on the premises, the disclosure must identify the areas on the premises where smoking is allowed.” This law pertains to dwelling units regu-lated under ORS Chapter 90 but does not apply to rental agreements in which the owner of a manufac-tured or floating homes is renting space in a park or moorage.

The new law was championed by Governor Kulongoski and enjoyed widespread support during the leg-islative session from the Oregon Rental Housing Association, Metro Multifamily Housing Association, the Oregon Law Center, the Fair Housing Council and a wide array of public health advocates. Both House and Senate overwhelmingly approved it.

The new law will be useful for landlords many who want to adopt no-smoking policies but are not

sure whether it is legal to do so. This law clarifies that no-smoking rules are indeed legal. Jonathon Clay, Legislative Analyst for Metro Multifamily Housing Association emphasizes, “This new law reminds landlords they have the right to choose no smoking policies for their properties.”

“Having landlords disclose their smoking policy is good for renters because it clarifies the situation for them,” said Moloy Good, Executive Director of the Fair Housing Council of Oregon. “It gives renters the infor-mation they need to make a decision about where they will live.”

The vast majority of renters are looking for a smokefree environ-ment. Two different surveys con-ducted by Campbell DeLong Resources Inc. revealed that 75% of renters in the Portland – Vancouver Metro area would choose a smoke-free rental as well as 70% of those statewide. Many renters are even willing to pay a little more rent to be protected from secondhand smoke, 52% in the Portland Metro market and 40% statewide.

To comply with the new law, land-lords may use rental forms currently available from the Metro Multifamily

EUGENE • SALEM • ALBANY • CORVALLIS

VALLEYAugust 2009www.TheLandlordTimes.com

Vol. 13 Issue 8

Monthly CirCulation to More than 6,000 apartMent owners, property Managers, on-site & MaintenanCe personnel

Published in association with: METRO Multifamily Housing Association & Rental Owners Association

Professional Publishing, Inc

President's Message

Secretary Donovan Awards Almost $15 Million in Recovery Act Funding to Prevent

Homelessness in Oregon

Page 4Page 2

President's Message

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US PostagePAID

Portland, ORPermit #5460

Continued on page 7

Continued on page 5

Continued on page 8

New Product Finally Allows Building Owners and Managers to Make Accurate Decisions About Costs and Benefits of 'Going Green'

New Oregon Law Requires Landlords to Disclose Smoking Policy to Tenants

Homeless Prevention & Rapid Re-housing Grants Go to Eugene, Portland, Salem, Clackamas County, Washington County and the State of Oregon

Secretary Donovan

2 Valley Apartment Manager • August 2009

President’s Message

President • Greg Knakal Past President • Jill Koeppel Vice President • Gary Fisher Secretary • Steve Rose Treasurer • Liz Zuanich

Metro MultifaMily housing assoCiation

Call us to create a WINNER!

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Norris & Stevens Apartment Brokers and Asset Managers work together in cooperative problem-solving for every market in Oregon and Southwest Washington. As one of the largest local commercial real estate firms in Oregon, Norris & Stevens’ Property Professionals possess specialized backgrounds in Sales, Leasing and Property Management which allow us to:

• Define value and identify opportunities

• Provide extensive marketing support

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• Offer a defined exit strategy that is achievable — maximizing the realized return on your property! Our specialists have the hands-on knowledge that is needed to assess client requirements and devise an effective plan of action.

Norris & Stevens is uniquely qualified to offer comprehensive property management as well as commercial sales and leasing services, with extensive experience serving the special requirements of new and under-achieving or distressed properties.

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the end of June I had the opportunity to attend the

National Apartment Association Education Conference and Exhibition in Las Vegas. I did not win any money but I did come away with many great ideas and trends. The four day conference included over 500 industry suppliers and 3,000 attendees. The following are a few takeaways that may be helpful to all MMHA members from on-site man-agement teams to industry suppliers.

After attending the conference I was reminded as to why on-going education is so important. Not every-thing I learned was new but it did remind me that as a professional in any industry you must not become complacent. Change will always hap-pen so if you use the same tactics you will lose. It reminded me that I must continue to learn and be open to change. Industry professional, Kate Good, said “No matter what you are selling you must repackage it”. Why did Denny’s Restaurant give away free Grand Slam Breakfasts after the Super bowl? Denny’s knew the importance of word of mouth adver-tising. Everyone loves free! Denny’s

received $100 million in free advertis-ing and it only cost them $5.1 million in true advertising costs. So why did some of our valued MMHA members like HD Supply, For Rent Magazine and Criterion Brock attend this large trade show? Because they know the importance of marketing themselves to a target audience. This is where industry suppliers build relation-ships, build their brand and develop trust. Marketing must be an on-going task in any business.

I had the opportunity to attend the Apartment All Stars (www.apartmen-tallstars.com) seminar that included industry speakers Lisa Trosien, Bill Nye, Jackie Ramstedt, and Kate Good. Ideas they shared included the follow-ing: the economy is forcing people to cut back on fun, so why not provide your customers a little entertainment by giving away movie tickets, host a free ice cream social, host a movie night with free popcorn and treats, or purchase an espresso machine and give away free lattes? Did I remind you that people love FREE? Statistics show that if you waive any type of fee including an application fee that you will automatically increase your traffic

by 100%. What if you referred pros-pects to your sister properties and gave them a free gas card just for visit-ing? Go to www.svmcards.net and purchase these gas cards.

Key note speaker, Steve Forbes of Forbes Magazine reminded attendees to focus on what can be controlled. During difficult times communica-tion is important. If you are a leader in your company now is the time to remind your associates that this too shall pass. Help remind your staff of what they do really well. Stop listen-ing to the “naysayers” and turn off the news! Rental and leasing offices that operate with a high level of posi-tive "can do" energy seem to carry that buzz right into closing a high percentage of deals. And conversely, those offices that carry a dismal level of "here's every reason why we can't do that" energy seem to struggle with even getting prospects in the door. This is a simple but powerful remind-er that leaders must be visible and work to set the vibe everyday! Eighty percent of how an associate feels comes from their direct supervisor not the CEO of the company. Finally, Forbes said, “No matter where you

are in the business cycle, there are always opportunities.”

What opportunities are you taking advantage of today? I would recom-mend the 2009 Spectrum Trade Show & Conference on September 10th at the Oregon Convention Center. Spectrum is the largest rental housing event in Oregon. Attendees will have over 20 specialized educational class-es to choose from, fabulous cash and door prizes available and an exciting trade show floor full of the services you depend on to manage your prop-erties and business. Our theme for 2009 is Under the Big Top and it is expected to be one of the best shows ever. At Spectrum you will gain valu-able insights, network with industry suppliers, attend seminars, and find the newest and most progressive products, resources and services available on the market today. Over 130 companies will be represented on the trade show floor. For more infor-mation on attending the show or to sponsor a booth visit us at www.metromultifamily.com/events/spec-trum or call the MMHA office at (503) 226-4533.

At

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the United States, it’s esti-mated that 18 million rental

units are managed by small and inde-pendent landlords. This population of landlords is continuing to grow, especially with the current influx of single family homes turning into rental properties. As times change, there are multiple rising trends in resident screening that continue to shape the rental industry. The key is to be aware of these trends and adapt with them in order to improve and safeguard your assets. In this article, we will take a look at the current trends for resident screening, specifi-cally for independent landlords.

Accessibility of Applicant Information

Living in the age of technology, our generation has experienced an explosion of data, via the internet. It has become customary to have access to everything instantly and easily through the web, but with resident screening, while applicant informa-tion is available, the opportunity of collecting it has become an issue. Where do landlords begin to find applicant information? What service

should be used? Once you determine a viable starting point, how will you access it? What guidelines have to be followed in order to access personal information? The obstacles can be many creating a tedious and time-consuming, resulting in wasted time and energy. Finding convenience and reliability in resident screening means you’ve found the right solution.

Deteriorating Pool of Qualified Applicants

Over the past decade, a growing concern for landlords is the decreas-ing pool of qualified applicants. Landlords surveyed across the coun-try agree that the “quality of appli-cants is not what it used to be.” You can forget about the days where landlords could rely on intuition and first impressions alone, as a predic-tor of who’s a “good” renter. Today, landlords are looking for a broader and deeper perspective on each applicant bringing forth multiple data elements that include: eviction, criminal, national sex offender regis-try, address search, social security fraud checks, as well as a credit evaluation. This qualified pool of

applicants is likely to continue to deteriorate as the U.S. economic environment worsens with job losses and foreclosures.

Rise in Criminal Background Checks

More than five years ago RentGrow customers screened less than 50%of every 100 tenant applicants for crimi-nal background checks. Today 85% of people processing credit checks are also running criminal background checks, confirming that criminal background checks are a growing priority, while raising a concern of “how” to access that information.

Today, small landlords have lim-ited sources to collect criminal data, experiencing an overall lack of detailed information. Landlords start by contacting local police stations or making visits to courthouses or state buildings. This amounts to a tedious, time-consuming process with a nar-row range of information and often incomplete information. If an appli-cant was convicted of a crime out-side of the county being searched, the results will not show up. Due to the increase of states putting forth

criminal information and data online, it is becoming easier to collect accu-rate, up-to-date information, increas-ing the trend of using criminal screening as a main data point on applicants. Resident screening is tak-ing a step towards a comprehensive solution that doesn’t focus purely on credit evaluations.

Rise in the “Shadow” Rental Marketplace

A growing industry concern is the “shadow” rental marketplace, which is when homeowners are unable, or unwilling, to sell their homes in the current residential real estate market and instead opt to rent it. Rather than taking a loss in the sale of a home, some homeowners are seeking to wait for the real estate market to sta-bilize and rebound before selling. A recent study by the National MultiHousing Council (NMHC) stat-ed that, almost 1 million U.S. single family homes and condominiums are available in the U.S. This quantity of vacant residences is beyond normal standards and likely to grow to an excess of 2 million, with the current

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Resident Screening Trends for Independent Landlords

InBy Andy Cruickshank, Vice President of RentGrow, Inc.

Continued on page 8

Valley Apartment Manager • August 2009 3

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Board Members: Bev Bjurling, Crystal Buel-McIntire, Dennis Casady, Dennis Chappa, Pat Costello, Devin Gates, Ed Johnson, Julie Lenninger

ur members had the oppor-tunity to elect seven mem-

bers to the ROA Board of Directors and to ratify changes to our bylaws at the 2009 ROA Annual Meeting held on June 25th. Thanks to all who attended and took the time to cast your vote. I’m pleased to announce that the following board members were elected to a two-year term: Bev Bjurling, Crystal Buel-McIntyre, Dennis Casady, Ed Johnson, Julie Lenninger, Scott Smith and Jim Straub. All proposed changes to the ROA Bylaws were approved. If you are interested in reading the full text of the ROA Bylaws, please visit the ROA office. You’ll find them next to the forms sample book.

In accordance with the ROA Bylaws, at the first board meeting following the Annual Meeting, the ROA Board of Directors elected the following officers to a two-year term:

President: Jim Straub; Vice-President: Michael Steffen; Treasurer: Michael Steffen; Secretary: Scott Smith.

Applications are being accepted for the position of Legislative Director

at Oregon Rental Housing Association, our state organization. If you have an interest in the position, please submit a resume and salary requirements to the ORHA office attn: Legislative Director Position.

With more changes coming regarding lead-based paint rules and regulations, members attending the June 25th meeting also heard an informative presentation by speak-ers Mitchell Knapp and Cary Powell of Custom Brush Company. Thanks also to our Affiliate Spotlight speak-er David Willis of David Willis State Farm Insurance Agency for provid-ing a great raffle prize.

We continue to have a large turn-out at our general meeting Help Session, held at 5:15 just prior to our monthly general meeting. Please bring your questions, sign the Helpline Log and take a seat at the Helpline table, just behind the forms table. It’s a great learning experience for all who attend.

So that we may be better prepared for members as they arrive at Mallard Hall for the Helpline Session, we will be closing the office one hour earlier on each general meeting date

(normally the fourth Thursday of each month).

Registration is currently under-way for our fall workshops (see pages 4 & 5). Currently on the sched-ule: Landlord Tenant Law Update, October 10th and Landlording 101, November 7th, with instructor, J. Norton Cabell, ORHA’s Legislative Director.

Just a reminder: there is no gen-eral meeting in the month of August. Instead, please plan to attend the ROA Annual Family Picnic on Sunday, August 23rd, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Emerald Park, Eugene (see page 20). This is a free, fun, family event, sponsored by our Board of Directors, as we thank you and your family for supporting our organiza-tion. We’re planning an afternoon of food, fun, and games for the whole family. We hope to see you there!

-Jim Straub, President

President's MessageO

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rental owners assoCiation

Valley Apartment Manager • August 2009 5

he U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today

joined President Obama's commem-oration of the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's Olmstead deci-sion by announcing that it will offer rental assistance to 4,000 non-elderly families with disabilities, including 1,000 vouchers specifically targeted to those transitioning out of nursing homes and other care facilities. Through its funding notice, HUD is seeking comment from public hous-ing authorities and others to ensure this critically needed assistance is distributed and administered in the most effective manner possible.

Today's announcement coincides with the tenth anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling in Olmstead v. L.C. & E.W. which affirmed the rights of individuals with disabili-ties to live independently. To com-memorate this landmark decision, President Obama declared 2009 the Year of Community Living.

"As individuals with disabilities leave institutional care, it is essential that they have housing options that will allow them to live independent-ly," said HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan. "As we prepare to launch this initiative, we also want to make certain that we get input from local housing experts, disability rights advocates and others who can help us target this assistance to those who

need it most. We also recognize how important it is for HUD and HHS to coordinate our resources to enable community-living for those individu-als that live with disabilities."

HUD's Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) will make $30 million in voucher assistance avail-able to support approximately 4,000 Housing Choice Vouchers for non-elderly disabled families. HUD is making a 1,000 of those vouchers available specifically for individuals transitioning out of nursing homes and other institutions. These vouch-ers directly support a $1.75 billion initiative of the U.S. Department of

Health and Human Services (HHS) to help persons who reside in health care settings move to community-based living. While HHS' Money Follows the Person (MFP) program offers health care, case management and other services to qualified fami-lies, it does not include funding for housing. HUD's funding initiative is designed to fill that gap.

The remaining 3,000 Housing Choice Vouchers are available to assist any non-elderly disabled family. The Department is encouraging local housing authorities to give strong consideration to using some or all of these vouchers to provide housing for

those non-elderly persons that are liv-ing in the community, but are at-risk for institutionalization.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeowner-ship; creating affordable housing oppor-tunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

HUD to Offer Housing Assistance to 4,000 Americans With Disabilities

Agency seeking comment on how to allocate vouchers to support independent living

but only to third parties, such as landlords or utility companies.

The program also provides assis-tance to rapidly re-house persons who are homeless and likely to remain stably housed, whether subsi-dized or unsubsidized, once the HPRP assistance concludes.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeowner-ship, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportuni-ties for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, peo-ple with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also pro-motes economic and community devel-opment and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

...continued from page 1

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T

Secretary Donovan Awards Almost $15 Million in Recovery Act Funding

6 Valley Apartment Manager • August 2009

losing the sale is of utmost importance in turning pro-

spective renters into new residents for your apartment community. It would be the equivalent of “setting the hook” for those who are trying to catch a fish. In each case, the pros-pect and the fish are trying to “get away” without committing to a home or a hook, while your job is trying to get both of them to BITE!

I regularly get asked questions about closing, but the majority of questions I receive on this subject come from building owners and management companies rather than on site leasing staffs. The question/concern I am hearing over and over again goes something like this:

What can we do to get our leasing staffs to close the sale? Even when we authorize incentives and rent specials to give them additional tools to work with, they still aren’t asking for the sale. What else can we do?

Even with the incentives and pro-motions, the leasing people are still ultimately responsible for closing the sale. It is very few prospects who will whip out their checkbooks and say, “I’ll take it!” Most people who

are not forced into making a buying decision won’t make one. They will continue to consider all their options, and right now there are LOTS of them to consider!

I believe that the number one rea-son that leasing people are not con-verting more prospective renters into residents is because they stop short of asking for the sale.

They are not “setting the hook.” They do a sensational job of present-ing their product and explaining the application process, which I would refer to as “putting the ‘bait’ out there.” However, when they get a buying signal (A BITE!!) they do not recognize it for what it is, and then let the prospect get away.

Here is what it looks like on a shopping report form:

After an outstanding presentation, the leasing consultant asked if I thought the apartment would work for me. (bait) I responded with great enthusi-asm, “I love it! It’s perfect!” (bite) She said, “That’s great. All you have to do if you want this apartment is fill out an application form and leave a $250 deposit. We can process your applica-tion within 24 hours. I’ll get you an

application to take home with you. Then you can fill it out and bring it back if you decide you want the apart-ment.” (letting the fish off the hook) I agreed to take the application form and thanked her for her time. (fish swimming away) She thanked me for coming by and closed with, “I hope to hear from you soon.” (watches fish swim away and wonders how that fish got off the hook . . . )

Relaying information about the rental requirements is not the same thing as ASKING for the sale. I firmly believe that many leasing con-sultants honestly think that they are closing the sale by describing the application process if someone is interested in renting, rather than coming right out and asking that person to rent. Remember: In order to get a commitment, you have to ask for one. Asking for the rental sounds something like this:

After an outstanding presentation, the leasing consultant asked if I thought the apartment would work for me. (bait) I responded with great enthusiasm, “I love it! It’s perfect!” (bite) She said, “That’s great. Let’s go back to the office and I’ll get you

started on the application.” (setting the hook) I told her I wasn’t ready to do that just yet because I had a cou-ple more places to look first. She reminded me how much I loved the vaulted ceilings and the spacious kitchen, and I had to agree. When we got back to the office she handed me the application form and a pen. She said,

“Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. I’ll get you something cold to drink while you start filling out the application.” (reeling in the fish) She returned with my soft drink and said, “I’ll need two sepa-rate checks: One for the deposit and the other for the application fee. Make the first one out to . . . .” (hav-ing fish for dinner tonight)

Some of the most exciting, yet dis-couraging stories shared among fish-ermen (and women!) are about the fish that “got away.” Do you want to tell leasing stories about the ones who “drove away” or about those who rented and decided to stay?

Remember: It's much easier to reel in a fish on a hook, than one that is swimming away . . . . .

C

Are you dealing with a unique challenge or an unusual situation at your community? The Secret Shopper would like to invite you to FAX or E-MAIL your questions, as well as any photos that might help illustrate your concerns. You will remain as anonymous as the Secret Shopper, but it will be fun to look for your question in print. Please let me hear from you soon, and then look for your questions in future editions of ASK THE SECRET SHOPPER. Provided by: Joyce Kirby, Shoptalk Service Evaluations.

Office: 425-424-8870. Fax: 425-415-1355. E-mail: Joyce @shoptalkservice.com. Web site: www.shoptalkservice.com.

EUGENE • SALEM • ALBANY • CORVALLIS

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gives them the ability to see clearly the costs and benefits of every replace-ment, upgrade, and operating policy change they could make. They've never had a tool like this before."

A key strength of the new product is its side-by-side comparison of green and in-kind replacement systems, with costs calculated out for 20 years. Building systems and upgrades occur constantly. The Green CNA allows each replacement to be made with full understanding of costs and alter-natives, and the impact on current and future budgets.

The Green CNA's data and recom-mendations are based on the two decades of capital needs assessment experience of On-Site Insight (OSI), CAS Financial Advisory Services' wholly-owned capital needs subsid-iary, experience which includes more than 6,000 properties representing more than $45 billion in replacement value. The Green CNA provides year-by-year and life-cycle cost and benefit analysis for more than 150 observable building systems, pro-jected forward 20 years.

"We're experienced bricks guys who know what building owners and man-agers need to make their best financial decisions," said Lowry. "To us, 'green' just means making sensible economic decisions for the long term, for the building and for the people who live or work in it. And we know how ner-

vous our clients are about unproven systems that end up costing too much in the long run. They've been through that before. We recommend only prov-en materials and systems."

The Green CNA also provides annual electric, gas, water, and sewer costs savings for green alter-natives, and annotated photo-graphs of important systems and potential trouble spots throughout the client's buildings.

"The Green CNA helps communi-cation too," said Lowry. "With solid numbers, clear narrative, and side-by-side comparisons of the alterna-tives, the report allows all stakehold-ers, including tenants, regulators, and owners, to have discussions based on a solid understanding of the real costs, and real benefits."

The CAS Financial Advisory Services Green Capital Needs

Assessment meets an important need in the market, and is available now.

About CAS Financial Advisory ServicesCAS Financial Advisory Services (for-merly Recap Advisors) is a Boston-based financial services company that provides solutions to complex multifamily asset problems. It is the financial services and asset management group of CAS Partners. Over the company's 20-year history, CAS Financial Advisory Services has completed transactions on more than 780 properties nationwide, with aggregate property value of more than $2.7 billion. It currently manages nearly $5 billion in multifamily assets. Through its wholly owned subsidiary On-Site Insight it has performed more than 6,000 capital needs assessments. Visit www.casfas.com.

7

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Valley Apartment Manager • August 2009

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VALLEYResident Screening Trends for Independent Landlords

New Oregon Law Requires Landlords to Disclose Smoking Policy to Tenants

...continued from page 3

...continued from page 1

economic climate. For the foreseeable future, independent landlords will continue to compete with the home-owners of this growing “shadow” rental market.

Limited Access to Full Credit Report Information

With the increased instances of fraud and identity theft in the U.S., credit bureaus are tightening access to full credit reports and personal information. The window of acces-sibility is continuing to shrink, due to laws and regulations seeking to further protect personal information of U.S. citizens. For landlords to receive full credit reports and per-sonal information they must comply with permissible purpose laws. Under these laws, credit bureaus require that you have a separate office, identified as a “business”

office, which requires an on-site inspection from an authorized third compliance firm.

Meeting prospective tenants at rental property sites does not count as a business office. To be considered a “business” office, you must have a designated room containing secur-able cabinetry to protect sensitive information and it must be a sepa-rate meeting place for clients. On top of that, you must have a proper way of disposing sensitive information (e.g. paper shredder) in order to pro-tect your tenant’s privacy. If you fail to meet their requirements your privileges to accessing full credit reports will be revoked. A resident screening provider will keep you aligned with new and existing laws and regulations.

Additionally, as of November 1, 2008 the “Red Flag” rule was

enforced, stating that sensitive information must be kept secure to prevent identity theft and a dis-crepancy in an address could indi-cate fraud. The rule requires that “reasonable” policies be in place to prevent identity theft and to verify a person’s identity when an address discrepancy is reported. In the case of address discrepancy, if the prop-erty manager can’t work out the discrepancy, the rule says he/she is not to rent to this individual.

While the rule has caused some confusion, compliance is straight-forward. The only thing that rent-al owners or property managers have to show is that they have a “reasonable” process in place for preventing identity theft and for checking IDs, verifying IDs, and following up/asking about any discrepancies.

Be In the KnowChanges are constant within the

landlord and independent rental owner marketplace and as we move towards better “availability” of infor-mation and a tightening of “who” can access it, it is more important than ever to adapt to the latest trends and services that continue to shape the multifamily industry. It’s time to join the movement and trust the experts, with an absolute, top-notch resident screening solution.

ScreeningWorks, a service of RentGrow Inc., is a member of this association and is currently offering association members a 10% discount off their tenant screening services. For more information about this article or ScreeningWorks services please go to www.ScreeningWorks.com or contact ScreeningWorks customer service at 888-401-7999.

A CO M P E T I T I V E A DVA N TAG E Setting your building apart from the rest of the market starts with a FREE building assessment from Energy Trust of Oregon. We’ll show you what energy-efficient improvements can increase tenant comfort and year-round savings.

PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT Work with Energy Trust to save energy and increase the value of your property. Through incentives and tax credits, we can help you reduce the cost of energy-saving improvements by as much as 50%. So make sure contacting Energy Trust is the first step on your improvements to-do list.

+To schedule your FREE assessment, call 1.866.311.1822 or visit www.energytrust.org/multifamily.

MORE ENERGY EFFICIENCYLESS UNITVACANCY

Housing Association, the Oregon Rental Housing Association, and Stevens-Ness Law Publishing Company. Landlords drafting their own forms can find samples lease language available at www.smoke-freehousinginfo.com.

No-smoking signs designating where smoking is prohibited are not required but they go a long way

toward achieving good tenant com-pliance. Find a variety of no-smoking signs and posters at www.smoke-freehousinginfo.com.

Though the new law does not require landlords to adopt no-smok-ing policies, taking advantage of the huge market demand and the momen-tum toward adopting no-smoking policies is a very smart business deci-

sion. Do you know other landlords who have adopted no-smoking poli-cies? Ask around: They will tell you that prohibiting smoking simplifies maintenance and turnover, saves money, decreases the risks of fire and future liability while protecting ten-ants from the dangers of secondhand smoke exposure. What’s not to like?

For more information about the

Oregon Landlord Disclosure Law, visit www.smokefreehousinginfo.com.

Diane Laughter of Health In Sight LLC staffs the Oregon Smokefree Housing Project. The project is funded by the Tobacco Prevention and Education Program, Oregon Public Health Division.

EUGENE • SALEM • ALBANY • CORVALLIS

VALLEY

EUGENE • SALEM • ALBANY • CORVALLIS

VALLEY