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Your "Screening Criteria" is another important document that should be provided to an interested applicant. This is the document that will determine where you draw the line between acceptance and denial. Your "Screening Criteria" is a written statement of the factors the landlord considers in deciding whether to accept of reject an applicant and any qualification required for acceptance. What can you have on that list? That is up to you. Here is a brief list to get you started: unsatisfactory rental references, the absence of any prior tenant history or credit history, unsatisfactory character references, criminal history, bankruptcy filed in the past two years, payment of rent problems, no social security number, and inaccurate information on the application, insufficient debt to income ratio. All of these are reasons for denial - it is up to you establish them as a basis for acceptance into you community. For example - maybe you accept applicants with felony conviction that are 20 years or older - it is up to you to include that on your screening criteria.

Remember to apply your criteria uniformly in all applications. Do not make exceptions. The question of whether you denied one person and accepted another could be tied to a potential discrimination case. Save yourself the agony of these situations - write a "screening criteria" and apply it uniformly. Used properly and consistently it can be a tool that keeps you above any suspicion of discrimination. The one limit on your screening criteria is that you cannot deny residency to anyone because of his or her race, color, sex, handicapped status, familial status, national origin or sources of income. However, you can deny tenancy to anyone - even if they are in a protected class - if they do not meet any of the minimum criteria that you establish in your screening criteria. Often potential applicants will "self screen" themselves by reading your "screening criteria" and realizing that they do not qualify, thus saving you and the potential applicant time and energy.

Screening/Admission Criteria: All applicants should be presented with a full explanation of the established basis for acceptance or rejection. This should be a written statement of any factors a landlord considers in deciding whether to accept or reject an applicant and any qualifications required for acceptance. This may include:

• Unsatisfactory rental references
• Applicant must be 18 years or older
• Provide two pieces of identification, one with each applicant's photo from a government office (i.e. Driver's License, State ID Card, Passport) and Social Security Card
• Be gainfully employed or have verifiable income from retirement, social security or periodic income.
• If the community is either an "age 55 or older" or an "age 62 or older" Community, you must provide proof that you meet the age requirements
• The absence of any prior tenant history or credit history
• Unsatisfactory credit history
• Unsatisfactory character references
• Any criminal history
• Insufficient income to reasonably meet the monthly rental and other expense obligations
• Presence of pets or the number, type or size of pets
• Evidence that the prospective tenant has provided landlord with falsified or materially misleading information on any material items
• If the prospective tenant refuses to sign a new written rental agreement or lease agreement
• The number of additional occupants
• Adverse information contained in the public record

Additional criteria that may be added to qualify could include:

• Minimum two-year verifiable references with previous landlords
• No payment of rent problems over the past two years
• Two years of verifiable employment
• No criminal convictions
• No tax liens
• Sufficient income to pay all outstanding obligations after payment of rent
• Any individual who is a current illegal substance abuser, or has been convicted of the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance will be denied tenancy
• Any individual or pet/animal whose residency would constitute a direct threat to the health or safety of other individuals.
• If pets are permitted they must meet the requirements of state and local laws, ordinances, and the Community in regards to number, size and breed. Farm animals, exotic and/or wild animals, livestock and certain breeds of dogs. You should list breeds of dogs that are not allowed in your community
• You may want to set a percentage of net-income that should be left over after meeting all financial obligations.
• Homes must be owner occupied - no subleasing

You MUST post your community's screening criteria publicly in the office and provide written copies to all prospective residents.

Remember to apply your criteria uniformly in all applications. Do not make exceptions! Once you make an exception for one of your criteria you are opening up the possibility of future problems. You will be in the awkward position of having to explain why you made the exception to one applicant and not to another applicant. The question of whether you denied one person and accepted another could be tied to a potential discrimination case. Save yourself the agony of these situations and do not make exceptions to your screening criteria. Take the time to put your screening criteria in writing to protect yourself and provide prospective residents with a copy so that they can have the necessary information upon which to make a decision.

Remember - you cannot deny residency to anyone because of his or her race, color, religion, sex, handicapped status, familial status, national origin or source of income. However, you can deny tenancy to anyone - even if they are in a protected class - if they do not meet any of the minimum criteria.

For example: If someone applies for a space in your park and reveals that they are Catholic and have a bad credit record you cannot deny tenancy based on the fact that the individual is Catholic. However, you may deny the tenancy based on the fact that the prospective tenant has bad credit so long as the minimum screening criteria have been consistently applied.

Tell the applicant that you require a certain amount of time to screen the completed application, but that they will be notified within seven days, in accordance with Oregon law. This will give you the opportunity to complete credit and criminal checks, determine the condition of the home for pre-sale or move-in requirements, check employment and personal references; and get information about current and past tenancies.

Example: Landlord/Community
Screening or Admission Criteria

General Requirements:

1. Positive Identification with photo ID
2. A complete and accurate application. Incomplete applications will not be processed.
3. Applicant must be able to enter into a legally binding contract
4. Any applicant currently using illegal drugs or reporting a conviction for the illegal manufacture or distribution of a controlled substance will be denied.
5. Any individual who may constitute a direct threat to the health and safety of an individual, complex, neighborhood, or the property of others will be denied.
6. An application insufficient in credit and rental requirements shall require an additional security deposit equal to 50% of stated rental amount, over and above any other security deposit or additional security deposit required.
7. Applicants may qualify individually, however no person may reside in the property if they do not meet the general requirements of (3), (4) and (5).
8. In order to qualify as a co-signer you must meet all the general requirements and have a monthly income of five times the stated rent.
9. Proof of ownership of the home.

Income Requirements:

1. Gross monthly household income should be equal to two and half time the monthly rent
2. A current pay stub from your employer will be required if we are unable verify income over the phone. If you are unemployed you must have income or liquid assets equal to two and half time the annual rent. Self employed individuals will be required to show the previous year tax return and employment will be verified through the state. A recorded business name or corporate filing will suffice.
3. If applicant does not earn enough income to reside in the property then a co-signor will be required.
4. Your application will be denied if we are unable to determine you earn a legal source of income.

Rental Requirements:

1. One year of rental history or mortgage history verifiable by a third party is required. Current or previous mortgage history showing late payments will require an additional deposit of one month rent.
2. Eviction free rental history is required.
3. Rental history from a non-third party will require an additional deposit of one month rent or a cosignor.
4. Rental history with past due rent or an outstanding balance will be denied.
5. If previous landlord fails to give a reference or give a negative reference application will be denied.
6. Three (3) or more 72 hour notices within a one year period will result in denial.
7. Three (3) or more NSF checks within a one year period will result in denial.
8. Rental history demonstrating disruptive complaints or neglect will result in denial.

Credit Requirements:

1. A credit history with negative reports will not be accepted. A negative report is considered an non medical item 60 days past due or greater, collections, repossessions, liens, judgments or garnishments. Negative credit will result in additional guidelines as follows
   1. A credit report containing a discharged bankruptcy will require an additional deposit of one month's rent or co-signor.
   2. 1-2 items 60 days past due or greater, collections, repossessions, liens judgments or garnishments will require an additional deposit of one month's rent or co-signor.
   3. 3-5 of the items above will require an additional one and half time security deposit.
   4. 6-8 of the items above will require an additional one and half time security deposit plus a cosignor.
   5. 9 or more will result in complete denial

Criminal:

Upon receipt of the rental application and a screening fee, Landlord will conduct a search of the public records to determine whether the applicant or any proposed tenant has been convicted of, or pled guilty to, or no contest to, any crime.

1. A conviction, guilty plea, or no-contest plea, ever for: any felony involving serious injury, kidnapping, death, arson, rape, sex crimes/ and or child sex crimes, extensive property damage, or drug related offenses (sale, manufacture, delivery, possession with intent to sell) A/ Felony burglary or class A/ Felony robbery or;
2. A conviction, guilty plea, or no-contest plea, where the date of disposition, release or parole have occurred within the last seven years for any; felony charges or;
3. A conviction, guilty plea, or no-contest plea, where the date of disposition, release or parole have occurred within the last seven years for; any misdemeanor or gross misdemeanor involving assault, intimidation, sex related, drug related (sale, manufacture, delivery or possession), property damage or weapons charges; or
4. A conviction, guilty plea, or no-contest plea, where the date of disposition, release or parole have occurred within the last three years for; any class B or C misdemeanor in any of the above categories or any misdemeanors in the above categories or any misdemeanors involving criminal trespass I, theft, dishonesty, prostitution shall be grounds for denial of the rental application. Pending charges or outstanding warrants for any of the above will result in suspension of the application process until the charges are resolved. Upon resolution, if the desired unit is available, the application process will be completed. Units will not be held awaiting resolution of pending charges.

Denial Policy:

If you applicant is being denied to adverse and negative information being reported, you should:

1. If it is credit related, contact the credit reporting agency listed in the denial letter in order to:
   1. Identify who is reporting negative information about you
   2. Request a correction if the information being reported is incorrect.

Remember - the "Ideal Resident":

1. Pays the rent on time.
2. Keeps the outside of the manufactured home and the space in a clean and well maintained manner.
3. Does not litter, damage or destroy community property.
4. Does not disturb the neighbors.

The key to identifying the "Ideal Resident" is a thorough and complete processing of the rental application and the supplemental verification forms, combined with a personal interview of the prospective tenant. "Snap judgements" or a "hurry to rent the space" must be avoided.

Used properly and consistently, the Rental Application and supplemental verification forms will prove helpful in countering charges of discrimination in renting spaces. The application should be used in conjunction with a personal interview of the entire household, which can reveal characteristics that do not come through on the written application. In order to protect yourself against claims, you must adopt and consistently follow specific guidelines and procedures by which each and every application is reviewed. The "Resident Acceptance Policy" will assist you in documenting the basis for your acceptance or rejection of each application. It is a good idea to maintain all rejected applications and supporting information for a period of at least three years. Tenant screening is a very important part of community management and it should not be done without reason and consistency. Tenant screening cannot be based on your personal feelings or emotions.

A thorough screening is your best resource for finding good residents. Current residents in surrounding home sites will feel more secure knowing their neighbors have also been screened. 

Answer: There are several issues here. One, you've accepted rent from the occupant for the last several months. For all intents and purposes, you have accepted him as a tenant - even though he is not there on a written rental agreement and even though you have no criminal background check on him. Even if your rules prohibit subleasing, that too, has been waived. In other words, all of the breaches you could have enforced against him and/or the tenants who subleased, have been waived and are now unenforceable. Here are the rules on waiver that apply in this situation [ORS 90.412]. While they are of no help in this situation, they may be helpful in the future. A landlord waives the right to terminate a rental agreement for a particular violation of the rental agreement or of law if the landlord: - During three or more separate rental periods, accepts rent with knowledge of the violation by the tenant; or - Accepts performance by a tenant that varies from the terms of the rental agreement. - A landlord has not accepted rent for purposes of subsection (2) of this section if: _ Within 10 days after receipt of the rent payment, the landlord refunds the rent; or _ The rent payment is made in the form of a check that is dishonored. - A landlord does not waive the right to terminate a rental agreement for a violation under any of the following circumstances: _ The landlord and tenant agree otherwise after the violation has occurred. _ The violation concerns the tenant's conduct and, following the violation but prior to acceptance of rent for three rental periods or performance, the landlord gives a written warning notice to the tenant regarding the violation that: - Describes specifically the conduct that constitutes the violation, either as a separate and distinct violation, a series or group of violations or a continuous or ongoing violation; - States that the tenant is required to discontinue the conduct or correct the violation; and - States that a reoccurrence of the conduct that constitutes a violation may result in a termination of the tenancy pursuant to ORS 90.392, 90.398, 90.405 or 90.630. _ The tenancy consists of rented space for a manufactured dwelling or floating home, and the violation concerns: - Disrepair or deterioration of the manufactured dwelling or floating home; - A failure to maintain the rented space; - The termination is under ORS 90.396 [24-hour notices]. _ The landlord accepts: - A last month's rent deposit collected at the beginning of the tenancy, regardless of whether the deposit covers a period beyond a termination date; - Rent distributed pursuant to a court order releasing money paid into court; or - Rent paid for a rent obligation not yet due and paid more than one rental period in advance. - For a continuous or ongoing violation, the landlord's written warning notice remains effective for 12 months and may be renewed with a new warning notice before the end of the 12 months. - A landlord that must refund rent shall make the refund to the tenant or other payer by personal delivery or first class mail. The refund may be in the form of the tenant's or other payer's check or in any other form of check or money. The most important thing you should do at this point is to try to determine if this occupant is a sexual predator. Oregon laws were revised a few years ago to provide that if an occupant is determined to be a predatory sex offender under ORS 181.585 to 181.587, you may unilaterally issue him a 30-day notice to vacate. [See, ORS 90.630(1)(c)]

Generally speaking, this committee should consist of :

• Chairperson
• Training Coordinator
• Communications Coordinator
• Emergency supplies manager
• Residents with knowledge or experience in financial, insurance and legal issues

Depending on the size of your community, you may also want to appoint Block Captains, who will be responsible for maintaining data on their assigned neighborhoods and also be on call to warn residents in their area about an approaching emergency. If your community has a large number of pets, you may want to include someone on the committee to focus on animals.

There Are Two Major Roles For The Committee:

• Educating and training all residents about emergencies
• Actually coping with an emergency

As a manager or owner of a manufactured home community, provide the committee with excellent materials to use in doing their work, starting with this series of articles.

Committee Responsibilities:

The chairman should plan and hold regular meetings of the committee to review the work that is being done. He or she should be an active participant in other activities and lead by example. In case of an actual emergency, the chairman and the community manager will be the center of operations and communications. The chairman can assign duties to committee members, such as maintaining a list of community members with special needs or residents with special skills or expertise.

The training coordinator should be responsible for planning and holding actual evacuation or other types of disaster drills, depending on what potential problems face your community. For example, if the community has a central shelter that resients can use in case of a tornado, you should have a "mock" emergency alert once or twice a year. Encourage everyone to participate. This will improve their own safety, and it will also help you find out if there are any flaws in the plan, such as an area whose residents cannot reach the shelter quickly or a breakdown in the system used to alert residents.

These drills should also include practice with the notification system. Audio alarm systems should be tested regularly, and back-up systems should be practiced. For example, if a phone chain is being used, it should be tried out at least twice a year, to see how long it takes everyone in the community to be notified and to make sure that phone numbers are current.

Similarly, with a door-to-door system, practices will help determine how long it takes to notify everyone, so that adjustments can be made. In either system, make plans that would allow for some residents not being in the community when notification is needed. For example, are some homes occupied for only part of the year? Would some residents be at work when you need to notify them?

The communications specialist is responsible for community education. Regular communication with residents through a newsletter or other publication is a good idea. In addition to letting residents know about the community's disaster plan, encourage families to develop their own disaster plans. Although not required by law, disaster plans should be provided to new residents as part of the move-in processing.

The emergency supplies person will work with the community management to establish a storage area for a supply of food, water, medical supplies, communications equipment and other items that would be needed in case a disaster strikes the community, and help cannot reach you right away.

The emergency supplies should be kept in an area that is unlikely to be damaged by any type of disaster. The managers should check these supplies regularly to make sure that they are usable and up-to-date. As part of their individual family disaster plan, residents should maintain their own emergency supplies, and a way to carry the supplies (a duffel bag or suitcase) in case an evacuation is required.

The following are just some of the factors:

- Type of Park:
Are you family friendly, 55 & older, Seasonal, or possibly a combination?

- Management:
Is your park managed by a management company? Do you have an onsite manager? Does the owner visit the park often?

- Rental Units:
Does your park have rental units? Do you require renters to carry renters insurance? Are the rental units inspected inside and out at least annually?

- Utilities:
Is your park on city sewer and water? If on a well, how often is the water tested? Is it tested by an outside independent company? How often is trash disposed of?

- Recreational Facilities:
Playground? Horseshoe pits? Tennis courts? Basketball courts? Weight room or exercise equipment?

- Exposure to water:
Do you have a pool? Does it have a slide or diving board? Is the pool area completely fenced? Are the rules and regulations clearly posted? Are depths marked? Is there safety equipment available? Is there a Jacuzzi or hot tub?

Is there any other exposure to water? (lake, pond, river, etc.)

- Security
Is there a gate at the entrance to your park? Are there security patrols from an outside agency? Are any park activities open to the public?

- Streets:
Are the streets paved? Are there any pot holes, depressions, or major cracks? Do you have speed humps? Are they painted? Is a speed limit posted? Do you have street lights?

- Tree exposure:
Does your park have an exposure to large trees? Are they pruned regularly?

Finally, the two most important factors Insurance companies consider when insuring a Mobile Home Park...

How many spaces?
Gross annual revenue?

Feel free to contact me if anything you have read in this article creates a question for you.

Todd Montgomery
511 Center Street
Oregon City, OR 97045
(503) 768 - 9706
todd@simmons-ins.com
www.simmons-ins.com

(Editors Note: MHCO is fortunate to have over 25 association members who provide a variety of services to manufactured home communities. MHCO strives to maximize associate member's exposure to the broader community membership. All MHCO associate members are invited to provide articles for the MHCO web site. We welcome your involvement - just contact the MHCO office.)

When visiting your local emergency agency or the American Red Cross to find out about potential problems in your area, ask for assistance in evacuation and shelter planning. They should be able to tell you what types of shelters are available in your area or which sites would be set up as shelters if a disaster occurs. These would include local schools, community centers, churches, offices or other buildings capable of holding a large number of people temporarily.

If there are children in your community, check with local schools to learn their evacuation and shelter plans. In the case of an emergency, parents will want to know where their children will be taken and other steps the schools have prepared for. (If these preparations are not adequate, parents should get involved and make sure that such plans are in place.) This information should be made available to residents in your community through the schools or through a community newsletter or education program.

Some manufactured home communities may have an office or community building that can be used as a shelter in case of an immediate emergency. In the case or tornadoes or severe storms, this should have a below-grade basement or some other underground area. In other situations, such as floods or hurricanes, the community shelter will not provide maximum protection and designated shelters may e several miles away.

Make sure that your residents understand the difference between an immediate emergency and an evacuation. For example, when a tornado warning has been issued, they must go to the shelter immediately. If a hurricane warning is issued, an evacuation is in order.

A good evacuation plan is very important - all residents should be familiar with it and have practiced it. To develop this plan, work with the residents' committee. Start with a detailed plan of the community that shows all roads and all homes. Then look at the following things:

• How many entrances and exits are there in the community? Are they clearly marked?

• If there is more than one exit, which sections of the community should use each exit?

• In what order should each block or section leave? (Families near an exit should go first, as they will be the easiest and quickest to move.)

• Is there a bottleneck that can be fixed, or are there barriers that could be removed in an emergency to make evacuation easier?

• If an exit is blocked by the disaster, what other exits are available?

• Are there residents who will not be able to evacuate themselves and who will require help from others?

When you have identified the answers to these questions, develop the evacuation plan accordingly. For each exit, assign blocks or sectors of the community that will use the exit. Then give each resident a note about the exit they should use and the order in which they will leave. For example, residents with a Number 1 designation should go first and be given a certain time period in which to do so. Then Number 2, Number 3 and so on. Orderly evacuation is the goal.

Give residents of the community a copy of the evacuation plan for their neighborhood, a map of the community and surrounding areas, a list of potential shelters they can go to, and an alternate exit to use if they can't use the exit they are supposed to use.

They should also be told what kind of notice they will get when evacuation is ordered. If the community has a warning siren or other audio system, what does each signal mean? Can every home in the community hear the signal? Will there be a phone "chain"?

For most communities, it's a good idea to have a primary warning system, such as a siren, and a back-up plan, such as a phone chain or door-to-door notification.

In a phone chain, Person A calls Person B through F. Persons B through F call five more people, and so on. It's important to keep residents and their phone numbers up-to-date if the phone chain is going to work well.

Residents also need to practice the evaucation. This is a program that is best run by your community's Resident Disaster Planning Committee.

Some disasters, like hurricanes and floods, allow you to take action ahead of time to save lives and property.  Others, like tornadoes, earthquakes, and flash floods, need more immediate action. You should have plans for both.

When visiting your local emergency agency or the American Red Cross to find out about potential problems in your area, ask for assistance in evacuation and shelter planning.  They should be able to tell you what types of shelters are available in your area or which sites would be set up as shelters if a disaster occurs. These would include local schools, community centers, churches, offices or other buildings capable of holding a large number of people temporarily.

If there are children in your community, check with local schools to learn their evacuation and shelter plans. In the case of an emergency, parents will want to know where their children will be taken and other steps the schools have prepared for.  (If these preparations are not adequate, parents should get involved and make sure that such plans are in place.)  This information should be made available to residents in your community through the schools or through a community newsletter or education program.

Some manufactured home communities may have an office or community building that can be used as a shelter in case of an immediate emergency. In the case or tornadoes or severe storms, this should have a below-grade basement or some other underground area.  In other situations, such as floods or hurricanes, the community shelter will not provide maximum protection and designated shelters may e several miles away.

Make sure that your residents understand the difference between an immediate emergency and an evacuation.  For example, when a tornado warning has been issued, they must go to the shelter immediately.  If a hurricane warning is issued, an evacuation is in order.

A good evacuation plan is very important – all residents should be familiar with it and have practiced it.  To develop this plan, work with the residents’ committee. Start with a detailed plan of the community that shows all roads and all homes.  Then look at the following things:

• How many entrances and exits are there in the community? Are they clearly marked?
• If there is more than one exit, which sections of the community should use each exit?
• In what order should each block or section leave? (Families near an exit should go first, as they will be the easiest and quickest to move.)
• Is there a bottleneck that can be fixed, or are there barriers that could be removed in an emergency to make evacuation easier?
• If an exit is blocked by the disaster, what other exits are available?
• Are there residents who will not be able to evacuate themselves and who will require help from others?

When you have identified the answers to these questions, develop the evacuation plan accordingly. For each exit, assign blocks or sectors of the community that will use the exit.  Then give each resident a note about the exit they should use and the order in which they will leave.  For example, residents with a Number 1 designation should go first and be given a certain time period in which to do so.  Then Number 2, Number 3 and so on. Orderly evacuation is the goal.

Give residents of the community a copy of the evacuation plan for their neighborhood, a map of the community and surrounding areas, a list of potential shelters they can go to, and an alternate exit to use if they can’t use the exit they are supposed to use.

They should also be told what kind of notice they will get when evacuation is ordered.      If the community has a warning siren or other audio system, what does each signal mean?  Can every home in the community hear the signal?  Will there be a phone “chain”?

For most communities, it’s a good idea to have a primary warning system, such as a siren, and a back-up plan, such as a phone chain or door-to-door notification.

In a phone chain, Person A calls Person B through F. Persons B through F call five more people, and so on.  It is important to keep residents and their phone numbers up-to-date if the phone chain is going to work well.

Residents also need to practice the evacuation.  This is a program that is best run by your community’s Resident Disaster Planning Committee.

Let’s start with the Baby Boomers vs. the Elderly.  Senior citizens are now at the top of the heap in U.S. Census numbers. The Baby Boomers are now officially “seniors” as they started turning 65 in 2011. In fact, 10,000 people turn 65 every day! The 85- to 94-year-olds experienced the fastest growth between 2000 and 2010. The senior age group is now, for the first time, the largest in terms of size and percent of the population in the US. While the overall senior population has increased, there are major social and financial differences within the group. For example, the Baby Boomers were young adults during the 1960’s and are therefore a more “free thinking” group than their parents, the 85-94 group. While the Baby Boomers generally are not cookie baking grandmothers, they still require specific attention to their needs. Socialization is a key component for any successful senior living community program, but Baby Boomers are not interested in Bingo. The Boomer generation is driven, and “self’ centered. They want control and believe in personal gratification. In contrast, the Elderly group is concerned about being a burden to their families and how long they will be able to maintain any independent living status. Boomers have the greatest percentage of wealth in our society, where the elderly group is amongst the poorest. 

Senior Trends are definitive, and developers and builders need to get ahead of the trends seniors are demanding. Will the product we build today be desirable or outdated in 5, 10, 15 years? Why do we insist that seniors should live in small apartments with no dishwashers? Why do we expect seniors to dispose of all their possessions to live in one of our units with 600 square feet?  Just because someone has a birthday does not mean they should automatically relinquish the amenities one would expect, or the amenities they have always had. Senior housing is not just for little old ladies anymore! The rules of the past may not apply to this new generation of seniors. Boomers have already shown signs of not following their predecessors in the products and services they desire. They will work longer (don’t skimp on parking places) prefer to age in place (smart floor plans, upgraded interior appointments, green features), 89% of seniors are on-line at least once a day (think Wi-Fi, not computer classes), and desire more active retirement scenarios (think wine tasting rather than a quilting bee). For example, on site movie theatres, a concierge (not “activities director”), opportunities that reflect current social trends (golf, gardening, cooking, decorating), concerts with varied options, a technology driven entertainment center (think XBox, not shuffleboard) are just some ideas of how to attract the new generation of seniors. Remember, “Oldies” are not just Frank Sinatra and Doris Day, but the Beatles and The Stones! 

Financial Issues We are living a decade longer than our parent’s generation due to healthy aging and increased access to healthcare. Although this would seem to be a welcome fact, there are many seniors who live with the very real threat of running out of financial resources to sustain this longevity. Nearly half a million elderly living alone in California cannot make ends meet. These seniors lack sufficient income to pay for a minimum level of housing, food, health care, transportation, and other basic expenses. “As the economy wipes out retirement savings and destroys home equity, our parents and grandparents will find paying for a roof over their heads and affording basic necessities even more of a struggle,” said Steven P. Wallace, Ph.D., Center of Human Policy Research. This research shows that elder economic insecurity is problematic in both more and less affluent counties. A majority of all single elders aged 75 or older are economically insecure.  The numbers of affected seniors are likely to be even higher as the current recession deepens. So, what do we do? It may be a reasonable accommodation to change the rent due date to allow for the changing dynamic with assistance payments. All resources should be explored to keep the senior in their housing with eviction as a last resort.

Mental Illness affects one out of every five seniors in America. Just a handful of significant mental health problems that may occur are delirium, dementia, depression, and schizophrenia. Older adults who suffer with mental health conditions often have very abnormal behavior and patterns that create a decreased capacity for them to function independently. In many cases, mental health problems in seniors are too often ignored by health care professionals and attributed to “old age.”  Traditionally, our culture does not show any type of respect or dignity for those suffering from mental health disease. As our population ages, this challenge will become more prevalent. Many of our residents relocated to California and left their families to pursue the “golden dream.”  This has left them alone in their elderly years, and they look at us to fill that role for them. Our roles as rental housing professionals will need to evolve into a position of being able to locate resources that can help our aging residents.  This is why partnering with various social service agencies is such a vital component to add to our amenities on senior communities. 

So, how do we support the staff? I believe that there is a special place in property management heaven for our staff members that contribute to the success of our senior communities!  We depend on these employees to provide customer service on a completely different level. The demands of the senior resident are wide and varied….” why does that animal live here?”  “I do not like the looks of my neighbor;” “She is looking at my husband?” “Why can’t you take me to the store?” …. etc. Our responses must be kind but firm, and conversations must be conducted in terminology that seniors understand. Many seniors believe that the management of our communities have a greater responsibility to them – this makes sense if we keep in mind that they have owned their own homes for many years and probably had some resistance to moving into a “retirement home” that they may think is Assisted Living. Their sense of entitlement runs deep after so many years of being valued and contributing members of our society. Employees are challenged with understanding the perspective of the senior resident. We need to provide major support to these employees and provide continual education on how to interact with seniors. A little pampering and wide shoulders to cry on wouldn’t hurt either!

Professionals in the senior housing industry provide a vital service that goes beyond housing. We provide care, comfort, and a sense of family to our residents. This population segment will only increase so as an industry we need to get ahead of the trends and prepare for the influx of senior residents that will come our way. Our senior consumer wants reasons to believe, not empty facts. They want an emotional connection that goes beyond the walls and floors. Will you be ready for them?

For more information on training topics, including newly developed curriculum devoted to Senior Housing, contact Angel Rogers at (909)725-2700 or angel@angelrogers.com

Ask anyone who works on a Senior Living Community how they like their job and I can almost guarantee that they will tell you they have a love-hate relationship with it. Most employees will tell you that they love working with seniors; that they are a nice group of people, and they have a bond with them that they have never experienced while working on a multi-family community.  They will also tell you of the heartaches and troubles of a senior community; and this is not just the obvious complications of dealing with an aging resident population. You will hear about the vast disparity between “the new senior” and “the elderly,” the trends seniors are setting, the financial issues many seniors are facing, the troubling issue of increasing mental illness in seniors, and the demands seniors are making on staff. How does all this affect not only the senior market, but how will it affect the market at large? How do we stay on top of trends, and how do we assist the employees in this highly specialized market segment? 

Let’s start with the Baby Boomers vs. the Elderly.  Senior citizens are now at the top of the heap in U.S. Census numbers. The Baby Boomers are now officially “seniors” as they started turning 65 in 2011. In fact, 10,000 people turn 65 every day! The 85- to 94-year-olds experienced the fastest growth between 2000 and 2010. The senior age group is now, for the first time, the largest in terms of size and percent of the population in the US. While the overall senior population has increased, there are major social and financial differences within the group. For example, the Baby Boomers were young adults during the 1960’s and are therefore a more “free thinking” group than their parents, the 85-94 group. While the Baby Boomers generally are not cookie baking grandmothers, they still require specific attention to their needs. Socialization is a key component for any successful senior living community program, but Baby Boomers are not interested in Bingo. The Boomer generation is driven, and “self’ centered. They want control and believe in personal gratification. In contrast, the Elderly group is concerned about being a burden to their families and how long they will be able to maintain any independent living status. Boomers have the greatest percentage of wealth in our society, where the elderly group is amongst the poorest. 

Senior Trends are definitive, and developers and builders need to get ahead of the trends seniors are demanding. Will the product we build today be desirable or outdated in 5, 10, 15 years? Why do we insist that seniors should live in small apartments with no dishwashers? Why do we expect seniors to dispose of all their possessions to live in one of our units with 600 square feet?  Just because someone has a birthday does not mean they should automatically relinquish the amenities one would expect, or the amenities they have always had. Senior housing is not just for little old ladies anymore! The rules of the past may not apply to this new generation of seniors. Boomers have already shown signs of not following their predecessors in the products and services they desire. They will work longer (don’t skimp on parking places) prefer to age in place (smart floor plans, upgraded interior appointments, green features), 89% of seniors are on-line at least once a day (think Wi-Fi, not computer classes), and desire more active retirement scenarios (think wine tasting rather than a quilting bee). For example, on site movie theatres, a concierge (not “activities director”), opportunities that reflect current social trends (golf, gardening, cooking, decorating), concerts with varied options, a technology driven entertainment center (think XBox, not shuffleboard) are just some ideas of how to attract the new generation of seniors. Remember, “Oldies” are not just Frank Sinatra and Doris Day, but the Beatles and The Stones! 

Financial Issues We are living a decade longer than our parent’s generation due to healthy aging and increased access to healthcare. Although this would seem to be a welcome fact, there are many seniors who live with the very real threat of running out of financial resources to sustain this longevity. Nearly half a million elderly living alone in California cannot make ends meet. These seniors lack sufficient income to pay for a minimum level of housing, food, health care, transportation, and other basic expenses. “As the economy wipes out retirement savings and destroys home equity, our parents and grandparents will find paying for a roof over their heads and affording basic necessities even more of a struggle,” said Steven P. Wallace, Ph.D., Center of Human Policy Research. This research shows that elder economic insecurity is problematic in both more and less affluent counties. A majority of all single elders aged 75 or older are economically insecure.  The numbers of affected seniors are likely to be even higher as the current recession deepens. So, what do we do? It may be a reasonable accommodation to change the rent due date to allow for the changing dynamic with assistance payments. All resources should be explored to keep the senior in their housing with eviction as a last resort.

Mental Illness affects one out of every five seniors in America. Just a handful of significant mental health problems that may occur are delirium, dementia, depression, and schizophrenia. Older adults who suffer with mental health conditions often have very abnormal behavior and patterns that create a decreased capacity for them to function independently. In many cases, mental health problems in seniors are too often ignored by health care professionals and attributed to “old age.”  Traditionally, our culture does not show any type of respect or dignity for those suffering from mental health disease. As our population ages, this challenge will become more prevalent. Many of our residents relocated to California and left their families to pursue the “golden dream.”  This has left them alone in their elderly years, and they look at us to fill that role for them. Our roles as rental housing professionals will need to evolve into a position of being able to locate resources that can help our aging residents.  This is why partnering with various social service agencies is such a vital component to add to our amenities on senior communities. 

So, how do we support the staff? I believe that there is a special place in property management heaven for our staff members that contribute to the success of our senior communities!  We depend on these employees to provide customer service on a completely different level. The demands of the senior resident are wide and varied….” why does that animal live here?”  “I do not like the looks of my neighbor;” “She is looking at my husband?” “Why can’t you take me to the store?” …. etc. Our responses must be kind but firm, and conversations must be conducted in terminology that seniors understand. Many seniors believe that the management of our communities have a greater responsibility to them – this makes sense if we keep in mind that they have owned their own homes for many years and probably had some resistance to moving into a “retirement home” that they may think is Assisted Living. Their sense of entitlement runs deep after so many years of being valued and contributing members of our society. Employees are challenged with understanding the perspective of the senior resident. We need to provide major support to these employees and provide continual education on how to interact with seniors. A little pampering and wide shoulders to cry on wouldn’t hurt either!

Professionals in the senior housing industry provide a vital service that goes beyond housing. We provide care, comfort, and a sense of family to our residents. This population segment will only increase so as an industry we need to get ahead of the trends and prepare for the influx of senior residents that will come our way. Our senior consumer wants reasons to believe, not empty facts. They want an emotional connection that goes beyond the walls and floors. Will you be ready for them?

For more information on training topics, including newly developed curriculum devoted to Senior Housing, contact Angel Rogers at (909)725-2700 or angel@angelrogers.com

Deciding Why you Want to Market

Do you want to promote because you have a new development? Or will it be to fill vacancies within an existing community, or to upgrade (and turn around) an older community? Each of these three stages of a community requires a different marketing plan, a different focus, different promotional strategies, and differing amounts of involvement.

Marketing has been the subject of many volumes of material, college courses, high school courses, and numerous articles in literally thousands of magazines. There are many facets of marketing for whatever business you try to promote. It depends on the type of market you are in, the general state of the economy at the time you decide to start a promotion and marketing program, whether you are creating a demand or meeting a need, and several other variables.

Who are your Partners in Marketing?

• Media Sources
• Social Media - Facebook etc
• Motif
• Residents
• Employees
• Retailers
• Curb Appeal
• Vendors
• Personal Development
• Professionalism
• Industry Knowledge
• Civic Involvement

The Mental Picture of Marketing

Every minute of every day in every dealing you have with each person, you are promoting yourself, the company you represent, your community, and the industry as a whole. Picture a diagram that consists of a huge wheel. There is a hub in the very center. It is a small circle. You are this hub. Radiating outward from this hub are eleven spokes that then connect with a huge wheel on the outside. Each of the eleven spokes is one of the areas of promotion we are going to discuss in this handbook. The huge wheel on the outside is your market: the general public, the planning and zoning officials.

In other words, this huge wheel is a never-ending stream of potential customers. This huge wheel also makes up the members of the general public at large. Everyone has an opinion. On this huge wheel, everyone has an opinion about manufactured housing and manufactured home communities. Part of a successful promotion and marketing program is to create more and more favorable opinions of the general public that is part of that huge wheel.

When the one of the eleven spokes joins the wheel, a direct line of vision, understanding and agreement is created between the hub (you) and the wheel (your market). Both ends of the spoke (you in the hub and the general public on the wheel) then see things the same way. The conduit that enables this "coming together" of opinion is the spoke that links you in your hub with your potential customer on the huge wheel. When this happens, you have successfully created a promotion (being noticed) that may result in effective marketing (a sale or lease). The other positive side effect is usually the creation of a more favorable image of the manufactured housing industry as a whole.

When the public that is represented by the wheel is comprised of elected officials, your promotional efforts may result in positive zoning decisions or approval of expansion plans for a new community. When that public represents your customer, you will have created a sale of a home or a lease of a homesite. We need all kinds of people from this public arena on our side.

This illustration gives you a visual image of the way a successful promotion can take you where you have never been before - or leave you spinning around in circles. You are in the center ring. Take charge of your promotional efforts. Create new markets. Realize new growth opportunities. Change the image of manufactured housing. It all starts with you!

A successful promotion and marketing program will affect your staff, your community, your residents, their friends, their co-workers and families, the surrounding business community, and the industry as a whole in a positive way. It will help change the perception of manufactured housing in the eyes of the uneducated public, the elected officials, and increase the number of homeowners. Your successful promotion and marketing program will generate a continued bottom-line growth for your community and your company while providing housing that is perceived as a true value by your customers.

And, by the same token, an unsuccessful promotion and marketing program - or the total lack of one - can keep your community frozen in time. It can perpetuate a negative image of the industry. It will hamper your efforts in expansion, fill or upgrade. It will prevent you from reaching the highest level of personal and professional excellence that is obtainable. To be more blunt, the lack of a promotion and marketing program that does good means you, your community, and the industry will suffer. It means that more people will neither believe nor share the positive messages the industry has to offer.

Key Concepts to a Successful Marketing Program

• A successful promotion is a successful perception of value
• Every day is Open House
• Curb appeal is your job
• Use white classifieds
• Use reverse classifieds
• Create a comparison grid for your community
• Look at your community honestly - through the eyes of a video
• Enforce your Guidelines for better curb appeal
• Remember that word-of-mouth is your best advertising
• Utilize business cards in new and creative ways
• Everyone forms an opinion and every opinion matters
• We are no better than others perceive us to be
• Help retailers understand the values of your community
• Allow them to use the amenities
• Invite them to activities
• Offer a special tour for new salespeople
• Allow them to install model homes
• Hang a lifestyle picture in their sales office
• Visit on a regular basis
• Use custom labels for bags of donuts or candy
• Color code a map with vacant sites and sizes of homes
• Send gift certificates to a salesman's spouse
• Call to thank them for sending prospects
• Consider using resident referrals
• Free rent
• Certificates for dinner
• Mention in the newsletter
• Create a win-win promotion
• Give a shed, plants, gift certificate from nursery, deck, patio furniture, lawn mower, lawn care for six months, snow removal for a season, sod for the lawn, reduced water bill for watering
• Take brochures to area businesses
• Join the chamber of commerce and volunteer on committees

The Backstory: This case is based on allegations that the community’s property manager refused to let an African-American man be added as a resident at the park when he moved in with his white girlfriend and her uncle. During the two months he stayed there, the man said that the manager’s son, who helped manage the property, subjected him to racially derogatory comments and harassment. The family said they moved out after being threatened with eviction for having an unauthorized guest unless the boyfriend moved out.

After they filed a HUD complaint, the Justice Department conducted an investigation by sending out testers to check for race discrimination. Based on the family’s complaint and the results of the testing, the Justice Department sued the owners and operators of the community for fair housing violations. According to the complaint, the testing showed that the manager treated prospects differently based on their race by, among other things:

• Requiring African-American prospects to fill out rental applications to be approved for residency, while offering lots to similarly situated white prospects without requiring them to fill out an application;
• Requiring African-American testers to have their mobile homes inspected by the manager before they could move in, but not requiring such inspections for white testers; and
• Quoting higher estimated move-in costs to African-American testers than to white testers.

Until the lawsuit was filed in 2014, the complaint alleged that there had been no African-American residents at the community since at least 2007, when the manager got the job.

The community denied the allegations, but the parties reached a settlement to resolve the case. Without admitting liability, the community agreed to pay the family $217,500 in damages and attorney’s fees and a $34,000 civil penalty. The community also agreed to implement a nondiscrimination policy, establish new nondiscriminatory application and rental procedures, conduct fair housing training, and meet reporting requirements.

“Federal law guarantees everyone the right to housing on equal terms and the right to live free from harassment because of their race or color,” Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta, head of the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division, said in a statement. “Settlements such as this one help ensure that all people can enjoy that right.”

Lessons Learned: 

1.   Keep Race Out of the Leasing Process: It’s illegal to allow race to play any part in decisions about who may live in your community. The Fair Housing Act bans refusing to rent or making housing unavailable to anyone based on his race—or that of anyone associated with him. It’s also unlawful to represent to anyone, because of his race, that a dwelling is not available for rental when such dwelling is in fact available.

2.   Consistency Is Key to Avoiding Fair Housing Problems: Federal officials and private fair housing agencies are still on the lookout for race discrimination by sending out paired testers of different races to see how they’re treated. They’re often looking for any differences in responses to inquiries about vacancies, explanations of application requirements, quoted fees and rental charges, and willingness to show units—to name a few. To avoid fair housing trouble, maintain standard policies and procedures to ensure consistent treatment of prospects, regardless of their race. And document your process with written records, such as guest cards, phone logs, unit availability logs, rental applications, wait lists, and the like.

3.   Don’t Assume Race Discrimination Is a Thing of the Past: It’s not—it’s just gone underground, according to HUD’s latest round of nationwide testing. The 2013 study found that blatant acts of housing discrimination faced by minority home seekers continues to decline, but more subtle forms of housing denial stubbornly persist. Though few prospects were denied an appointment to see an advertised unit, the study found that real estate agents and rental housing providers recommended and showed fewer available homes and apartments to African-American, Asian, and Hispanic families. The study, which involved 8,000 paired tests in 28 metropolitan areas across the country, concluded this is a national, not a regional, phenomenon.