Like any industry, residential building operators saw their entire work lives change in a matter of weeks at the onset of the pandemic. There were obstacles aplenty. Managers had to adjust to working with smaller property management teams—or in some cases, with teams almost exclusively offsite.
The recently unveiled Multifamily Pet Policies and Amenities survey, conducted by PetScreening and J Turner Research and featuring the feedback of nearly 23,000 apartment residents, found that non-pet-owning residents are reasonably agreeable with a community’s pet population.
Culture takes on the look and feel of the organization’s leadership. The adage that “everything rises and falls on leadership” is certainly true when it comes to culture. What and whom you represent as a leader is what will organically be born out in your company.
As more residents have been forced to work from home, their needs have evolved. Residents now require in-home offices, or study nooks and/or socially-distanced workspaces within their communities. While multifamily is beginning to respond to those needs, new construction and retrofit projects aren’t completed overnight.
The multifamily industry used to be lampooned as being way behind the curve when it came to technology. But in recent years, it’s been exciting to see apartment owners and operators embrace new technologies. Operators are implementing solutions that enhance the resident experience and improve operations.
This year, budget planning could have been particularly painful. Thanks to the pandemic, property managers have seen revenues decline while simultaneously incurring unanticipated expenses. Generally speaking, 2020 has done a number on most companies’ financials.
Many apartment operators have worked diligently to improve their pet-friendliness levels. And if pet friendliness wasn’t already a primary focus, it definitely should be now. New data indicates that the well-documented spike in pet adoption during the pandemic has made an impact in the apartment world.
The consumer world is driving multifamily more than ever before. Today’s residents have grown up with technology at the core of their existence, use it in every aspect of their lives and now expect a truly modern living experience – and that’s what smart home systems provide.
Don’t let the bad actors ruin a good thing. The benefits of emotional support animals are rampant in the apartment industry, yet a small percentage of pet owners who submit insufficient assistance animal accommodation requests cloud the perception.
The year 2020 brought multifamily a battery of operational and leasing challenges. But as the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention, and operators showed impressive resilience by embracing emerging technologies and adopting new procedures and processes.