CREJ

Page 2 — Property Management Quarterly — July 2020 www.crej.com Letter from the Editor A s workplaces fill back up, stores and restaurants coax out reluctant consumers, and gyms and entertainment venues adapt, the population is cautiously embracing a more social lifestyle while still adhering to pan- demic guidelines. Behind the scenes of all these experiences are teams of property managers working to make everyone who enters the property feels as safe as possible. It’s hard to imagine this hasn’t become more complicated in recent months. I want to hear how you’re dealing with the challenges to share in future issues. Before the pan- demic, staffing was an issue for many property management firms.With unemployment numbers soaring, I’m curious if now is a good time to pick up talented staff members. Or, if the opposite is true and firms had to part ways with talented employees due to financial challenges. Another topic property managers routinely contributed articles about was the importance of customer service and maintaining strong rela- tionships. As most of us can attest, months of uncertainty and fears of the unknown are enough to test any relationship. I want to know how it’s impacted management. Are relation- ships coming out stronger having gone through this together – or more weathered as people resorted to an everyman-for-himself mentality? For example, on Page 15, David Hewett mentions how the perception of fair- ness is very important.With new ordi- nances allowing for outdoor dining, I’m curious if it’s causing headaches among other tenants who don’t like restaurants taking up parking spaces. Another topic I knowmany manag- ers are diligent about is their budgets. I assume budgets are being adjusted, but I want to know how. How are financial expectations shifting? Are planned projects moving forward, and how are you handling available space? In our other publications, we often include market updates.The stay-at- home mandates caused issues for almost all asset types, although to varying degrees. Industrial, as Amanda Darvill writes on Page 16, is doing better than most, but retail took an immediate hit.Time will tell the lasting impact on office and multifamily. But the numbers only tell part of the story. I want to hear about your experiences. As our worlds shrank and we started working from home, we were remind- ed of the valuable work of some essen- tial workers when their roles became more prominent in our daily lives. But, as is often the case with the teams working to keep our buildings operat- ing safely, property management’s daily sacrifice often was overlooked. Your workload was further stressed following civic unrest for the past month, again with your work being a footnote in the larger narratives. So, for everything you do as essential workers, I’d like to say thank you. Michelle Z. Askeland maskeland@crej.com 303-623-1148, Ext. 104 First-hand experiences Contents Property management news COVID-19 doesn’t excuse you from your lease Tal Diamant and Elizabeth Bhappu Kudla Does the pandemic constitute damage to property? Cyndi Stovall Options on damages related to COVID-19 and riots Chris Rockers Green cleaning standards in light of the pandemic Amanda Timmons Tips to ensure your building has safe, clean water Patrick Verwys Conduct evaluations to gain valuable asset insights David Hall Key leadership qualities to increase staff retention David W. Hewett Multitenant industrial sector remains resilient Amanda Darvill The many benefits to offering resident services D. Dontae Latson Pandemic highlights the importance of preparedness Tore Nilsen Tech will play defining role in post-pandemic era Prabhu Ramachandran Prescripitve AI will change maintenance work Christin Daniels How to properly reopen your fitness amenities Kat Pisano 4 6 7 8 9 10 11 15 16 17 18 19 20 21