• Resident Assistance – How the industry voluntarily started working with residents that were impacted by the virus with payment plans , waiving of late fees , etc . prior to any government mandate .
• Innovation – Without an established “ pandemic handbook ,” how the industry was able to respond with policies and best practices that prioritized resident and employee health and safety .
• Advocacy – The apartment industry ’ s visibility in advocating for issues outside of its immediate interest , namely support for state and local stimulus .
Looking Ahead
While a major topic of conversation included the various eviction moratoria , many recognized the shortcomings of the policy beyond an emergency response . Many agreed that the current talk of extensions merely “ kick the can down the road ,” and essentially trade evictions with foreclosures .
Beyond evictions , a significant amount of time was spent discussing whether emergency response policies , in general , were sustainable . While many were interested in moving on to the recovery phase , the most pertinent part of the discussion centered around being able to recognize the difference between an emergency response and recovery policies ; particularly at a time when everything is an emergency .
To bring that concern home , NAA and its real estate partners gave examples of how activist groups are attempting to “ use the emergency ” to promote failed housing policies of the past . Specifically , the group highlighted the following attributes to look for :
When a policy merely extends an emergency and makes no attempt not solve it , and
When a policy goes beyond the emergency and attempts to fundamentally alter the ability to develop , own , operate and manage apartment housing .
At the conclusion of the discussion , the group preferred the priority of reforming current housing policy to target those in need , over the creation broad untested policy . The CLA policy group will be developing and vetting specific policy recommendations in the coming months .
Fred Tayco is the Director of External Affairs at the National Apartment Association . He can be reached at ftayco @ naahq . org www . aamdhq . org NOV / DEC 2020 TRENDS | 75