uses an automated online system to monitor for code changes. This effi- ciency allows “us to focus on bigger things like asset preservation, resi- dent satisfaction and related items,” he said.
Affiliates of the National
Apartment Association can help owners and operators keep on top of code changes, Gilboard said. “Our affiliates at the state and
local level are really terrific resourc- es for industry practitioners because it’s those affiliates that are working at the ground level with local law-
makers who are going to be amending or adopting these codes, so they are really a good resource for the latest on codes and code development,” he said.
THE PANDEMIC EFFECT The coronavirus has undoubtedly had an impact on the code-
compliance inspections performed by jurisdictions, the panelists noted.
“We’ve seen throughout this pandemic that businesses have
closed and shut down temporarily,” Gilboard said. “Local govern- ment offices and the divisions that work within them are no excep- tion, and you do see building officials who are not going into work or their departments are closed. The result is a delay in local government inspections, although
some jurisdictions are conducting some inspections remotely via vid- eo, Gilboard added.
The pandemic also has result- ed in new regulations that opera- tors must adhere to. “Every different jurisdiction
has a different shutdown and re- opening plan,” Lane said. ‘Some have two or three phases; some have six or eight. We have to keep up with what requirements are in place for each one of those phas- es so that we are able to react, do things safely and meet the require-
ments that keep our residents and our employees safe.” In the end, the panelists argued, apartment companies should
embrace rigorous, proactive compliance programs in part because they lead to necessary preventive maintenance and benefit asset value. “I have found that compliance is really a byproduct of try-
ing to do things right, of trying to do things the right way the first time,” Lane said. “We really can’t wait for an accident to try to be safe. We have to maintain safe and efficient operations at our prop- erties to keep our residents happy and to have them renew their leases – that’s what it all comes down to.”
Stephen Ursery is a Content Manager for LinnellTaylor Marketing.
8 APARTMENT ADVANTAGE 43
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