Page 1 - CooperatorNews South Florida Expo 2021

Expo 2021 SOFL.COOPERATORNEWS.COM Over the last year and a half, the boards, managers, and residents of con- dos, HOAs, and other multifamily com- munities have relied heavily on their supers, porters, doorpeople, janitorial workers, handymen and -women, secu- rity personnel, maintenance workers, and others to keep their properties safe, clean, and operational. In the grip of the coronavirus crisis, property service workers around the country have been dealing with heavier and more intense workloads, ever-shifting regulations, supply line shortages, and sometimes verbal, even physical confrontations—all while dealing with the same fear and un- certainty that the pandemic has inflicted on all of us. Meanwhile, boards and property managers have been adjusting to new governance procedures; incorporating the shifting regulatory guidance from multiple levels of government into their policies; dealing with pressure from resi- dents to reopen amenities; and figuring out how to incorporate personal pro- tective equipment (PPE), foggers, gal- lons of disinfectant, and COVID-related physical alterations into budgets that in many cases were already tight. Given all of these challenges—and in light of the tough, important work that they do for continued on page 21 Time was, if you said that a co-op or condo building was ‘going to the dogs,’ it was a bad thing. These days, however, that’s not always the case. According to the American Pet Products Associa- tion, the 2021-2022 National Pet Own- ers Survey revealed that 70% of all U.S. households own at least one pet, equat- ing to 90.5 million homes—a number that has expanded in the last year and a half during the coronavirus pandemic as people spending more time at home have purchased or adopted pets to keep them company and bring some joy to an otherwise very stressful, bleak time. This is why many condos and HOAs in South Florida and around the country are re- visiting their rules regarding pets, with many deciding to make their communi- ties a more welcoming atmosphere for animals. But not everyone is for the pets. Non-pet-lovers cite noise, aggression, and mess as reasons for not wanting to share their building with their neigh- bors’ animals, and they feel that a duly elected board should have the right to limit pet ownership. In many communi- ties, people share corridors and lobbies and have limited access to floors via the elevator, which brings still other issues into play. People may have animal aller- gies, or even phobias or trauma around animals—and forcing them to share an elevator with people and their pets can be a problem waiting to happen. So how to promote peace among the four-legged and the two-legged inhab- itants of your building or association? The experts say it takes a combination of courtesy, responsibility, accommoda- tion, and respect; not just on the part of pet owners, but of everyone who calls your community home. The forward march of innovation is constantly changing the face of nearly every industry—including residential real estate. To keep co-ops, condominiums, and other multifamily communities functioning optimally, we need to keep abreast of the latest advancements in building systems. Here are a few of the latest trends. Life Support System Advancements in communication technology have led to more efficient and more accessible ways to keep tabs on what’s going on in our buildings at any given moment. One of the most notable in the last few years is building management systems, or BMS. BMS software and hardware networks enable managers and building staff to moni- tor everything from air quality to security systems, alerting them of irregularities, reporting in real time and giving them valuable data on things like energy efficiency, building security, and more. It’s almost as if the property is an organism, with the BMS monitoring its vital signs continuously. “We use them extensively at many of the properties we manage,” says Dan Woll- man, CEO of Gumley Haft, a major management firm based in New York City. “It’s a network of micro-computers that are placed on different equipment and in different locations to check temperature, water flow, air flow, among other things. In buildings with more complicated infrastructure, when you have this data, you can modify and optimize all these factors; when they should run and shouldn’t, etc. You are able to ad- Supporting Essential Building Workers Showing Your Staff You Care BY DARCEY GERSTEIN continued on page 22 just everything through an app on your phone or computer. At some point you might have to physically visit the components, but a system like this can cut off a disaster.” Matt Resnick, an executive with AKAM Management, with offices in both New York and Florida, adds, “There are many ways in which properties can focus on improving existing me- chanical equipment by taking advantage of software and tech ad- Trends in Multifamily Building Technology Building Systems Better BY A J SIDRANSKY Pet Peeves Making and Enforcing Fair Pet Rules BY KEITH LORIA 205 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10016 • CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED SOUTH FLORIDA’S BIGGEST & BEST CONDO, HOA & APT EXPO! BROWARD COUNTY CONVENTION CENTER — THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 10:00-4:00 FREE REGISTRATION: FL-EXPO.COM LIVE AND IN PERSON Expo 2021 SOFL continued on page 20