An Enhanced Focus on the Resident Experience
An Interview with
MATT EDLEN, Co-founder
Earlier this year, Edlen & Company began working with Atlas Management, a local Portland-based property management firm to manage the properties within the PAHPP portfolio. Matt Edlen sat down recently to talk with Brandon Morett, co-founder and chief operating officer and Julian Orozco, portfolio manager at Atlas Management to discuss their approach to property management.
Matt Edlen It was evident in our initial conversations that your approach to property management aligned with the values of Edlen & Company and PAHPP’s commitment to have a positive impact on people and the communities in which they live. Can you elaborate on this?
Julian Oroczo Yes. We deliver a community-driven style of property management. That is our primary focus. Often in affordable housing, people are treated as commodities. It is important to develop a sense of community, where property management is approachable and seen as a resource. We establish a presence and engage directly with our residents to build a reciprocal culture of respect.
Brandon Morett The affordable renter tends to have a preconceived notion about their landlord probably based on previous experiences and tends to be jaded towards the management structure. Community building, which may include knocking on doors to have a conversation instead of just posting a notice regarding an issue, which could be related to a pet, parking, or a discussion about rent. The goal is not to be intimidating. This extra step makes the difference in establishing relationships with our residents, while addressing concerns.
M.E Would you say that direct contact influences both resident retention and the timely payment of rents?
B.M. Retention and timely rent payments are a byproduct of these efforts. Our goal is to create a sense of community, which then leads to retention and payment. That is the shift in dynamics that we seek to achieve. Residents who respect their living situation want to pay their rent on time. They know their neighbors and are proud of where they are living. They also want people to come live in their community, which in turn influences the referral program.
M.E. Can you talk about some of the changes that Atlas Management has implemented specific to rent payments?
B.M. The changes are subtle, and yet, incredibly important and focused on the needs of the residents. For instance, Atlas Management was one of the first in our industry to utilize Flex, an app that splits a resident’s rent into smaller payments throughout the month. This offers flexibility and may better align with their income flow, which is often weekly. Another option for residents that we will soon be implementing is AppFolio, for those residents who prefer or need to pay their rent in cash.
J.O. Traditionally for a resident that can’t pay rent, there is a process, void of any personal interaction to securing a payment. The resident is served with an overdue rent notice. At Atlas Management, we have a different approach. Instead of just posting a notice, we are going to call them to gain an understanding of what might be going on in their lives and offer to help them navigate the situation, if possible.
B.M Another distinction with Atlas Management is that we are local and very familiar with the regional housing authorities and social programs that offer rent assistance. We take pride in our ability to work with our residents to guide them through the multiple paths available to secure assistance.
M.E. These examples are indicative of how Atlas Management leads with respect. On a macro level, how does this translate into the overall operations of the properties within our PAHPP portfolio?
J.O. It’s all about taking a humanistic approach to create that sense of community so people feel safe culturally, as well as economically. Respect is the umbrella. Our team members have all worked in major property management firms, and we want to be here at Atlas Management where our approach to community, putting in that extra effort, is rewarded. You get a lot out of treating people with respect and dignity, while also having a real-time understanding of what is happening at the property. It’s the difference between oversight of the property versus being onsite.
B.M To be clear, there is a bottom line. Our goal is to expand the resident’s capacity to fulfill their end of the agreement we’ve both entered, while also creating a sense of pride in their home and the community in which they live. In addition to one-on-one interaction, we also have opportunities to leverage technology as a tool to make things simpler for our residents from how we communicate, payment models to the overall resident experience. Continuing to innovate and introduce different modes of management efficiencies directly impacts the portfolio as well as the residents and their interpretation of the value we deliver.