Apartment Association of North Carolina

AANC News July, 2008

• Legislative Days in Raleigh - A Big Success!

  AANC hosted its annual Legislative Days Program on June 10-11 in Raleigh. Over 80 multifamily industry professionals from across North Carolina participated and spoke with state legislators about active bills relating to housing conditions/inspections, forced participation in HUD’s Section 8 Program, and equitable solid waste collection. Thanks to all participants and sponsors of the program for their efforts to speak for the apartment industry! Photo highlights are below:

THANKS TO THE FOLLOWING LEGISLATIVE DAYS SPONSORS:

PLATINUM:
Apartment Finder, Apartment Guide, Blue Ridge Property Mgmt.

GOLD:
Alliance Data, Crosland, Mac-Gray, National Water & Power, Resident Data,
Triad Apartment Association

SILVER:
AT&T Southeast Connected Communities

• Read all about it!
  Articles in the May, 2008 AANC News include:
  • AANC Bills of Interest in the NC Legislature:
    • Senate Bill 1507 / House Bill 1011 Housing Conditions/Inspections
    • Senate Bill 334 - Source of Income Discrimination: Forced Participation in Section 8
    • Senate Bill 1133. House Bill 1229 County/City Solid Waste Collection
  • Water Submetering via Partial Measurement of Water Consumption: AANC’s Proposal to the NC Utilities Commission
  • AANC Lease, Legal Handbook Set for Bi-Annual Revisions
  • AANC Receives Setback in Modifying Workers’ Comp Rate Classifications
  • AANC Files Motion to Re-Open Progress Energy Hearing with NCUC
    CLICK HERE to read the May, 2008 AANC News in its entirety
    
    

• NC Apartment Industry Visits Capitol Hill

• NC Department of Health Rules and Resources for Multi-Family Housing
  

AANC Participates in NAA Capitol Conference

North Carolina apartment leaders converged on the nation’s capital on Wednesday, March 12th to confer with the N.C. Senate and Congressional delegation. Meetings were held with staffs of Senator Burr, Senator Dole, and most of the 13 North Carolina Representatives. Federal multi-family rental housing issues included (click on any link for detailed background information):

• Carried Interest
• Energy
• Estate Tax
• Immigration

At left: AANC representatives participating in the 2008 Capitol Conference were joined by Charlotte City Councilwoman Nancy Carter to meet with Mel Watt's assistant Hilary West.

NC Department of Health Rules and Resources for Multi-Family Housing

The North Carolina Health Hazards Control Unit has developed new and improved asbestos and lead-based paint web sites. They have added a new feature that allows one to search for individuals who are accredited in various asbestos disciplines and certified in various lead-based paint disciplines. You can also download forms and review state and federal regulations and guidance documents on line. Take a moment to visit each of the web sites and share the knowledge:

Asbestos: http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/asbestos/ahmp.html

Lead-Based Paint: http://www.epi.state.nc.us/epi/lead/lhmp.html

To further assist you with useful links to public health issues such as indoor air quality, methamphetamine labs, and many others, just search the topics index located at either of the web sites provided above.

AANC Lease Agreement
and Legal Handbook:
The Best and Most Powerful Products
in North Carolina Rental Housing History

AANC publications are vital to the operations of apartment owners and managers throughout North Carolina. The AANC Residential Lease Agreement and its invaluable counterpart,
The AANC Legal Handbook have just been revised by Raleigh-based Brownlee Law Firm and aren now available for purchase by AANC-affiliated local apartment associations. Features of the new editions include:

In both the Lease and Legal Handbook:
• Default and Resident Liability for Future Rent
• Domestic Violence Law: Key and Lock Consequences & Instructions
• Meth Lab Decontamination Steps
• Notices: Methods, Clarity and Predictability
• Interest Accrual for Resident Debts
• Mutuality of Rent Payment Duty & Fit Premises Statute
• Exclusion of Certain Guests
• Injury to Persons or Property by Animals
• Expanded Coverage on Pet Damage to Premises
• Consequences of Resident-Caused Damages
• New N.C. Real Estate Commission License # Reference

In the Legal Handbook:
• Early Lease Termination by Domestic Violence Victims
• Obtaining Possession Judgments without Presenting Evidence
• Challenging the Amount of Bond Payments in Appeals
• 2005 & 2006 N.C. Statutory Changes
• Identity Theft Protection Statutes
• Military Transfer Rule Changes
• Maintenance of Fire Sprinkler Systems
• Working with Other Leases Than the AANC Lease
• All-New Index
• Expanded Glossary of Terms

To order either of these fine publications, please contact your local AANC-Affiliated Apartment Association directly.

AANC Officers

The Apartment Association of North Carolina announced its new Officers for 2-year terms beginning September 1, 2006:

Meg Pisczek, President
Ms. Pisczek is Regional Property Manager for Crosland's Raleigh office, supervising all operations of eight apartment communities in the Triangle region of North Carolina. Meg is a two-time past President of the Triangle Apartment Association, a past board member of the Triad Apartment Association, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Triangle Community Coalition. She has been involved in rental property management in North Carolina since 1984, and holds the CPM, CAM and National Assisted Housing Professional designations.

John Porter, President-Elect
Mr. Porter is a Developer with Charlotte-based Charter Properties, a firm which develops Class A apartments targeted to institutional buyers. He is a member of the Urban Land Institute, participating on a multifamily council and in the Urban Plan teaching program. Mr. Porter is a past President of the Greater Charlotte Apartment Association.

Susan Passmore, Secretary/Treasurer
Ms. Passmore is a Director for Blue Ridge Property Management in High Point. She is a past President of the Triad Apartment Association.

AANC INFORMATION:

APARTMENT COMMUNITIES IN NORTH CAROLINA:
Consider the following facts about apartments in North Carolina (2000 US Census statistics):

Apartment communities significantly improve the quality of life in both North Carolina’s urban centers and rural areas. Multi-family dwellings maximize the use of real estate, conserve resources, and promote high community standards.Firms that operate apartment communities provide housing to all age groups; they are located in cities, in towns, and in the country; they serve households with widely ranging incomes and a variety of preferences for location, amenities, and special features. The Apartment Association of North Carolina is committed to this provision of housing, focusing on the best and fairest interests of both renters and landlords.

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE AANC?
Affordable housing, quality construction, and professional management are some of the objectives of the AANC. Because housing is a basic need, apartment production and operation are subject to ever-increasing demands for higher standards of safety, habitability, security, environmental controls, design, and management. The AANC is committed to protect the affordability of rental housing while maintaining the safety, livability, and security of its constituents’ residents.

MISSION STATEMENT:
The Apartment Association of North Carolina is a statewide organization comprised of local apartment associations to promote safe, affordable housing through participation in the legislative process, and through communication with and education of its members, public officials, and the general public.

FOUNDED: 1987

MEMBER APARTMENT UNITS: 250,000

AREAS OF CONCERN:
Landlord-Tenant Law • North Carolina Building Code • NC Real Estate Commission Rules • Fair Housing • State Statutes • Environmental Regulations • Court Cases • Local Ordinances

AANC AFFILIATES IN NORTH CAROLINA:

• Cumberland County Apartment Association (Fayetteville)
• Greater Asheville Area Apartment Association
• Greater Charlotte Apartment Association
• Greenville, NC Property Managers Association
• Jacksonville Apartment Association
• Triad Apartment Association (Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem)
• Triangle Apartment Association (Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill)
• Wilmington Apartment Association

AANC’S MAJOR SUCCESSES:

• Promoted local rent control pre-emption
• Spearheaded the sprinkler compromise in construction requirements
• Influenced landlord-tenant legislation
• Researched & authored handicapped housing study - 1988 and 1997
• Favorable affected swimming pool regulations - 1993, 1996, 1998
• Assisted local associations with codes and fees
• Favorable impact on 1995’s Smoke Detector Bill
• Influenced quicker disposition of tenant personal property - 1995
• Expedited Drug Eviction Bill - 1995
• Workers Compensation rate reform
• Summary Ejectment Appeals Bill - 1998
• Water-Quality Testing Exemption - 2000
• Submetering Rules changes - 2001, 2003, 2004
• Methamphetamine Lab Deconamination Standards - 2004
• Domestic Violence Bill - 2004
• Sex Offender Registration Bill - 2006
• Video Service Bill - 2006

AANC LEASE/LEGAL HANDBOOK These popular, exceptional products are updated bi-annually by a top law firm to incorporate North Carolina law changes, evolving standards of practice in the apartment industry, and suggestions from owners and managers across the state. They are indispensable tools for rental housing owners and managers. Additionally, the AANC Lease has been translated into Spanish in order to serve the increasing Latino percentage of North Carolina’s renter population. Both the Lease and Legal Handbook are available to AANC member affliliates exclusively. Current editions of both publications are available to AANC affiliates. Click here for further details.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

AANC President Meg Pisczek, CPM, CAM
Crosland, Inc.
4000 Westchase Blvd., #390
Raleigh, NC 27607
919.754.8990 phone
919.754.8995 fax
mpisczek@crosland.com

AANC Lobbyist Colleen Kochanek
Smith Moore, LLP
2800 Two Hannover Square
BB&T Building
Raleigh, NC 27601
919.755.8741 phone
919.838.3164 fax
colleen.kochanek@smithmoorelaw.com

Executive Director Ken Szymanski
Apartment Association of NC
2101 Rexford Road, Suite 330-E
Charlotte, NC 28211
704.334.9511 x 24 phone
704.333.4221 fax
ken@greatercaa.org

AANC BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

Cumberland County Apartment Association
Karen Valenzuela

Greater Asheville Area Apartment Association
Shaw Goolsby

Greater Charlotte Apartment Association
John Porter (AANC Vice President)
Timothy H. Hose
Mindy McCorkle
Jamie McLawhorn
Scott Wilkerson

Greenville Area Property Managers Association
Cindy Donley

Jacksonville Apartment Associaion
Kim Branch

Triad Apartment Association
Susan Passmore (AANC Secretary/Treasurer)
Erin Ditto
Mary Gwyn
Jody Longwill
Kim Langlois

Triangle Apartment Association
Meg Pisczek (AANC President)
Fred Dean
Tamara Hayes
Terry Ragland
Lori Sharp

Wilmington Apartment Association
Chrissie Link

NC GENERAL ASSEMBLY LEADERSHIP:

2007-2008 SENATE LEADERSHIP
President: Lt. Governor Beverly Perdue
President Pro Tempore: Senator Marc Basnight
Deputy President Pro Tempore: Senator Charlie Smith Dannelly
Permanent Democratic Caucus Chairman: Senator R. C. Soles, Jr.
Majority Leader: Senator Tony Rand
Majority Whip: Senator Katie G. Dorsett
Democratic Caucus Secretary: Senator Charles W. Albertson
Republican Leader: Senator Phil Berger
Deputy Republican Leader: Senator Tom Apodaca
Republican Whip: Senator Jerry W. Tillman
Chairman, Republican Policy Committee: Senator Jean Preston

2007-2008 HOUSE LEADERSHIP
Speaker: Speaker Joe Hacknet
Speaker Pro Tempore: Rep. William T. Wainwright
Majority Leader: Rep. Hugh Holliman
Majority Whips: Reps. Larry M. Bell, Jean Farmer-Butterfield, and Deborah K. Ross
Minority Leader: Rep. Paul Stam
Minority Whip: Rep. William C. "Bill" McGee