American Apartment Owners Association's (aaoa) Blog

If you believe that your tenant is always liable for utilities, you might want to think again. Philadelphia Gas Works, in the 165 years that it's powered our sixth largest city, has grown weary of the financial drain caused by deadbeat tenants who skip out on the bills. Now, it will look to landl...

Leaving Shoes at the Door Saves Money! Since replacing the carpet yearly is not really on option, ongoing carpet care is one of the best ways to protect a major investment in your properties.As a landlord, protective and preventative maintenance is really the best tactic, rather than trying to cl...

Marburg, Germany, a peaceful Renaissance city on a hill, has long been a tourist destination. Its medieval attractions, dating back to the 1200's, include a castle and the Gothic shrine of St. Elizabeth, a sacred treasure of the Elizabeth Church. The Brothers Grimm studied at the University of Ma...

Every time you start up an appliance that runs on a motor, electricity is drawn into your home. Your meter spins, tracking usage, and your bill is calculated on that amount.  But not all of the electricity that is metered is actually used. A lot of it is wasted. You've paid for it, but it never g...

In 2008, there will be, at the absolute minimum, almost 26 million people looking for an apartment online. If 26 million people are using online resources to inform their decisions and choose apartments, it is absolutely necessary for apartment management companies to have user-friendly, updated ...

Andy Warhol would have loved this. The late American artist coined the phrase, "fifteen minutes of fame." He was referring to the fleeting condition of celebrity that attaches itself to an object of media attention briefly until our collective short attention span moves on to something new.     T...

Tenant debt collection expert Bill Gray is seeing a disturbing trend: "We are getting more and more collection requests from owners who inherited the existing tenants from the seller," Bill explains.  "Problem is, all they have is the lease. They don't have the information we need for collection...

by Matt DiChiara, MyNewPlace An aspect of the Economic Stimulus Act of 2008, one that you most likely did not hear the talking heads and pundits discussing, is an incentive designed to increase commercial real estate construction. A potential upshot of this ignored section could be the most cost-...

Time is money when it comes to evictions, and mistakes can cost a landlord both. These common misconceptions not only slow down your eviction, they can cost you in court:   Read more. American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services related to your commercial housin...

I'm often reminded that there are many versions of the truth, and the widely differing points of view highlighted in this lawsuit offer no exception. Sometimes, too, it takes a judge to protect us from each other's "good" intentions. On May 27, 2008, U.S District Judge B. Avant Edenfield ruled in...