There is no way to avoid it. If you are in any way involved with income property management then sometime during your career path you and the assets under your management will be impacted by crime. Sometimes, violent crime.
I am not exactly sure why crime is such a big seller on television. There are more Cops and Robber shows than ever. Perhaps it is because even a single act of crime impacts so many lives. When crime comes to your doorstep it is usually unexpected and seldom perpetrated by in-place residents. People forget that criminals have cars too. They are mobile.
From Perry Mason to Colombo, we now have CSI (Los Angeles, New York and Miami- what a franchise) and Law & Order. As a society we are intrigued by violence while concurrently trying to avoid it in our own lives. The issue is that crime does not always happen to someone else. It can impact you, your family, your tenants, your assets.
On LinkedIN, Ernest Oriente has a group, "Property Management Professionals". One of the threads is specific to all matters related to property management and crime. It is called Crime and Security. It is a place where you will learn more than one new thing about the subject. You must be signed in to LinkedIN to access Property Management Professionals group and the Crime and Security thread.
I know what I am about to say may seem like an over-simplification, but I am going to say it anyway. To the best of your ability try to avoid turning a blind eye to criminal activity. We all have a 'self-preservation" instinct that says "DON'T GET INVOLVED". I'm not suggesting throwing yourself in the middle of a gun fight. But call the authorities- even anonymously. Leaving it to someone else means it doesn't get done. Who knows how many lives a single phone call may save.
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Multifamily Insight is dedicated to assisting current and future multifamily property owners, operators and investors in executing specific tasks that allow multifamily assets to operate at their highest level of efficiency. We discuss real world issues in multifamily property management and acquisitions. This blog is intended to be informational only and does not provide legal, financial or accounting advice. Seek professional counsel. For more information, visit: www.MultifamilyInsight.com