Page 7 - New England Condominium January 2021
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NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM  NEW ENGLAND CONDOMINIUM   -JANUARY 2021      7  ■    Depth of Knowledge & Experience  ■    Expert Advice  ■    Creative Approaches & Solutions  ■    Flexible Billing Arrangements  NE C  ONDO   02 • 10.125   6.25   X  www.lawmtm.com  MTM is a full-service Condominium & Real Estate Law Firm  Experience,  Integrity,  & Drive Set  Us Apart  Uncommon Expertise for your Community of Common Interests  Thomas Bhisitkul  (617) 934-4603  tbhisitkul@lawmtm.com  Kimberly A. Bielan  (781) 817-4607  kbielan@lawmtm.com  Christopher S. Malloy   (617) 934-4604  cmalloy@lawmtm.com  Douglas A. Troyer  (781) 817-4605  dtroyer@lawmtm.com  Thomas O. Moriarty  (781) 817-4603  tmoriarty@lawmtm.com  (781) 817-4900  30 B  RAINTREE   H  ILL   O  FFICE   P  ARK  , S  UITE   205  B  RAINTREE  , MA  02184  (617) 934-4550  265 F  RANKLIN   S  TREET  , S  UITE   1801  B  OSTON  , MA  02110  (508) 459-8516  39 T  OWN   H  ALL   S  QUARE  F  ALMOUTH  , MA  02540  C  M  Y  CM  MY  CY  CMY  K  greater stress—especially those who already  I view it. So, I have to figure out how to do   had problems. We did a lot of Zoom calls with  that—how do   our building staff and maintenance people to   keep them updated on protocols and changes  burnout has become a reality in his industry.   in policies, as well as how to deal with people.  He reports that some managers are leaving   And we did it so they could give each other  not only their jobs, but the real estate busi-  emotional support. Every day became a sup-  port group for all types of staff.”  “Good customer service skills are very  and psychologist than manager right now,”    important right now,” says Nolan. “Let’s face  he says. His company has instituted all types   it, 2020 has been a whirlwind of a year, with  of special training as needed, from cleaning   many people working from home, many  requirements to support group-type confer-  people jobless, children learning for the first  ences. He even brings in attorneys to explain   time via Zoom and other online platforms...  it’s changed the lives of many. Our routines  regulations to his property managers so they   have been disturbed, which makes people un-  comfortable, irritable at times, and fearful for  tions, and best practices—and hopefully feel   the future. We have to understand that when  less stressed about implementing them all in   clients might have more of an edgy tone to  their client communities.  their emails or phone calls, it’s not necessarily   us, but just the current state of the country.”  awaited vaccine are distributed across the   Focusing on solid customer service, mutual  country, we’re finally seeing a light at the end   patience, and de-escalating tense exchanges  of a very long, dark tunnel. But even with the   when they occur can go a long way toward  ray of hope that vaccinations offer, the pan-  reducing stress for everyone on all sides of the  demic remains ongoing—and continues to   equation.    Wollman says he’s learned to value and  erties, their staffs, and themselves. Time will   implement patience and collaboration, and  tell how soon—if ever—we’ll be able to return   uses an apt metaphor: “We had to adapt to an  to some place of normalcy, but until then,   ever-changing  wheel without  reinventing it  multifamily managers will keep soldiering on,   every day. And it wasn’t my wheel, the wheel  supporting their staff and client communities   I built over my career. It was the Governor’s  as we all do our best to hold it together.          wheel, or Department of Health’s wheel. But   we had to keep everyone safe—employees,   staff, and residents. That’s my responsibility as   we   do that.”  Wolf observes that pandemic-related   ness altogether—and those who are staying in   are feeling the strain, too. “I’m more therapist   the ever-changing landscape of pandemic   can stay abreast of new requirements, restric-  As the very first doses of the desperately   impact the way managers manage their prop-  n  A J Sidransky is a staff writer/reporter for New   England Condominium, and a published novel-  ist.   The decidedly more tenant-friendly   Massachusetts eviction moratorium barred   landlords and property managers from tak-  ing virtually any eviction-related actions   (including issuing notices to quit or other   eviction-related notices, demanding that   tenants vacate the premises or otherwise   threatening eviction), unless an emergency   required the  eviction, and  even  in those   cases, a court had to approve the action.  The state law did not just tie the hands   of landlords and property managers; it   locked the  courthouse doors as  well.  The   moratorium prohibited courts from accept-  ing summary process complaints, entering   judgments for possession of the premises,   or even scheduling any court-related evic-  tion proceedings. To make matters worse,   Massachusetts courts would not issue and   constables could not serve execution orders   requiring removal of tenants and their be-  longings from the premises.  CDC Eviction Moratorium  Because the Massachusetts moratorium   has expired, landlords and property man-  agers must follow the CDC rules, which   remained in effect until at least December   31, 2020, but may be extended beyond   that date. Unlike the Massachusetts mora-  torium, the CDC’s allows landlords and   property managers to pursue residential   evictions for non-payment of rent, with one   major caveat: Tenants may not be evicted   if they submit a written declaration, under   pains and penalty of perjury, attesting that   they:  • Have used their “best efforts” to obtain   all available government assistance for pay-  ment of rent;  • Expect to earn no more than $99,000   in annual income for calendar year 2020   ($198,000 if filing a joint return), were not   required to report any income in 2019, or   received a government stimulus check un-  der the CARES Act.;  • Are unable to pay the full rent or make   a full housing payment because of adverse   financial impacts of the pandemic;  • Are using their best efforts to make   timely payments as close as possible to the   full payment;  • Have no other available housing op-  tions and if evicted, would either be made   homeless or forced to reside in a congregate   or shared-living setting.  Under the CDC moratorium, landlords   and  property  managers  can  pursue  evic-  tions for non-payment of rent until they   receive a tenant’s pandemic affidavit. At   that point, all eviction-related actions must   cease immediately. Landlords and property   managers who violate the CDC’s order are   subject to hundreds of thousands of dollars   in fines, possible imprisonment, or both.  CDC EVICTION...  continued from page 1  continued on page 8 


































































































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