Will you be remembered as the smelly kid?

I've done a fair amount of property shopping in my days and the one thing that always turned me off from an apartment was the way it smelled. There are far too many apartments out there that smell like cigarette smoke, cooking odors, pet waste, cleaning products and just plain yuckiness (I made a new word!) for me to count. Come on people....it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that these are huge turn offs for people. Apartments need to be inviting and there's just nothing inviting about any of those odors. I have a few thoughts on where most managers go wrong and what they can do to make a "fresh" start!



First there's the obvious...we've got to get these apartments smelling better! Here are a few things to keep in mind about some particular odors...



Pet waste-this is a huge hot button of mine. I personally don't have pets, so I'm extremely sensitive to the smell of pet waste. This was always a positive thing for me when I worked on site because I was able to identify problem odors better than some of my pet owner co-workers were able to. For people that don't have pets, smelling the "leftovers" of someone else's is a huge turn off. I know it may sound extreme to some people, but my rule of thumb was always to replace any carpet that had pet waste in it. I don't care if there was one little pee spot, it needed to come up. In addition to replacing the carpet, the padding also needed to be replaced and the subfloor needed to be treated. A huge misconception among residents with pets was that if their dog piddled on the carpet and they cleaned it up, they were fine. They didn't often realize what was going on underneath that carpet and that those odors were getting trapped. To keep pet owners from being outraged at carpet charges when they move out, be up front with your expectations from the beginning. Tell them that pet waste is not acceptable and any evidence of pet waste will result in the carpet being replaced. Just be sure when you're evaluating an apartment for pet waste that you use the proper methods and get a third party opinion for all replacement decisions.



Cigarette smoke-again, something non-smokers don't want to smell! Please be sure that you've taken every measure possible to rid your apartments of cigarette smoke. Use an ozone machine, repaint, do extra cleaning and replace flooring if necessary. Remember, these are typically all costs you can pass along to your residents in most cases as smoke is not normal wear and tear.



Cooking odors-same as smoke....if we didn't cook it, we don't want to smell it! A savory curry meal may be delightful to some, but it personally makes me want to toss my cookies!



Cleaning products-so I know we have good intentions of getting our apartments spic and span, but sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. Cleaning products often leave behind strong odors, particularly oven cleaners and bathroom products. When possible, try to purchase products that have a pleasant scent. Also instruct your service team to open windows and turn on fans for good ventilation.





Once you've tackled certain odors, there are several steps you can take to get your apartments smelling appealing and keeping them that way.



First, use some sort of air freshener in all of your apartments. Be sure to use a welcoming scent that appeals to everyone, like apple cinnamon or vanilla. You have several options here, including plug ins, carpet powder, room spray and what you choose will likely depend on how long you expect the apartment to be vacant and how much time you have to maintain it. My personal favorite form of air freshener is an air filter scent packet. These are placed on the air filters and the scent is distributed evenly throughout the unit. These last long and are low maintenance!



Second, get a second opinion! Now, I'm sure there are exceptions, but for the most part, many of the maintenance guys I've worked with over the years are oblivious to bad odors! Many of them smoke themselves, so cigarette smoke doesn't phase them. In fact, many of them are stinky themselves! :) So, I encourage you to have a second "nose" on hand after each move out to assess what problem odors are around and help decide what needs to be done to fix them.



Third, walk your vacants regularly! I know it's a pain in the butt, but it's critical to maintaining your community. There are many other benefits to walking your vacants regularly, but for the purposes of this discussion, it really helps you keep on top of problem odors and keep your apartments smelling as fresh as daisies!

Finally, and this is a big one...DON'T SHOW A SMELLY APARTMENT!!!! You only have one chance to make a first impression. There's absolutely no reason to have that first impression be a negative one. You don't want the prospect remembering your community as the stinky one! No one wants to be the smelly kid!!!

Morgan Oney, CAM

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