Down Unit Accommodation Policy

Purpose (Why we do this):

To accommodate a resident when a unit is unavailable for less than 30 days.

Policy (What you’re supposed to do):

When a when a resident’s unit becomes unavailable for an extended period, it is HRA’s intent to work with the resident to identify temporary accommodations or help cover the costs of a temporary alternative accommodation for the resident. Accordingly, the following is a list of options in order of preference if the unit is unavailable for less than 30 days:

• OPTION 1: Permanently transfer the resident to another unit if one is available.
• OPTION 2: If applicable, check if any neighboring HRA properties have availability. If so, and the move is temporary, then the resident should transfer to the other property temporarily until the unit becomes available and you do not charge rent during this time. If there is availability at a neighboring HRA property and the move is permanent, then the resident should permanently move to the neighboring property and pay rent for the new unit.
• OPTION 3: If the resident has friends or family that they can stay with, then you should offer each resident a $500 concession and not charge them rent during the period their unit is unavailable.
• OPTION 4: If Options 1 – 3 are unavailable, you should help facilitate a temporary hotel accommodation for the resident. To do this, you should contact a local hotel and obtain preferred pricing for the estimated number of units required for the estimated length of time the unit is unavailable. Once you obtain preferred pricing from the hotel, have the resident independently contact the hotel so the hotel room is in their name. The resident needs to use their own renter’s insurance (either PCON or their own third-party renter’s insurance) for the cost of the hotel. If the resident’s renter’s insurance does not cover the entire cost of the hotel accommodation, then you should cover the remaining cost but do not exceed $500 per hotel room. The hotel room accommodation should only cover the hotel room charge, not room incidentals and other charges. The resident is not obligated to pay rent during this time.

Additional Notes

• Any incurred vacancy loss for the unavailable unit should be classified as “Vacancy Loss – Down Units” to ensure that you are accounting for the unavailable unit separately from normal vacancy loss. Please verify with your accountant that the unavailable unit is classified correctly.
• Should the unit be unavailable for longer than 30 days, notify your regional manager if you have not already and project manager.