Ep. 140 Courtney Barnard: Top 3 Legislative Issues Affecting Multifamily Investors for 2018

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While investors prefer real estate over other assets and securities due to its relative stability, it’s not without fluctuations of its own. Real estate is affected by a number of external forces, from the economy to local, state and federal legislation. What sets fluctuations in real estate apart from other investment classes is it’s general predictability; hardly anything happens out of nowhere in real estate. Most factors affecting real estate can be accurately tracked and anticipated. Investors who can keep ahead of these changes are able to mitigate much more risk in their investment.

Legislation is one of the most important factors affecting real estate investors. It affects everyone down to the local level and is able to affect every facet of real estate investing from financing to construction. With so much to keep track of, staying on top of current legislation may seem intimidating, but there are tools and resources available to assist you. For Florida multifamily investors, that’s our guest for this week!

legislative updates affecting multifamily investorsCourtney Barnard is a returning guest to the show and we’re so glad to have her back. Courtney is the Government Affairs Director for the Florida Apartment Association (FAA), the statewide chapter of the National Apartment Association (NAA).

The NAA/FAA serves as the primary advocate for residential multifamily investors and apartment owners. Not only does it represent apartment owners in front of lawmakers, it also provides education and support for investors. As Government Affairs Director, it’s Courtney’s job to track all national and statewide legislation affecting multifamily residential real estate and relay it to investors. Each year, Courtney provides an annual legislative update on key legislation that directly affects the residential multifamily industry.

Find out the Top 3 Legislative Issues affecting multifamily investors in 2018!

 

Ep. 112 Courtney Barnard: Legislative Update for Multifamily-Residential Property Owners

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multifamily-residential property legislative updateWe’ve been hearing a lot about Florida’s single family property markets, but what about multifamily-residential property?

Though multifamily-residential may not share the same spotlight that single family is getting, apartment investing makes up a big economic portion of Florida’s real estate market and there are some big legislative changes coming to multifamily residential property that investors need to be aware of.

We are glad to have Courtney Barnard back on the show. Courtney serves as the Government Affairs Director for the Florida Apartment Association (FAA). Courtney appeared previously, in episode 42, where she discussed then-current legislative updates to multifamily-residential property.

This time, she discusses some key changes coming with the 2016 legislative updates. This episode, Courtney also gives us a Florida multifamily market overview in addition to sharing important legislative updates for multifamily-residential property owners.

Florida Multifamily-Residential Property Overview

  • Jacksonville – largest apartment growth (new construction)
  • Sarasota/Bradenton – decline in growth
  • Over 96% occupancy statewide
  • New construction focused on Class A and Class Super A – $145k/unit costs
  • Lack of affordable multifamily developments

Legislative Updates

  • HVAC Maintenance
    • House Bill 535, July 2016
    • Apartment investors with 100 unit or more buildings
    • HVAC repairs can now be made by on-site building maintenance and not HVAC contractor
    • Bill Info
  • Non-Residential Property Tax Exemptions
    • 10% cap on non-residential property tax increases set to expire in 2018
    • No cap could hurt a lot of investors and small-business owners
    • Joint resolution to be put forth to reinstate cap permanently
  • Fire Sprinklers in Building
    • Florida administration code-change from National Fire Protection Standard
    • Takes effect Dec. 31st, 2016
    • High-rises over 75 feet required to have sprinklers in residences and common areas
    • Previously, buildings built before 1994 were exempt
    • Condos + Co-ops can vote to opt out, but apartment investors must comply UNLESS: balconies/secondary entrances are attached to every unit

Florida Apartment Association

The FAA has been in place for 45 years. With 11 regional chapters and over 5,000 apartment communities, the FAA offers members access to great benefits:

To find out more resources offered by the FAA and for other updates from Courtney, visit www.faahq.org.