Locales across the United States are using relocation packages to siphon talent from larger cities. The deals include everything from free rent to cash allowances and home appliances. The trend can mean notable government contracts for co-working spaces, multifamily and single-family housing providers. Each program is different, but many share common threads. Their marketing messages often aim to attract newcomers from cities where significant portions of income are directed towards housing. Several locales appeal to professionals in technology and science-based fields. One program has gained significant attention in recent weeks. Your New Home: Tulsa, Oklahoma The George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) is currently accepting applications for its remote employee relocation program, Tulsa Remote. The Foundation is offering $10,000 cash, a rent-free furnished apartment, and a desk at 36 Degrees North, a local coworking space. In exchange, recipients must live in Tulsa full-time for at least one year. Recipients are also encouraged to participate in community events. Many of these social opportunities are created especially for program participants. Tulsa Remote recipients are invited to exclusive wine tastings, group outings, and neighborhood panel discussions. The hope, says GKFF’s executive director Ken Levitt, is that the transplants will establish a local community and decide to stay beyond the required year. In theory, the remote employees will not only bring cash into Tulsa. They will show local young professionals that they don’t have to leave their small-town home to be successful, suggests Sara Sutton, the CEO of FlexJobs, a remote job search engine. Tulsa Remote and similar programs remove the stigma from telecommuting, which some believe is not a “legitimate thing.” But telecommuting is quite a legitimate thing. A 2017 Gallup poll revealed that 43 percent of employed Americans have worked remotely in some capacity. The figure is...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently received a $1.7 billion dollar Continuum of Care grant. Funds will provide assessment programs, street outreach, housing, job training, mental and physical health care, substance abuse counseling, and child care for formerly homeless persons. This year’s allotment reflects a 5% cut in funding, continuing a trend of decreased support for housing assistance from the Senate. A decline in homelessness has, in part, prompted the cuts. In 2010, the Obama Administration’s Opening Doors program presented the nation with a strategic plan to end homelessness. 19 federal agencies collaborated to target populations most affected by homelessness such as veterans and children. Since the inception of Opening Doors, chronic homelessness has declined by 16 percent, homeless veterans are down by 24 percent, and homeless families have decreased by 8 percent. While the amount of persons affected by homelessness is on the decline, funding for Opening Doors and similar initiatives is decreasing. Sequestration is largely responsible for the cuts. According to the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) public housing has lost a total of 3.4 billion in funding since 2010 without inflation. To date, public housing developments face a $26 billion backlog of needed repairs. 1.1 million low-income families are affected by this deficit. The 5 percent cut will not permit HUD to renew all of the housing vouchers currently needed to maintain operations. The amount of new vouchers issued will also be affected. The 2013 shortfall is the most profound in HUD history. The cuts may undermine Opening Doors’ past success. The decline in funding may impede or reverse the decline of homelessness in America. Unless the sequestration is reversed, CBPP reports that more than 120,000 low-income families will be cut from rental assistance in 2014....

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Pending legislation that could bolster California’s water conservation efforts by mandating the metering of water in new construction throughout the state is moving forward.  This week, the California State Senate passed an amended version of SB750, which would require individual unit water metering at all newly developed multiunit residential structures or mixed-use residential/commercial projects. SB750, introduced by Senator Lois Wolk (D-Davis), is being tracked by the Utility Conservation Coalition (UCC) and Utility Management Conservation Association (UCMA), two utility management advocacy associations. Martin Levkus, Yardi Systems’ Vice President and General Manager of YES Energy Management, is a director at the UCMA, which has provided technical expertise on submetering and utility billing to the bill’s authors to inform the legislation’s development process. The bill would require individual unit water meters or submeters in newly constructed multifamily or mixed-use residential and commercial properties that are under four stories. Existing properties would not be required to install submeters. Though a planned enforcement date of January 1, 2014, has been proposed, the legislation has yet to be approved and signed into law. Depending on when the bill is approved, the enforcement date could be delayed. Based largely on the advocacy of the UCC and UMCA, a recent amendment to the bill, considered crucial to many in the multifamily industry, removed a prohibition on Ratio Utility Billing Systems (RUBS) from the legislation. RUBS allow property owners to calculate the portion of water/sewer charges that are passed on to residents based on occupancy, the square footage of their apartment, or other associated factors. Under the current version of the bill, existing RUBS properties would be grandfathered, and landlords would be able to pass through a monthly administrative fee of up to $4.00. If the tenant’s water bill is...

As the multifamily industry moves forward, many firms are choosing to create sustainable housing that also fosters a healthy lifestyle for its residents. Firms select sites with easy access to public transit and bike lanes. Communities receive fitness centers, walking trails, and programming like exercise and yoga classes. Many of these health-related amenities welcome residents to participate at will. A tenant’s decision to work towards better health has not, in large part, affected anyone other than the tenant. A new wave of health-conscious legislation may force tenants to take personal responsibility for the health of their neighbors. Residents say that they want to live in smoke-free environments, but they’re not willing to pay extra for it. Industry leaders and health officials have teamed up to evaluate the effects of secondhand smoke in multifamily housing and the hospitality field. As research mounts in favor of smoke-free residences, managers and owners are forced to make the tough call for their properties. Should smoking be banned? Numerous multifamily developments in Hawaii have already enforced smoking bans throughout their premises, including outdoor public areas such as lanais and barbecue shelters. A few California cities, such as Elk Grove, have also followed suit. They are forerunners of California legislation that may soon become law, permitting the widespread banning of smoking in apartment complexes. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also moved in favor of smoke-free legislation. In all three states, the legislation has been consistent: none of the proposed bills would forbid smokers from smoking altogether, nor do they ban smokers from all public housing. Instead, individual properties would have the right to include no-smoking clauses in their contracts and lease agreements. The biggest change proposed by the legislation is that non-smokers should have the option to live in...