Normally, when I think of an MOR, I think of a review of all of my paperwork. I mean, REAC is responsible for physical inspections, an MOR shouldn’t worry me, right?
WRONG. When preparing for an MOR, the physical appearance of your community is an important part of your score. It is nearly impossible to get a good score (and when I say good score, I mean Above Average or better) if your community is not physically in shape.
The good news? If you read my last entry, you already KNOW what they are going to be looking for since you’ve read the 9834! I love having the questions before the test…
So, the basic areas you need to prepare for physically are:
- REAC deficiencies have all been mitigated – and don’t take ANYONE’S word for it. At the very least, you should walk ALL of the units that had any obsesrved deficiencies on your last REAC (epsecially the EH&S [Exhigent Health and Safety]) because you can be fairly confident that those units will be walked. Make sure during your inspection that not only are the specific items recorded on the REAC mitigated, but that the unit in its entirety would pass REAC again. Your MOR reviewer will be looking for overall maintenance in the apartment – not JUST the REAC findings.
- VACANT UNITS are market ready – you should walk ALL of the vacant units (yes…ALL of them) prior to the MOR and make sure as many as possible are completely market ready before the review. This means that you, personally, would put your DISHES in the cabinets, your FOOD in the refrigerator, and your BODY in the bathtub. If it doesn’t pass that criterion, then it is NOT market ready. For vacant apartments that are not ready AT LEAST HAVE THEM TRASHED OUT. The last thing you want is for the reviewer to inspect a vacant unit that STINKS and is full of trash. We all know that this happens and is part of being in affordable housing, but that doesn’t mean we want to rub it in the reviewers face!
- Make sure your common areas are neat and clean and have no graffiti – walk them the day before, preferably the morning before the MOR and make sure that you are proud of how they look. Make sure trash is taken out, doors and windows are closed and do lock (if they are supposed to). Remember, common areas are amenities that should generally make your community look better. This is an area that is often overlooked and can make a reviewer be more inclined to give you a better score.
- Make your community POP! Curb appeal is important every day, but on the day of the MOR it is crucial. Is this a community that you would stop at and walk inside, or can you see trash from the road? Are your flowers dead? Is your sign broken and leaning? These are all things that make your community look bad and make it look like you just don’t care. I KNOW YOU CARE…make sure your community reflects that. Drive up to your office as if you’ve never been there before…what really stands out? Is the emergency number legible, or has it been posted in the window so long it is faded and yellow? Are your windows clean? Slow down and take a real look at what you are reflecting to the world around you and make sure you are proud of what they will see.
You’re right, an MOR is not primarily about what your community LOOKS like and it certainly isn’t a physical inspection, but there is a physical aspect to it and a neat and clean community tell an auditor a lot about what they are likely to find.
C’mon…let’s get physical!