June 1, 2020
Dear Residents,
We are all eager for life to return to ‘normal’ as soon as possible. HMR is reviewing CDC and State guidelines on a daily basis and developing plans to safely reopen offices and get back to routine maintenance services.
Your safety, health, and well-being, and that of our staff members, continue to be of the utmost importance to us. Our efforts to continually sanitize your buildings and to conduct as much business remotely as possible has resulted in very low rates of Covid-19 in our buildings. We thank you for your patience, cooperation, and efforts during this challenging time.
Resident Resources
Each property has a list of resources available in your area to help during this difficult time, they include emergency food support, internet and telephone resources, utility, and rental assistance resources.
Rent
We understand that meeting your rental obligations, given the uncertainty and financial issues that so many are experiencing, can be difficult. We are not in a position to waive any of your obligations under your lease, including your obligation to pay rent, but please be assured that we do not intend to begin eviction proceedings against residents due to virus-related financial hardships during this public health emergency.
We encourage you to work with management to create reasonable and realistic payment plans to meet both your current circumstances and the obligations of your lease. In addition, we have waived all late fees and fees for using EBT/Direct Express cards as an option for rent payments. We look forward to discussing the various options with you at your earliest convenience.
Annual and interim recertifications are being completed based on physical distancing orders and certification interviews will be completed via telephone, teleconferencing, or other means.
Maintenance
In the next few weeks, we plan to cautiously resume some services. Initially, these will include:
- Routine extermination services
- Changing of air filters
- We will continue to address emergency work orders
- We will continue our cleaning and disinfecting of common areas, seven days per week
- We are exploring how to conduct routine apartment inspections safely
Maintenance work will be by appointment and residents will need to stay in another room while the maintenance worker is in your apartment. If you require maintenance services in your apartment and believe you are infected with or have been exposed to the virus, please notify the management office so we can take appropriate steps to help you.
Signage
As we begin to reopen, you will notice additional signage posted around the property reminding everyone to follow the CDC recommendations to:
- Maintain a 6-foot physical distance from other people
- Wear face masks
- Wash hands frequently
- Visit the office only by appointment
- If there is an elevator in your building, only one party should ride at a time
Community Rooms and Resident Events
We have shifted out resident engagement to assist residents in a safe and responsible manner. Throughout our properties, HMR staff have been innovative in finding ways to interact and provide services with residents in a physically distanced way. These include community gardens, virtual camps, and food programs. We will expand this as the CDC provides guidance to do so. Please reach out to your property management team if you need any assistance or have ideas to provide resources.
Working cooperatively, we are confident that we can begin to build a ‘New Normal’ that will help keep residents and staff healthy.
Sincerely,