Halloween Tips for Multifamily Property Managers

By Jessica Fiur, News Editor

New York—‘Tis the season for plastic jack-O’-lantern candy buckets, princesses, superheroes and little boxes of raisins (that house is so getting TP-ed). Halloween is upon us once again.

But the rules of Halloween are a little different for apartment residents than for suburban house-dwellers. Is it really necessary to go to all the work of putting something together for the residents?

Maybe it’s not essential, but it will definitely help create cohesiveness in the building.

“We’re trying to create a community in everything we do,” Jesse Holland, president of Sunrise Management & Consulting, tells MHN of his Albany, NY buildings.

So, as a property manager, what can you do to encourage some celebrating while maintaining a clean and safe environment in your building?

“We always try to give out candy so we don’t get egged,” Holland jokes. “We try to cater to the children,” he says.

Of course, the residents’ safety, especially when it comes to children, is important to keep in mind.

“As a large property in downtown Chicago, we do not open the building for trick or treaters for security reasons,” Brandon Moore, leasing director, Draper and Kramer, says. “We do not, however, want the kids to miss out, so we hand out ample amounts of candy at the front desk for them to satisfy their sweet tooths!”

If you allow trick or treating in your building, you might want to have a sign-up sheet in the lobby for people who want trick or treaters to stop by their apartments. Additionally,  it might be helpful to have “trick-or-treat hours” listed in the lobby or other communal area, so residents won’t be disturbed by late-night doorbells.

Steps should also be taken to “Halloween-proof” your building before a community celebration. In his buildings, Holland says they make sure all the building lighting is working, the garbage is taken out and there is nothing lying around that could be thrown. “It is not the night you want a brick lying around,” he quips.

In addition to handing out candy, there are many other ways to amp up the fun and “reach out to the community.” Holland, a volunteer firefighter, suggests contacting your local firehouse to see if they’ll bring over a fire truck for the kids to see.

And, of course, there are Halloween celebrations you can have in your building that cater to the Charlie Sheen and Zombie Amy Winehouse crowd (as opposed to the Justin Biebers and Hannah Montanas).

“Every year we have an autumn wine tasting,” Moore says. “Our decorated lobby turns into a cozy lounge for our tenants to unwind with some light socializing and a glass or two of wine.”

If you do have something in your building for Halloween, one thing’s for certain: Your residents will appreciate it. Unless you give out raisins. No one appreciates raisins.