Licensing vital to ensuring standards of excellence.

Licensing may well be the most important issue facing the property management industry today. The industry is becoming increasingly complex, and property managers today face unique challenges associated with serving multiple- and often conflicting - constituencies, ranging from landlords to boards to residents, while at the same time dealing with maintenance staffs, security personnel and contractors.

Since property managers also regularly interface with government agencies, unions and the communities in which they work on behalf of the owners and residents that employ them, it's clear that very specific expertise is required to be a successful professional in the real estate management industry. '

A statutory provision requiring licensing for property managers is the very best way to establish and ensure a baseline standard of excellence for the industry. Certainly, the vast majority of property managers are honest, diligent and hard-working. But as we all know, problems can arise in any nonregulated profession.

Such a measure would also be formidable in heightening industry professional ism, and in protecting both the real estate owners and residents we serve.

The New York Association of Realty Managers (NYARM) has long recognized the need for a professional standard in real estate management. Our organization believes property managers specifically trained in the areas of finance, tenant relations, local law compliance and the physical needs of both commercial and residential properties are an enormous benefit to everyone, from property owners to residents and the support services they deal with daily.

These highly-trained individuals are equipped to handle physical operations on the property site, as well as managing the business of the property and dealing with tenants and staff alike.

NYARM has vigorously encouraged legislation that would provide a recognized industry standard of professionalism for property managers of co-ops and condos in New York State and set minimum training requirements for such managers.

Legislation to create such licensing requirements is in fact currently making its way through the state government. It passed in the Assembly and is now before the Senate. We firmly believe that a license, obtained on the basis of professional accreditation, would not only add a healthy degree of rigor to the industry while ensuring industry-wide excellence, but also properly reflect such professionalism and excellence in a formal manner.

At the same time, NYARM offers a certification program that is recognized by the New York State Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) and the New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD).

The program includes Fundamentals of Financial Management; How to Deal Effectively with Tenants; Supervisory Skills for Managing Residential and Cooperative Properties; Landlord/Tenant Law; Complying with NYC Local Laws; Management and Operations of Building Systems; and the required course, Business Ethics for Property Managers. These courses offer realty managers the opportunity to learn the most modern management techniques to address the multitude of problems they face daily in a more professional manner.

By completing the prescribed course of study, an applicant will earn the designation "nyarm," new york accredited realty manager. Over the 12 years we have been offering the program, this successful course of study has graduated hundreds of qualified, well-informed real estate managers that have taken positions of responsibility within the industry and enhanced their area of expertise within the real estate profession by offering superior management services to both residents and property owners.