Boo! Is Your Property Ready for Halloween?
As the end of October approaches, jack-o-lanterns appear and candy is at the ready. How will you address the holiday at your property? Halloween presents an opportunity to promote community, ensure safety for residents, tenants, and guests, and curb the potential for vandalism at your property. Here are some ideas that you can implement this Halloween season.
Multifamily
Determine a trick-or-treating approach and guidelines:
If trick-or-treating is allowed, designate set hours and consider a sign-up system
In lieu of trick-or-treating, offer candy or other items such as stickers, glow sticks, or trick-or-treat bags in the management office
Consider building-wide response where residents contribute candy for staff to distribute on behalf of the building
Invite your local police department to present a Halloween safety program
Distribute safety items such as flashlights or reflector lights
Organize a costume exchange party or resale event
Host a costume party for children and/or pets and award prizes for the best or most original costume
Host a fall festival community celebration in the lounge with decorations, Halloween movies, pumpkin decorating, crafts, games, treats, door prizes, and so forth
Organize a pumpkin-carving contest to earn rent credit, and use the pumpkins to decorate the property
Partner with a local organization or community group to sponsor Halloween events
Share Halloween trivia on Facebook and Twitter as a way to promote the property’s Halloween activities
Office
Provide tenant appreciation treats such as caramel apples, pumpkin cookies, donuts, apple cider, and so forth
Encourage tenants to hold a cubicle-decorating contest or costume contest for their staff with various categories (e.g., scariest, most creative, funniest, etc.)
Host a Halloween party for building tenants with food, sponsored booths from local businesses, and music or clips from Halloween episodes of The Office playing in the background
Encourage trick-or-treating between tenant floors or from cubicle to cubicle
Collect canned goods and other supplies for a local food pantry or shelter in exchange for a “casual day”
Retail
Hold a trick-or-treat event in which stores pass out candy to children at a set date and time
Host a costume contest for children and/or pets and award prizes for the best or most original costume
Organize a store Halloween decorating contest in which retailers compete for prizes
Lease additional space on a temporary basis to seasonal Halloween retailers at a fixed or percentage rent
Share Halloween events on Facebook and Twitter as a way to promote the property’s Halloween activities
With the “treats” of Halloween also come the potential for “tricks.” Properties of all types can help prevent vandalism in the following ways:
Ensure lighting is bright and all bulbs are working.
Use unbreakable fixtures or glass when possible.
Have additional security and janitors on-site or hire a roving security patrol if needed.
Lock any gates, garages and external doors around the property to prevent unauthorized access. Lock up any equipment or tools that may be easy targets for vandals.
Clean up any signs of vandalism as soon as they appear.
If you see someone committing an act of vandalism, report it to the police.
Full article: https://www.irem.org/education/learning-toolbox/halloween-by-property-type