The National Apartment Association is a trade association based in Arlington, VA that represents property owners, apartment communities and vendors, suppliers, and contractors who work with the residential real estate industry. The NAA practices advocacy and lobbying in order to represent the interests of the apartment industry. They also provide legal services and resources for their members such as savings and discounts, reference materials, conferences, expositions, and training and certifications.
What Issues Does the NAA Advocate For?
The NAA represents the interests of the apartment industry and they lobby on a number of issues related to it.
- Affordable Housing: The NAA advocates for the easing of regulatory restrictions that the feel put an undue burden on the apartment industry. They believe that this will encourage affordable rent.
- Capital Markets: They want to help boost consistently reliable and competitively priced sources of financing in order to better meet the growing demand for apartment rentals.
- Development and Building Codes: While building codes are essential to ensure the safety of residents, the NAA warns that not considering how technically or financially feasible some codes are can lead to unaffordable housing.
What Types of Certifications and Education Courses Do the NAA Offer?
In addition to their advocacy and resources, the NAA offers many different classes, training, and certifications to help their members succeed in the residential real estate industry through their National Apartment Association Education Institute branch.
- Certified Apartment Manager (CAM): This course covers management of residential issues, legal responsibilities, human resource management, fair housing, marketing, property maintenance for managers, risk management and fiscal management in the apartment industry.
- Certified Apartment Portfolio Supervisor (CAPS): NAA defines the CAPS course as “an in-depth review of property management principles and techniques as used by the professional supervisor.”
- Certificate for Apartment Maintenance Technicians (CAMT): This class is designed to train a new maintenance technician or help an experienced maintenance technician brush up on their skills. You will be given the skills, knowledge, and tools to help run a successful maintenance program.
- Independent Rental Owner Professional Designation Course (IROP): This is the course for the DIY property owner. Owners of multifamily rental properties will learn the skills of a professional property manager as well as the ability to earn the IROP designation after passing the required exam.
- National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP): The NALP course will teach you how to use effective proven marketing skills to attract tenants, close deals, resolve disputes, create lease agreements and more.