Sometimes the biggest impact can be made through the simplest actions.
The city is overburdened with public safety issues at the same time trying to address the central-city housing crisis that affects our city’s most challenged residents. These concerns hold us back from becoming a thriving city. We can all play a role in helping to address these concerns at some level, including keeping our buildings and blocks clean and free of illegal dumping.
Berrada Properties has seen this happen first-hand within neighborhoods we serve. Studies indicate that clean, well-maintained properties in urban areas result in a reduction of criminal activity and nuisance complaints, which is why we’ve made a commitment to keeping our residential properties clean and well-maintained.
This approach has had a positive impact in and around the more-than-9,000 apartment units owned and managed by Berrada Properties.
It’s an approach that we encourage all landlords and property owners to embrace. Maintaining cleanliness brings a sense of order and can establish an expectation for residents to respect the property in which they live. Studies also indicate that maintaining a clean and orderly environment can reduce stress and have a positive impact on mental well-being.
Our residential properties, from the outdoor landscaping to the buildings’ interiors, are cleaned twice per week. We’ve invested in cleaning crews who operate six private garbage collection trucks, collecting thousands of pounds of refuse from properties each week.
What started as a simple approach to collecting stray litter and garbage has grown into a significant private investment and ongoing commitment to keep our properties clean, not only to serve our residents but the surrounding community as well.
Unfortunately, local headlines remind us daily of the challenges facing Milwaukee. Addressing these challenges requires attention to many factors, however, sometimes the best place to start on such complex issues is with simple solutions.
According to RentCafe.com, a national apartment listing service, nearly 60 percent of households in Milwaukee are renter-occupied. We’re proud to take the lead on finding a solution to the litter and property cleanup.
We believe that working with tenants to be good neighbors and renters, coupled with providing access to affordable, clean, high-quality housing is key to solving our city’s housing challenges. Landlords and property owners need to commit to ensuring their properties are clean and well-maintained, and pitch in to reinforce that illegal dumping and littering will not be tolerated in our city. It’s a simple action that can have a big impact.
