Digested From “Renters Don’t Have to Bypass Trick-or-Treating Fun”
Cleveland Plain Dealer (10/26/14) Stringer, Judy
With more and more households opting to rent rather than own, Halloween trick-or-treating is becoming more and more of an apartment community pastime. “Apartment communities are as much of a community as a single-family detached community,” remarks Rick Haughey, vice president of Industry Technology Initiatives at the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC). “A home is a home, whether you own it [or] rent it or whether it’s a house, a townhouse or an apartment.” He adds that apartment trick-or-treating has its advantages. The proximity of the rental units means larger candy hauls over shorter distances. It also makes it easier for moms and dads to monitor their costumed children. Another advantage is the fact that much of the action typically takes place indoors away from cehicular traffic and unpredictable October weather. Haughley states, “Oftentimes, the apartment communities are covered, well-lit and climate-controlled areas for kids to trick or treat, which can be a big deal in some parts of the country where it’s cold by Oct. 31.”
Meanwhile, those who rent who do not have children get the added benefit of enjoying the creativity of the Halloween costumes and the chance to get to know their neighbors a little better. What apartment owners and managers do around the country to celebrate Halloween is just about as diverse as rental communities themselves. Some help organize a trick-or-treating time and offer a sign or decoration for residents to put on their door to tell the kids that they can knock and get candy at that apartment. Others hold Halloween parties in a clubhouse or community room — usually while it is still daylight out — where the little ones can parade their costumes, play games, and get candy. “Trunk-or-treating” events are also becoming more popular, with residents pull up their vehicles to the front of the community and passing out treats from their trunks. This approach enables apartment management to open Halloween to the surrounding community without permitting a lot of non-residents into secure apartment buildings. Finally, those apartment communities without many kids can still get into the Halloween spirit by hosting dog costume parties and/or costume competitions for adult residents. Currently, 24 percent of all apartments have at least one or more children under the age of 18, according to NMHC research.
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