Lovenlund Apartments

St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands

 

“I would like to take a moment to show my appreciation to my team and to share their accomplishments with everyone! Lovenlund Apartments has a total of 195 units housed within 20 Buildings. The property is split into two Phases – we call them Lovenlund I and Lovenlund II. In November 2019, Lovenlund I was 79.80% occupied with 20 vacant units and Lovenlund II was 76.04% occupied with 23 vacant units, that is a total of 43 vacant units!

 

When I acquired the Virgin Island portfolio in November 2019, all I could say was “OMG”! I knew little about the Islands and their culture, even less about Waste Water Treatment Plants & Reverse Osmosis Systems, and I certainly did not know how we would get these 43 units leased up quickly to satisfy the owners!

 

A little bit of background about the property: In January 2019, Royal American took over management as the property was going thru $14 Million dollars of Hurricane Repairs. Lovenlund Apartments in St. Thomas had been hit by 2 back to back category 5 hurricanes in late 2017. Residents were not displaced, the property was not condemned, the residents continued to live at the property in very badly damaged apartments and the residents who suffered severe damage were moved to any available unit so they would have shelter.

 

The Islands have A LOT of challenges such as: finding qualified vendors, locating and receiving supplies, receiving employment and bank verifications for applications in a timely manner, working under the microscope of the Senators, working with a Housing Authority that only has one inspector that covers all 3 islands (St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix), power that goes out on a regular basis sometimes for hours at a time, internet that is spotty and often times very slow; a McDonalds that does not sell Iced Coffee, a Kentucky Fried Chicken that runs out of chicken…these are just a few of the struggles we face on every given day.

 

We all love a success story, so let’s fast forward to today, Lovenlund I is 95.96% occupied with only 4 vacant units and Lovenlund II is 96.88% occupied with only 3 vacant units, that is a total of only 7 vacant units! Lovenlund has maintained this amazing occupancy for 2 months! The Lovenlund Team did this, they turned units, processed applications, and continued to conduct day to day business doing their best to meet the needs of all the residents that had been so traumatized and frustrated for such a long time! The entire staff, inside and out, went above and beyond and did not stop, no matter how hard they were pushed, they kept going and kept working towards the goal of being 95% occupied (often times working on a Saturday just to try to get ahead). Words cannot express how proud I am of each and every one of them! We have all come a long way on this journey and have strengthened as a team; we all celebrate this accomplishment together! #Teamwork”

 

– Jennifer Belisle, Regional Manager

 

Team Members:

Jay Miller, Community Manager

Debra Gonzalez, Assistant Community Manager

Lenisha Webbe, Leasing Consultant

Jermaine Riley, VI Area Maintenance Assistant

Ovando “Bobby” Rawlins, Maintenance Supervisor

Grayson Stuart, Waste Water Treatment Plant Expert

Khana “Mr. Smith” Smith, Maintenance Tech

Cedric Anselm, Maintenance Tech

Leshaun Thompson, Porter