Full Name: Jeffrey S. Lapin, CPM, ARM, DREI
Email: jlapincpm@gmail.com
Phone: 423-402-0636
Profile:
An expert in property management, maintenance, and the standard of care for commercial and residential properties, including inspection and maintenance policies and procedures, landlord premises liability and fiduciary duties.
As an expert witness since 2015, I have been retained on over 100 cases involving the standard of care for landlords and property managers, fiduciary duties and related topics for commercial and residential properties by attorneys representing both plaintiffs and defendants. My area of focus pertains to a landlord’s/property manager’s duty to perform regular, documented property inspections, to diligently act on the findings of such inspections and to maintain a reasonably safe and secure property at all times.
I was actively and directly involved in the management of all types of real estate for 40 years as a commercial and multi-family property owner, manager and later as a property management supervisor, management company co-owner and senior executive for national management companies.
I hold a Certified Property Manager (CPM®) designation and an Accredited Residential Manager designation (ARM®) from the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM), and a Distinguished Real Estate Instructor (DREI®) designation from the Real Estate Educators Association (REEA).
Since 2011, I have been an instructor, delivering quality education and training of real estate professionals through the Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®), the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA®), Colibri and the Tennessee Real Estate Education Services (TREES®).
As an instructor for these prestigious organizations, teaching accreditation and licensing courses in property management, maintenance, agency, risk management, ethics and finance, I have helped hundreds of real estate professionals advance their understanding and application of these topics, including policies and procedures designed to meet or exceed the standard of care.
I regularly create and deliver professional educational content for IREM®, including co-writing the IREM CPM course entitled Managing Maintenance Operations and Property Risk (MNT 402), which is a part of the required curriculum for IREM’s professional designations.
In 2016, I was President of IREM Chapter 22 in Sacramento, California. In 2020, I was a contributor to the IREM® publication: Best Practices for Real Estate Management Services.
Education:
Master of Business Administration (MBA) – Pepperdine University, Malibu, California
Bachelor of Science – Business Administration – University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles, California
Completed various CE courses annually.
Professional Qualifications:
Former V.P., Property Management, Licensed Real Estate Officer, partner and Supervising CPM® for a national real estate investment management company which was an IREM Accredited Management Organization (AMO). Retired August, 2021
Certified Property Manager (CPM®) – Institute of Real Estate Management (www.irem.org)
Accredited Residential Manager (ARM®) – Institute of Real Estate Management (www.irem.org)
Member and Distinguished Real Estate Instructor (DREI®) – Real Estate Educators Association (REEA®)
Former Adjunct Professor – University of Tennessee Chattanooga – Gary Rollins College of Business – Real Estate Fundamentals (FIN 3710) and California State University Sacramento – College of Business – Real Estate Principles (FIN 19)
Member IREM® Knowledge Solutions Advisory Council – Contributor to new IREM® courses and accreditations
Member – IREM® Best Practices Working Group – Contributor to 2020 Best Practices publication by the Institute of Real Estate Management (ISBN-13: 978-1-57203-290-3)
2016 President – Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM®) Chapter 22 – Sacramento, California
IREM® CPM® of the year – 2014 & 2017
Certified Instructor – IREM® national CPM® (Certified Property Manager) designation curriculum – MNT402 (Managing Maintenance Operations and Property Risk), IREM Maintenance and Risk Management Skill Badge course (ISBMNT), FIN402 (Budgeting, Cash Flow and Reporting for Investment Real Estate), ETH800 (Ethics for the Real Estate Manager) and numerous live and webinar courses pertaining to the standard of care for residential and commercial properties.
Instructor – BOMI® International (Building Owners and Managers Institute International) –
Design, Operation and Maintenance of Building Systems, Part I & II and Environmental Health and Safety.
Faculty Instructor –Tennessee Real Estate Education Systems (TREES)– TN Pre-license Education Courses
Licensed Course Instructor – Tennessee Real Estate Commission (Lic. #00946)
Certified Distance Educator – ARELLO (Assoc. of Real Estate Law Officials)
Member – IREM® Academy of Authors
Member – AAOA (American Apartment Owners Association)
Tennessee Licensed Affiliate Broker – Lic. #363444 (Status – Retired)
Peer-reviewed Journal Articles
Lapin, J.L. (2025). Raising Standards. Journal of Property Management Vol. 90, No. 5, September/October, 2025.
Lapin, J.L. (2020). Come On Back, the Air is Fine!: New Technology in HVAC Systems May Help Property Managers Reassure Nervous Tenants. Journal of Property Management Vol. 86, No. 1, January/February, 2021.
Lapin, J.L. (2018). Do You Speak Finance? How Owner Buy-In Begins by Positioning Potential Expenses as Investments. Journal of Property Management Vol. 83, No. 2, March/April, 2018, 28-30.
Lapin, J.L. (2018). Five Steps Every Property Manager Should Take to Improve Maintenance. Journal of Property Management Vol. 83, No. 3, May/June, 2018, 28-30.
Lapin, J.L. (2017). For Safety’s Sake: A Reasonable Standard of Care for Commercial Properties. Journal of Property Management Vol. 82, No. 1 – Jan/February, 2017, 9-12.
(Plus other articles as posted on www.jeffreylapincpm.com and LinkedIn Newsletter)
Select IREM® Courses Authored/Presented by Jeffrey Lapin, CPM
- IREM® MNT402 (Managing Maintenance Operations and Property Risk)
- HRS402 – Leading a Winning Property Management Team
- FIN402 – Budgeting, Cash Flow and Reporting for Investment Real Estate
- ETH800 – Ethics for the Real Estate Manager
- HVAC Made Simple – Maintenance Basics for Property Managers
- Project Management for Property Managers
- IREM Ethics Applied – Maintenance Operations
- Fires, Floods and Extreme Weather Events: Creating your Emergency Plan
- When Moments Count – Putting Your Emergency Plan into Action
- Hardening the Target – Commercial and Residential Property Safety and Security
- Risk Management – Five Things You Need to Do NOW to Stay out of Court
- Readiness Under Pressure: Preparing for Today’s Security Challenges
Select BOMA® Courses Authored/Presented by Jeffrey Lapin, CPM
- The Design, Operation and Maintenance of Building Systems, Pt. 1
- The Design, Operation and Maintenance of Building Systems, Pt. 2
- Environmental Health and Safety Issues
- BOMA Foundations (Various)
R 9/1/2025