MITS Background

MITS was founded in 2002 to address the need for a single set of multifamily housing industry data standards.  Through a collaborative, volunteer process, MITS creates universal, open data standards and extensible mark-up language (XML) architecture to enhance and support the development of systems solutions for the apartment industry. Due to the wide variety of information that must be exchanged among multifamily firms, technology vendors and providers, owners, managers, investors, consumers, and other audiences, a single data standard is key to enabling these firms to improve their operations and reduce their costs by making systems integration and data exchange technologies more effective and efficient. What makes the MITS Initiative unique—and important—is that it is the only data and systems standards initiative that is focused exclusively on the multifamily sector. 

With new technologies being developed to automate all aspects of our business, incompatible data standards are inhibiting the integration process.  At the same time, the industry and the public are demanding more accurate and timely information.   Modernization and increasing sophistication are inevitable for apartment owners, but it will be more costly for firms to change as long as data standards remain fragmented and systems cannot communicate with each other.  The development of one set of industry standards enables the industry to exchange information more efficiently and economically.  MITS substantially improves industry productivity by materially reducing the need for time-intensive, error-prone manual input and correction of data transmitted between sources.  As the industry adopts the MITS standards, it will not only be apartment owners who benefit; residents, too, will enjoy superior customer service.

The MITS initiative is open to all interested firms and individuals.  A collaborative effort of the apartment industry, MITS is funded by contributions from over 70 firms. Membership and participation in the MITS Initiative is a valuable investment of both time and financial resources for all parties involved.  For such a small investment, the potential returns of investing in MITS are enormous, as shown by those firms who have embraced the early standards.  Current MITS members include representatives from apartment firms, management companies, systems providers, credit and resident screening companies, Internet service providers, consultants, and others. 

MITS Members’ Role; Dues

The MITS Initiative is intended to be self-funded and managed by apartment companies and technology providers.  There is a committee of all members that is referred to as the MITS Working Group.  (See organizational chart above.)  It is comprised of representatives of sponsoring member firms.  The MITS Working Group is a collective group of participants engaged in the development of the data standards and systems architecture through committee participation.  Currently there are over 70 member companies that are sponsoring the initiative and membership is increasing as more and more firms are using the standards and requiring their vendors to be MITS compliant.

The MITS Working Group members participate on various and often multiple committees.  Each contributes to the standards development and its ongoing maintenance as well making an annual financial contribution to fund the Initiative. 

The initial new member fee is currently $1,000 per organization for the first year of membership.  MITS reserves the right to bill an organization on a calendar year basis, and may pro-rate the applicable fees based on the calendar year billing cycle as appropriate.

NMHC Role

National Multi Housing Council’s (NMHC) role in the MITS initiative is to provide staff resources and serve as the host for the MITS Initiative effort.  The Council will provide the institutional structure for the development and ongoing maintenance of the MITS project by hosting the Working Group's meetings, and managing and coordinating its activities.  NMHC will also work to broaden industry awareness of the effort.  While NMHC has provided the initial resources required to kick off this effort, the MITS project will require additional financial support.  The MITS Working Group, which oversees the development of the data standard and systems architecture, is composed of a large number of firms throughout the multifamily housing industry.  The MITS Working Group members are expected to contribute to the standards development and ongoing maintenance, and to contribute financially to support the MITS Initiative through the payment of dues.

NAA Role

The apartment industry’s participation in the MITS’s Initiative is important to MITS’ success.  The National Apartment Association (NAA), became the first trade association outreach MITS member in 2004.  They help foster awareness of the MITS Initiative and support MITS with an annual financial contribution.

The National Apartment Association is a federation of 164 state and local affiliates, comprised of more than 30,000 multifamily housing companies representing more than 5 million apartment homes throughout the United States and Canada. NAA monitors legislation and regulations in all 50 states and shares that information with local and state affiliate staff. NAA continually provides education and training opportunities for both multi-site managers and on-site staff.  NAA is a valued sponsor and member of the MITS initiative.

State HFA-LIHTC Data Transfer Standard

Managed by the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA), MITS hosts the XML data transfer standard used for compliance reporting to the state administrative agencies that oversee the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.  This is not a MITS data transfer standard and is not maintained as part of the MITS initiative.  This data standard is maintained by NAHMA, who is a participating MITS firm.   For general questions regarding the development of this standard, please contact Michelle Kitchen, Director of Government Affairs at the National Affordable Housing Management Association at 703-683-8630 or by email at michelle.kitchen@nahma.org.

MITS Staff (As of July 9, 2008)

Lauren Dwyer, NMHC

MITS Director

ldwyer@nmhc.org

202-974-2387

Shawn Jobe, Kroll Factual Data

MITS Technical Director
sjobe@kroll.com

800-320-3465 X7740

David Cardwell, NMHC
MITS Director
dcardwell@nmhc.org
202-974-2336