Certification & Training

Certified Maintenance Manager (CMM)

NAHRO’s Certified Maintenance Manager (CMM) designation demonstrates that an individual has the knowledge, skills and ability necessary for:

  • Assessing their real estate portfolio, planning for asset and equipment replacement, and developing strategies to meet executive vision and owner’s and stakeholders’ objectives (OSO) for each property.
  • Developing property level maintenance plans and key performance indicators towards achieving OSO.
  • Recalling the roles and responsibilities of maintenance supervisors/managers.
  • Examining the technical and resource management skills necessary for effective maintenance program management.
  • Recognizing and applying strategies for effective employee supervision.  
  • Identifying and prioritizing key day-to-day maintenance functions and their impact on asset preservation.
  • Demonstrating the ability to assess and prioritize property needs and developing a plan, with SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, timeframe) goals to effectively manage and maintain high quality housing assets.

How do I get the NAHRO Certified Maintenance Manager (CMM)?

NAHRO has two paths to becoming Certified! Please refer to the chart below to determine the path that works best for you.

Certification Requirements

Education & ExperienceHigh School Diploma or Equivalent AND 6 months of experience 
OR Associates degree and above (6 months of experience not required) 
Specialist TrainingCompletion of NAHRO’s How to Effectively Manage Your Maintenance Program Training
Ethics TrainingCompletion of NAHRO’s Ethics for Housing Professionals
OR Ethics for Management Training 
ExamPassing score on NAHRO’s Managing Maintenance Certification Exam
ApplicationSubmission of Certification Application 

Requirement to waive the management training and sit for the exam

To waive the management training requirement, participants must have five (5) or more years of experience working within a housing maintenance program (e.g., maintenance manager/supervisor)* and demonstrated knowledge in all the following:

  • Ability to effectively hire, on-board, manage, coach, and evaluate maintenance employees. 
  • Ability to develop program and property level maintenance, preventative maintenance and disaster/contingency plans based on owner/agency goals and asset preservation strategies. 
  • Effectively and efficiently prioritize the daily work and projects and maximize the performance of maintenance employees. 
  • Effectively and efficiently managing property and program resources such as inventory, equipment, tools, and budget. 
  • Ability to calculate vacancy loss (total unit turnover time) and minimize the time maintenance needs to turnover units.

*This experience can be acquired through work with a private housing organization, public sector/local/state housing authorities or a combination of both.

NOTE: Individuals waiving the specialist training still have the following requirements:

Education & ExperienceHigh School Diploma or Equivalent
Ethics TrainingCompletion of NAHRO’s Ethics for Housing Professionals
OR Ethics for Management Training 
ExamPassing score on NAHRO’s Managing Maintenance Certification Exam
ApplicationSubmission of Certification Application

If you are unsure if you are eligible to waive the specialist training requirement, please email professionaldevelopment@nahro.org or call 202-589-7211.

All applicants must understand the importance of, and agree to adhere to, NAHRO’s Professional Code of Conduct. 

Recertification:

0.5 NAHRO CEUs (5 training hours) required every 3 years from date of certification.

For further information regarding NAHRO Certification, contact:

professionaldevelopment@nahro.org