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How Top Rental Management Companies Manage Bad Reviews

Rental management companies checklist for handling negative online reviews: blog image of a woman reading a negative review on a smartphone.

Today’s potential renters heavily rely on online reviews, especially when it comes to reviews of rental management companies. Negative feedback can significantly impact your business and deter potential tenants from considering your property.

How you handle negative online reviews can also be an opportunity to showcase your professionalism and dedication to customer satisfaction.

Here’s a practical, step-by-step guide the best rental management companies use to successfully manage negative online reviews.

Step 1: Monitor and Respond Promptly

Regularly monitor review platforms and social media channels where people tend to express their opinions about your property. Promptly responding to negative reviews demonstrates your attentiveness and willingness to resolve issues.

  1. Apologize for any inconvenience caused;
  2. Acknowledge their concerns; and,
  3. Provide an invitation to discuss the matter further offline, emphasizing your commitment to addressing their problems.

Some reviewers may be known troublemakers who have no interest in resolving an issue or may have posted a fabricated story, but that’s not the point of responding the same way to every negative review. Your response will be seen by potential renters, and they’re the ones who need to see your professionalism and concern in your responses.

Step 2: Investigate and Gather Information

Take the time to investigate the issue mentioned in the review before you respond. Speak with staff involved and collect all pertinent details to ensure you have a comprehensive understanding of what transpired. This investigative process will help you respond more effectively to the reviewer and handle the situation professionally moving forward.

Step 3: Answer Publicly with Empathy and Transparency

Publicly address the reviewer’s concerns in a polite, empathetic manner. Avoid generic or “canned” responses and demonstrate that you genuinely understand their dissatisfaction. However, avoid engaging in public arguments or sharing confidential information. Instead, move the conversation offline and provide alternative channels to address their concerns privately.

Step 4: Take the Conversation Offline

Respond to the reviewer’s comment by providing your contact details or suggesting alternative methods of communication, such as phone or email. By moving the conversation offline, you can delve into the issue more thoroughly and offer a personalized solution. This step showcases your commitment to customer satisfaction and allows for a more private discussion to resolve the matter. Privacy is important to tenants, so prospects will appreciate your discretion.

Step 5: Resolve the Issue and Provide Feedback

After connecting with the reviewer privately, actively work toward resolving his or her concerns. Offer solutions, whether it’s offering a discount, addressing maintenance issues promptly, or providing extra assistance if necessary. Not only does this help resolve the immediate problem, but it also demonstrates your dedication to improving your property and services.

Additionally, consider asking the reviewer to update or remove his or her negative review after all concerns have been satisfactorily addressed. Remember to follow up with a new reply to the review after you’ve spoken with the reviewer, to show you’ve followed through and resolved the issue.

Step 6: Learn from Each Review

Every negative review offers an opportunity for growth. After resolving the issue, evaluate the feedback and look for common themes or trends. Use this information to improve your property management practices, address recurring issues, and enhance customer satisfaction moving forward. Taking proactive steps to rectify issues highlighted in negative reviews can lead to positive changes in your property’s reputation.

Top Rental Management Companies are Proactive About Negative Reviews

Dealing with negative online reviews requires tact, empathy, and a proactive mindset to protect and enhance your apartment’s reputation. Adopting the steps outlined above in a standard operating procedure will enable you to effectively handle negative feedback while demonstrating your commitment to customer satisfaction. By viewing negative reviews as opportunities for improvement and growth, you not only rectify problems, but also enhance your property’s overall reputation.

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Apartment Reputation Management: Nurturing Positive Online Interactions

Apartment reputation management blog image of someone using a smartphone to read reviews.

Apartment reputation management is more important than ever. Did you know that an impressive 69 percent of prospective renters rely on online reviews and ratings to guide their housing decisions?

In today’s digital age, apartment hunters turn to online platforms to gather insights, make informed decisions, and ultimately choose their next home. We’ve put together a comprehensive 5-step guide to help you navigate the fast-changing world of online reputation management.

5 Essential Reputation Management Tasks for Apartment Managers

Task 1: Monitor and Respond to Reviews Promptly

The first step toward successful reputation management is regular monitoring of your online presence. Actively track various review websites, social media platforms, and online forums where tenants may discuss their experiences.

By being diligent, you can quickly address any negative sentiment and respond promptly, showcasing your dedication to resolving issues. Engage in meaningful conversations, provide solutions, and demonstrate empathy while handling feedback professionally.

Task 2: Encourage Positive Reviews

Create opportunities for satisfied tenants to share their positive experiences. Implement a streamlined process where tenants can easily leave reviews on websites such as Google, Yelp, or specific apartment listing platforms. Consider providing a QR code in the office, on social media posts (in some cases), and on property manager business cards.

Encouraging these reviews can not only enhance your online reputation, but also serve as an effective marketing tool to attract potential residents. When you know you have a loyal and satisfied tenant, just ask them for a review! You’ll be amazed at how many will be willing to leave a great, five-star review for an apartment community they love.

Task 3: Engage with Tenants on Social Media

In today’s digital landscape, a strong social media presence is indispensable. Dedicate efforts to nurturing social engagement through strategically crafted content. Share engaging stories, insider tips, updates on community events, and highlight tenant success stories.

Active social media management helps create a sense of community amongst your residents, fosters a positive online conversation, and showcases your apartment community as a desirable place to call home. It’s an essential element to add to you apartment reputation management daily checklist.

Task 4: Leverage Testimonials and Success Stories

Harness the power of tenant testimonials and success stories. These narratives provide prospective renters with real-life examples of positive experiences within your community. Showcase these testimonials on your website, marketing materials, and social media platforms to build trust and credibility.

By sharing compelling stories, you strengthen your online reputation and encourage potential residents to visualize themselves as part of this thriving community.

Task 5: Keep Improving Apartment Reputation Management Practices

Reputation management is an ongoing effort. Utilize the insights gained from online feedback to continually improve your services. Actively address recurring issues to show potential renters you care about maintaining a high-quality living experience. By demonstrating your commitment to resolving problems, you build a strong reputation and create a foundation for long-term tenant satisfaction.

Exceptional reputation management goes beyond just maintaining a positive online presence; it reflects your commitment to creating a vibrant and welcoming community. With diligence, responsiveness, and dedication to continuous improvement, you can enjoy long-term success and foster lasting relationships with your residents. Improve your reputation, and great tenants will start seeking out your in-demand property.

Class A Management handles the day-to-day operations of your multifamily investment property, including apartment reputation management and effective marketing solutions. Let our team of seasoned pros start building relationships with your tenants to improve and maintain your property’s reputation.

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4 Tips to Boost Your Apartment Ratings and Renter Satisfaction

4 Tips to Boost Your Apartment Ratings and Renter Satisfaction

Do renters hate renting from you? Your apartment ratings don’t always tell the whole story, but those pesky one-star Google reviews can be a good place to start improving your tenant experience.

Providing early rent payment incentives or extra perks now and then may not be enough to guarantee that your tenants enjoy living at your property. While these little touches can go a long way when combined with a solid property management approach, that foundation is what’s most important for building relationships, five-star apartment ratings, and long-term renters.

Build Positive Relationships; Reviews Will Follow

How well are you liked by your tenants? Do you provide nice little sign-on perks like 10% off first-month’s rent? How about at Christmas time? Are you the landlord that puts a discount coupon for the local burger joint in with the December newsletter or community update?

Despite these good attempts, tenants want more substantial positive interactions and experiences. Improve your apartment ratings by paying close attention to the following:

  • Provide a nice place to live. Tenants have the right to reasonable expectations when it comes to their rental property. According to NOLO, “Under most state and local laws, landlords must offer and maintain housing that satisfies basic habitability requirements, such as adequate weatherproofing, available heat, water, and electricity, and clean, sanitary, and structurally safe premises.”
  • Acknowledge needs in a timely manner. Since tenants have the right to the reasonable expectations outlined above, you, as the property owner or manager, are under obligation to keep things maintained. This typically means a 24-hour response time or less for emergencies and 2-3 days for everything else. Ignoring or ‘putting off’ a tenant’s request is one of the quickest ways to earn negative apartment ratings on popular review sites.
  • Offer security. Tenants have a reasonable expectation of security and safety in their homes. Landlords have a legal obligation to take some measures to make crime unappealing on their properties. That includes taking steps to stop illegal activities by tenants. Follow and enforce your city’s ordinances, statutes, and building codes to provide a safe place for renters and their families.
  • Respect all tenants. While it may seem unnecessary to even say it, tenants want to be treated with respect. They want open communication, and to be acknowledged in order to feel like more than just the means to your end. As such, they want to be spoken to nicely. Set a standard of respectful communication for your staff, and the frequency of those negative reviews and apartment ratings will begin to decline.

Top Apartment Ratings Come From Great Management

We love tenants and make every effort to help ensure they love us back, all while taking your multifamily property investment growth seriously. See what a difference Class A Management can make. Contact us today at 817-295-5959 or send an email to info@classamgmt.com.

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How Online Videos Can Increase Occupancy Rate

How Online Videos Can Increase Occupancy Rate

Rental property video tours are highly undervalued. In reality, they’re the workhorse of around-the-clock marketing plans that can create buzz about your property and make it the hottest place to live in your town, boosting your occupancy rate. 

Don’t have any videos of your property doing all the work for you? Here are three reasons why that’s a mistake.

1. Visual appeal

A bulleted list of amenities can appeal to some rental property shoppers, but a video tour or simple slide show is far more persuasive. If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video adds much more value to someone who can see inside their new home.

2. Timely

Prospective tenants can get much more information from a three-minute video tour than by reading through a lengthy list of amenities. Their eyes can see details that your words might not describe as well, and it’s a quick way to give them all the information they need about your property while respecting the value of their time.

3. Searchable

Search engines love videos. If you’re not using video tours of your properties, you’re missing out on a lot of exposure. Link to your videos from articles, social media posts, and a YouTube channel to cast the widest possible net for new renters. It’s important to promote your videos properly to maximize your audience.

Videos are popular online because they’re engaging and convey a lot of information. They’re a real estate sales tool that works just the same for rental properties. If your property’s video shows up near the top perspective tenant searches, that keeps your property top-of-mind and occupancy rates high.

Boost  your occupancy rate with Class A Management

Creating visually appealing images and videos to promote your investment property is essential to attracting tenants. Class A Management can help you create videos and other marketing tools to attract tenants, then provide excellent property management services to keep them. 

Learn more about our comprehensive services. 

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Tenant Laws of Attraction

Tenant laws of attraction

When it comes to getting the attention of potential tenants, it’s important to remember the laws of attraction. Renters are going to look at every option from three different perspectives: property attraction, professional attraction, and experience attraction. Understanding this and how to increase the level of attraction in each area will help increase the odds your property is chosen as the favorite.

Property attraction entails everything from grounds keeping to office and building maintenance. When the grounds are well maintained, tenants notice. It’s called curb appeal for a reason. Trimmed hedges and well-kept lawns give prospective tenants an idea of how attentive management will be, long before human interaction occurs. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. This will likely be it. So, we encourage you to make the ongoing investment in grounds maintenance.

Professional attraction is exactly what you think it is… Does the prospective tenant like those who in charge of managing the property? Having a team of knowledgeable courteous professionals inspires confidence. This is where it can be really beneficial to work with a property management company. Their staff are often trained in customer service and know how to interact in a consistent manner with both prospects and tenants.

Experience attraction should give the investor and property management team the upper hand on the competition. The right property management company will know how to handle every situation so the prospect leaves the encounter feeling heard, answered and confident in his or her decision. This requires putting the prospect first, listening to all questions and concerns, answering as thorough as possible, and being compassionate.

Need a solid property management company in your corner? We know all the tenant laws of attraction and are here to help your property enforce them. Contact us today to get started.