The apartment leasing industry can be quite the whirlwind some days. Between collecting rents, responding to resident complaints, inspecting units, tracking maintenance requests, managing the office and putting out an occasional fire every now and then, I’m sure all can attest to the fact that a property manager’s job is never done. Days are too often riddled with battling the concept of “too much to do and too little time,” which can be quite cumbersome, especially for those who work alone. With days like this, packed full of tasks and responsibilities, oftentimes, some of the more essential jobs like marketing, following up with new tenants, and renovations may get neglected. Rentbot asked various renters about their apartment searches thus far and developed a short list of some of their top frustrations. Take a look:
“They Left Me Hanging!”
While sometimes responding to new leads can take a backseat to the daily office tasks, this should never be the case. Even if you are lucky enough to have a total leased out property, prospect leads should never be placed by the wayside. If your prospect leaves you a message, call them back. If they responded to an ILS or online ad, do not just rely on the standard follow-up response—continue the conversation! Trust me, you’ll pay for it later. Now a days, we live in an instantaneous society—we want answers, and we want them now! But what if it is legitimately not feasible for you to respond immediately? Don’t worry, you do have some wiggle room. According to a Harvard Business Review report, companies that respond to their prospects within an hour of receiving the lead are nearly 7 times more effective than those who waited even just 2 hours later. Not to mention, in today’s world, renters are quickly taking to online review sites to express their frustrations about a company or organization. And considering property reviews are highly influential for prospects, you are almost guaranteed to lose some potential renters along the way.
“They Lied on the Listing.”
I’m sure many property managers have encountered this complaint before. There are several factors that could contribute to the accusation of an erroneous listing. This could range from daily rent price fluctuations to unintentional errors to scheming agents. No matter the cause, renters have made it clear that this is a serious issue that they will not accept from a property. When crafting property advertisements it is important that the information presented is 100% correct at the time of the ad. If your property’s rents change daily, make a note on the ad; others have found success with even listing a price range. Try to ensure the pictures you post are at least similar to the vacant unit; otherwise, you can mislead the prospect and also seem dishonest. Last but not least, if your posted rent already has a “New Renter” special incorporated, let them know upfront rather than after they sign the lease and it’s time to renew to avoid an impromptu move-out. If you follow these simple steps, you’ll not only gain happier, more trusting tenants in the long term, but can retain your property’s reputation.
“Where are the Reviews?”
Renters today are conducting most of their research regarding a property online first; which makes sense why several renters reported that those properties who do not have any floating around do not get their time of day. In fact, prospective renters place higher importance on online reviews than referrals from friends and family according to a recent study. Prospects use this information to not only determine the legitimacy of a property’s postings, but to determine if the property is truly a good fit for their lifestyle. While opening a property up for reviews can expose those who legitimately don’t take care of their properties or tenants; but, for those that do, they can create some amazing buzz. Another positive fact about reviews is that while they can’t be totally controlled, they can be enhanced through property manager responses and certified resident postings. Considering that renters want to be armed with as much objective information as possible to ultimately make a well informed decision about their next future home, encouraging resident reviews is something all property managers should consider.
How Rentbot can help:
Rentbot makes it easy for renters to get all of the information the they need by offering real time response features, current unit availability and pricing, HD pictures and floorplans and online maintenance and rental payments so that you are more likely to convert your property’s leads into actual tenants. With all of these convenient functionalities and more, you’ll be well on your way to a positive review in no time. Increase your presence, boost your rep, secure more leads and make your renters happy with Rentbot!
About the Author
Jonsette Calloway joined the Rentbot team in 2015. With a background in public relations, advertising and copywriting, she has helped a multitude of clients achieve their marketing and communications goals within various fields, but she particularly enjoys working with the apartment industry.