You’ve done it. After days or even weeks of promoting the “awesomeness” of your property to a prospect, they’ve finally sealed the deal. It may have been a long journey, but the work isn’t done just yet. Aside from the tour and the run down of amenities, you’ll need to take the proactive approach to ensure your new tenant is fully aware of your community’s rules and policies before signing on the dotted line.
A majority of resident frustrations can be tied back to misinformation or lack of knowledge about a property’s guidelines and rules. Don’t make this mistake. Do your due diligence in the beginning by taking the time out to thoroughly explain the “less attractive,” but important details about the property. Do you tag on late fees if a resident is one day late on their rental payment? What constitutes an emergency maintenance request? What is the process for breaking a lease? What rights do you have in regards to raising rents? Questions like these will likely creep up throughout the span of one’s rental term. Being proactive early will reduce much frustration later for both you and your tenant. By setting your expectations up front, they’ll be less likely to challenge you later down the road—or worse, take out their frustrations on Apartment Ratings. Not to mention they’ll feel more confident in renting with you.
In addition to having the “sit down,” you’ll also want to ensure that all of the information you’re relaying has been posted online and is up-to-date. There’s nothing worse than challenging an angry tenant with outdated, posted information. Create a dedicated section on your website entitled, “Things you Need to Know before Moving In,” or brainstorm another creative way to draw attention to this information. You’ll also want to reference the location of this information as you talk through these details with your prospect. This way, they’ll be clear on where to find it in the future. Not only will your new tenant appreciate the transparency, but the shock of a late fee or rising rent won’t sting as bad.
Now, in addition to reviewing your property’s policies with your prospects, you, as a Property Manager, have to hold up your end of the stick as well. If you have a 3-day lead time on addressing maintenance requests, stand by it! If your policy is to charge late fees, be consistent! Otherwise, you’ll be back in the dog house and your resident satisfaction scores will take a serious hit.
How Rentbot Can Help.
Rentbot will not only provide you with a beautiful, simple-to-use, SEO-friendly site that’s guaranteed to get you more traffic, but will help you build a stronger relationship with your tenant too. Through Rentbot’s customizable layouts, you can house your property’s policies on a webpage of your choosing. You’ll be partnered with a dedicated Account Manager who’ll take care of the leg work for you so that all you’ll have to do is click and enjoy. And with all of your information presented in one place, your residents will thank you. Build a more trusting relationship with your tenants and boost your online performance 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.