Topic: Apartmentratings.com NIGHTMARE

I am a Property Manager who has a resident/individual who keeps posting derogatory comments about me and the property. Has anyone experienced this before or have any advice? Can I take any legal action to get this person to stop?

I know in our S.C. lease there is a sentence in the Prohibited Conduct section that states: You and your occupants or guests may not engage in the following activities: injuring our reputation by making bad faith allegations against us to others.

I don't know how far you can take it, but you can have your name removed from the comments on Apartmentratings by emailing them and requesting it. You may want to contact Apartmentratings also if it is derogatory and see if they will remove the entire statement.

Good luck!

Traci,

If someone is making direct complaints and listing your name in a slander driven or character defaming way, you can contact the local police department and file harassment charges. Often times this will not deter the person who has a personal mission to discredit you and the property.

More or less, there is a line between freedom of speech and self expression and slander. In Texas, I have dealt with this before. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of protection from someone blasting messages against the property and naming individuals in the complaints. I would follow Nicole's advice and see if you can have the postings removed.

The best advice... the Supreme Court has passed laws under Cyber-bullying Protection. Often times, we assume this protection only is relevant for children, but there is protection for adults as well. Check into the Cyber-bullying enforcement your Police Department takes part in, or even the District Attorney!

Good luck!

Hi Traci!

Possibly a little tangential...I would also recommend Google-ing your property's name a few different ways to see if this person's comments are showing up in the search engines.

More and more, search engines are using user-generated content, such as reviews, to supplement their search results. I know that Google crawls ApartmentRatings.com's reviews, for example.

It should give you a wider view of the impact this person may or may not be having.

Good luck!

You can also file a complaint with Apartmentratings.com directly. There are rules regarding the appropriate use of the site and if it's being abused by someone with a personal vendetta they will remove the postings and block the user.

Check out the manager's center option...there is a fee, but gives you the ability to respond, etc.

Also, any value in trying to reach out to the resident and resolve the issues?

Hey Traci,

Like Stephanie said, you can file a complaint with Apartmentsratings.com. They do not allow slander, but won't take down the message unless prompted to do so.

Good Luck.

Our company struggles with apartmentratings like most other folks in our field. Our strategy is to embrace these outlets. Instead of fighting the system engage your good residents to submit comments. I struggle to say that in every comment there is some truth, if the majority of the comments are centered on a main topic, not just your name, but the service attentiveness, responsiveness or else focus on fixing those items and turn around people perception of who and your community are. Chin up!

Respond to the post with a positive message thanking them for their feedback. By taking the high road you make the original poster look like they are slinging mud and discredit their opinion.

Like Danny and Lorena said, take the high road and embrace apartmentratings. Subscribe to be notified whenever a review is posted about your property.

Always respond to every review, thanking them for the feedback. Provide information regarding how to correct their issue. If they are complaining about the property, address the complaint with a positive attitude.

Any time a resident thanks you for anything, immediately ask them to post a review and hand them a brightly colored card to remind them.

After a resident moves out, email them to ask if they received their deposit and ask them to consider posting a review on apartmentratings.

Attached is a copy of the card I hand out to residents at lease renewal and any time a resident thanks me for something.

My responses on apartmentratings are a little bland, but I'm working on it. Please take a look at mine and give me some suggestions!

Here's the email I send after move out:

Hi *****,

Thank you for your residency at Georgetown Manor. I hope you are enjoying your new place!

A check for the remainder of your deposit will be mailed to your new address within 30 days.

The forwarding address I have on file is ******, Portland, OR 97214. If this is not correct, please let me know as soon as possible. If you do not receive the check within 30 days, please contact me so I can check on it.

Please consider sharing a review of your experience at Georgetown Manor on apartmentratings.com so that future residents will know what it is like to live here. The review page can be found here: www.apartmentratings.com/rate?a=r&complex_id=503646767497223

Best regards,


Rose Morrison
Community Manager
Georgetown Manor Apartments
9050 SW Washington Square Rd
Tigard, Oregon 97223
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Phone: 503-646-7674
Fax: 503-350-3784

PS- check out my ratings & responses here: www.apartmentratings.com/rate/OR-Tigard-...artments-837807.html

Apartmentratings.com gives your residents a soapbox to scream their opinions at the top of their lungs and it gives them an audience that they normally would not have. You need to be proactive with your current residents and allow your happy residents to give feedback as well. I ALWAYS advise residents if they are happy to let the world know on apartmentratings.com. Honestly, the more positive responses and comments you have the less likely someone negative will use this to voice their complaints because they feel outnumbered. If the claims are not true I would definately recommend contacting apartmentratings.com and voice your concern. If it's personal in nature and can detrimentally hurt you, your family, or your career you can contact your local authorities. Speak with your home office and express your concern and ask if you can cut your ties with this person. Send them a letter and express that we have done what we can but perhaps this community was not the best fit and we will allow you out of your lease early and we'll give you your security deposit back in full. Believe me taking the loss in the security deposit can save you thousands in the long run. Normally, when this occurs and they realize that you mean business then the complaints actually stop or at least slow down. A lot of these people that complain have no other option or place to go.

I was in the same boat with you approximately a month ago. I had been reading the posts on the apartmentratings.com website and realized that most of the negative remarks that actually posted their names to were people under eviction, people that have been evicted, or residents that we asked to leave due to violating their lease agreement. I contacted apartmentratings.com and they told me that the postings are protected by the First Ammendment of the Constitution - Freedom of Speech. Now I respect people's freedom of speech, however when it is false information being posted, I don't feel that it is freedom of speech but rather slander. Slander is prosecutable, however the legal action is lengthy and pricy. Apartmentratings also allows you as a manager to respond to these "false" posting if you pay a fee as management or you can file a complaint against a posting however all of the postings that I have requested to be removed, never have--they just removed that section of the post that was complained about.

Now what I have found is that if your staff lives on site, there is no rule that says they can not open an account as a current resident since they also live at the community. My 3 staff members who do live here have gone on and posted positive reviews about our community as well as responded to the negative reviews in a professional manner. If it was a problem with the swimming pool not working--they basically posted when it was scheduled to be repaired; same thing with people posting that we have bugs--the agents would respond that as a resident we are entitled to weekly FREE extermination and that they should have reported their problem to the office. It did not fix the negative postings, but at least it provided perspective and allowed us the opportunity to reply to the issues as current residents!

I can help you and your fellow Property Managers. I have helped nearly 3,000 business owners and property managers combat negative and slanderous reviews online. We take a proactive approach to online reviews and we belong to the same association as Apartment Ratings .com We have relationships with directories and search engines that allow us to get things done that others cannot achieve. You can reach me at the number below and I can send you more information. I am just a phone call away.




Best regards,
Jeff Edgel
Account Executive
707-533-4351 Direct Line
760-874-2868 E-Fax
760-893-8443 Customer Service
Compliance Depot Vendor #573565

I agree on several points made. Contact Apartment Ratings and see if they will remove some or all of the posts from this one person. But, I would also generate a response to the posts from this resident that is not reactive, is very diplomatic, takes responsibility for any truths in the posts as well as the actions taken in response to rectify. If you don't want to pay Apartment Ratings their (extortion) manager fee, just create your own user account and post the reply. In the reply, you can still state your with management although your reply would probably make that perfectly clear. Don't know much on your policy, but if this guy is so miserable, have you offered to release him from his lease? Not saying you should, but when done in extreme situations can be good for you...unless of course you think the guy is just trying to force your hand to get out of his lease.

apartment ratings will take your name off the review, and if what they are posting is inappropriate they may take the entire review off. this has aphpened to us several times and apt ratings has taken care of it. you need to go to the manager's section and file a complaint.

I gave my community stellar ratings three years ago on a few sights. They now stink. Times change my ratings changed.

I would ask to have Apartmentratings review the post to see if it conforms to their terms of use agreement.

This is their stance on abuse: www.apartmentratings.com/rate/abuse


This is their 'user agreement'; in other words, their terms of use: www.apartmentratings.com/rate/useragreement


Let us know what happens.

Posts on the referenced website are typically of extremes - disgruntled tenants, or apartment managers (or their representatives) saying how wonderful the place is. While it may have had value to a prospective or current tenant at one point, it is now part of the manager's marketing strategy and has to be treated accordingly by any prospective tenant.

I'm a disgruntled tenant, but am not going to post. Seems pointless.