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Sep 21
2009
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Resident Retention: Come On In! The Appliances Are (urm) Fine...Posted by: Jen Piccotti on Sep 21, 2009 01:00 Tagged in: Residents , Resident Satisfaction , Resident Retention , Property Management , Multifamily , Move , Maintenance , Lease Renewal , Customer Service , Apartment Community , Apartment
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- Houston, we have a problem!
Hopefully, we all understand very clearly how critical the move-in process is for establishing a positive resident relationship from Day 1. However, in the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, an astonishing figure has come to my attention:
According to 2nd Quarter 2009 data from SatisFacts Research, only 73% of residents indicated that all appliances and fixtures worked properly upon move-in!
That means more than one-quarter of all new residents had an appliance or fixture that did not work!
Are we okay with this stat? I hope not, because unresolved issues at move-in reduce the percent of residents "very likely" to renew by one-quarter!
So, what to do? Let's re-evaluate the make-ready inspection process. One tip I learned from Bill Nye is the concept of "walking right," or "follow the wall." This means, for the final inspection, the maintenance team member enters the apartment and follows the wall to the right stopping to check each light switch, outlet, phone jack, window treatment, doorknob, appliance, light fixture, etc. Eventually, you end up at the front door again.
Rework is always costly - whether in time, materials, customer patience, or all of the above. Ensuring the resident's new home is truly in move-in condition will be the first critical step in assuring the resident they have made the right decision in making their home in your community.
What make-ready inspection tips are effective for you?
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PS- I love that photo.
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the end result was that it killed any trust I had in our property mgmt. company or owner.
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Listen to their complaints, show sympathy and understanding, and then offer a resolution or compromise. Many residents want a brand new appliance, which cannot be offered in most cases. However if you show understanding and let them know what you can offer, usually the special attention and understanding fixes the problem and builds a better relationship between the staff and the resident. Having someone follow up with them and keeping them informed that you are working on their problem and haven’t forgotten them goes a long way.
Of course, starting with working appliances at move in and a clean apartment is always the way the best way to start. But if something is missed show that you care.
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@Regina - I completely agree! Making a mistake can happen anywhere, but the way you resolve it can make a huge difference in retaining that resident.
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The porter even has their own checklist...it is too easy to forget the small things (and sometimes even the large things) when you are busy, have a lot of vacants or inspections, etc coming up...the checklists have really help keep things on track and it even seems to help my staff get things done faster, because they just go down the list and they know they haven't forgotten anything...
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