Permitting pets on your premises comes with its fair share of challenges. But with the right tools, permitting pets can also help to drive revenue by attracting renters and promoting resident retention! The tips below can help you create a pet-friendly property that adds value to the renter experience. Start with the basics—welcome pets! According to the National Apartment Association, more than 70 percent of renters own pets. Yet 82 percent of renters report difficulty in finding apartments that accommodate them and their furry companions, reports PetFinder.com. By accepting pets, you gain a competitive edge that can help to improve occupancy. Designate space for a leash-free dog run. You know that unused land near the retention pond? Or that plot near the trash receptacles?  Aesthetic fencing and landscaping help to transform unused portions of land into a valuable dog park. This gives pets a space to burn off energy rather than chewing on door frames. Dog parks also increase the perceived value of your property. Pet-friendly properties with dog parks can charge a rent premium between 20 percent and 30 percent higher than the average rent. Create a pet-friendly atmosphere. Sometimes, the fine details can help prospects and their pets feel at home in your community during tours. When prospects see dog bowls at the park, treats in the leasing office, and a pet wash station, they can sense that they will be a welcomed and integrated part of the community. Host pet-friendly events. A sense of community promotes resident retention. Pet events give renters opportunities to socialize and feel that they belong. They’re are also fantastic photo ops! Got pictures of residents interacting and having fun with their pets? You’ve got marketing gold. Use such content to foster leads on social media. Fine-tune...

In our previous post, we compared popular blogging platforms WordPress, Wix, and Blogger. After choosing a platform and theme, then it’s time to start writing! Create a Content Calendar Planning pays off. When you take a moment to create a content calendar, you won’t miss timely events or feel the pressure to brainstorm hours before a due date. You will already have a list of topics on hand. Prioritize timely content related to seasons, holidays, and events. For example, it makes the most sense to publish a post on pool safety right before your pool opens in the late spring. Use the blog to promote timely events weeks in advance rather than waiting until the last minute. Identify Your Audience Your topic should be of interest to your residents. Consider the broadest demographic at your property as the audience for most of your post. You may occasionally choose to write for niche groups. Once you identify your audience, consider its needs and interests. Blog post content can stem from renters’ frequently asked questions, updates on the property, apartment lifestyle, local events and more. The possibilities are endless! Choose a Blog Topic The best apartment blog posts are those that will add value to the renter experience. Let’s say you check your content calendar and see that you’re due for a post on taxes. The topic applies to most of your audience since everyone pays taxes, right? You consider writing the post on local tax filing services. How can you make the list of businesses more valuable to residents? Perhaps you contact the businesses and request a discount for your residents in exchange for the business referral. Such a post could build loyalty. It promotes the benefits of living at your property and living in...

Many states do not require landlords to specify a reason for lease non-renewals. It is in your best interest, however, to have a well-documented reason for not renewing a resident’s lease. Here’s why. Keep Fair Housing Fair Fair Housing laws forbid non-renewals based upon discrimination or retaliation. You likely know this from your new-hire orientation, but here is a quick review of why it matters now: Discrimination: You cannot treat residents differently based upon their race, ethnicity, family status, ability level, sexual orientation, or any other protect class group. Your resident’s rambunctious kids are not a sound reason for lease non-renewal. Retaliation: You cannot treat residents differently because the residents assert their rights in any capacity. Residents always retain their legal rights. For example, if a resident issues a complaint about your property to a government agency and, subsequently, you opt not to renew the lease, you may face legal action. Thorough documentation prior to a lease non-renewal provides clarity for both landlords and residents. You can minimize claims of discrimination or retaliation when there are time- and date-verified correspondences of your concerns. Documentation Best Practices If peer complaints are your first indicator that a resident is a problem, document the complaints electronically. For example, if a resident calls with a noise complaint about a neighbor, write an email identifying the details of the complaint and send it to yourself. It’s beneficial to send a copy to the resident as well. (Your message does not need to contain the name of the person who issued the complaint.) Primarily, the resident may be unaware of the issue. Your message may stop the problem and prevent the costly turnover. The email also lets the resident know that you are tracking their non-conformity to the lease or...

When J Turner Research president Joseph Batdorf released the most recent survey on top residents complaints, he issued the following statement: “Apartment residents remain concerned with a broad range of customer satisfaction issues but far and away the immediate opportunity to improve customer service and resident satisfaction levels is by addressing dissatisfaction with onsite staff responses to resident concerns.” When noise complaints besiege your front office staff, you have options to address residents’ concerns without a major renovation. Improve resident satisfaction with affordable soundproofing retrofits. The tips below will help you jumpstart the conversation with your contractor. Unforeseen Challenges Before you can fix the noise problem, you must identify the source. In some cases, your building may not have been built to code even though it received a certificate of occupancy (COO). New and remodeled multifamily construction is required to have an STC of 50 by design and 45 by field test. Sometimes, building inspectors often overlook noise control. If you’re frequently receiving noise complaints, you could hire an acoustician to verify if the building was built to sound code. That may be a slippery slope that you’d rather avoid. Instead, understand the root of the sound leaks. Then you can find the most cost-effective solution. For example, during drywall installation, many contractors will raise the gypsum board to create a snug fit between the wall and ceiling. This leaves a gap at the base. Contractors will hide the gap with the baseboard and forego proper caulking techniques. The resulting void permits sound to travel between units and rooms. Older buildings may have multiple causes for noise transfer. Single-pane windows, hardwoods without soundproofing underlayment, and even old or damaged insulation may be at the root of your residents’ complaints. Solutions Quiet Clause The easiest...

Throughout multifamily housing, managers struggle with resident package logistics. The problem spikes in student housing communities. Student properties receive 10-15 percent more packages than conventional multi-family properties. A Growing Problem The convenience of (often free) delivery appeals to busy students. Additionally, companies like Amazon target the student population with incentives. Amazon Prime offers six months of free service and 50 percent off of students’ subscription rate for the remainder of their student status. As a result, student housing staff gets swamped with packages. Leasing office staff juggle a myriad of responsibilities. Pausing potential sales or residents interactions to handle package delivery is not a viable option. Maneuvering guests around recently delivered armoires and mattresses is even less of an option. “We’ve seen communities spend up to 4 hours a day simply dealing with packages,” says Melody Akhtari, Director of Marketing & Communications at Luxer One. “Package delivery causes not only a problem of constant interruptions and wasted time, but it also causes space management issues.” Simple Solutions Luxer One provides storage solutions to address the growing needs of student housing managers. Luxer One’s storage solutions are designed to accept every package automatically and store them securely, without the need for management staff to intervene. This type of automation eliminates interruptions from parcel carriers and gives back time and energy to dedicate to the art of community management. Luxer Lockers are installed on the premises. The courier delivers the package to the locker and scans it. Residents get a mobile notification with a one-time-use access to retrieve their package on their own schedule. Leasing office staff can continue their workflows and other resident interactions without interruption. Locker sizes vary, permitting the storage of a range of packages. “Almost half of all packages delivered go into our small...

As a property manager, taking the time to stage your property shows prospects that you’ve got it together. You are prepared, detail-oriented, and organized. You want guests to feel welcomed and comfortable on your property. Such nonverbal marketing turns prospects into tenants. The decorating tips below will make your last-minute fall decorations quick and simple. Interior Decor Your property is likely one of a dozen that a tenant has considered. To make your property memorable, skip the obvious choice of fake pumpkins and scarecrows. Step outside of the average color palette by adding purple and gray to your autumnal arrangements. Use gray as your neutral instead of (or with) black, white, or brown. Purple is a beautiful contrast to fall’s popular reds, oranges, and yellows.   Art it Up Wall art is easy to change out with each season. Choosing art with fall colors is a subtle way to celebrate the season even if the subject of the painting does not include fall imagery. Comfy and Cozy Play with the arrangement of throws and quilts. These little touches can instantly transform a nondescript couch into a welcoming retreat. Quilts can also double as wall art.   A Savory Smell Scent creates a strong bond to memory. A few carefully placed candles or essential oil diffusers will go a long way towards creating lasting memories for visitors. Pumpkin and apple scents are always a favorite at this time of year. For a more creative touch, consider clove, anise, fennel, and other cooking spices that are common during holiday meals. Exterior Decor Exterior designs can be tough: brown grass, sparse foliage, dry–or worse, soggy–leaves on the ground. In some areas, the best thing that you can do for your property is to keep it tidy: frequently...

As green features become more and more important both from an environmental point of view, as well as a tool to increase occupancy and attract eco-conscious renters, the pressure is on for apartment owners. While many green upgrades do come with a high price tag, plenty of green upgrades can be achieved at relatively low cost and plentiful gains down the line. We explore the easiest solar-powered green solution that you can introduce into your apartment communities right now. Easily one of the least eco-friendly amenities, the pool can easily be greened harnessing the (free) power of the sun. It can be as simple as switching to solar-powered pool lights. Once bought, these tiny gadgets work away on their own. It’s as simple as placing them in a pool, where they will automatically charge during daylight hours and come on at night, when the sunlight fades. Some also have lightshow features that can set the mood for an impromptu pool party. Others also double as pool sanitizers, dispensing chlorine while giving off light at night. If you really want to green your pool, but don’t want to switch to saltwater, there are numerous mineral-based and solar-powered gadgets that cut down chlorination by 80 percent or even more. While these gadgets take care of algae and microorganism, they don’t clear surface debris. If you’re looking to fully automate pool maintenance, a solar pool skimmer is just the thing for your apartment community. This little gadget cleans up to 95 percent of surface debris, eliminating the need to hand skim, while also significantly cutting down on filtration and bottom cleaning. The solar-powered robot also features solar-charged batteries, meaning it also works well into the night. It can also double as a chlorine dispenser. BBQ facilities are...

Banning smoking in apartments is often a controversial move that might be met with some resistance, especially if the building didn’t originally have this as a restriction. If residents are smokers, they might resent being told that they cannot smoke in their own homes. However, there are many benefits to banning smoking in a community. Beyond the health concerns—second-hand smoke can infiltrate other apartments—smoking increases the risk of fires. Additionally, property managers who put a non-smoking clause in the lease could often see a greater ROI on their units when they turn them over. When a resident smokes in the unit, the property manager must pay to get the smoke smell out, as well as pay to repaint walls discolored by smoke and to fix any damages caused by cigarette burns. Related Companies recently decided that not allowing smoking in their communities would greatly benefit both them and their residents.  The real estate company announced that its national portfolio would be completely smoke free. For those residents who are smokers, once it’s time for their lease to be renewed, they must sign an amended copy signifying that they know they cannot smoke in their units. Of course, a smoke-free initiative at a community might be hard to enforce, especially if a smoker isn’t caught in the act. But having written warnings, fines, or even the threat of eviction in the lease agreement will seriously curtail smoking in the community. Though smokers might not be thrilled with the smoke-free clause, overall, Related has already received positive feedback from their initiative. Jessica Fiur is News Editor at Multi-Housing News. Find more of her insights on multifamily living on the “What Renters Want”...

They call the coastal California city of Goleta “the Goodland.” The opportunity to reside in apartments like The Towbes Group’s Encina Meadows are one reason why. With views of the beautiful Santa Ynez Mountains, Encina Meadows is a peaceful place to live. Residents told us that they love the nicely landscaped property, which includes mature trees, plenty of shade and green grass. Most apartment balconies face the A recent upgrade to the community amenities revamped the pool and Jacuzzi area, community center (available by reservation for special events and parties) and the gym. Residents can now enjoy that view of the mountains while BBQing on one of several gas grills available poolside.mountain range, and many residents have extended the greenery to flowers and mini-gardens on their individual patios. Nearby, a variety of restaurants, from sushi to Indian cuisine to traditional American fare, are within walking distance. Groceries, drug stores, banks, coffee shops and other conveniences are just a block away, and a movie theatre and public library are also close. With near-perfect weather and awesome area beaches and parks, residents of Encina Meadows have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. And they don’t have to go far – the community pool is a popular spot for reading, relaxing and swimming, even into the fall and winter months. Residents also told us that they love the attentive service delivered by Community Manger Nadra Ehrman and her staff, who make maintenance requests and other resident needs their No. 1 priority. With friendly neighbors and such a pleasant place to call home, it’s no wonder Encina Meadows residents enjoy the Goodland life. Ehrman, her front office team, and Encina Meadows residents participated in a photo shoot for a “Your People. Your Places. Our Priority” print ad....

If you keep an eye on the latest news from the multifamily industry, then you probably already know that apartment renting is the current hot housing option of choice for Americans from all walks of life. The recent recession helped fuel renters’ desires to downsize, cut down on commute times and steer clear of massive mortgages, and the result has been high demand for apartments and low vacancy rates (as well as higher rents). Our friends over at the RentCafe blog, sister site to the apartment leasing service RentCafe, put together this good looking infographic which gives a clear look at who lives in these new renter households, why they’re renting and what these trends mean. The data is clear: the resurgence of renting shows no signs of slowing, and new construction apartment starts are steadily climbing back toward pre-recession levels. The figures are good news for the multifamily industry and could signify a collective shift in our national real estate mindset. What do you think? Will apartment renting stay as popular and trendy as it is today? Or will this be a post-recession reaction that could later reverse? Courtesy of:...