Your resident portal is a convenient and secure connection to your renters. While some renters like to access the resident portal via computer, studies show that most renters prefer to use a mobile app. If your current resident portal doesn’t offer a robust mobile option, you’re missing out on three key points for resident satisfaction. What renters want: convenience and efficiency with a mobile app According to the 2020 National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC ) & Kingsley Apartment Resident Preferences Survey, community mobile apps are in high demand. Community apps permit a secure and mobile-ready way for users to access resident portals without using a web browser. Renters access mobile apps directly via smartphone or tablet, two devices that most of us always have within reach. In contrast, websites are best viewed via web browser on a laptop or desktop computer, which we don’t always have on hand. A community mobile app can promote renter satisfaction in three distinct ways. Mobile apps improve communication, task management, and daily operations for renters Residents prefer to communicate via mobile app more than conventional methods. About 60% of survey respondents prefer for leasing management to contact them via mobile app. Only 17% prefer contact through the website portal. On average, 64.5% of renters prefer to receive notifications through a mobile app. For example, 71.5% of renters want to receive mail and package notifications through the community mobile app. An app is also a preferred way to manage a household. On average, 58% of respondents prefer to pay rent via mobile app compared to only 23% who want to pay through the website portal. About 64% of renters want to submit maintenance requests via app. Even a formal event, like a lease renewal, is suitable for the app:...

Google has eliminated 300 apps from its online store after discovering a secret plugin silently installed across several Android devices. The seemingly innocuous apps were all secretly outfitted with the WiredX botnet. WiredX commandeers vulnerable Android phones and tablets, using the gadgets to kick off a DD0S attack. While Google does not yet have an official account of just how many devices currently host the WiredX botnet, Chad Seaman, a senior engineer at Akamai, a cyber security firm, estimates the number could reach 70,000 or more. “I know in the cases where we pulled data out of our platform for the people being targeted we saw 130,000 to 160,000 (unique Internet addresses) involved in the attack,” said Seaman. Silent, but Deadly The initial WiredX outbreak occurred on August 17th, when several Content Delivery Networks (CDNS) reported similar DDoS attacks. A search for the source eventually landed at the doorstep of Google’s Play Store, prompting the tech firm to pull hundreds of affected applications from its store and initiate procedures to remove the malware from infected devices. “We identified approximately 300 apps associated with the issue, blocked them from the Play Store, and we’re in the process of removing them from all affected devices,” a Google spokesperson said. “The researchers’ findings, combined with our own analysis, have enabled us to better protect Android users, everywhere.” The apps chosen to host the plugin provided genuine services, like ringtones and video players, but included hidden malware designed to commandeer the device for potential DDoS attacks. Once powered on, any infected phone or tablet mainly served as a soldier in a broader DDoS army – all unbeknownst to the user. While the apps themselves operated as promised, the malware surreptitiously connected to an internet server run by the WiredX...

J Turner Research analyzed 10,000 customer satisfaction surveys from multi-family communities throughout the nation to determine the top resident complaints. The results reveal that renter satisfaction does not depend on a slew of custom features and amenities. Rather, four out of five complaints depend solely on how onsite staff manages priorities: 1. Rental rates 2. Poor grounds/common area upkeep 3. Disorganized staff/lack of communication with staff 4. Quality of response to maintenance requests 5. Overall customer service experience Yardi clients weigh in on how they handle multi-family’s most ubiquitous complaints. Rental Rates There is little that onsite staff can do to influence long term rent rates. That’s why it’s important for staff to hone in on the assets around them, reminding residents that they are paying for the unit and all that the location has to offer. Larry Busgeon, Controller at Landmark Realty of San Francisco, has no issue with marketing exceptionally high rents. The prices are a great value because the city has so much to offer. “It’s a wonderful place to live and you have to pay to live in a highly desirable area,” says Busgeon. He’s ready with a list of the city’s best features: restaurants, culture, cutting edge environmental programming, a unique political atmosphere, great schools, natural beauty, and moderate weather year round. Finding ways to forge a direct relationship between the property and what the community has to offer will add value for residents. Staff may create alliances with local businesses, sending customers their way in exchange for discounted goods and services. Maintenance Crews Whether landscaping and maintenance technicians are hired in house or through a third party vendor, they are still representatives of office management. As such, it’s important for onsite staff to make sure that technicians are staying...

New and newly upgraded Yardi mobile applications will be front and center this week at YASC SB. When we talk to Yardi clients about ways to improve their real estate-based businesses, and how technology can help, they never fail to mention the desire for new mobile applications that will let employees work more efficiently and businesses run more smoothly. Mobile technology has transformed how we run our personal lives. Shouldn’t it change our businesses, too? Here’s a quick users guide to the various mobile apps now available from Yardi Systems: Leasing Pad – If you are anxious to use Yardi Voyager in a tablet-optimized environment, then Leasing Pad is for you. Users will be able to access contact, lead, lease, resident, and property data in Voyager using Leasing Pad, so leasing agents and managers can work on the go or anywhere on the property using a tablet device.  Leasing Pad also offers the full functionality of the Yardi PopCard CRM, property marketing portals, and online leasing.  Access Voyager dashboards with leasing and operations info, as well as residential analytics, all from your iPad or tablet. Leasing Pad is browser agnostic. Yardi CRM Mobile – During the leasing process, every day a unit sits empty costs you money. Yardi CRM Mobile will help streamline leasing by automating the process. Prospect and customer contact information and history are tracked in Voyager and synced with Outlook throughout the leasing process, from first contact to final signing. Access to crucial data is always within reach when it is on the mobile device that never leaves your side. Lease abstracts can also be run from Yardi CRM Mobile, available for iPhone and iPad. Yardi Inspection Mobile – When you’re in the field inspecting properties, the last thing you want...