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...

Care to know which cities in the United States are home to the most satisfied apartment residents? A recent report released by J Turner Research, a Houston-based company that exclusively specializes in market research for the multifamily industry, identifies Raleigh, North Carolina, as the nation’s hub for happy renters. The study, The Digital Mirror: Online Rankings and Reflection, tracked and analyzed the online reputation of 46, 000 apartment properties in 131 cities nationwide. Based on an aggregate scoring scale of 1-100, the national average score in online customer satisfaction was 47. “Online reputation is fast altering the dynamics of every industry” observes Joseph Batdorf, President, J Turner Research. “The apartment industry is no different.  The digital world offers an instant and influential platform for residents to make their voices heard. Residents across the nation have expressed their opinions to rate properties and J Turner has analyzed those ratings to determine the cities offering the highest customer satisfaction in the apartment industry”. Raleigh, North Carolina, ruled the charts in 2013, standing out as the ‘Happiest City’ in online customer satisfaction by apartment renters with a final score of 54.  According to the study, prospects in Raleigh may call themselves lucky as the chances of them landing a property that is rated at or higher than the national average are 68 percent higher than anywhere else. Cincinnati, Ohio came in second with a final score of 52; Washington, DC was ranked third with a final score of 51; Chicago, Illinois; Modesto, California; and Knoxville, Tennessee, also made the top ten with a score of 51. On the other end of the customer satisfaction index stands Aurora, Colorado. It seems that residents of Aurora have not had the best of luck with their apartment choices. The study...