5 Ways to Create Engagement With Student Renters

By Elise Nelson on September 27, 2017

As a landlord, you want your student renters to come back and renew their leases, right? One of the most important parts of reaching this goal is to keep residents happy, safe, and comfortable.

Build a community where your residents can stay involved and they’ll be more likely to rent your property again. Here are five ways you can boost engagement with your student renters.

1. Connect with your community via social media

The best way to keep your residents active in their community is to stay in touch. With this generation of college students, the best way to stay in touch is through social media.

As the property manager, you can use social media to advertise new community events, post important announcements, or archive photos of your property. You can post as little or as much as you’d like, as long as it doesn’t become too overbearing for your renters. You should maintain a mostly professional tone; however, you want to relate to your students, so a bit of casual language is okay.

Having a public page on any social media site (especially Facebook) will keep you connected with current residents while also drawing in some prospective renters. Update your accounts with new apartment listings, testimonials, and amenities whenever they become available. Allow your residents to share the posts with their friends so you can spread the word even more!

Image via Pixabay.com

2. Host a variety of social events

Your residents might sit at home trying to find something to do more often than you think. Keep them busy and entertained by hosting a handful of community events!

Plan some holiday parties, movie nights, game nights, or even some friendly contests for residents to join in on. No matter what you decide to plan, though, it’s important to stay inclusive. Have a little something for everyone in your community. Take note of the diversity in your residents — is anyone under 21? What holidays do they celebrate? What are their interests?

As the landlord, you want residents to feel welcomed. By hosting diverse events, you can help residents meet new friends and see that they aren’t alone in their personal interests.

3. Build personal connections with each resident

Your residents are not just a sum of rent money. The more you recognize that the sooner they will engage themselves in your community. Take the time to get to know all of your residents on a personal level.

A friendly attitude will help your residents feel better about coming to you in the future. They won’t be afraid to ask questions or report problems so the issue can be resolved as soon as possible. You should let them know that you’re always around if they need to talk about personal matters as well.

You’re less likely to get into disputes if you and your residents can respect and trust each other.

4. Respond quickly and politely

If you want your residents to be involved, you should set an example and be involved yourself.  When a resident reaches out to you with a question, request, or concern, be sure to get back to them as soon as possible. Go above and beyond to take care of them and ensure their comfort on your property so that they will rent from you again.

Image via Pixabay.com

Provide your residents with up-to-date contact information and let them know which is the best way to reach you in case of emergencies. Encourage them to get in touch whenever something comes up. Additionally, be sure to provide them with the best times to catch you in person.

While it’s important to reply as soon as possible, it’s just as important to act. When a tenant calls to report a damage on Monday evening, don’t tell them you’ll fix it on Tuesday morning and then wait until Friday to show up. You don’t need to be available every minute of the day, but allow some time for helping your residents out.

5. Ensure that your residents are well-informed

Your tenants are more inclined to get involved in your community if you keep them informed. When they move into their new apartment, be sure to stop by and introduce yourself. Offer them a packet full of your contact information, a rent payment schedule, and a community event calendar.

To keep your residents informed and engaged at the same time, try to host a “town hall” meeting at least once a month. Notify residents about any changes to the community and remind them about upcoming contests or activities.

Town hall meetings can assure that your residents hear important details which may otherwise be lost in an e-mail. Plus, it’s one more opportunity for your residents to mingle! In the end, taking the time to meet in person will show your residents how above and beyond you want to go to see them happy.

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