Want Happy Tenants? 3 Considerations For Apartments

Business Blog

With the amount of information available online, you want to ensure your property has favorable reviews to help you retain and attract tenants. By addressing common problems in apartments, you can improve the perception of your property and even your current tenants may want to renew their lease.

Do Preventative Pest Control

One of the biggest concerns with apartments is the prospect of pest infestations. Since pests can move between adjoining apartments quickly, it is difficult to control an infestation once it starts. Part of your property maintenance should include preventative pest control services for the entire property. Since new tenants and visitors to the apartment can unknowingly bring pests, waiting until you hear a complaint means there are usually many more pests you cannot see.

Yearly preventative pest control is usually the best strategy to avoid infestations. Consider forming a contract with a local pest control service, who will likely place roach gel in inconspicuous areas throughout each apartment. Ask your contractor about the use of growth inhibitors. If a single pest were able to enter your apartment, proactively using growth inhibitors can prevent them from reproducing.

The contractor can also survey your property and look for indications of termites and show you areas you need to fix before they turn into entry points for pests. Small cracks in the foundation or improperly sealed window frames are easily overlooked by the untrained eye. You should also educate tenants on what they can do to reduce the likelihood of infestations.

Maintain Privacy

Although you likely have a master key to apartments, only access occupied dwellings unannounced if there is an emergency, such as to prevent flooding or if there is a serious risk of injury to your tenants. Many tenants are uncomfortable with the idea of maintenance and property management personnel having access to their apartment when they are not home or at other inappropriate times.

When possible, consider having a system where maintenance requests can be handled by appointment. You may want to try integrating appointment scheduling software into any existing property management system. Give your tenants a window of time when they can expect maintenance personnel to arrive. If your tenants cannot make appointments for maintenance, you should consider asking them if they are okay with maintenance personnel entering their home while they are away and giving them the option to decline.

Hire Private Security

Another concern for tenants are noise complaints and trespassers. These can be frequent problems for tenants in apartments, but it is unnecessary for each complaint to be handled by the local police department. You should consider investing in a private security firm to patrol the area, especially on the weekends or at night, when complaints are more likely to occur. Many times, issues with arguments or loud music only happen after the rental office has closed, making it difficult to catch the offender in the act. If you hire private security to frequently patrol the area, you may discourage undesirable behavior before it becomes a problem.

You want current tenants to recommend your property to anyone looking for their next apartment. Finding ways to proactively address common tenant frustrations will help improve the quality and livability of your property. For more tips or help, contact a property management company.

14 December 2015