What do people think of you?
As professional property managers in Northern Virginia, we understand the value of positive reviews. When landlords and real estate investors are looking for experts to lease, manage, and maintain their rental properties, we want them to look up our company and see only glowing reviews.
Positive reviews are integral to your business, even if you’re only renting out a single property. When prospective tenants look you up online, what will they see? A property with strong reviews builds trust and credibility among potential tenants, helping you stand out from competitors. Good reviews improve your reputation within the community and among a pool of tenants who may or may not rent a home from you.
Great reviews make your listings more appealing, which can lead to higher occupancy rates. There’s also better retention. Delivering top-notch service encourages tenants to renew their leases, reducing turnover costs.
Happy tenants leave reviews that help to draw in other like-minded renters who appreciate respect and a supportive community.
With these benefits in mind, let’s explore strategies for boosting online reviews of your property and your services. We’ll focus on what it takes to create a rental experience worth raving about.
Provide a Good Rental Experience
You won’t collect positive reviews if you’re not providing a positive experience.
When tenants feel valued, supported, and comfortable in their rental homes, they’re much more likely to leave positive feedback. Here’s how you can elevate the rental experience to not only boost satisfaction but also increase the number of favorable online reviews your properties receive:
- Prioritize Tenant Communication
Open, transparent, and timely communication can make a world of difference in the tenant experience. Start by responding to inquiries quickly, whether they’re prospective tenants asking about an available unit or current tenants needing assistance. As property managers, we use software to make communication seamless. For example, automated responses to maintenance requests can save time while ensuring tenants feel heard.
- Streamline the Move-In Process
Moving can be stressful—but as property managers, we have the opportunity to ease that stress. Ensure the lease signing process is simple and transparent. Offer a welcome package with useful information (like community guidelines, local hotspots, and contact numbers for essential services). Set up a walkthrough checklist so tenants can confirm the condition of the property at move-in. Not only does this protect both parties, but it also builds trust.
- Regular Maintenance and Quick Repairs
One of the most common tenant complaints relates to maintenance. Make sure all repairs are handled in a timely and efficient manner. Establish a system where tenants can file requests easily and ensure regular property inspections to catch potential issues before they snowball. Highlight your fast response times in your initial conversations to manage tenant expectations—and deliver on your promise.
- Offer Amenities and Perks
A thoughtfully designed property with modern amenities significantly enhances the tenant experience. For example:
- Secure Parking
- High-speed internet connections
- Pet-friendly policies
- Community spaces (like a gym, co-working space, or rooftop lounge)
Small, unexpected perks—like occasional community events or a holiday greeting—can also go a long way in impressing tenants. Even smaller properties can add value. Thoughtful touches like honest referrals to local service providers or property newsletters can elevate the experience.
Respect your tenants’ privacy and time. Always give proper notice before inspections or repairs, and treat them as partners rather than just customers. Demonstrating respect makes tenants feel appreciated and valued, creating an atmosphere they’ll rave about. Offer surveys or feedback opportunities to show tenants you care about their opinions and take actionable steps from their input.
Be Willing to Make the Ask
Are you making the ask?
This is an important element in gathering positive online reviews and an easy thing for landlords and rental property owners to overlook. Even professional property management companies forget that it’s essential to ask for a good review.
Happy tenants are often willing to leave a good review, but they might need a small nudge. Towards the end of their lease term or after resolving major issues, kindly request a review. When a tenant gets locked out, and you show up within minutes to let them into their property, ask for a review in that moment while they’re thinking about how lucky they are to have a responsive landlord. After you’ve completed the move-out inspection and sent their security deposit back in full, thank them for being such great tenants and for taking such good care of the property. Then, ask them to review their experience living in your property.
These are prime moments to get them thinking about all the good things they could say about you.
However, don’t be pushy. You want to ensure it feels like a genuine request, not an obligation.
Make it Easy for Tenants
Everyone is busy, and if tenants have to go looking for the right platform upon which to leave a good review, they probably won’t bother.
Get around this by sending a link that leads them immediately to where they’ll leave a review. This keeps things simple and automated. You can send an email or a text with specific instructions. Attach the link, and they can be done with the review in minutes. The impact it has on your business as a rental property owner will last much longer.
Don’t be shy about this. As you have likely noticed, people are quick to take to the internet when they have a complaint. If there’s something bad to report about a product or a service, people cannot wait to get on the appropriate website to lodge their complaint. Positive reviews feel less urgent to a lot of consumers. They need to be reminded.
Be sure you’re using social media, too. When a positive review does show up, share it across your social platforms and ask people to join in the discussion of what it’s like to rent from or with you.
These are just a few ideas, and we can help you build a better reputation.
Please contact us at Comfort Property Management. We lease, manage, and maintain investment properties throughout Northern Virginia in Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, McLean, Ashburn, Sterling, Springfield, Reston, Chantilly, Manassas, Centreville, and Herndon.
