Your property management company’s online reputation is important, especially when potential customers are deciding between you and another company. Four out of five consumers will reverse their purchase decisions based on negative reviews.
It’s frustrating to see awful reviews from tenants, and you can take a few steps to confront and manage bad tenant reviews before they’re shared with the entire world.
Bad Tenant Experiences Lead to Bad Reviews
Maybe a maintenance request went badly. If your plumber didn’t fix a leaky toilet properly or another vendor doesn’t show up on time, your tenant will be irritated. It puts you at risk for receiving the dreaded one-star review. You might also find yourself in a similar situation if:
- You deny a tenant who applied for your property.
- The tenant’s security deposit wasn’t returned in full.
- You increase your rent.
- A tenant leaves a bad review for the wrong management company.
Tenants at times will forget that you work on behalf of the property owner. But, they still leave a bad review on Google+, Yelp, TrueLocal, Hotfrog, and others.
Reacting to Negative Tenant Reviews
You’ll have to react professionally when a negative review is out there. Some property managers will try to reach out to Google, but the reviews will probably stick unless it’s filtered out for various reasons
We recommend you respond, offer an apology, and genuinely try to make it right. If you aren’t sure what will help, ask the reviewer what they’d like you to do.
Next, bury that review with as many positive ones as you can generate. Controlling the damage can take up a lot of your time. It’s usually better to continue asking for and showcasing your good reviews.
Preventing Negative Tenant Reviews
Poor communication almost always leads to bad reviews.
Get feedback from tenants before they’re motivated to leave bad reviews online. Someone in the company should send an email after every repair, asking how their experience was. Keep the email simple. You’re more likely to get a response. If the tenant reports having a negative experience, address it immediately. You’re more likely to keep this private, and there won’t be a public display of frustration.
If the tenant reports a positive maintenance experience, ask them for a review, and send them a link to your Google or other review pages.
This is a great method to use to screen out negative reviews and get positive reviews at the same time.
Ask your happy tenants to post their thoughts online. It’s possible to turn a negative review into a positive one if you can manage the problem before the tenant writes a review.
Capitalize on Owner Reviews
You should contact your owners four or five times a year to see how things are going. Ask if they’re pleased with your service. They might tell you they’re happy with the new tenant you placed, or grateful that a good tenant has renewed a lease. Seize all opportunities to ask for an online review.
At Fourandhalf, we have a unique reputation management program that can help you manage your reviews. If you’d like help turning negative tenant reviews into positive feedback, contact us at Fourandhalf.
