The best way for any business to learn about themselves is through the customer’s lens. Surveys are an effective method for gleaning useful feedback and critiques about performance and quality of service. This is especially true for property managers. Learning first-hand from current and previous tenants will show strengths and areas for improvement. In order to run a productive survey, it’s important to know what to ask and why. When conducting tenant surveys, consider these following questions.
Lease experience
Ask tenants what the leasing experience was like for them. How did they find the property, and was the leasing process easy and convenient? Did the tenant have a positive interaction with staff, and were they helpful in fully explaining the terms and conditions of the lease? Learn if the tenant found that their personal information and money was handled securely, and ask how the leasing process can improve.
Streamlining the leasing process is the aim of turbotenant. A free online software to help landlords and property managers, Turbo Tenant features an extensive online application process that quickly turns interested leads into qualified tenants. With free tenant screening including, Turbo Tenant gives landlords peace of mind by providing criminal history, credit report, and eviction history. And since Turbo Tenant is mobile-friendly, leads, properties, and tenants can be managed from anywhere.
The property
Appearances matter. Ask tenants how they rate the appearance of the property, both inside and outside. Learn if the amenities meet expectations, and if there is a community area, how is the condition and can it be improved. What about parking? Are there sufficient spaces according to the lease, and are the guests of other tenants respecting the spaces. Of course, safety is especially important, so be sure to ask if the property feels secure.
The management team
Tenants will have a lot of interaction with the management team. They are the face of the property, so how tenants perceive them is important. Does the management team make itself available during business hours and are they responsive? The management team is responsible for problem resolution and should be able to communicate clearly and with a friendly demeanour.
Maintenance
Maintenance issues are bound to come up during a lease. Find out from tenants how they feel about the handling and execution of maintenance orders. Are work orders easy to submit and are they handled in a timely fashion?
Of course, there are some additional key points to remember when conducting tenant surveys.
Guarantee anonymity
In order to get the most participation from surveys, tenants need a guarantee that their responses will remain anonymous. Not only will this encourage more open and honest feedback, but more tenants will be willing to participate if they know that they can freely speak their minds without consequence.
Keep questions open-ended
The purpose of surveys is to collect as much information as possible. While asking some simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions is a good start, focus more on open-ended questions that give tenants the ability to thoroughly answer the question. The more constructive input received, the better.
For help creating a thorough survey, try using a questionnaire maker like Survey King. Choose one of Survey King’s free, professionally made templates for market research, customer satisfaction, or form creation. Questionnaires can be a combination of multiple choice or open text responses, making it easy to collect as much information as possible.
When asking for honest feedback, be prepared to receive some negative responses. Find a way to turn negatives into positives and take action to improve the issues brought up by tenants. Acknowledging negative responses shows tenants that their happiness matters and if they see that their feedback is put into action, they will experience higher satisfaction and be more likely to renew a lease.
