Photo by Victor Garcia on Unsplash
Fostering a positive relationship between you and your residents is just one component of running a successful multifamily apartment complex. Many people are looking for a space to call their own, as well as a sense of community with their neighbors.
Lynda, Listen
Like any good relationship, there’s some give and take. As the property manager, you’re most familiar with the ins ands outs of the building and its residents. Suggesting events for your residents to connect would be a great start. Since you also know the area, this could also be a great way to form new bonds with local businesses. It’ll help residents learn more about what’s around them at a discounted price or private event, and it’ll help you create that community feel.
But it’s important to also step back and allow your residents to throw some ideas into the hat, too. It’s easy to get stuck and fall back on more mundane community events that might not produce a high turnout. For those who handle multiple properties, you might’ve found that one event won’t be as successful in one building compared to the other. You can’t expect yourself to come up with engaging events every month on top of everything else that’s on your to-do list, so use your residents! Send out a building-wide survey, post a suggestion sheet on a community bulletin, or even ask residents at an event what else they would like to see.
Clean out the Closet
We all know that Spring Cleaning happens more often than just once a year, especially for those who are moving in or moving out. Help your residents clean out their closets by hosting a clothing drive. People can gather and either swap, trade, or take clothes that others are getting ride of and you can donate the rest, or just donate the whole pile!
Eat your Veggies
Do you have a rooftop, unused garage space, or a nearby empty plot of land that full of overgrown weeds? Consider turning any of these spaces in a community garden! This trend has picked up a lot of speed over the years, but if done right, they can be an easily added amenity that everyone can benefit from.
Game Nights
This can be a standard event, but maybe you’re not getting enough people to your game nights. Why? If you’ve got a great location, people are going to their local bars, having friends over in their apartments, or going to another friend’s home. Any solutions? Throw a potluck where you plan out ahead of time to gauge residents’ interest or availability, then have a sign-up sheet where everyone offers to bring something. If you have a larger building, think about doing this for every floor and getting residents to host each other.
Helping your residents find a sense of community where they live is important to more than just your building’s satisfaction ratings, but also to the company’s image. Creating something more than a home for individuals can help increase ROI, retention, and lease-up rates — get those #apartmentgains!
