10 Ways to Enjoy a Socially Distant Summer

As warm weather rolls in and restrictions begin to lift, people are looking for a sense of normalcy with the approach of summer in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends remaining socially distant in our everyday lives for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still have a little fun this summer! Despite the circumstances, continuing to hold community events for your tenants is vital for maintaining resident satisfaction and retention. Now more than ever, your renters are looking for a sense of support from their community, whether it be increased communication or social connection. Providing services and activities for your tenants while abiding by social distancing guidelines can go a long way in these unprecedented times. Whether everyone participates or not, you’ll be demonstrating that your property cares and strives to increase satisfaction.

The following list of community events includes ideas that are safe, will keep your residents connected, and provide activities right at home.

1. Food for Thought

After self-quarantining for a few months, most people are tired of cooking their own meals. Inviting food trucks to your property is a great way to provide your residents with a dining-out experience that doesn’t involve sitting in a crowded restaurant. In these tough economic times, it’s also a means of supporting small local businesses.

2. Socially Distant Trivia

Get your residents’ competitive juices flowing by hosting virtual trivia—a fun and engaging activity that can be handled in a variety of ways. Whether you send out daily or weekly trivia in an email, utilize social media, or host a virtual hangout via a video conferencing app, your residents are sure to learn something new and have fun doing it. You can even up the stakes with prizes!

3. Adventure is Out There!

Although we have to keep our distance, exploring and getting some fresh air is an essential summertime pursuit. Putting together a list of local parks and nature walks/hikes to share with residents is a beneficial way to promote local spots and encourage your tenants to get outside while still being safe.

4. Pump Up the Jams

Creating a playlist to share with residents on a platform like can help boost morale and motivation around the community. You can even ask your tenants to submit songs they’d like to see on the playlist to increase participation and listening. After all, everyone needs some good tunes to clean, exercise, or dance around the house to!

5. Change it Up

As seasons change, encourage your residents to decorate their spaces—this could be a balcony, patio, window, or door. This will bring some new beauty to the property, display individual creativity, and is a great piece of content to share on your social media. You could even send out a poll for residents to vote on their favorite for a prize.

6. Socially Distant Exercising

Most gym-goers had their workout routines and healthy eating habits disrupted by stay-at-home restrictions. Being disconnected from others for a long duration can also negatively affect our mental health. Host a virtual workout or yoga session via a video conferencing app to reenergize your residents. If you’re not up for putting on your own sessions, though, consider asking local instructors to host weekly workouts for your tenants to provide a sense of normalcy when gyms and group fitness classes are not an option.

7. Bring Your Own… Recipe

Community potlucks have always been a popular get-together. While large gatherings and sharing food are not recommended right now, creating a community cookbook is a great spin on these crowd-pleasing events. Encourage residents to submit their best/favorite recipe and share the submissions via a Word document or pdf or publish the collected dishes to your website and social pages. Virtual potlucks also inspire residents to get to know their neighbors and try new experiences.

8. Book of the Quarantine

Start a book club for your community and let residents vote on the book for each month. A great way to keep the discussion going is to start a Facebook group for interested residents.

9. Wax On, Wax Off

With less commuting and going out, residents’ cars are likely collecting dust in the parking lot. Hosting a tenant carwash run by your property team can provide fun for both residents and employees. Your residents never even have to exit their vehicles!

10. It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere

No one said staying socially distant had to hinder happy hour! Residents can pour themselves a beverage and head out to their patios and balconies for a community cocktail hour. Playing music throughout the property or hosting a DJ can really get the party going. Bad weather? No worries! Virtual happy hour via a video conferencing app is an excellent alternative!

Our lives have seen a lot of change over the past few months. In a time where we are encouraged to be distant during a season that’s always been flush with activity, show your community that they can be more connected than ever and help make this a satisfying summer for everyone!

By Megan Wolfe