Working With First-Time Renters

After being sequestered at their parents’ homes for most of 2020, college students are eager to enjoy their own space. In fact, property managers expect to see the same rate of off-campus tenants in 2021/2022 as they saw pre-pandemic. As an influx of first-time renters makes their way to your property this year, communicating with and engaging new residents will be the keys to generating positive online reviews and eventual lease renewals.

Speak Their Language

Young renters new to the off-campus living experience might need more reminders, directions, and overall communication than seasoned tenants. Reach out to residents using the method they are most familiar with—texting. Automating personalized texts about upcoming bills or fees is a great way to get in front of questions about bills and due dates. Using Rent Manager’s Text Broadcast* feature, you can quickly update residents about planned maintenance or schedule changes. Spending a few minutes setting up automated texts can save you time by quickly communicating important information.

Plan Events Using Polls

Even if your property is close to campus, there are probably fewer activities available to students. Because of this, first-time renters will likely crave community activities that allow them to interact with other student residents. Gauge interest levels for community events, gather responses to determine optimal dates and times, and collect feedback to see how successful your programing was by sending out polls* through the software. By planning events using polls data, you can ensure you’re providing residents with the experiences they want. To kickstart your get-together brainstorming, check out our past blog about community events.

Keep Up-To-Date With Community Calendars

Keep renters in-the-know about all the fun events happening at your property using Rent Manager’s Community Calendar* feature. Use this handy resource to announce upcoming activities and share important details so your tenants are always in the loop. After it’s set up, your Community Calendar will populate in your residents’ Tenant Web Access (TWA) portals.*

You can also set up calendars that show which of your amenities—meeting rooms, pools, study lounges, etc.—are available to reserve and which are booked. And when student residents make a reservation for an on-site space via their TWA account, your team has the ability to approve or decline those requests via the program’s Reservable Amenities* feature.

Welcoming first-time renters back to your student housing community doesn’t have to be a daunting task. By taking the time to listen to your residents, you can create a positive experience for your entire community.

*To learn more about these Rent Manager features, press the F1 key in your Rent Manager database to access the Help File.