6 Best Ways to Respond to Student Reviews of Your Apartment Community

By Christine Ascher on September 19, 2017

When you’re looking to improve your apartment community, the easiest way to find out what needs to be done to make your property appeal more to students is to look at what your current residents are saying. Student reviews can call attention to problems that you may not have realized even existed and can provide you with an affirmation of what you’re doing right. In other words, they’ll let you know what you do and don’t need to change in order to make your property the perfect residence for students.

However, in order to maintain a good image for your property, you’ll need to respond to them in the right way.

Image via https://www.pexels.com

Personalize your answers

When looking at student reviews, it’s a good idea to not only absorb their content but also actually give them a written response as well. Rather than leaving the same generic response after every review, acknowledge the specifics of what each person says. This will show students that you’re aware of their concerns and are actually interested in what they have to say.

In responding, you’ll also be more likely to come up with a solution to any issues that the student brings up, as you’ll have to come up with an encouraging response and will be more likely to carry it out once you’ve written it down. Even if students are leaving only positive feedback, it’s still worthwhile to take the time to write back; it shows that you appreciate your students and their feedback and that you’re grateful they took the time to write.

Your responses will also encourage students to leave more reviews and provide you with additional feedback (and hopefully more positive publicity), as they’ll be assured that their reviews can actually make a difference.

Respond as quickly as possible

If you receive a negative review and then wait a month before you respond, you run the risk of a reviewer becoming frustrated by your apparent lack of attention and action. If you wait this long just to respond to the review, it will take you even longer to actually address the problem. Overall, this just weakens your position when it comes to satisfying your residents and improving from your reviews.

If, however, you respond in a timely fashion, you have a far greater chance of actually remedying the problem before your residents become even angrier. In addition, this will show both your current and your potential residents that you’re efficient and are actively striving to improve your property, rather than just responding to reviews as an afterthought.

Maintain a professional tone

If you receive a really negative review that seems unfairly scathing — which can happen to any business or property owner once in a while — it’s essential to think carefully before you respond. Reflect on why a resident would feel how they do, and what could drive them to leave such a review.

Chances are that they have a legitimate reason to be upset, even if they’ve blown it out of proportion. Then, when you respond, make an extra effort to stay professional and understanding. If you respond to a rude review in a similarly impolite tone, that’s definitely going to leave a bad impression on prospective residents who are looking through your reviews — probably even more so than the negative review itself.

Truly listen

Whenever you receive a review that seems like it’s just whiny or an unfair complaint, treat it just as you would a review that seems, in your opinion, more legitimate. A frustrated resident is not always going to communicate in a calm and professional manner so it won’t help you to disregard any reviews based on how they’re written.

Really pay attention to what your residents are saying; even the most biased review is likely to contain some truth. Try to look at the situation from the student’s perspective to better understand how they feel and what you need to do to address the review.

Follow up on negative reviews

If a student posts a negative review about a specific aspect of your property and you’re able to address it, follow up with a response once you’ve fixed the problem. By responding to the review both initially and once the issue has been resolved, you’ll show residents and those who are researching your apartment that you’re truly invested in your residents’ satisfaction.

Rather than just giving them an appeasing response and then forgetting about it, you’ll prove that you actually took the review to heart and did something about it.

Explain what can’t be changed

If you receive a review concerning an issue that you cannot reasonably change — for instance, if a student complains about the security deposit that you charge, saying that it’s too much, but you feel that it’s a fair amount, take the time to explain why you charge what you do. Rather than ignoring a review because it concerns something that you can’t or won’t change, respond with an explanation to help your residents understand why it can’t be changed.

While this won’t alter the student’s actual situation, they will hopefully be more understanding once they know the reasoning behind your policies.

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