How do you keep your finger on the pulse of your community? You can follow reviews, you can gauge general resident happiness around the community, but there may be a better way. Resident surveys can help you to notice and work on issues in real-time, before they become enough of an issue to become a negative statement in an online review. These surveys are optional but may be incentivized to encourage better participation.

When creating your resident survey, it's important to keep your questions brief, succinct, and easy to answer. Questions that are too complicated or requesting too many details might be more likely to be pushed aside by a resident. With online tools, your survey can be sent via e-mail or social media to your residents, allowing them to complete the survey at home at their convenience.

If you're creating a resident survey, the biggest question is -- what should I be asking? At OccupancySolutions.com we have a few ideas to get you started:

  • How long have you been a part of our community? -- Asking how long a resident has been with you helps to show just how much time, and how much change, a resident has experienced with you.
  • How satisfied are you with the maintenance experience? -- Maintaining a residence is crucial to keeping it comfortable, modern, clean, and even livable. This question will show you if you have some room for improvement when it comes to your maintenance staff.
  • How satisfied are you with community management? -- This is where residents can express any issues they may have with how the community is managed. This might include communications, responsiveness, organization, or how your various teams work together.
  • What updates would you suggest for your residence or the community? -- In this section, residents can suggest updates, amenities, and improvements that could be appreciated throughout the community or within their residences.
  • What could we improve upon in the community as a whole? -- Knowing where you can improve is knowing how you can move forward while continuing a happy, satisfied, organic community feel.

A resident survey can be one of your most useful tools in resident retention when approached correctly. To learn more about how to craft your own resident survey, contact us at OccupancySolutions.com today.