How to Avoid Negative Tenant Reviews

Running any company in the 21st century comes with a number of challenges that didn’t exist a decade or so ago. One of those is the fact that any customer with a grievance can broadcast it to the world before giving you time to resolve the issue. Negative tenant reviews can be damaging to your business, so you need to know how to avoid them.

For some people, it seems easier to leave a scathing online review than to write something positive, but these tips can help letting agents avoid the trolls.

Communication is Key

If the communication between letting agent and tenant is good in general, you will be their first port of call when issues arise. If there is no regular dialogue, you risk them going to complain online before they talk to you.

Keeping in contact with tenants lets them know it is okay to bring up issues. They know you will listen and resolve their problem. It means they are much more likely to trust that you will sort it out to their satisfaction.

Ask for Feedback

This is the business equivalent of heading them off at the pass. By asking for private feedback in an email, they can air any issues away from public view. It helps you improve your service and avoids negative tenant reviews appearing online.

The big problem with negative online reviews is that they are often written in a haze of anger or frustration, but remain available for all to see forever. Even if the issue was sorted, the damage is done. By canvassing for opinion, you help avoid tenants posting hastily online.

Encourage Good Reviews

It’s a quirk of human psychology that people do not like to go against the grain. If there are plenty of good reviews online about your company, people are less likely to leave bad ones. They might be more inclined to come directly to you with problems rather than buck the trend online. It suggests that their experience was a one-off, rather than an inherent issue with your service.

Simply ask your clients for good reviews. It’s as easy as that. Research shows that 70% of people will gladly leave an online review if asked even if you don’t have any negative tenant reviews to deal with, it’s good practice to encourage positive reviews. Just as bad reviews put people off, if prospective renters see a stack of glowing statements about your company, they might be persuaded to use your business.

Offer a Personalised Service to Avoid Negative Tenant Reviews

It’s often difficult to offer all your tenants a personalised service, particularly if you are also building your business and chasing new sales. You can’t be in two places at once. This is why outsourcing your property management to a company like Executive Property Management Solutions helps keep your tenants happy. We offer a professional and friendly service that covers as much or as little of your property management duties as you like.

Contact us today using the form below or by ringing 0208 5757630, and we’ll help you avoid negative tenant reviews.