When it comes to apartment shopping, it’s easy to become distracted by included extras. “There are soft-close drawers! And a washing machine! This apartment is perfect.”
But what are the perks that matter most to potential residents when they are on the market for a new place to live? What is most important to them has changed over the past couple of years, so read on to learn what your future residents will be looking for when they stop in for a tour.
Outdoor spaces have become a necessity with more time spent at home. Heading to community spaces is a great way to gather with family and friends, especially during the warmer months. To help keep residents happy, multifamily property managers must make sure these spaces are kept clean and pest-free. Be sure to eliminate standing water, cut back overgrown trees and bushes, and avoid using mulch to help keep pests like mosquitoes and ticks at bay. Look to have mosquito and tick treatments done. Some companies even offer mosquito traps for 24/7 mosquito control.
One overlooked outdoor space is a property’s dumpsters. While it’s not an amenity that potential residents usually check out while touring, it can leave an impact after moving in. Ensuring that the area is clean and odor-free will help keep pests like cockroaches, rodents, and flies away. Proper sanitation and routine cleaning and removal will help but a scenting unit in indoor garbage areas can not only help with resident happiness but it will take care of the foul odors that attract pests.
Storage areas are also a highly coveted amenity because so many residents are still working remotely and some are home schooling and need additional space to store their belongings. Having storage areas on-site is a huge plus to potential residents, but it is imperative to remember that self-storage can be susceptible to pest pressures and the damage caused by pests can be extensive and costly if not taken care of immediately.
Specific threats in storage areas include rodents, cockroaches, moths, and bed bugs. Be sure to properly inform any residents about the pest warning signs in storage areas. In addition, you should conduct regular maintenance inspections on units at least once each quarter.
Pet-friendly multifamily properties are currently a huge draw, especially considering how many people have adopted animals over the course of the pandemic. It’s common for residents to leave a bowl of food out for their furry friend, however, their food can easily turn into a meal for beetles, weevils, and cockroaches – making ongoing pest control imperative to help protect your residents. Encourage residents to keep all pets up to date on their flea and tick medications as well to avoid an infestation on your property.
Maintaining sealed windows and doorways may seem like a no-brainer for some property owners, but it’s not a one and done thing. Constantly check on new openings throughout the year. Many insects can fit through an opening as thin as a credit card, and various rodents can squeeze through holes as small as a dime or quarter. Make this part of your regular maintenance program to ensure a pest-free property year-round for residents.
Quality of management can make a huge difference when residents choose a new home. They want responsive staff who are proactive, not reactive. In particular, the way management handles a pest control problem can be the difference between a five-star review and a one-star review. The managers that stand out understand that unwelcome pests can diminish online reputations and brands, spread disease, damage properties, and lose residents.
Effective pest control is critical to keeping pests out and happy multifamily residents in – and a strong partnership with a trusted pest control company is a necessity. Bring in an expert and you will get expert results.