Improving tenant satisfaction with property management software

A common tenant satisfaction complaint heard among people who rent their homes, whether it’s an apartment, condo, or single-family residence, is difficulty with property management. While there will always be some degree of conflict, but some of the dissatisfaction expressed by tenants is rooted in problems that are easily fixed.

A property manager can ease tenant frustration, minimize complaints, and enhance overall renter satisfaction through the use of property management software like MRI NETfacilities. There are a number of features associated with a computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) that can simplify and ease the interaction between tenants and management.

Track work orders and maintenance requests

When something goes awry with a tenant’s home, the renter is often inconvenienced while understandably concerned and frustrated. Unfortunately, these feelings can be amplified if property management isn’t able to respond to the issue promptly and thoroughly. Without a decent system in place, like a CMMS, maintenance requests and work orders won’t be tended to in a satisfactory manner and will lead to even more conflict.

Tenant frustration can mount at the very start of the process with submitting a work order. Too often, property managers either have no clear system for tenants to submit requests or have one in place that is outdated or isn’t user friendly.

If a tenant can manage to submit a work order or request, the process usually gets infinitely more frustrating from then on. After a request is submitted tenants often feel like they’re in a state of limbo, not hearing anything back from management or worse, never seeing the request fulfilled. There is usually no clear confirmation that the request is being processed, and this lack of clarity can frustrate tenants even further.

Even if a property management team receives a work order and completes the repair in a timely manner, not communicating progress to the tenant will leave them dissatisfied with how the request was handled. Instead of being relieved that the request has been fulfilled, the tenant will likely focus on the lack of communication and label the experience a negative one.

With property management maintenance software, a tenant can easily submit and track maintenance and repair orders. The process begins at the moment a maintenance request is submitted through the web portal and is transparent until the request has been resolved, leading to a dramatic increase in tenant satisfaction.

Property resource reservations

Some properties offer tenants an array of amenities, ranging from a business resource center, to a gym, to tennis courts, and so on. Without a reliable CMMS in place, the process of booking and using those resources can be a challenge for tenants. For example, properties that still rely on paper sign-up sheets can easily lose records or misplace and mishandle reservations. Even properties that have gone digital often use older systems that aren’t reliable or user friendly.

The tale of President Jimmy Carter and the White House tennis courts underscores this point: During the early days of his presidency, President Carter kept the sign-up sheet for the White House tennis court in the Oval Office with him. Staff members were reluctant to venture into the Oval Office to sign-up to use the tennis courts, even when they wanted to play a match during their free hours.

Implementing a comprehensive CMMS is the best way to avoid the bloom of tenant frustration. Tenants like to be able to access facilities onsite without the hassle of tracking down one person with a sign-up sheet or using an unreliable online reservation form. Giving tenants more autonomy and ready access to property facilities with dynamic tenant management software can increase tenant satisfaction and reduce conflict.

Simplified and reliable discussion

Yet another area in which tenant satisfaction runs into trouble is when a renter has a question, even a simply one, and is unable to get an answer. In the absence of reliable property management software, a tenant will be left sending an email or leaving voicemail messages that may sit unanswered. A simple question that could have been resolved in 30 seconds can go unanswered for a frustrating period of time.

With a comprehensive CMMS solution, property managers have the ability to host documents in a tenant portal for easy access. Tenants can view rules and regulations, tenant handbooks, request forms, and more. Tenants can get the information they need in a timely and reliable way. Quick answers to their questions assure tenants that their issues matter, which elevates their level of confidence with a property and its management.

After-hours access

Tenants who have reliable after-hours access to management will be significantly more satisfied with the overall renting experience. They feel like management wants to help them and will prioritize their needs day or night. Naturally, this includes having confidence that building management will respond to off-hours emergency maintenance issues.

After-hours tenant access, via a comprehensive software platform that provides tenant management assistance, is an important resource when it comes to ensuring a tenant satisfaction with a rented home and with the associated management.

Using reliable property management software, these issues and many more can be quickly and effectively addressed by building management in a way that satisfies the vast majority of tenants. In the end, the tenant experience is what motivates the success of a rental property. If tenants are happy and the system is easy to navigate, renters will be more satisfied leading to higher rates of quality tenant attraction and retention.