How (and how often) rental owners want property managers to communicate [The Lookout]

Robin Young
Robin Young | 2 min. read

Published on August 2, 2024

We asked hundreds of small-portfolio rental owners what their #1 consideration is in choosing a property management company.

Their response? Customer service.

Chart: Rental Owners' Top Considerations in Choosing a Property Management Company | Buildium Research

Rental owners want you to make your relationships with them a priority.

And in a time when competition is steep and rental owners are highly cost-conscious, good communication is crucial in proving your value.

So, how do rental owners want to communicate with you? That’s what we’ll cover in this post.

1. Find Out Which Info Owners Want, and When

First, find out which information your owners want to receive from you, and on what schedule.

Within our survey, rental owners told us they want to receive the following updates from their property management team:

  • Updates on renters and vacancies – 55% would like to receive this information as soon as it’s available
  • Maintenance and repair records – 49% want this information whenever it’s available, or at least once a month
  • Accounting and financial statements – 65% want to receive these on a monthly basis

2. Mix in Personalized Communications

Next, supplement monthly statements with more personal communications.

Many owners told us they appreciate hearing about their properties outside of monthly reports, and in ways that feel more personalized than a standard email.

3. Acknowledge Receipt of Messages

Be sure to acknowledge messages you’ve received, even if you don’t have a solution to share just yet.

In our survey, owners made clear that what matters most to them is knowing you’ve seen their message and have taken action on it, even if you’re still working on a solution.

4. Plan Ahead for Emergencies

Next, establish how your owners would like you to communicate in the event of an emergency.

Email may work for more routine communications, but when an emergency arises, a phone call might be more appropriate.

And make sure your clients have a single point of contact they can reach out to as a best practice.

5. Determine When to Consult Your Owners

In our survey, rental owners emphasized the importance of establishing which types of decisions they’d like to be consulted on, versus those they’d prefer to delegate to your team.

6. Provide Access to an Owner Portal

Lastly, make sure you give your clients access to an owner portal where they can view financial reports, send and receive payments, and communicate with your team.

What ties all of this advice together is the importance of delivering personalized customer service rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach with your clients.

Technology is critical to providing high-quality customer service in 2024.

But automated messages don’t replace the kind of meaningful interactions that have always been a competitive differentiator for smaller businesses.

For more insights on rental owners, as well as a deep dive into rental market trends, download your free copy of Buildium’s Property Management Industry Report.

And be sure to follow us on YouTube for more research on the property management industry.

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Robin Young

Senior Researcher

132 Posts

As Buildium’s Senior Researcher, Robin leverages her background in social science research and interest in real estate economics to identify trends in the rental market. She combines intensive market research with insights gleaned from surveys of property managers, renters, and rental owners to examine topics like shifting renter demographics, the housing affordability crisis, and the transformation of property management during the pandemic. She's best known as the author of the annual State of the Property Management Industry Report.

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