It may seem hard to know what your residents are thinking, but it doesn't have to be. When you don't know what to do next while managing a multifamily property, turn to your residents for guidance. Resident satisfaction surveys provide significant insights into exactly what changes your residents desire.

By asking for and listening to resident feedback, you'll prove that you care about your residents' time, comfort, and satisfaction. Here's how Targa Real Estate quickly and easily conducts valuable customer surveys:

When to Send Surveys to Your Residents

Consider sending a short survey a few weeks after move-in, after maintenance work, or seasonally. You can also send a survey if you have something specific you want feedback on. Choose survey times and frequency wisely to avoid survey fatigue.

How to Write Survey Questions

To write a survey question, just think of what you want to ask your residents. For example, at Targa Real Estate we would ask about how their maintenance request went, ask "how would you rate your experience?"

Choose a survey question type, then write your question in a way that removes bias. You can also pair a "how would you rate" question with an optional free-form response field, so residents can provide specific feedback if they'd like.

Keep surveys and questions brief and easy to read. You may find that one-question surveys get the most results and provide the most straightforward feedback.

How to Distribute Surveys and Collect Results

Although paper surveys could work, online surveys are probably the best choice. Pew Research Center has found that online surveys are a great way to quickly collect unbiased results. Use an online survey tool, like SurveyMonkey or Typeform, to send surveys through email. Consider incentivizing survey submissions with a giveaway or raffle entry.

What to Do With the Results

Now that you've collected valuable feedback from residents, it's time to look through the results. For quantitative results, like polls, multiple-choice questions, or ratings, you'll quickly see which answer had the most results. For long-form answers, look for things that are frequently mentioned and note all negative feedback.

Come up with a plan to address and prioritize concerns. Surveys are a great tool for helping you manage your multifamily property, but they're only useful if you turn the feedback into actual improvements.

At Targa Real Estate, we believe that resident happiness is a key ingredient in multifamily property management. Contact us to learn more about everything we do.