Our 2025 Resident Experience Management Report shares discrepancies between renter expectations and property manager perceptions. Find out how renter expectations are evolving and how to tailor community operations to meet their needs. Start reading the report now!
After surveying renters and multifamily operators, what did we find?
Our previous research on Resident Experience Management highlighted the critical role of retention and the high costs associated with resident turnover—approximately $4,000 per unit. Over the years, multifamily companies have steadily realized the business value of high resident retention rates. And as a result, they are continually setting higher resident retention goals for themselves. Unfortunately, our survey data shows that there are many areas where they are not delivering the living experience that renters expect.
Here are some of the common misalignments we've discovered between renters and property managers:
- Retention goals and reasons for non-renewals: Renters listed affordability, poor maintenance, and security concerns as reasons they didn't renew but property managers think otherwise. Despite missing their retention goals, property managers remain optimistic about future retention rates.
- Resident expectations and needs: Expectations from renters are steadily rising, and they have increased the most around on-site customer service and digital self-service tools. Renters prioritize the basic elements of their living experience such as maintenance, security, and cleanliness, but property managers underestimate how important these are to renters.
- Resident engagement: Renters overwhelmingly prefer automation and digitization for apartment tasks. And as rent increases, so does the preference for automated services. Yet many multifamily companies do not offer the right mix of automated and human assistance that residents expect.
Aligning operational priorities with renter values can significantly enhance satisfaction and retention. In collaboration with SA Market Insights, we surveyed over 600 renters and 1,000 multifamily companies to uncover the underlying factors driving renter decisions and satisfaction levels. Start reading now!