Aaron Clifford

McLean, VA—Apartment renters have come to rely heavily on online tools when searching for a place to live, according to a survey by Binary Fountain. These tools range from online ratings and review sites to the engagement they experience with a property manager.

Online ratings and reviews

Online ratings and review sites are increasingly being used to discuss and share a resident's experience from the starting the rental search to signing the lease and living at the property. The survey results illustrate the high level of trust renters place on ratings and review sites when making their rental decisions.

According to the survey:

• 64% of renters use online reviews to initially search for a rental property while 21% of renters utilize online reviews to search for a property before they tour;
• 74% of renters read between 1-10 reviews before settling on a rental property;
• 85% of respondents say they look at online ratings and reviews even after a friend or family member recommends a property.
• 64% of American renters are willing to pay more for a property with more positive reviews and/or higher rankings.

“The stat of 85% of respondents saying they look at online ratings and reviews even after a friend or family member recommends a property is not at all surprising. We see similar stats in healthcare and industry agnostic surveys,” Aaron Clifford, senior vice president of marketing at Binary Fountain, tells GlobeSt.com.

“Each person has their personal criteria for choosing where to live. The reviews and ratings on 3rd party ratings and review sites provide an efficient way for each person to identify key criteria in the reviews that are important to that potential renter.”

Property Manager Engagement

The survey also found that potential renters take engagements with the property manager into consideration when evaluating a property.

• 92% of renters think it is helpful when a property manager responds to online reviews.
• 89% said they would post an online rating or review if asked by a property manager.

“Customers are wanting to understand who they will be interacting with regularly. As long as human interactions are involved, the property managers' reviews will be important,” explains Clifford.

Popular Websites

Zillow is the primary website where 58% of survey respondents search for rental properties followed by Google, Apartments.com, Realtor.com and Craigslist among others. However, when it came to “sharing your rental property experience online,” 31% of respondents selected Google as their leading choice, followed by Facebook (27%) and Apartments.com (24%).