What Happens When an Apartment Community Suspends Resident Coffee Service

Imagine how an apartment resident would respond if their community suddenly suspended its traditional morning coffee service at their leasing office. Or if they suddenly stopped putting out Oreo cookies as a treat.

Sometimes it’s a head-scratcher when it comes to apartment operators’ attempts – or lack thereof – to keep their tenants happy.

A panel of property management professionals discussed what works and what doesn’t during a session that was moderated by Trevor Park of Rent Dynamics on Wednesday.

It was part of the Apartment Innovation and Marketing Conference in Huntington Beach, Ca.

Lisa Tully-Tavian, Chief Marketing Officer at Sentral, said when she was reviewing comments from residents who chose not to renew, halting the free coffee was on the list.

A $3 item for renters out of pocket at Starbucks costs the community far less to provide that great perk. As for the cookies, the community figured no one ate them — until they began complaining that they were missing.

The panel said that sometimes the corporate office makes well-intentioned decisions based on dollars and not input from the onsite team. Those moves can backfire.

Katie Kane, director of customer engagement at Northland, said it drives her crazy when, for example, a fitness machine is given a simple “Out of Order” sign when it’s not functioning properly.

“Do better than that,” Kane said. “Provide more information. Apartment communities could say when it’ll be fixed, ‘we ordered a part for it’ … or detail what steps they are taking to resolve it.”

The panel talked about the importance of onsite staff being visible to the residents.

“Don’t just sit in your office, you can work anywhere, set up your laptop in a common area,” one said. “It doesn’t cost anything to have the residents able to see you.”

Participation levels for resident activities’ can be hit or miss. Park suggested communities reach out to local merchants and have them host the event. This way, there’s no cost to the property and the local businesses can benefit, he said.