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IT’S DIFFICULT TO PRIORITIZE EMPATHY WHEN MANAGING AT SCALE.
PHERE’S WHAT YOU CAN DO By Marc Frenkiel, Appfolio
roperty management is typically want and deserve prompt service and kindness in thought of as the operations that their interactions with their property managers or ensure real estate is maintained, both landlords.
physically and financially. While this
is undoubtedly the case, successful property management companies know that there is also a more human aspect
to it — and that incorporating empathy into property management leads to many desirable outcomes, such as renter satisfaction, stellar online reviews, positive word of mouth, and more renewals.
The challenge, however, arises when it comes to managing multifamily real estate at scale. As routine tasks and new demands pile up on your team, it becomes much more difficult to provide an excellent experience in every interaction with a renter. But handling resident concerns promptly is more than just the right thing to do, it’s also good business practice — an unexpected plumbing issue, where the water needs to be turned off in one residence, is much easier to manage than one that knocks out water to the entire property. It’s far easier to address one affected resident with empathy than it is an entire building of upset, confused, and inconvenienced renters, especially while simultaneously trying to resolve the issue at hand. Responding quickly and thoughtfully to each individual residents’ concerns and needs is ultimately the best way to avoid
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Empathy, defined as “the ability to understand and share the feelings of another,” is applicable to resident-property management relations when viewing it as one of service, rather than just management. Most good property managers do view their residents as “humans who live in homes,” rather than just “tenants who occupy units.” Through this lens, there’s a clear connection between property management and empathy. Residents