Three Ways to Help Residents Feel More Connected to Your Apartment Community

Residents who feel more connected to the community are better for your business in several ways. First, they're more likely to stay for several lease terms, meaning you have to do less searching for new tenants. Second, they're more likely to have a sense of pride in their residences and care for them properly. To increase your tenants' feelings of connection to the community, try employing one of these strategies.

Organize Monthly Potluck Dinners

Often, residents want to meet others in the community, but they're not quite sure how to break the ice with the neighbors who live down the street or the people who just moved in above them. By organizing monthly potluck dinners, you provide a convenient setting for your community members to meet one another and start building relationships.

The format of these dinners can be simple. Ask all guests who attend to bring a dish to share. You, as the apartment manager, can provide something like the beverages or a dessert. Briefly introduce any new tenants at the beginning of the potluck dinner, and then let the residents mingle and set the pace for the rest of the evening.

Engage Them on Your Social Media Pages

A lot of community managers use social media extensively to find new tenants, but their pages don't really cater to those residents once they move in. Try setting up a second set of social media pages to target your existing residents. You can use these pages to post updates about what's going on in the community. Tenants can use them to connect with each other and find fellow residents with interests similar to their own. Encourage use of these social media pages by sending each resident links to them as soon as they sign their lease.

Send Out a Monthly Community Newsletter

This strategy works well if you have a lot of less tech-savvy community members who are not as present on social media. Once a month, send out a community newsletter to let your residents know what is happening in your apartment community and in the surrounding town. You can also let residents contribute to the newsletter. For instance, if someone wants to have a garage sale, is looking for a running buddy, or is looking for fellow residents to carpool with, they can ask you to post a notice in the newsletter.

By using social media, sending out a newsletter, and organizing potluck meals, you can encourage more interaction between your residents. As they build bonds and friendships, they'll come to feel even more at home in your place, and that sense of home will make them more responsible, valuable tenants. For ideas, talk to a apartment rental professional like Sterling Realty.