A Landlord's Guide To Getting Great Tenant Reviews

A landlord's guide to getting great tenant reviews 

Landlords may not prioritise tenant reviews, but good tenant reviews go a long way, and bad reviews go even further. 

In a world where tenants can (and will) Google to find out everything they can about a property before renting, and tenant complaints have risen by 74% in England, it's time to prioritise reviews. 

Keep reading to find out how tenant reviews can help you as a landlord and how you can get great tenant reviews. ‍

What is a tenant review? 

A tenant review is feedback left by your renters, and it can include details on how they felt that you managed the property, the cleanliness, your communication, etc.

Websites like Rate Your Landlord, Ask Tenants and Marks Out Of Tenancy have been created to give renters a platform to review their landlord. Meaning more and more renters are leaving digital landlord reviews. 

Why are landlord reviews important? 

The good

Great tenant reviews have the potential to get you more renters. You can gain better visibility across renter websites, helping you fill rooms faster and attract tenants who take renting seriously. 

The bad

Just one bad review from a tenant can significantly impact whether a future tenant chooses to rent your property. Think of it like you're picking a restaurant online - you see a one-star review and immediately start looking for another place for dinner. That's what a bad tenant review can do. 

And the ugly (truth)

Renters will be more encouraged to review their landlords if mistreated. And with renter review websites like Rate Your Landlord growing in popularity, renters will voice their dissatisfaction publicly. 

It's crucial that, as a landlord, you continue to do your best to have a good relationship with your tenants. Problems naturally arise in every rented property, but by following our below tips for achieving good landlord reviews, you can avoid negative reviews impacting your rental portfolio. 

How to get the best reviews for your rental portfolio? 

Establish a good landlord and tenant relationship

Our first tip for getting positive landlord reviews is simple: be a likeable landlord. And honestly, it doesn't take much. Follow our three leading suggestions for establishing good relationships with tenants:

• Start with a clean property for the moving-in day

First impressions make for everything. Welcoming your renters with a lovely clean home makes them feel optimistic about their rental journey. 

• Keep in contact and reply to messages quickly

Inevitably your tenants will have questions - it might be about a dodgy boiler, someone moving out, or the recycling. Whatever it is, reply to all emails or messages promptly. Even if it's not serious, regular contact helps strengthen relationships between landlords and tenants. 

• Be flexible with moving in/out dates

Everyone has felt the stress of moving. As a landlord, you can make things easier by being flexible with tenants' moving-in and out dates. 

But we appreciate that achieving the above can sometimes be challenging if you have a rental portfolio of multiple properties or are a landlord alongside a full-time job.  

That's why at Hybr, we offer a variety of services and management packages that take the rental relationship off landlords. Our personalised and automated solution can ensure you are free to focus on expanding your portfolio and enjoy other aspects of life with the assurance that you retain 94% of the profit.

Incentivise your tenants 

Getting tenants to leave reviews for landlords can be tricky if there's no benefit in it for them. And the thing is - we all know people are much more likely to leave a review if service has been bad or something has gone wrong.

Even a small incentive for tenants to leave a review can massively increase your likelihood of getting a tenant review. For example, you could enter each tenant who leaves a review in a raffle for a Deliveroo voucher or send a crate of beers to the property. 

To be clear, you don't want to buy your tenant's review, and all feedback should be their honest opinion, but your incentive is simply a token of gratitude and to help encourage. 

Make it easy 

Even if you follow the above and incentivise tenant reviews, you'll want to ensure it's quick and convenient to leave a review.

You'll need to clarify where tenants can leave the review, don't expect them to complete a lengthy survey. You should provide a QR code to scan or a link to click on with one to three feedback questions. 

Ask for feedback at the right time

When it comes to getting tenant reviews, timing is everything. You'll want to consider how your tenants feel when you ask for a review. For example, if you've recently had messages from your tenants concerned about mould or dampness in the property, avoid asking for a review until things are resolved. 

You'll know best when things are good between you and your tenants, but here are some key times to keep in mind when asking for a review:

• When they've just moved in 
• After a completed renovation 
• Following a resolved issue 
• When a new tenant has just moved in 
• When a tenant is moving out

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