What’s the best way to ask tenants to write on-line reviews for you? Wait until you have put in a new refrigerator, for example, or request reviews maybe twice a year? I rent to groups of students. Is it best to send a review request to the entire group, or to individual students, who I think would write me a good reviews (Is that cheating?)

And where’s the best on-line place to have a review written for my student rentals ? Or are written testimonials on my website the best? Any thoughts are appreciated! Thanks.

The best way is to write them yourself, using a different email address. Just like many other places do.

Relying on online reviews subjects you to all types and levels of things. One disgruntled person can use a dozen different emails and trash your business. Some places put up fake positive reviews to get more business or an advantage. Others put up lots and lots of negative reviews to trash competitors or just because they don't like you.

Don't. I do not mess with online reviews.

My houses are my online reviews. The pictures and video walk thrus show clean, safe, functional and present value. Their self-guided tour simply confirms it is that way today vs. when the pic/videos were taken.

I get it: people use online reviews a lot these days. But the last thing I need is someone using a former tenant's opinion of my rental as a reference right after I evict said former tenant.

Thank you Sid, I always appreciate your input. I could see if you do a lot of evictions, on-line reviews could be a problem.

When I'm shopping on-line for a nearby service, I rely heavily on the negative reviews of a service and most importantly the owner's responses. If the owner responds to a negative review saying: "their customer is a liar", then it's a no-go for me. If the owner responds fairly and explains the situation, I think you can tell if the person writing the bad review, is being honest or not.

So unless half or your reviews are bad ones, I don't see the problem. And that goes to the heart of my question: "What's the best way to ask tenants for reviews".

On a side note, I was reading your responses to a 2019 “your zilllow reviews” post and you bring up a good point that “Many people don't read reviews...they're too busy clicking every ‘I'm SUUUUPER interested in your rental’ button” Makes me wonder, how many students read reviews? From my last survey, 70% of students locate properties by word-of-mouth. So maybe I wasting time thinking about it. I do have 18 on-line reviews that are all good, so when I give a tour, I do tell them to: “check out my reviews.” Well, I stop rambling here. Thanks again.

W, I've heard the best way to deal with them is to say, "I'm interested, but not now". Once you tell them your not interested in advertising with them, I've heard they will move your good reviews into the not recommended section. Fact or fiction, I can't say for sure.

And thanks for the heads up on the first scam you mentioned. I think a way to deal with those reviews might be to write: Owner: "We reviewed our records and have none showing that Mary Jane had tenancy at our residence. Can you please confirm the spelling of your name and dates you said you lived here?" Thank you, Owner's name.

As a whole, we aren’t in the business of being nice. This isn’t a business to be concerned with positive reviews. As soon as you make a justified security deposit deduction, your reviews are going to be dinged.

I can refund every penny of every deposit and solicit my tenants to leave a good review, or I can run a profitable business using best industry practices. But I’m not going to kiss any of my tenant’ a**es in fear of them leaving a negative review.

Thanks Jane, for taking the time to write.

The reviews I'm talking about are on-line reviews. So for example, a student, let's call her Mary, has lived on campus at xyz college for two years, and now would like to cook her own food and not be under so many rules. So, Mary may search on her computer for "xyz college off campus housing". Her search may show 10 different off campus housing options and for each of those options there a one-to-five-star rating, determined by students who have rated these housing options. Mary then may limit her search to the three options with the highest rating.

So, if you your rental business has a website, people who have lived at one of your rentals may rate your houses. Hopefully, if you make your houses look nice, function well, and you are fair to your tenants, they will give you good ratings and your houses will be chosen over others. If your tenant give you bad ratings, and the bad ratings were not deserved, then you can respond to the person who gave you a bad rating. So then if Mary, looking for a house, sees the bad rating, written by someone who maybe blames their problems on others, she’ll also see your response explaining how you were fair to this person. And Mary may think: “this tenant sounds like a real blockhead and the landlord seems like a real Mensh, so for sure I’d like to rent from him”

Thanks Nicole. Yes, people are very motivated to write bad reviews, when they feel they have been wronged, even if they weren't.

That sounds like fun razorback_tim! I have a bunch of text and photo testimonials on my website now, but the video testimonials would really set my business apart. Maybe I'd do it right before move out?

There is a great deal of discussion about how an eviction negatively impacts a tenant. It sticks with them for life around here.

Well that eviction works two ways. It stays with you too.

So use that hammer only if all other methods have failed both of you. I view an eviction as my failure as much as they tenants.

If you are managing by forcefully removing your residents, the eviction history that you will have will be your online review. The inverse is also true. If you are not using that hammer but going out of your way to treat your residents with all the respect that they deserve - you already have a positive review.

Certain jobs do not get any positive reviews. Have any of wrote a positive review for the meter maid that gave you ticket? They would be doing an great job if your meter was expired. If they cut you slack - they actually wouldn't be fair to the system

I totally agree on giving "your residents all the respect that they deserve". I think if you treat people expecting them to be responsible and deserving of respect, they will live up to it. If you treat them like they're reckless teenagers, they'll live up to that too.