Say it best ...: learning what they want begins with listening: SatisFacts Research surveys thousands of multifamily housing residents from across the United States annually. Here they share some of the verbatim remarks made by residents. (Residents).

By listening to what residents have to say about their experience living in apartment communities, owners and operators can gain invaluable insight on what matters most to their residents. The following verbatim comments were made during tens of thousands of telesurveys conducted by SatisFacts Research during the past year. The research confirms the strong correlation between how well delivering the "basics" affects renewal rates. Published here are some of the most insightful remarks about the most important issues raised by residents--especially those that relate to staff performance.

For example, promptly and properly handling service requests has a huge effect, as the likelihood to renew drops dramatically when the percent of residents with outstanding maintenance problems increases. (See "Maximizing Renewals Begins With a 'Back to Basics' Focus" in the June 2003 issue of UNITS). Other keys include making sure residents "like" their home, keeping the community and facilities in the best possible condition and the appearance.

Problems During the Move-In

"It took over a month for the maintenance staff to get to my move-in check list."

"I was told I was having new carpet and I didn't."

"The apartment that was shown to me was not the same apartment I rented. I'm missing a closet; the kitchen is different."

"When I moved in it looked like no one had done anything to the apartment."

"The bullet is still in my living room wall."

"I think you should show people the apartment they are going to get."

"I did not get the apartment that I was shown. The apartment was not cleaned before I moved into it."

Don't Forget About 'Em

"The service of the office staff is great before you move in and after you move in the service stops."

"The office staff needs to be more courteous. Once you move into the apartment the management seems to forget about you."

"Once we moved in we couldn't get anything done."

"When we first moved in, we did a list of the things that needed to be freed and only part of the items have been completed."

Appearance is Everything

"Our carpet is awful. The walls need to be painted. We moved in 5 to 6 years ago and the carpet was bad then but they haven't done anything about it since then. When we have company it's embarrassing."

"It's embarrassing for anybody to come here. The halls are filthy, you hate to even come in the building."

"I am ashamed for family to visit because of the filth here."

Comprende?

"They need someone in the office who is bilingual, or who has patience speaking with someone who doesn't speak English very well."

"They need a Spanish speaking person to help translate."

Amenity Issues

"Every time I use the laundry room the machines are broken. They need more machines.

I refuse to use the laundry room."

"A lot of time the laundry equipment is broken and then it takes a while to fix. The laundry room is only open during the day and that's when I work."

"The pool water and the pool itself are very dirty."

"The fitness center is really messy and things are always broken."

Hallways and Lobbies

"Clean and paint the hallways."

"Clean up the hallways more often."

"I have to sweep my stairs and hall most of the time."

"We need more light in the hallway."

"My wife regularly asked them to clean the hallways, and it seems nobody cares."

"The elevator smells like urine."

What is Charged for Rent

"The rent shouldn't be lower for new residents than it is for the long-term residents."

"The rent is too high! They did not raise my neighbors rent and also gave them extra benefits. When I confronted the office with this information, they were evasive and nonresponsive."

"They should give a better deal for renewals. It is not fair that the people who are new get better deals than those who have been here for a very long time."

"They should have incentives for people to renew."

"The new people that are coming in should have to pay a higher rent because they're almost getting a brand-new apartment. People like me who've been here for 14 years have given a lot more money to them than the newer people will ever give them and the things in my apartment are a lot older. I have the same cabinets that were here when I moved in. My apartment hasn't been painted in 14 years. The carpet that I have is my carpet; I paid for it, it's mine. I live here by myself and I keep this place immaculate and if I'm not getting all of the remodeling, painting and replacements done, I shouldn't have to pay such a huge rent increase. Thirty-five dollars a month for 12 months is $420 a year and I've been paying it for three years--so I've already paid $1,260 worth of rent increases. I shouldn't get another one in February. I've paid my share."

"There's been a big turnover recently. People who lived here for a very long time have moved. Why? When someone moves out of an apartment they renovate, put in dishwashers and update everything so the people moving in are paying for what they get. But the people who have lived here for a while have had the same apartment with no upgrades or renovations and still have to pay a $35 rent increase every year. That's not right."

"They only seem to care about the things we need done to our apartment when we're renewing our lease."

"I don 't think it's fair that the only time they upgrade is when people move out. We've been here 17 years but we can't get the new kitchen cabinets and refrigerators. We have been loyal residents for far too long and they won't upgrade this place. That upsets me."

"I hope that this year they'll put in new carpeting. They have a lot of signs about specials to get people to move in here, but they don't try to keep the people here."

"I definitely would have recommended it to a friend until I started getting these annoying utility bills."

Availability of Management Staff

"The office needs to be open longer."

"It would be nice to get a person instead of the answering machine all the time."

"Maintenance should have an answering service of it's own."

"The after-hours answering service is very unhelpful."

"The staff is making rules without relating to the people who live here."

"The management team is very helpful but they are understaffed."

"The management staff is very helpful. However, they aren't given proper tools to do their jobs effectively."

"Someone needs to be in the office during the weekends."

"They are slower responding to my requests on the weekends."

"Need better quality materials for repairs."

"They're very courteous and friendly and want to be helpful I know, but they need more in-depth training."

"If I could pay my rent with a credit card, and I could get some benefits, I would stay here for the rest of my life. Unfortunately, this is not the case. I wish someone would join the 21st century and allow me to make payments with my credit card."

Professionalism Shown By The Office Staff

"I spoke to the manager about my car being towed and that I cannot find a parking space. But she told me that it was my problem."

"Management takes too long to return calls."

"They told me I would have to put up with the lack of parking."

"It seems like we need more staff became they get angry every time I go to the office and ask for a repair."

"They should say what they are going to do. Tell me the truth and I will know what to expect."

"They don't listen to you. They make decisions without the consideration of the residents. They don't treat you like a person."

"I keep calling for the same things and they do not do anything about it."

"Things are often promised, but never brought to completion."

Proper Handling of Service Requests

"In the beginning, I was very satisfied with my apartment, but with all of the maintenance issues that we've had, I am ready to move."

"It depends upon who you speak with. Usually, I have to talk to them 2-3 times to get a response. Some of the women are nasty."

"When yon have a problem, they seem not to handle the situation if it is not in the contract."

"The staff doesn't always write things down."

"There is always someone different in the office, and it doesn't seem like there is good communication between the staff members."

"There's frequent turnover in the staff, maintenance is unresponsive, and management is unknown."

"They are nice, but they do not follow through."

"It takes too long to get a request through to maintenance."

"It's not the maintenance staff's fault, it's the manager's fault."

"Going through the office staff takes more time than when we just go to the maintenance personnel themselves."

"If I go to the maintenance people, it will be handled right away, but if I go through the leasing center, then it will take a while."

"Once the office staff got in touch with the maintenance department then they came promptly."

"When they get the message, they are here and get the job well done. But sometimes, the new staff members do not get the message through."

"The ceiling has leaked since living here. I have called at least five times."

"Better follow-up between maintenance and the office staff is needed."

"I have seen a lot of people leaving the apartment complex because of the bad service."

Gate Keeping

"I have been here for six months and the gate has never worked. How can they call this a gated community?"

"The gate has been broken for a month."

"The gate is never closed. The office staff has sent out five letters saying that they are going to close the gate but they never do."

Promptness of Response

"I had to wait 2-3 weeks to get my air conditioner fixed. I have a breathing problem."

"I have to call three or four times before they show up."

"I started handling them myself, I got tired of waiting,"

"I had to do the work myself."

"They do a good job ... when it finally gets done."

"I watch the maintenance staff wash their cars while I keep asking for repairs in my apartment."

"I have had some issues when I have called and left messages, and my calls were never returned."

"I have reported a couple of problems on the apartment and have not gotten a response in three weeks. We expected a better response from them since they raise the rent every year."

Performance of Maintenance Team

"During a period when the lights were out for six weeks, I asked one of the maintenance men when they would be fixed and he responded, 'You're a big girl, you can handle it.' I felt that was beside the point, and rather rude on his part."

"My problem with the maintenance is that they treat the female residents as if they don't know what they are talking about."

"They are nice, but they never finished the work."

"I had to buy the equipment needed for the repair."

"Maintenance work has been done too fast; it has been sloppy."

"Maintenance replaced my refrigerator and tracked puddles of mud all through the apartment."

"When maintenance repairs are completed, the crew leaves without cleaning. The trash is left to be cleaned by the resident."

Resident Security

"I have called security about three times and no one came."

"They should have the community patrolled again, I liked it when we had the patrol before. It made me feel safe."

"We don't have any security, they got rid of them. Since then, we have had two flat tires and a broken window."

"Someone broke my windows and punctured my tires, and the office said they couldn't do anything about it. Security needs to be more vigilant. I pay $3,000 a month and I think we need better security."

"I don't feel like I can have my windows open."

"If you're going to put a gate in the entrance, fence the whole complex and not just the front."

"My daughter was molested outside our apartment and management refused to notify the other tenants."

"The breezeways need to be lit at night."

"The front door was broken and it took a month to fix it."

"The front door is always locked and the back door is always unlocked and open."

CURB APPEAL

"The main area is fine but the back looks like a dump."

"Where the rental office is it is clean, but in the back things are not."

"They make the office and leasing area really pretty but they don't care about the rest of the community."

"At the end of the week, there is a lot of trash around the complex."

"Dumpsters are not big enough for the trash on the weekends."

"The dumpster area is always a complete disaster."

"The building could use a painting."

"I wish they would wash the outside of the windows."

"The buildings could use a pressure cleaning."

"The breezeways need to be pressure washed."

"Breezeways need to be cleaned more often."

"We need greenery in the front of the apartments, the buildings are very bare."

"There are cigarette butts all around on the property."

"People don't clean up after their dogs."

Bugs and Neighbors Are Real Pests

"I have made complaints about the roaches. They need to have am exterminator."

"We have an on-going problem with ants and every time the guys come out they do the same thing."

"They bare a major rodent problem which is keeping me from renewing my lease."

"I liked my apartment before my neighbor moved in with a terrible dog."

"My neighbors are very loud. We cannot sleep at night."

"Need better resident screening processes."

"The new neighbors have brought the complex down."

"The quality of the neighborhood is not as good as it used to be. They should do more background checks."

Parking and Safety

"It's difficult to get parking on weekends."

"Parking is a huge ongoing problem--that will be the reason we leave."

"The parking lot doesn't have enough space. If you are not here by a certain time, you have to park far away from your apartment."

"I'm afraid to walk so far at night and there is not enough parking around the complex, and I don't feel safe about walking such a long distance at night to get to my apartment."

"We have to park almost half a mile away and we get home late in the evening. The safety gate has only worked twice in the four months that we have lived here and the long walk is very unsafe especially late at night."

"The parking lots need a lot of light because it is dark around that area."

Say What?

Believe it or not, these comments were uttered on our surveys.

"The rent has gone up every year for the past four years. They spend too much money making the place look pretty."

"The parking lot lights are so bright they keep me awake. I wish they'd turn them off at night."

"There are bugs eating away at the wood in the walls and I think the walls will fall down in two years."

"The staff is nice as long as they're been drinking."

"The squirrels have put a hole in the side of the building."

"I went a whole week without air."

"They were very slow to getting to my apartment. They don't leave a note, but they leave dirt."

Discrimination Rears Its Ugly Head

"I do not feel like I am getting the respect that I deserve because of my race."

"The office staff treats me wonderfully, but they treat my husband very badly because he doesn't speak that much English."

"I feel that because of my age other people were waited on before me."

"The treatment that non-Americans receive is not good."

"The manager gave a lot of people in they complex $1,500 and $1,000 off their rent. I think she should do that for everybody, but she doesn't do it for the Hispanics."

SatisFacts Research, LLC is a full service customer satisfaction research company that specializes in the multifamily industry, and is the proud provider of SatisFacts Resident SatisFaction Telesurveys. Doug Miller, President of SatisFacts Research, has nearly 20 years experience in multifamily marketing, research and training, and has worked with nearly a thousand communities nationwide. Chris Pulket, Director of Operations for SatisFacts, contributed to this article. To reach SatisFacts call 866/655-1490, send e-mail to [e-mail], or visit www.satisfacts.net.