In part one of this post, we talked about how parking makes the first impression on your guests. We also showed how we help optimize your parking management. In this post, we'll look at the impact of parking on your reviews and how they affect prospective renters.
Negative reviews can turn renters away.
Reading only a few reviews is all it can take for 93% of consumers to make a decision. The majority of today’s consumers rely on reviews before making a buying decision. A survey by BrightLocal found that 85% of consumers “trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.”
Just three negative reviews can lose a business 59% of their customers, according to a survey by YouMoz. When evaluating a place to live, renters look to reviews for inside information. If your community is getting negative feedback, renters might move on.
When looking for ways to improve your reviews, don't overlook parking.
Most renters (67%) own at least one car, and they'll want to know what kind of parking is offered. If parking is poorly managed (or not managed at all), it's highly likely your residents will say something about it. 94% of renters listed parking as the #1 amenity they look for in a community (J. Turner & NMHC).
A quick search on Yelp revealed multiple unpleasant parking reviews from apartment residents:
“No parking for visitors, only expensive garages around.” — Juan, Miami
“Guest parking is horrible on weekends...the valet service for guests is so expensive and there is no street parking anywhere.” — Jackie, Miami
“Very limited guest parking. Sometimes it’s not worth having people over because of this.” — Garden Grove, CA
Well-managed parking increases resident satisfaction.
Parking is part of your community experience. It’s important for residents to feel at home, and for guests to feel welcome. Being able to enforce the rules and keep guest parking fair lets you turn parking from a mess to an amenity. And your residents will thank you.
“If you take a look at our Yelp Reviews now, you can almost pinpoint the exact date we implemented Parking Boss because many of the reviews about parking turned into positive experiences," said Mindy T., a community director (Capterra).
We looked at one of our customer's communities in Valencia, California and found 4.5 & 5 star Yelp reviews after using Parking Boss.
Turn your parking into an amenity (and turn your reviews around).
Renters trust reviews as much as a personal recommendation, and negative reviews can seriously impact a renter's decision. It's important to consider parking when looking at ways to improve your reviews. Well-managed & enforced parking can set your community apart.
When parking is managed fairly, your residents will be happier, your guests can park, and you may even see some surprise benefits.
One Greystar community saw an increase of $500 per month in covered parking revenue. With Parking Boss, the manager is able to manage and limit her resident vehicles, opening up more spaces to rent.
“We have to manage parking so that our residents have a better experience, leave us better reviews, and we get more residents.” — Stephanie Young, Greystar
If your parking is a mess and your reviews show it, we can help you solve the problem. We provide a complete parking platform for communities, including parking signs to clearly mark guest & resident areas, Smart Decals to track & identify resident vehicles, and a Parking Attendant for 24-hour digital guest registration.
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