Calling every resident who submits a notice-to-vacate is a good strategic practice. Is it part of your routine?
The resident who is leaving has nothing to protect. That’s why everything they tell you is worth a conversation.
The exit conversation with a departing resident is one of the least utilized intelligence-gathering tools in multifamily operations. This is most likely the best source of honest feedback you can get.
A property manager who calls on the day of the notice-to-vacate and on move-out day, with genuine curiosity about the experience, will hear things the resident satisfaction survey might not capture. For example, the frustration(s) that built slowly over twelve months, the specific moment the resident decided not to renew, the competitor’s offering that made the comparison easy, and occasionally the one thing the property could have done to keep them.
This reason-for-moving intelligence matters for future prospects and residents. You can capture the exit conversation, analyze it, and turn it into actionable insights.
Make the calls to understand. Listen to the answers for three months and change one operational practice based on what you learn.
Adopt the mindset that the exit conversation is a teacher. Make it a practice.
Discussion Prompt: Beginning this week, schedule a five-minute move-out call with every departing resident. Use two questions only: what was the best part of living here, and what one thing would have made you stay? Track the answers for ninety days and report the themes to your team.