How do you handle bashing reviews like these?

Reputation Management Question: We work very diligently to secure positive reviews from our happy residents. It is very frustrating when a resident being evicted blasts your property with untrue statements on multiple review sites. On some of our large properties this has a big affect on our score. Negative reviews seem to count more heavily. How do you handle bashing reviews like these?

Answer them!! It's super frustrating when you get reviews like those, especially when you know it's from a "bad" tenant. Trust me, I know - I had an employee blasting us on while he worked for us and dropped our scores. But, you answer them. Even if it's only 2 or 3 sentences - don't get into an argument, but reply. It won't help your "score" but prospects will see that you've answered the complaint. Most people can see through reviews like these, and your reply will show that you care, even if it is a ridiculous complaint.

But how do you respond? Do you state the items are not true? This is what our company wants to do however most seminars I have attended recomment a basic post to carry the discussio. Off line and express concern. My boss is frustrated with lies sitting out there unchallenged

It would depend on what the review stated. I would refute some claims, but not get bogged down in details. For example "The pool is disgusting and moldy" I would reply "Thank you for your concern. We do have a staff member who cleans the pool every morning and our maintenance supervisor inspects the pool as well. If you've noticed any issues, please stop by the office so we can discuss these further"
You're not arguing, you're inviting them to communicate offline, and you're answering their complaint.
What specifically you should say really depends on the complaint received.

I would use "It's our policy..." on the major points as a positive to overcome the negative. As an example:

"ABC property is the worst place I ever lived. They didn't fix anything in my apartment, the office staff is rude, no one picks up after their dog and their is mold in all of the apartments.

I would respond to this:

"At ABC property, it is our policy to respond to a tenant's repair request within 48 hours. Our maintenance staff is on call 24/7 for emergencies and we have a maintenance follow-up program to monitor our residents satisfaction with repairs.We have 3 dog stations onsite where we provide free "puppy gloves" to our residents. Our apartments are only 10 years old and have been well cared for. Our owners require all staff members receive continuing education training annually on mold, Fair Housing and customer service. We invite everyone to stop by our clubhouse for refreshments and to let us know how we can be of service.

On a property I managed, someone who was being evicted posted a bad review online using my name. I actually didn't know about it until one of the residents came in and told me. By the time I looked at it, three other residents had posted positive comments and called HIM out! I loved it, as though it was a secret little victory. Honest responses by current residents can contradict bad mouthing 100% of the time.

When a resident leaves a negative review we always take it offline by contacting them directly. For us we found this practice to be the best instead of the possibility of sparking up a lengthy conversation. 90% of the time they just want to be heard and are frustrated in their current situation. We've had great success and found a greater appreciation from the resident that we took the time to reach out to them with a phone call and address their concern. In return they have always either retracted their statement with a positive one or completely removed it. It's a great way to build a better relationship with the resident in my opinion. As with anything online, things can get lost in translation or taken another way so that is why the phone call clears that up.

If there is an instance where we can't contact them by phone, we simply say that we are concerned to hear about this matter and would like to discuss further, please contact our leasing office.

Agreed with previous posters. The worst thing you can do is to leave them unanswered. Taking the time to write a positive, professional response will open the door for communication with unhappy residents and show prospective residents that you're proactive in your approach to complaints and that you take all concerns seriously. Here's a great blog post about this that reiterates what has been said here.

Oh my gosh thank you for the common sense answer. Yes, I answer each of them and have had applicants comment on it out of the blue and potential new hires tell me they loved it because it addressed the post in a professional manner while making it clear that the bullying wouldn't work. One former tenant complained I kept most of his deposit and a huge list of why he hated where he lived and left. In my reply I told him he should use more caution putting his personal business out in front of the world then proceeded to answer that most of his deposit went towards the almost two months unpaid rent and the reason we stopped eviction was he turned in keys, and in regard to the rest of the issues this was the fitst I'd heard, but before moving in he stayed here several times with friends and was a roommate with them for a while in the same apartment.

Agree with previous posters that in our experience, replying to these types of reviews in a careful, consistent manner is best. Your reply might vary from review to review, but I've seen some very thought out replies that respond with how important every client is to the organization, etc.

From my own experience, I've found that it's most important not to be emotional when replying. So the best advice I can give is to wait a week AFTER you write it to post it, and read it again with a fresh set of eyes. You can also provide the complaint and your potential response to a disinterested 3rd party in your target market and ask for feedback.

Hello there - great thread so I thought I could add a different perspective to the already awesome comments. I always recommend when writing a response, target the reader and not the person who wrote the review. At last count, there are over 300 readers to every 1 reviewer on ApartmentRatings.com. By writing for the reader, you remove the emotional element from your response. I also suggest veering away from "corporate speak" (per your lease, it is our policy, etc.). Phrases such as these can turn off a prospective renter who may infer that is how they will be treated should they become a resident.

Responding is also an opportunity to educate the reader as opposed to setting the record straight for the reviewer. A review which flat out stated that the office "stole" a resident's security deposit was posted and the manager needed help crafting a response. This was my suggestion:

As this is an anonymous review, I am unable to address your concerns specifically. I would like to explain however, the possible reasons why a security deposit may not be returned to a resident who has moved out of our community. Security deposits are to cover the expenses of any repairs or damages to the premises greater than normal "wear and tear”. Examples of these damages are kid's crayon art on the walls, broken windows, holes in the walls, or leaving trash or other items that have to be thrown away. If the apartment is so dirty that it is unhealthy or unsafe, we can deduct for the cost of making it habitable again for the next resident.

We provide every resident an itemized list of deductions within XX days of move-out. This notification is sent to the resident’s new address or the last known address on file if no forwarding address was given.

Should you find that in your situation none of the above mentioned scenarios apply to you, or if you have not received such notification, I encourage you to contact me directly at XXX-XXX-XXXX so that we may discuss this matter specifically.

If you ever need assistance with a response in the future, feel free to inbox me - I'm happy to help!