How’s the health of your tenants? I once asked this of a property owner and received the strangest look in response. It may not seem like something an owner or manager would have any need to be concerned with, but there are plenty of reasons why it should.

For one, when tenants are sick or in less than stellar health, there is an increased risk of absenteeism at work and life in general. Of course, missing work leads to missed income, and that equals hardship when it comes to paying the rent. Second, the healthier your tenants, greater is the likelihood of prolonged loyalty (longer life expectancy = increased chance of loyalty). Finally, there is the simple truth that showing your tenants care and attention is a good way to increase their loyalty.

Luckily, this may not be an entirely uphill battle. Many people in our society have made the move already toward cleaner eating, organic and locally-grown fruits and vegetables, and even high impact workouts that are based on the activities we engage in every day (lunge, deep squats, lifting our children, etc.).

Now, you can help your tenants stay healthy by leveraging these and other trends for overall community betterment. Here are five ways to make it happen:

1. Spread the Word: Use a property newsletter, email, or old-fashioned bulletin board to start a conversation about health. This can be a simple callout box in a margin that includes a diet or exercise tip, or even an entire article dedicated to a topic that would benefit the health of all residents.
2. Encourage a Group Effort: What better way to encourage a sense of community and improved health than through a coordinated exercise class? The great thing about multifamily properties is the availability of common spaces. You can leverage these to offer early morning yoga classes under the trees, a PX90 class in the resident center, or a simple walk around the complex every day at sundown.
3. Make it Home Grown: To take advantage of the locally-grown and organic movement, you can always encourage tenants to develop and maintain a community garden. This not only provides food (and health food at that), it is also proven that tenants who maintain gardens at a property tend to stay loyal to that property because of their investment in the crops.
4. Get it Discounted: Fitness clubs want your tenants to be members. For this reason, there is a great likelihood your property could receive a discount to local facilities. Simply call the one closest to your property and ask about group discounts for locals. Once you’ve secured a deal, make sure to tell your tenants, and provide ongoing supportive encouragement regarding their participation.
5. Create a Challenge: Who doesn’t like a little friendly competition? (Consider The Biggest Loser.) Use this to your advantage by encouraging tenants to compete amongst themselves in any variety of categories (e.g., weight loss, inches loss, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, etc.). Utilizing the power of self-quantifying apps, tenants can challenge each other on results achieved within a certain amount of time. Want to make it even more interesting? Consider an app that allows participants to bet on their own success and earn real money when they reach their goals: Healthy Wage.