Landlords and real estate property managers today find themselves faced with the challenge of attracting the younger generation of renters known as Generation Z, or ‘Gen Z’s.’ This generation tends to be college students, young college graduates, or young professionals.

First things first, what does ‘Generation Z’ mean and who are ‘Gen Z’ renters?

Generation Z is broadly speaking a term used to describe the generation of individuals born between 1997 and 2012. This generation is the successor to the ‘Millennials’ generation of individuals born between 1981 and 1996, who lived through the historic watershed moment of the turn of the new millennium in 2000. 

One key factor making the experience of those growing up as ‘Gen Z’s’ crucially different from the experience of ‘Millennials’ is the arrival of the internet and the digital age. ‘Gen Z’s’ are tech savvy ‘digital natives’ from birth, and they are born into a world driven by digital technologies, constant internet access, screens, smartphones, laptops and so on. Therefore, unlike older members of the population, Gen Z’s do not find themselves even having to learn about digital technologies and how they work because from a young age they are exposed to them and understand how to use them effectively and for different purposes.

Gen Z renters therefore is a term used to describe a demographic group in the real estate rental market, referring to young adults looking to rent (aged 25 years old and under). A large proportion of individuals in the Generation Z age category opt to rent instead of buying homes.

This article addresses how landlords in 2021 can successfully engage with the Gen Z section of the rental market, and incorporate them so they become tenants and a key element of their real estate customer base.

How can landlords and property management teams embrace digital technology and use it to advertise their properties effectively in order to attract the young Generation Z renters?

One clear answer to this question is through utilizing social media as a key digital marketing tool. It is undeniable that in 2021, the Generation Z ‘digital natives’ feel very much at home on social media, as do ‘Millennials.’ Young people spend a great amount of their time on a daily basis on social media sites. As a result, advertising across social media sites (such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook) can be a very effective marketing technique enabling landlords to engage with young Gen Z and Millennial renters, if carried out in a well-thought out and eye-catching manner.

It is recommended to use attractive digital graphics (such as icons, thumbnails, motion graphics, etc.) as a marketing method for your online real estate content to best capture the attention of Gen Z renters online. Bear in mind that your online content most likely will be looked at by any Gen Z renters seriously considering renting one of your properties, therefore we advise that landlords make sure that their online content is eye-catching, interactive, and aesthetically pleasing for online audiences.

So, avoid being a technophobe and losing out on many clients! Embrace social media when looking to advertise your properties online in the digital era to young tech savvy Millennials and Gen Z renters. Allow social media to become an asset to your business, and not its downfall!

Do not forget, a top-quality high-speed internet connection is a must to attract Gen Z renters to your properties in 2021!

One essential feature for any modern-day apartment for Gen Z renters is of course an impeccable access to the internet and a strong reliable broadband connection in the home. Tech savvy Gen Z renters often use computers and digital technology for work and study purposes, with some even working online from home full-time. Working from home has become increasingly widespread commonplace during the Coronavirus pandemic period. Therefore, a reliable internet/WIFI connection at home is a must for attracting Gen Z renters and Millennials, and landlords may miss out and be unable to attract young renters if their properties do not offer tenants a good internet connection.

Landlords can choose to include broadband and internet as part of the overall rental cost per month for tenants. It is recommended that landlords do this as it makes things clearer for young renters, who will then not be left feeling confused and misled at being hit by an unforeseen additional internet bill to pay for at the end of each month.

As landlords, you ought to carry out extensive research so that you are able to find and identify the best internet provider possible to use for your rental properties. The best internet providers on the market are able to offer its customers a high-speed secure internet connection, something which is vitally important for Gen Z renters who rely heavily on rapid internet access. Gen Z renters are likely to become impatient with a landlord if the broadband installed at the home offers them a poor quality or slow internet connection.

What lifestyle do your properties promote?

Gen Z renters are particularly focused on the overall ‘experience’ or lifestyle living somewhere can offer them. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if the younger renters found your property by searching for “renovated 1 bedroom apartments near me” or “cheap apartments,” it is important for landlords to reflect on what lifestyle their rental properties promote.

What type of young individual may choose to live in your property? A sporty person? A ‘techy’ person and somebody who is a fan of digital technology? An introverted person? An extroverted person? An artistic person interested in bright colors and contemporary art and design? Landlords should bear this in mind when designing the interior of their properties and choosing the household features and appliances to include. An artistic person, for example, may cherish the opportunity to live in a contemporary color schemed kitchen with modern design features and stylish kitchen appliances, such as modern LED suspended lighting.

Ensure that your bathrooms are suitable for the Gen Z rental market

Believe it or not, bathroom design is also an important factor for attracting Gen Z renters. Some Gen Z renters will choose to spend a large amount of their time in the bathroom space. As a landlord, you may decide to buy a more modern style shower unit or bathtub to give the bathroom a more comfortable relaxing feel for tenants. With that said, before doing so it is recommended that you do a significant amount of research on the best modern baths and shower units available on the market.

You may even decide to offer en-suite bathrooms to renters, which can be a major pulling factor.

Providing the ideal kitchen space for Gen Z renters

The kitchen, in particular, is an important living space for Gen Z renters. With food blogging influencers and food focused content on the rise, people are generally more and more aware about diet and now take an interest in the process of cooking food in the kitchen.

Kitchens aimed at Gen Z renters should without a doubt be spacious, while being a place for renters to socialize together with friends, family and guests around a dining table. It should also let in plenty of natural light during the daytime and have good quality attractive hardwood flooring, which is easy to clean.

It is vital to have a helpful maintenance team to attend to the needs and requests of Gen Z tenants

If you are the landlord of a collection of properties for rent or a site/complex and are looking to attract Gen Z renters, we suggest having a maintenance team on site in order to handle tenants’ maintenance repair requests. This will not only make your tenants grateful for your helpful customer service as landlords, but a friendly and attentive maintenance team will also give young renters, who may have never previously lived alone, reassurance and peace of mind in knowing that they can have any of their issues easily resolved.

On the whole, it is recommended that as a landlord you and your staff continue to always remain approachable and be a friendly face for your tenants. Gen Z renters should be reminded by landlords of how they can easily get in contact with them or the management and maintenance team, should they encounter any problems. Therefore, we recommend that landlords put up signs detailing the relevant contacts for maintenance services for tenants inside their properties. This way reading the signs will help young tenants know where to turn to if they require assistance with any property maintenance issues.

Communal spaces and on-site amenities can be a big pull and attract Gen Z renters to a property

Useful on-site amenities and shared communal features is also a great way of attracting Gen Z renters. Providing shared outdoor spaces such as lawns, picnic benches, playgrounds and barbeque areas are examples of some ways Gen Z tenants can enjoy the great outdoors, and may also give them the opportunity to converse and make friends with their neighbors.

Installing a bike rack for residents may attract young, active and sporty Gen Z renters, and be a vital useful asset for those wishing to commute to work. This will also demonstrate that you, as a landlord, appeal to the younger market and living in one of your properties is compatible with the healthy lifestyle of active and physically fit young professionals looking to rent.

Having a social life is an important aspect for many Gen Z renters

Young gen z renters and millennials may wish to have the opportunity to be able to meet other residents in a social setting. Why not make sure you have a building available to use for such purposes, like a social hub or a Community Center, and advertise to hold events so residents can meet one another there if they wish? This is a way to make renting one of your properties a better shared community experience.

Generation Z is very much a ‘generation of renters’ in the real estate market for a variety of reasons. One reason for young adults today being a generation of renters is due to the property prices being so high in the current economic climate. It is now harder than ever for young adults to buy their first home. It is hard for any young person to have earnt enough money at their age to afford to buy a home, pay a deposit and a mortgage.

Therefore, why not make the experience of renting a sociable one and make friends along the way? Putting on social events for renters can provide them with precious shared experiences and memories, and long-lasting friendships could potentially blossom as a result.

Gen Z Renters

Overall, taking advantage of all the modern tools at your disposal, like using social media sites as a platform to advertise, will definitely help your properties appeal to Generation Z renters. Also, improving the interior of the homes to rent to make sure they have a contemporary and modern design feel and offering useful communal on-site amenities will improve the overall experience for Gen Z’s renting one of your properties.