The Coronavirus pandemic has been a significant challenge for property managers. With constantly changing legislation, cycling unemployment rates, and general fear and uncertainty, it can be easy to pull back on marketing and sales efforts. 

However, while many aspects of the pandemic have been detrimental to multifamily property owners, it also completely helped reshape the real estate market. Property managers must be diligent and use creative marketing tactics to bring in new tenants. There are many new and interesting ways to get potential renters interested in what your business offers. 

If you want to increase your amount of rental applications during the pandemic, here are a few easy ways to do it: 

Offer Free or Low-Cost Applications 

Rental applications are, no doubt, important. They allow you to screen a tenant to ensure that you are only getting the best renters for your property. Since tenant screening reports can differ in price, it stands to reason that this cost is placed on would-be tenants. However, during a pandemic, there is a great deal of hesitation about the future. This can cause people to be overcautious, especially when it comes to housing.

A great way to get more rental applications during a pandemic is to offer low-cost or even free rental applications. Often, property managers will refund the cost of the application back to the tenant later. Thus, in some cases, you are simply eliminating one step of an inevitable process. If you decide to offer a low-cost rental application, try pricing it within the $25-$35 range, but make sure you highlight how much applications usually cost so that potential tenants understand what a great deal they are getting. The same will apply if you are offering free rental applications. 

Offer Move-in Specials 

Move-in specials are always a good way to drum up interest and increase the number of rental applications you see at your property. For a pandemic, move-in specials are even more effective. You can offer standard move-in specials such as offering a month of free rent or delaying rent until a specified date. Perhaps you offer a discount for referrals, such as offering a certain percentage off rent if a potential renter puts a tenants' name down on their application form. If you decide to use this method, you must note that the offer is only good for one or two referrals, depending on your preference. 

You can also offer a lower security deposit, with a tagline like "Just a security deposit of $399 moves you in." With these specialized discounts, it is also important to note any restrictions that may apply, such as credit score rates, security, background checks, etc. These specials are great because they encourage a call to action and have the additional goal of increasing customer loyalty in the long run. 

This is also a great time to be creative with your move-in specials. During a global pandemic, humor is certainly appreciated. You can have fun with tenants by offering them "when this is over" tickets to local restaurants, sporting events, or other entertainment venues. You can have coffee mugs, phone covers, or other branded products with your company logo on them. I have even seen a property management company offer "quarantine boxes" filled with snacks and other goodies to new residents. 

Use Digital Advertising 

During a global pandemic, social distancing and quarantine are common. This, with the ability to work remotely, many interested renters are turning to digital means to look for their next home or apartment. To reach these customers where they are already looking, you should make a list of digital advertising avenues such as Zillow.com or Apartments.com. You could even utilize social media platforms such as Facebook ads or Google ads. Be sure to do your research and find the best advertising platform that fits your individual styles and budget. 

Once you start to implement digital advertising, it is important to track well how each ad performs. Run the ads for one week, especially to highlight any specials or offers you might have and then track the return on your initial investment. Your ROI may be the number of applications that have been filled out, or it can include other lead capture items such as the number of deposits taken, forms filled out on the website, lead calls made, etc.

For instance, our best source of quality leads has been Zillow.com. While ads on this site cost $9.99 a week, the investment return has made this a marginal investment.  

Highlight Pandemic Friendly Amenities 

Highlighting amenities is always a sure-fire way to get more rental applications, but during a pandemic, what amenities get showcased should change, whether through rebranding or presenting amenities that do not normally get the limelight. For instance, if you have clubhouses and game rooms, you can bill them as co-working spaces. Potential renters that are working from home will appreciate this extra show of care. Remember to include information about how one can still social distance in these areas. 

As mentioned, you can also highlight less talked about amenities. For example, before the pandemic, showcasing the ventilation system would not be an interesting marketing point, but because of COVID-19, higher grade ventilation is a good sell. You can also add a little humor to these amenity highlights. Do you offer an additional pantry room in the kitchen? If so, you can mention that this additional space is perfect for stocking up toilet paper, food, and other pandemic supplies. Perhaps you use copper on some of the surfaces in your amenities. You can now bill these as antimicrobial surfaces if you do because they inherently kill many different microbes. If you use this talking point, you need to mention that these surfaces cannot kill all viruses or bacteria, and normal sanitizing is also done. 

Amenities are always a selling point for potential renters, and highlighting them in a smart, strategic way can increase your rental applications during a pandemic. 

Showcase Safety Precautions 

What kind of safety precautions has your business taken to comply with CDC regulations and ensure the health of all your staff and tenants? Showcase these! For example, do you keep a hand sanitizer bottle on all staff members' desks and bottles in common living areas? How often are areas cleaned? Are face masks required while outdoors or just while in the building? What about the amenities? Are fitness facilities and common areas kept at half capacity to encourage social distancing? 

These are questions that your would-be residents already have and answering them publicly can help increase the amount of rental applications you see. People want to rent from those who keep their health and safety in mind. 

It is also important to let rental applicants know how they can view the apartment or home they are interested in. For instance, when we advertise our mobile homes for rent, we make sure that we highlight the fact that appointments must be made beforehand because of the pandemic and the fact that we do offer virtual tours. The latter has become a fantastic marketing tactic because potential renters can visualize themselves living at the property before stepping foot in the unit. 

Success in the Middle of a Pandemic 

While many uncertainties can lay ahead with a pandemic like the Coronavirus, you can also be assured that there are many creative and inventive ways you can continue to build momentum for your properties. 

Using the above strategies, you can increase the amount of rental applications and help build long term stability and success for your business.