Apartment Takeovers: Dealing with Bad Reviews on Google My Business

We’re willing to bet good money that nearly every property management company has taken over an apartment community with bad reviews. It’s almost inevitable considering the majority of people use review platforms as either as a place to vent their anger or praise an above-and-beyond an experience. There is rarely a middle ground. So coming into a property with dozens of 1 or 2-star reviews is truly an uphill battle.

That’s why we’re always asked during an apartment takever, “The Google My Business listing has bad reviews. What do we do? Should we delete the listing?” 

Let’s break down the two options available when taking over an apartment with bad reviews and which strategy we suggest.

Option 1: Delete the Old Google My Business Listing

This may sound like the perfect solution, but hear us out. This strategy is only a viable option if you are changing the name of the property. But even then, we would almost never suggest this strategy. Here’s why:

The Pros

If this property will go through a name change, you can mark the old Google My Business listing as “permanently closed.” This will allow you to create a new listing at that address and start fresh. Depending on the severity of the negative reviews and the number of low star ratings, this solution could outweigh the cons.

The Cons

When it comes down to it, deleting the old Google My Business listing will almost always do more harm than good for three reasons.

1.) Lost SEO : Whether or not the ratings and reviews are bad, local SEO has been established at your property address. Google has associated that specific address as an apartment community and removing the listing could have untold effects on SERP rankings. It’s always easier to work with some SEO than none.

2.) Trust : If your apartment building is 10 years old, but your only reviews are 2 weeks old, potential residents will find that suspicious. Users aren’t just looking for positive reviews, they are looking for a mix of the good and the bad to get an accurate idea of what they are buying into. They’re also looking to see how you respond to negative feedback – a strong indication of your customer service skills. 

3.) Customer Service : Coming into a community with poor reviews is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate the customer service skills of your team. By essential deleting reviews, you’re missing out on the opportunity to set a stellar first impression with any unhappy residents. 

Option 2: Update the Old Google My Business Listing

We almost always going to suggest this option for so many reasons. If you create a new listing you have to rebuild reviews, images, branded search rankings, and local SEO, but by taking over the old listing you just need to address the online reviews. Why fight four battles when you could just fight one?

If you decide to keep the listing, you will need to develop a strategy for addressing the negative reviews on Google. This will be a two-phase approach. Let’s break them down: 

Phase 1: Directly Respond to all Pre-Existing Reviews

When a new property management company comes in, they are commonly tempted to flag reviews or try to get negative reviews removed. But negative reviews come from unhappy residents, so use the apartment takeover as an opportunity to impress residents right out the gate. 

Do this by asking your new leasing office staff to dedicate time to addressing any pre-existing reviews – positive or negative. Here’s a suggestion of how we would respond:

“We are so disappointed to hear about your poor experience with APARTMENTNAME. We know how frustrating that can be. If you haven’t heard yet, APARTMENTNAME is under new management. We’d love the opportunity to discuss your situation and see how we can make it right for you. Please call our new property manager, NAME,  at xxx-xxx-xxxx or drop by the leasing office. We can’t wait to hear from you.”

“Thank you for leaving such a glowing review of APARTMENTNAME. If you haven’t heard, APARTMENT NAME is under new management and we will ensure you continue to receive the same level of luxury apartment living. Please feel free to drop by the leasing office to meet our new team. We can’t wait to meet you.”

Phase 2: Develop an Online Reputation Management Strategy

Online reputation directly impacts leads so it’s crucial that you develop an all-encompassing strategy that sets standards for responding to reviews and a plan for improving your apartment community star rating.

In our recent blog post How to Get More Positive Apartment Reviews , we list 6 easy ways to generate more reviews for your community and improve your overall rating. 

Conclusion

Taking over an apartment community with negative reviews can be difficult. While it may be tempting to remove the old Google My Business listing and start a new one, that strategy will almost always result in more work for your team. 

But with the right mindset and reputation management strategy, taking over the existing listing can be the perfect solution for meeting your new residents and establishing a positive relationship with them right out the gate. If you need help developing your online reputation strategy, contact the experts at REPLI. We are your digital marketing partner from first lead to fully leased. Contact us today for more info.