Several years back, a historic winter storm hit Texas, bringing frigid temperatures, snow, and ice to a region where such weather is rare. A large swath of the state experienced widespread power outages, loss of heat, broken pipes, and road closures.
For the owners and operators of impacted multifamily properties, there was a tremendous amount of information to communicate over those few days as the situation unfolded—from ensuring residents and staff were aware of weather and public safety advisories from local authorities to providing instructions for dealing with direct property impacts including lack of heat and water as well as flooding from frozen pipes. Draper and Kramer, Inc., was among the property management firms working in real time to keep everyone informed during the rapidly evolving situation. Fortunately, our long history of owning and managing multifamily properties in markets across the United States had given us somewhat of a “playbook” for handling this type of specialized and nuanced communication.
When the unexpected arises at a multifamily property, it calls for as much proactive communication as possible, whether the situation is a minor inconvenience like an out-of-service elevator, a weather event that requires extra precautions, or circumstances in the surrounding community that impact building access. Regardless of the scenario, the same best practices for sharing information with all those affected usually hold true. They include:
1. Make Use of All Communication Channels
Residents gather information from various sources, so it's essential to communicate through multiple channels. In addition to email, leverage social media, resident apps, and physical signage in common areas. For rapidly evolving situations—especially those affecting resident safety—text notifications can be the most efficient way to deliver critical updates promptly. Additionally, make sure your property staff is prepared to speak to the situation; this may entail drafting an FAQ document so team members are armed with the facts and sharing the same information with residents.
Likewise, communication around unexpected situations usually isn’t a one-and-done message. A follow-up with updates or notification that conditions have normalized will help keep residents calm and informed. At one of our Chicago-area rental communities, there was once a car accident on a street bordering the property that caused a vehicle to run off the road and collide with the side of our building. We sent an initial communication to residents that explained the incident and reason for police presence, assured them there were no injuries, and asked them to avoid the area while authorities investigated. Later in the day, we sent a follow-up alerting them the accident site was cleared and access to that part of the property was fully restored.
2. Consider All Stakeholders
For multifamily property managers, the first instinct in an unexpected situation is to communicate to residents. That should absolutely be a priority, especially when it involves safety and security, but consider who else is impacted or needs to be armed with information to share with others.
For example, how are you communicating important details with site teams and staff, including those not on duty but who might be dealing with repercussions from the situation during their next shift? In the case of the winter weather event in Texas, some site team members were unable to reach the property, so having a staff communication protocol in place for an emergency weather event allowed us to keep everyone in the loop, check on the well-being of our team, and adjust our staffing schedule as needed. There were also constant updates between the property staff and corporate office to ensure we were providing the support they needed on the ground while also planning maintenance and repairs that would need to occur once the weather event was over.
Another group to consider is neighbors in the community who may be disrupted by a property-related incident, such as emergency exterior maintenance or repairs that restrict access to a public sidewalk or roadway. Outreach to nearby properties or a post on a neighborhood forum explaining the situation goes a long way toward building and maintaining goodwill.
Finally, if an unexpected event is significant enough to be newsworthy, make sure your team has a plan for providing information to media and fielding inquiries. Our property teams are specifically trained in how to handle media inquiries, which starts with looping in our corporate public relations team so we can make sure all information shared is accurate and so on-site staff can keep their focus on residents and the situation at hand.
3. Be Mindful of Pitfalls
In the rush to share information that will be helpful and reassuring in a time of uncertainty, it’s easy to make mistakes that ultimately do more harm than good.
First, avoid using unnecessarily inflammatory language or sharing unverified information that can add to alarm and cause speculation. The goal should always be to provide clear, factual information that is directly relevant to residents and staff. Something that can be helpful in that regard is sharing information or resources directly from third-party authorities. At our properties, that has included passing along safety advisories from neighborhood watch groups following an uptick in car break-ins; linking to utility companies for updates on power restoration during citywide outages; citing public health resources during the COVID pandemic; and even sharing Chicago Police Department updates on street closures when the Chicago Marathon route impacted access to one of our properties.
Second, sometimes less is more—not all details need to be shared. This really comes into play in situations involving individuals, where it’s critical to balance the need to inform and reassure residents with the responsibility of protecting the privacy and personal information of those involved.
An example along these lines that many multifamily operators may have experienced is communication around COVID cases during the very early days of the pandemic. At Draper and Kramer, we followed industry guidelines to create a template property teams could use to notify residents that someone in the building had tested positive and there was a possibility of exposure while not sharing identifying information such as whether the individual was a resident or employee, what floor they lived on, and so on.
Last, accuracy always supersedes speed in a sensitive situation. While it’s natural to feel pressure to answer questions and put out a communication piece as quickly as possible, it’s prudent to wait until you are certain you have the correct information.
Whether it’s a crisis or simply an inconvenience, the unexpected comes in many forms at multifamily properties. How owners and operators communicate during those times goes a long way toward setting the tone and ensuring residents and staff alike are safe and happy. Because as most in the industry know, satisfaction drives retention.
