Fielding calls from prospective tenants and owners is an essential part of running a property management business. However, answering similar questions over and over drains precious time from other vital property management workflows.
Does your website have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page? If not, we're about to help you have more time and answer fewer questions—so you can focus your efforts on the property management tasks that truly need your attention.
Property management websites with an excellent Frequently Asked Questions page free up day-to-day business time and help promote more efficient workflow systems by working with your property management process automations!
Keep reading to learn how a well-crafted and informative FAQ page can change your life as a property management business owner!
Without an FAQ, You're Losing Leads
Helping your website visitors find the information they need faster can help them fall in love with your property management services faster. Why make prospects work too hard to discover why they need you?
- Many potential leads browse rental sites at off-hours—and when you are unavailable to take their call on the phone. An FAQ page helps visitors find the answers they need while minimizing their frustrations to find out if you have what they need.
- Property managers who provide an efficient FAQ page on their property management websites help draw more views to their companies. This page also improves customer satisfaction by displaying the information prospects are looking for without needing to waste time calling around to property management companies in the area.
- Your property management company's website FAQ page can also act as a marketing tool by highlighting how your company can be of service to them. You're also positioning yourself as the best property management expert in the area with how you ask and answer questions on this page.
When crafting your FAQ page, follow these best practices to delight your website visitors with quick and thorough answers to their questions!
Highlight Your Rental Qualifications
One of the most common questions that prospects want to know is: How do I qualify to live in a property? They want to know what property management companies are looking for to qualify tenants in their rental application.
Your FAQ page should mention the criteria you use when going through your screening process to select tenants. You can also list the most basic requirements needed on the application. Including questions with answers like:
- What is the income requirement?
- What about criminal history—are there any charges that will automatically disqualify a tenant?
- Would a cosigner ever be accepted?
- Does your company rely heavily on credit scores to make a decision?
You don't have to go into great detail. However, giving a brief overview of the requirements to qualify for your rental property helps save everyone some time. Potential tenants don't need to waste time filling out an application for a property they can't afford, and you won't have to review applications for tenants who don't meet your basic criteria.
Answering these questions on an easy-to-find page also comes across as honest and forthcoming. Keep the qualifications list brief and vague to avoid an appearance of violating fair housing laws or downright discouraging prospects to inquire about renting a home.
This section of your FAQ page could be an excellent spot for a call to action to spur prospects into contacting your property management company for more information!
Briefly Discuss Your Application Process
After a potential new tenant understands the qualifications to live in one of your rental properties, they'll also want to know how to fill out an application. Going through the application and rental process can be quite daunting for prospects, especially those that have never rented before.
Your property management website can help your next potential tenant understand the process with a Q & A about applications on your FAQ page! Consider some of these useful questions to answer in this section:
- How do I apply to live in a rental property?
- What documents or information do I need to complete the application and screening process?
- Does your property management company hold homes for any length of time?
- What does it take to hold and secure a home?
- How much time does an applicant have to view the home, sign a lease, and put down their deposit?
Setting these expectations on your FAQ page can avoid frustration for potential tenants throughout the application process. Be upfront about how to apply and what kind of information you review can reassure tenant prospects about renting a home from your company.
If you have automated workflow systems in place to expedite the process, such as eSigning capabilities, it can be useful to mention them here.
Keep It High Level
Touching on your property management company's primary process is helpful—but again, don't go into too much detail and "paint yourself into a corner." The rental market is fluid, and policies can easily change. It's critical to not nail down too much in writing to keep policies up-to-date. Keep the process loosely outlined to maintain just the right amount of information.
It's also important to be mindful of your competition.
- Avoid spelling out your entire process and "secrets to success" on the internet for your competitors to see.
- The things you do best to set your processes apart from other property managers in your market should stay in-house as part of your "secret sauce."
Outline Your Pet Policy
It's a good idea to address your pet policy when you create the answers for the rental criteria section of your FAQ page. You'll also want to include a dedicated section of your FAQ page to your pet policy.
With a growing population of pet-owning renters in the market, including some brief information about your pet policy can help you find those quality renters with excellent pets to become your next tenants. Property management websites that clearly address a pet policy can also help pet owners determine if your properties are a good fit before beginning the application process.
Allowing pets in rental homes can be a liability for homeowners, but putting regulations in place reduces the risk. Opening your doors to as many furry friends as possible is a huge property management marketing advantage in itself! If renters know most of your homes are pet-friendly, they are bound to refer their pet parent friends to you!
Balance Specifics With General Policies
Every pet situation is different, so it's critical (again) not to paint yourself into a corner by documenting too many details or restrictions in your FAQ website section. However, giving a general guideline on your pet policy can be a tremendous help to renters. It can also cut down a lot of phone traffic and answering questions from potential renters who need to know if your properties allow pets.
Your answer to this frequently asked question can include:
- Restricted dog breeds list
- Maximum weight restrictions
- Pet application fees and deposit amounts
It's a good idea to state that ultimately, pet approval is up to the property management company. While outlining your policies, make it known that you respect that pets are an integral part of many families. This compassionate view will set your company apart from many property management businesses.
Market Your Value to Property Owners, Too
Potential tenants have a lot of questions, and your potential property owner clients do, too! Dedicating a section of your property management company's FAQ page to prospective homeowners can be an excellent source for generating leads. In this section, the goal is to persuade potential property owner clients to contact you for your management services.
- Just in case we need to highlight this critical point again, don't give away all of your secrets in your FAQs! Many homeowners may have questions about the cost of your services or specifics about how you operate, but don't spell it out in great detail here.
- Instead, use a prompt such as, "What services does your property management company offer?" reference your outstanding services (including a few things that set you apart from other local property managers).
- Then, prompt leads with a CTA to contact you for a free consultation for more details about specifics and fees. An in-person phone call or meeting displays your compassion, professionalism, and expertise to expand fully on your online business persona.
Property management websites that can use the FAQ page to highlight how hiring a property management company leads to reduced cost and increased revenue have an excellent opportunity to win more business!
Connect Your "A's" to Your Knowledge Base
Where do you get all of your answers—or those "A's" in your FAQs? You probably already have them spread throughout your site—or concentrated in your knowledge base.
One fantastic feature of the HubSpot platform is the ability to connect your knowledge base to your FAQ page or your chatbot if you utilize that feature. When a website visitor types a question into your chatbox, imagine their delight when the bot takes them to your expert blog that addresses that question or to an answer on your FAQ page.
This is maximizing technology to enhance the user experience on your website! From tenants to new potential clients, making it easier for visitors and leads to find your expertise helps position your company as the best professional property management experience in your area. As a Hubspot Diamond partner, Geekly Media can help make this feature work for you and your potential tenants and clients!
Your FAQ Page Is a Critical Component of Your Website
Knowing what to include on your FAQ page—and with the right amount of detail—is both a science and an art. Using chatbot technology to provide answers to visitors can take property management websites (and your business) to the next level. However, while your FAQ page is a critical component of an effective website, it is just one component in the overall framework of a successful property management website.
Your website is the prime residence of your digital footprint, so "getting it right" is absolutely crucial if you want to grow more doors. Each element is unique, and masterfully weaving their interplay together is how a website successfully generates leads. Contact Geekly Media for help with your FAQ page!
Updated and republished 7/14/2020.
3 min read
