Room for review: the online rivalry in build to rent

Last year the firm, which has 150,000 residents across the US and UK, was ousted from top place on the Reputation.com index, and replaced by rival Bozzuto. Such is the importance of reviews today in not only attracting potential tenants, but to overall reputation, that Cortland is pulling out all the stops to regain its crown.

“Pride is a factor in being number one. To be able to make that claim is so powerful,” says Tim Hermeling, Cortland’s EVP of marketing. “The reason we focus on the online reviews so much is we understand how important it is to prospects when they are planning where they want to live next.”

Looking at the forecasted growth of the BTR sector, which is part of the multifamily market in the US, future competition between operators for tenants will be immense. This means every positive review will count.

The UK's BTR market, still in its infancy, is set to jump fivefold in the next decade. A Savills and British Property Federation analysis of the sector last October stated the number of completed BTR homes could leap from 76,000 today to 380,000 by 2032, with the sector’s value growing from £30bn to £170bn. Cortland broke into the UK market in August 2019 when it bought LIV Group.

And last March, “explosive growth” was said to be on the horizon for the US BTR market, with investors pouring $40bn into development by the end of 2023.

The US has two leading platforms, JTurnerresearch.com, which specifically tracks BTR, and Reputation.com, the preferred site for Cortland. The latter aggregates 600,000 reviews across 80,000 multifamily communities from numerous sites including Google, ApartmentRatings.com, and Apartments.com.

Reputation.com then analyses the review ratings for each company, assigns a score and produces a ranking every July: Cortland was first crowned number one in 2020.

“We are transparent about what we deliver but there’s nothing better than hearing from your peers about that community and what it is like from online reviews. It becomes a much more credible way for people to learn what a BTR development is like to live in,” says Hermeling.

“Reviews act as a window into the community for prospective residents” Rene Hulls, Greystar

“Whether you’re renting or buying, it’s the biggest financial decision of your life, but there’s more objective content out there to help you make an informed decision when buying a car, TV, or booking a hotel. That is where the foundation for HomeViews came from.”

The highest rated buildings get their scores through strong community building, outstanding building management and specific facilities like communal areas, gyms, and outdoor spaces.

So important have the review sites become that they are collectively helping to raise industry standards. “In the same way TripAdvisor put the onus on the hospitality sector to improve its service because there’s this level of transparency, we have done the same for housing,” says Cramer.

He adds: “Brands we proactively work with use us like a customer insight tool and they use that information to make sure they are providing the best possible resident experience.

“This is where BTR is really leading the way – [operators] have a long term vested interest in making sure these buildings perform over many years, and they are hungry to understand how to improve the residents’ experience. We are part of that.”

This also means weeding out and stopping fake reviews, and not succumbing to greenwashing.

Every HomeViews review is moderated by staff, with identities and residence verified by systems used by credit card companies. Hermeling says trust is put into the hands of platforms to regulate the many comments.

For operators, greenwashing is pointless, says Matt Smith, CEO of Allsop Letting & Management, which looks after homes nationwide in the UK. “It’s much better to be open and honest when engaging with customer feedback and tackle it head-on,” he says. “That’s why we go for the verified routes.

“We also do a dedicated survey within our buildings every year, which provides us with a greater insight into the customers’ requirements and feelings towards their building.”

Allsop has data on everything, from residents’ attitude towards the environmental footprint and features of the building, to whether they would recommend their landlord.

“It’s about trying to delight your customer,” says Smith. “We can provide excellent levels of service even in what are very challenging economic times, if our residents feel like they’re being listened to and looked after.”

For companies as big as Greystar, which manages just under 800,000 multifamily and student beds globally, it recognises, ‘there is intense competition alongside some very cool innovations, causing congestion and disruption in the market,’ says the company’s Rene Hulls, senior director, customer marketing and insights, for Europe.

Speaking about its UK market, that she describes as ‘nascent and growing’, Hulls says: “Ultimately, as the market matures, differentiation between schemes will be driven by the customer experience, both digitally and in-person. So, less of a focus on the physical attributes of the community, and more of a focus on the lifestyle and customer experience provided by BTR living.

“The review platforms are important in this context, as reviews act as a window into the community for prospective residents.”

Hermeling simply says: “Reviews will become the way in which people will evaluate what community space they will go to.” And being number one will be a goal chased by everyone.

“Pride is a factor in being number one. To be able to make that claim is so powerful” Tim Hermeling, Cortland

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