It’s move-in day – the last day of the turn. Before you officially put this year’s turn to bed, you have to make it through the busiest day of the year.
You and your staff are up early. Hundreds of residents are moving in today. There’s a steady stream of students pouring in and out of the clubhouse all day. The staff works hard, cheerfully greeting newcomers, fielding maintenance calls, and directing residents and parents. By the end of the day, you have a mountain of paperwork to process.
There is nothing quite as unique as the turn. The panic, the dread, the sense of calm at the end of the day. It’s a feeling only student housing property managers can relate to. While conventional multifamily properties have the luxury of spacing out turnovers throughout the year, student housing turnover occurs in a span of about two weeks, with most happening in a single day. Move-in day is critical if you want to make the kind of first impression that leads to renewals at the end of the year.
For student housing owners and operators, a turn gone wrong can have disastrous consequences. As you turn the page on this year’s turn, it’s never too early to look ahead to next year. How are you planning to improve upon this year’s turn? How can you make your staff more efficient, not just on move-in day, but all year round?
Technology has an important role to play in the future of student housing.
Student Housing Tech Stack
Resident expectations have changed in recent years. While there was a time when you could get by offering a free cable package, today’s students value a more sophisticated tech stack. In fact, according to RentCafe, 62 percent of young renters believe apartment technology Is essential. High-speed internet, a maintenance request tracking system, and a mobile-friendly portal for them to pay their bills are among the new-age priorities of today’s students.
As you try to appeal to the modern resident, build out your student housing tech stack to handle any situation that may arise. Keep in mind, certain technology may not have the explicit benefits of high-speed internet, but upon implementation will improve the resident experience, and make life easier for you and your staff.
The Missing Piece
Student housing is stressful, but it doesn’t need to be. Leonardo247 integrates with your property management software system to automate and streamline move-in/move-out inspections, work orders, and unit turns. Your onsite staff can leverage Leo247 to quickly perform the inspection tasks within each unit. Leo’s smart task and approval automation ensure no step in the workflow is missed along the way. The result is a dramatic reduction in the time required to prepare the unit for new occupants, and near elimination of the errors that result in unrecovered damages and delays in making the unit ready. To learn more, schedule a demo today!