How to Have a Strong Resident Retention Game

It’s crucial to hold our residents’ happiness to the utmost importance. It’s our job to make sure that their needs are met but also to go above and beyond, meeting their wants and desires as well. Doing this builds a stronger sense of community and creates lasting relationships. What’s the best way to achieve greater resident retention? We’ve learned over the years that it’s to show your residents that you care.

Striving to make our residents feel appreciated and valued goes beyond move in and renewal gifts. One of the best ways we show our community we care is by hosting events and parties that appeal to them. As we are currently in the middle of the summer, people have shorter workdays and more free time– making this the perfect opportunity to host gatherings that make our residents feel at home. This also gives residents the perfect chance to get to know their neighbors and our staff better. Here are a few popular events that we host in our communities throughout the year that allows us to have a strong resident retention game:

Summer Pool Party

This is a simple, yet exciting event to host that residents of all ages can enjoy. With these long summer days, members of our community are already spending a lot of time at the pool, so having a good turnout is already supplied. We provide the cold drinks, plenty of snacks, music and floaties. If we want to go all out, we heat up the grill and offer hot dogs and hamburgers to our residents to enjoy by the poolside.

International Days

Recognizing international days is an easy tactic that we utilize in our communities year-round. There are countless international and national observances that can easily be turned into a fun event for our residents to participate in. When planning community gatherings, we go online to check a calendar of international observances to see what is coming up. Days such as International Yoga Day, International Waffle Day, World Poetry Day and Pi Day could all be turned into a community event to bring our residents together. At our communities, we also host events for those on the go who might not have enough time to mingle at other resident events. Something as easy as Breakfast On The Go goes a long way and shows our residents that we not only care, but that we are accommodating and respect their busy schedules. It’s a popular event that can easily be tied into any food-related international day.

A few upcoming days:

  • – National Ice Cream Day (July 21)
  • – International Day of Friendship (July 30)
  • – National S’mores Day (August 10)
  • – National Dog Day (August 26)

Community Watch Parties

Netflix and chill is popular with everyone these days. People are busy binge-watching their favorite shows, so why not make an event out of it? Nothing brings people together more than a shared obsession with reality TV or the hottest new Netflix show. Hosting a watch party is a simple and effective way to bring our residents together in our shared community space. A few examples are holding a Bachelorette Finale Showing, a weekly Big Little Lies Viewing or Stranger Things Binge-Watching Party. These watch parties provide the perfect opportunity to bring residents with shared interests together with our staff and all we need to provide is the popcorn.

It’s easy to get sucked into the same, mundane resident retention tactics, so we strive to exceed our residents’ expectations and host events that show them that we truly care while being creative. Be sure to visit our Communities!