Good property managers should have their fingers on the pulse of their community at all times and for all reasons, but particularly when it comes to resident satisfaction. Knowing how your renters are feeling — be it good or bad — is essential to prevent surprise move-outs and encourage renewals from long-term residents who really want to make your community their home.

Consider these six simple ways to increase resident satisfaction.

Open the lines of communication

Residents who feel like their voices are being heard are much more likely to stick around, so ensure that you’re always easy to reach. Start by clearly communicating your office hours and providing information on how residents can quickly get ahold of someone during an after-hours emergency. When you are in the office, make communicating with residents your number-one priority. Always respond to emails and social media messages the same day you receive them.

Respond quickly

On a similar note, strive for a quick response time on requests which may seem routine to you but may be urgent to your residents, including maintenance requests, rent check deposits and package delivery. Pay extra attention to issues that arise within a renter’s unit — a broken dishwasher or leaky window may seem like no big deal for a day, but when it goes on for a week, it can be a renewal deal breaker for a frustrated resident. And, always make sure you follow up on every single request until the resident feels satisfied — even if it’s something small.

Ask directly

If you want to know how your residents are feeling, just ask! Informally, when you run into them around the property or in the neighborhood, when they turn in their rent checks and especially upon renewing a lease. More formally, consider sending a survey out to residents twice a year. Ask questions about cleanliness, maintenance, common areas, outdoor space, noise, parking, rent costs, utilities and management. Allow residents to answer anonymously to encourage honest responses, and consider an incentive for completion.

Keep residents in the loop

There’s more to good communication than waiting for residents to come to you with issues. Be proactive in keeping your residents updated on important information, even — or perhaps especially — when it’s not good news. Give them as much lead-time as possible on things like rent increases and scheduled maintenance. Good-faith efforts to keep residents in the loop will surely be appreciated, and demonstrate that you value their time and respect their needs.

Cultivate personal connections

Residents will feel more at home when they have personal connections with others in their community, including you. Get to know as many of your residents as possible and remember little details about them — about their families, pets or hobbies.  This shows that you’re interested in their lives and well-being and they’ll be more likely to come to you with small issues, instead of letting little complaints become big problems that might prompt them to move out.

Make exceptions for your superstars

While you want to retain as many residents as possible, you should do whatever you can to hold on to the most outstanding ones — those who value the community, always pay rent on time and don’t cause issues with other residents or management. For these five-star residents, strive to demonstrate flexibility and understanding whenever possible, whether that means waiving a late fee for someone who’s always paid on time, or allowing a resident to paint the interior of their apartment to make it feel more like home. Small allowances can make a big difference in overall satisfaction.

Retaining great residents is always cheaper than finding new ones, and happy residents improve the whole living experience at your community — for you and other community members. Plus, when residents are satisfied, they’ll help keep your vacancies filled through positive reviews and referrals. Prioritizing open, friendly communication and responding (promptly) to questions, complaints and feedback are simple but effective ways to make sure your residents love the place they call home.