This profile is part of the Zillow Multifamily Trendsetter Award presented by the Zillow Rental Network. Each quarter, Zillow recognizes two multifamily pros who exhibit industry-leading creativity in their approach to resident acquisition and retention. Nominate a trendsetter in your area on our Twitter feed, @ZRentalNetwork, using the #MFHTrendsetter hashtag.

Property managers have to juggle an array of responsibilities, from maintaining the units and common areas to giving tours and nurturing high occupancy — and if the residents happen to like where they’re living, that’s icing on the cake. For Jay Koster at Seattle’s Hill Crest Apartments, however, giving residents a sense of community isn’t just icing: It’s integral to his job description.

As far as he’s convinced, property management is about acting as a resource for residents, improving their living experience and being a bigger part of the neighborhood. In creating a community bond, Jay hopes that local homeowners and vendors will see Hill Crest residents as vested neighbors who will be around for a long time — and not indifferent occupants who leave after a year.

Jay knows his biggest challenge to creating that bond is engaging residents. He acknowledges that some want to belong to the bigger community while others eschew participating until it directly benefits them to do so. So he took an innovative approach to getting residents involved at Hill Crest and the surrounding area.

Game playing with a goal

Jay has always enjoyed gaming and technology, but what began as just a personal interest offered unexpected benefits in his work as a property manager. Ingress, an augmented reality game, involves players who join one of two factions that either assist or resist an unseen entity called The Shapers. Gameplay requires a mobile app that uses geolocation to display a city and acts as a scanner for players to locate and acquire items through portals. Portals are typically established at places of cultural significance, such as that city’s landmarks, monuments and public artworks.

Jay first joined Ingress as a regular player, but realized the game could be a tool to get Hill Crest residents to engage with each other. He set up the Ingress community through the building’s intranet — the same site where residents log in to pay their rent, request maintenance and set up their own interest groups. Jay serves as in-building game recruiter and moderator.

To date, Jay has about 10 percent of his residents playing Ingress as part of the Hill Crest community, and believes it helps fulfill the basic human need to experience a sense of belonging.

“Resident community is so important because the building is more than just four walls and a roof: It’s their home,” Jay said. “Residents appreciate the game because here’s this secret that not everybody knows, but that anyone can join.”

An enlightened strategy for property management

In addition to bonding residents through Ingress, Jay strives to bring positivity to the job and residents every day, look for ways to improve the industry — “one property at a time!” — and give back to the greater community. His plan seems to be working: Jay collaborates with local vendors to get discounts for Hill Crest residents and he has a healthy waiting list for his units. But he takes nothing for granted.

“I know I’m lucky because our affordable housing means I get to keep my residents, and having the same people living here year-to-year helps me with building a community,” Jay acknowledged. “It’s something I don’t think other managers get to do because their residents are chasing the ‘better’ deal.”

Jay has found that the hands-on approach works best for building community. Whether he’s making sure coffee is ready for residents on their way to work or leaving his Hill Crest business card at local grocery stores, Jay’s objective is to always make a personal connection.

“It’s about inviting potential residents into the office and getting to know them,” Jay explained. “Face-to-face is really what does it because until they get here, I’m just a voice on the phone.”

Get connected

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