Move-In Maintenance Might Be the Most Underutilized Retention Tool in Multifamily


Move-In Maintenance Might Be the Most Underutilized Retention Tool in Multifamily


The multifamily industry spends an enormous amount of energy on renewals, and most of that energy gets deployed in the last quarter of a lease term. Renewal offers go out 90 to 120 days before expiration. Pre-renewal surveys get fielded. Retention teams start making calls. By that point, in a significant share of cases, the decision has already been made. Most controllable churn decisions form within the first 90 days of a tenancy, which makes move-in the most underutilized retention window in multifamily operations, and one that most operators treat as a logistical process rather than a strategic one.

The economics of getting this wrong are substantial. The average cost to turn a single apartment unit is $3,872 when accounting for make-ready expenses, vacancy loss, leasing commissions, advertising, and concessions, according to aggregated operator data across more than 50,000 units. The National Apartment Association puts turnover costs closer to $4,000 per unit, and RealPage data indicates apartment turnover costs have more than doubled since 2020...

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RSK: One of the few problems with this is it is hard to get to all the requests in the 90 day period.

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- - Volume: 26 - WEEK: 35 Date: 8/25/2026 8:35:00 PM -