Navigating Coronavirus Issues Through Communication

Never has communication been more critical than during the current coronavirus pandemic. 
The COVID-19 news coverage is alarming and conflicting for residents. That has created an opportunity for property managers to build trust and establish themselves as reliable, transparent and consistent sources of information. 
We understand that no one wants to be the bearer of bad news. And it’s tempting for apartment managers to downplay or omit negative information when communicating with residents. 
Unfortunately, we’ve found that it’s typically the information that renters don’t want to hear that has the most significant impact on their lives. They deserve the complete picture of how COVID-19 is affecting your community in order to do what they believe is best for them. That kind of transparency builds trust. And trust is what will improve your relationship with your residents. That brings us to some best practices you can employ to increase the trust factor. 
Outline measures in detail 
When communicating with residents about coronavirus, we suggest outlining, in detail, the measures you are taking, as well as what those measures mean in terms of changes to the previous routine. Announce common area and amenity closures by email and clearly posted signage. Explain why you closed amenities rather than limiting the number of people allowed to use them at one time. Provide a list of the services that have been discontinued and those essential services that remain. Again, explain why those services were discontinued rather than scaled back. We also feel it’s important to include the durat……