Home Sweet Apartment: A Text Analysis of Satisfaction and Dissatisfaction with Apartment Homes

Abstract

Achieving renter satisfaction is critical for residential property managers who desire to reduce the costs of high turnover. While previous research on renter satisfaction has focused on the use of multiple-choice surveys, this study analyzed the text of 464,280 open-ended comments posted from January 1, 2000, to January 1, 2007, on ApartmentRatings.com©, the nation's largest apartment ratings Web site. Cross-tabulation and ordered logistic analysis of a word frequency coding scheme indicated that several of the most important issues related to residential satisfaction fell into the categories of safety and sanitation. While safety has long been recognized as a critical component of residential satisfaction, issues of sanitation appear uniquely salient for residents of rented apartment housing. The implication for property managers is that a focus on the core issues revealed in this analysis of resident comments may help to achieve greater resident satisfaction and, thereby, reduce resident turnover.