In the era of Yelp, everyone turns to the web to read up on local businesses. Whether you’re looking for the best Chinese food in town or searching out prices for a local lawn care business, chances are good that you’ll end up online reading reviews. It’s no different for apartment hunters.

So when a current or former resident leaves a nasty review of your community, it’s hard not to worry about the long-reaching ramification of their words. This is especially true when there aren’t many reviews of your property at all – the bad ones stand out.

The best way to handle a bad review? At Cal Bay Property Management, we recommend responding quickly to the complaint and then take things offline. By publicly addressing the review, readers will likely see you as honest – or at least willing to hear feedback and make necessary changes. Even if the person who left the bad review never changes their mind about your community, potential new residents will appreciate a property owner who tries to make things right!

– Scott Safadi