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Property managers know that tenant satisfaction is more than just a metric — it’s the key to long-term profitability. But, as tenant demands evolve and the market shifts, property managers face the ever-growing challenge of keeping tenants happy and engaged. Without clear, actionable feedback, it’s nearly impossible to understand what your tenants truly want. This lack of insight can lead to missed opportunities, dissatisfied tenants, and, ultimately, lower renewal rates.
The problem is that getting tenants to participate and engage isn’t as simple. With the constant barrage of emails, calls, and notifications, tenants are increasingly overwhelmed, leading to engagement fatigue. As a property manager, you’re left walking a fine line — how do you gather the insights you need without irritating or overwhelming your tenants? It’s a delicate balance, but it’s not impossible.
The good news? There are proven strategies to maximize response rates and boost tenant engagement in commercial real estate. By leveraging best practices and adopting the right tools, you can turn feedback fatigue into measurable success. And, when done by unbiased experts, feedback can be a powerful tool for strengthening tenant relationships and improving retention.
This blog unpacks tried-and-true methods that can transform how you communicate with tenants and drive satisfaction. In the following sections, we’ll walk you through five proven ways to elevate tenant engagement, optimize survey participation, and strengthen tenant loyalty. With these strategies in hand, you’ll be well on your way to improving tenant retention and maximizing the value of your assets.
Top 5 Ways To Boost Tenant Engagement in Commercial Real Estate
- Be Authentic
- Make It Easy
- Incentivize Participation
- Follow Up and Share Results
- Host Feedback Sessions
1. Be Authentic ✅
Here’s the truth: Tenants want to feel like they are more than just a revenue stream. When property managers communicate genuinely and transparently, it signals that they care about their tenants’ experiences and are committed to improving them. Building this level of trust transforms the tenant experience from one of passivity to one of partnership.
Additionally, open communication allows property managers to address problems proactively, ensuring tenants feel confident that their needs are being met even before a concern is raised. This open dialogue helps set clear expectations on both sides, reducing misunderstandings and fostering a stronger sense of community within the building or property.
2. Make It Easy ✅
One of the most effective ways property managers can foster tenant engagement is by making communication as simple and frictionless as possible. In today’s fast-paced world, time is valuable. Tenants can’t waste it wading through long emails or spending hours on the phone. By providing tenants with a simple and accessible way to share their thoughts, you increase participation rates and show them you’re committed to making their experience effortless.
Tenants appreciate when their time is respected, and a streamlined, efficient survey is a clear sign of this consideration. Grace Hill’s experts can help craft engagement surveys that strike the perfect balance between brevity and depth. We guide you in developing the right set of questions to collect the data you need — whether it’s feedback on amenities, maintenance responsiveness, or general satisfaction — while keeping it short enough for tenants to complete quickly.
3. Incentivize Participation✅
By strategically using incentives, landlords and property managers can encourage tenants to participate in surveys or other engagement activities. These incentives motivate tenants to get involved and create a sense of appreciation. Regardless of the topic — building amenities, preferences for events, or suggestions for improvements — tenants are more likely to offer constructive input when they feel their time and effort are acknowledged.
Kelly Agent, SVP of Property Management at Griffin Partners, fosters a drive for excellence within her organization by recognizing property management teams based on performance metrics such as KingsleySurveys scores, financial results, and overall improvements. The competitive nature of the awards has created a cycle of motivation, spurring property managers and their teams to actively seek out tenant feedback, resulting in a 96% tenant response rate.
“It’s something people look forward to every year. Like, I’m already excited about it for 2025. It’s the best day of the year for me because it’s like Oprah’s favorite things. And the tenants are now more engaged, too!”
– Kelly Agent
By offering cash prizes, additional days off, and team lunches, the competition not only motivates staff but also encourages them to actively engage with tenants to improve satisfaction and gather feedback. The result is happier tenants and greater employee satisfaction, as team members feel recognized for their hard work and contributions. Learn more about Kelly Agent’s tenant and team engagement strategies in our free on-demand webinar.
4. Follow Up and Share Results ✅
Making an effort to communicate changes and improvements resulting from tenant input demonstrates a genuine commitment to satisfaction, and it is a crucial step in creating a positive, transparent relationship.
When tenants see their feedback acted on, they feel more valued, which in turn boosts engagement and response rates for future surveys. Sharing the results also provides an opportunity to celebrate successes, whether that’s improvements in maintenance response times or enhanced amenities, which helps maintain tenant loyalty.
Grace Hill’s robust reporting tools make it easy for property managers to analyze tenant sentiments and translate the results into actionable insights. Our in-house experts work alongside your team to help you make sense of the data, offering industry insights and detailed comparisons with the KingsleyIndex that contextualize your results within the broader market landscape.
This level of data-driven analysis empowers property managers to make informed decisions and demonstrate progress to their tenants with clarity and precision. Plus, with a clear path forward, property managers can position themselves as trusted partners in their tenants’ experience and continue to improve satisfaction year over year.
5. Host Feedback Sessions ✅
Sometimes, a proactive, hands-on approach is highly effective in increasing engagement. Taking the time to schedule quick 1:1 check-ins quarterly with tenants shows you value their input and offers the opportunity for candid conversations. These personal interactions allow tenants to share their thoughts, concerns, and suggestions in a comfortable, private setting where they may feel more inclined to open up. Kelly Agent notes about her strategy, “I would say the most important thing that you can do is develop real relationships with your tenants and your community members, prescheduling sit-downs and one-on-one meetings. Set it for thirty minutes. Go to their office. Do the research beforehand. Talk to them and get to know them as people; talk about their business.”
In addition to one-on-one meetings, hosting feedback forums can further deepen tenant engagement. Commercial real estate expert Marc Fischer offers a forward-thinking approach to continuous engagement by hosting a “Tenant Council” on a monthly or quarterly basis. This council acts as a regular, structured forum for communication between the property management team and tenants. By including a variety of participants — such as the property manager, the chief engineer, tenant representatives, major service providers, and even the asset owner — you ensure all relevant stakeholders have a voice in shaping the tenant experience. This inclusive structure promotes transparency, encourages open dialogue, and creates an environment where issues can be addressed collaboratively.
“What we have been able to show over time with Kingsley data is that the properties within the councils have much higher tenant satisfaction scores. They have a much higher overall score for property management and engineering, and the tenant renewal impact is significantly greater.
So not only do we reduce operating expenses, but in this case, the tenant council [concept] proves over and over and over again that this opportunity to speak with the tenants and get information and share information goes a really long way. And ultimately, it will put you at the top tier of tenant satisfaction, which will give you the very best chance of tenant renewals.”
– Marc Fischer
➡️ Watch this webinar with Marc Fischer and Grace Hill to learn more about implementing a Tenant Council at your organization.
Boost Engagement With Grace Hill’s Dedicated Survey Success Team
We understand the challenges property managers face when it comes to boosting tenant engagement in commercial real estate (CRE). For over 30 years, Grace Hill’s KingsleySurveys has been a trusted partner to the world’s leading CRE organizations. These surveys provide critical insights into tenants’ evolving needs, renewal intent, and likelihood of recommending a property, helping property managers make informed, strategic decisions. Regardless of portfolio size, these insights offer valuable benchmarks to guide improvements and demonstrate tangible progress to your tenants.
By actively monitoring tenant feedback and leveraging cutting-edge technology, property managers can exceed expectations, foster stronger relationships, and boost long-term retention. Let’s work together to create spaces where tenants feel heard and valued!
