ApartmentRatings.com Prohibits “Review Gating”

ApartmentRatings.com will take action against practitioners of “Review Gating” as it lacks authenticity

As the largest review site dedicated to multifamily living, ApartmentRatings.com strives for the most authentic reviews of communities. It’s important to represent all views, as we know through our research that what one resident view as a positive may not be shared by all potential residents. The same goes for negatives. That genuine feedback helps you find your next home (not just a place to sleep), leading to a better overall renting experience.

That warning for consumers is used when evidence surfaces that some form of compensation was provided or potentially received for writing a review. That’s the same style warning we’ll apply with communities practicing Review Gating. If you’re a resident who will be submitted in a rent giveaway, gas card, gift card, points, etc. for a review, it’s less likely you’ll be forthcoming about your full experience because of the incentive.

Some have argued that a community open to both good and bad reviews as part of these compensation schemes is acceptable, but we’ve seen the results, and they are overwhelmingly biased towards the former. We will continue to give prospective residents a 90-day warning any time a pay-for-review scheme is in operation. In the future, we will also mark in the history of the community that such a consumer warning was in place to give guidance to future readers.

The multifamily industry has become obsessed with opaquely-calculated third-party scores leading to short-sighted decisions, which ultimately hurts their ability to identify well-informed prospects. By artificially boosting a rating through only positive reviews, they erroneously believe that readers won’t see through it. In reality, it’s transparent to all, and it reduces the number of prospective residents who will contact any communities as they begin to distrust all positive reviews.

ApartmentRatings.com is for everyone — not just those out to execute a marketing ploy.

About ApartmentRatings.com

ApartmentRatings.com (www.apartmentratings.com) is a sister brand of SatisFacts Research. Together two brands provide solutions to increase resident satisfaction, retention and overall community for the multifamily apartment industry. Since its founding in 2000, the site has become the most comprehensive and trusted resource for renters nationwide.