Last modified on May 2nd, 2022
By Stacy Holden

A lot has been written about the state of Dallas-Fort Worth’s rental market over the last two years. What hasn’t been reported on nearly as much is how its renters’ needs and expectations have also changed, which is exactly why we surveyed them directly.

Comprehensive survey results are available now in our 2022 Dallas Resident Motivations report, but we’ve included critical findings for Dallas area property managers and owners in one helpful infographic here. 

Read on for more background and context into key insights.

Key insight #1: Dallas-Fort Worth residents are among the happiest in the nation

AppFolio surveyed residents across the United States, and Dallas-Fort Worth renters were by far and away the happiest with their property management company or landlord. 

A staggering 85% of Dallas renters are satisfied with their property manager or landlord — compared to 72% nationally. In addition, 49% of Dallas renters said they are very satisfied, compared to only 28% nationally.

Key insight #2: Now is not the time to become complacent

Although Dallas renters are among the happiest in the nation, it also means now is not the time to be complacent, because renters certainly aren’t. 

With more than 70% of Dallas-Fort Worth renters saying they expect to move in the next 12 months, property managers and owners will have a much easier time retaining current residents by not just meeting but continually exceeding their expectations.

Key insight #3: Dallas renters’ expectations for property management have changed

In order to help Dallas area property managers and owners exceed renter expectations and keep them happy, we asked residents how their values changed compared to before the pandemic:

• 56% said management offering multiple leasing terms is more important now
• 53% said digital tools to help manage rentals are more important than before
• 48% said smart home technology has become more important

While these features might be on your radar to implement in the future, it’s clear they’re top-of-mind for residents now. And, when paired with outward displays of empathy and understanding, both common themes woven throughout survey participants’ responses, exceeding resident expectations is possible for teams to achieve consistently.

To see how AppFolio can help you and your teams better exceed renter expectations, let’s chat.