This content was originally published in our residential property management newsletter, Pillow Talk. Sign up here.
Deb Newell recently went on LinkedIn and shared the results of a survey one of her residential property manager clients conducted. They contacted 650 owners and 143 responded. Read Deb’s thoughts here.
Their findings highlight a few things we all already know and expect, like why owners hire a PM. The top three reasons the surveyed owners listed were difficulty finding a tenant (32%), self-managing too time-consuming/difficult (25%), and legal/compliance concerns (22%). This is as expected, but still really useful for marketing and sales teams. Lean into these three pain points because most owners are experiencing at least one.
The Most Interesting Responses
What’s more interesting are the responses they got about premium services, suggested improvements, and what they’ve enjoyed most about working with their residential property manager:
- The top two suggested improvements were cheaper maintenance and more thorough/frequent inspections to ensure property condition and lease compliance.
This tells me that owners want to know their property is being well-maintained, but they don’t want to pay for it. And it shows that many owners don’t understand the natural tradeoffs of owning a rental, or don’t care and will complain until they get both. Property managers who can set good expectations, explain the ROI on preventative maintenance, and the cost of deferred maintenance, will smooth the tension created by these two contradictory expectations.
Deb replied to my LinkedIn post about the survey with her take on this data point 👇
- 100 of the 143 respondents said that having a single point of contact for all property matters is what they’ve enjoyed most about working with their property manager.
Owners like a single POC because they can get answers to their questions faster and easier. They don’t have to sift through different email threads to what the last representative said, or hunt down the right email address for each specific issue they’re having. Just one number and one address. Plus, there is less context loss so they won’t have to explain their issue over and over. This is why hybrid, POD, and portfolio-style company structures are gaining popularity.
- About a third of respondents are interested in premium services such as flat-fee maintenance and rent guarantees.
Asset management gained popularity as a concept in 2025 in the residential property management space, and I think 2026 is the year we see how it actually plays out. Most likely it will look like intentional investors taking advantage of a few premium services like these that make cash flow more predictable.
About Blanket
Blanket is transforming the property management industry with its innovative platform that helps property managers grow their portfolios and retain owners. By combining AI-powered insights, automated lead generation, and seamless integration with existing property management software, Blanket provides property managers with the tools they need to succeed. Blanket is backed by leading Venture Capital Funds like Foundation Capital, Symbol, Operator Partners, RE Angels, and industry-leading Angel investors. Together, we’re shaping the future of property management.
