How do you design a tenant feedback form that is easy to fill and provides useful insights?

1 Define your goals

Before you start creating your tenant feedback form, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with it. What are the main questions you want to ask your tenants? What are the key areas you want to measure and improve? How will you use the feedback to make decisions and changes? Having a specific and realistic goal will help you focus your survey and avoid asking irrelevant or redundant questions.

2 Choose your format

There are different ways to collect feedback from your tenants, such as online surveys, paper forms, phone calls, or face-to-face interviews. Each format has its pros and cons, depending on your budget, time, and preferences. Online surveys are convenient, cost-effective, and easy to analyze, but they may have lower response rates or technical issues. Paper forms are simple and tangible, but they may be lost, damaged, or hard to read. Phone calls or interviews are personal and interactive, but they may be intrusive, time-consuming, or biased. Choose the format that suits your needs and your tenants' preferences.

3 Write clear and concise questions

The quality of your questions will determine the quality of your feedback. You want to ask questions that are clear, concise, and relevant to your goal. Avoid using jargon, slang, or ambiguous terms that may confuse or offend your tenants. Use simple and direct language that your tenants can understand and answer easily. Avoid asking leading, loaded, or double-barreled questions that may influence or distort your tenants' responses. Use open-ended questions sparingly, as they may require more time and effort from your tenants and make your analysis harder.

4 Use a rating scale

One of the most common and effective ways to measure your tenants' satisfaction and opinions is to use a rating scale. A rating scale is a set of options that your tenants can choose from to indicate their level of agreement, preference, or satisfaction with a statement or question. For example, you can use a Likert scale, which ranges from strongly agree to strongly disagree, or a numeric scale, which ranges from 1 to 5 or 10. A rating scale can help you quantify and compare your feedback and identify trends and patterns.

5 Test and refine your form

Before you send out your tenant feedback form, you need to test it and refine it. You can test your form by asking a few people, such as your colleagues, friends, or family, to fill it out and give you feedback. You can also test it yourself by filling it out from your tenants' perspective. Testing your form can help you spot and fix any errors, typos, or unclear questions. It can also help you estimate how long it takes to complete the form and how easy it is to fill it out.

6 Encourage and reward participation

Finally, you need to encourage and reward your tenants for participating in your feedback survey. You can do this by explaining the purpose and benefits of the survey, assuring them of their privacy and confidentiality, and thanking them for their time and input. You can also offer them some incentives, such as discounts, vouchers, or prizes, to motivate them and show your appreciation. However, be careful not to coerce or bribe your tenants, as this may affect the quality and validity of your feedback.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?