Resident Intelligence is the practice of connecting reputation, marketing, and leasing signals to explain why apartment communities win or lose leases. HeyNeighborly delivers it, powered by its Resident OS platform.
A lot. In AppFolio's 2026 survey of 3,002 U.S. renters, satisfied renters were 72% more likely to renew their leases and 34% less likely to plan a move in the next 12 months than dissatisfied renters. Buildium's 2026 survey of 1,500 renters names maintenance the biggest driver of renter satisfaction and communication one of the strongest predictors of it.
HeyNeighborly handles social media and online reputation for apartment communities, so we see the same resident experience show up in public reviews. This post covers what the 2026 surveys say about why renters stay or go, where operators and renters disagree, and what a marketing team can watch.
Are more renters planning to move?
Yes, in both surveys. Buildium found that 28% of renters plan to move between mid-2026 and mid-2027, up from 18% a year earlier, and the share still undecided fell from 33% to 24%. AppFolio's number is 39% planning to move, up from 35%. Fewer undecided renters means fewer people left to persuade at renewal time.
What moves renters toward renewing?
Maintenance, then communication. In the Buildium data:
- Renters satisfied with maintenance were 57% more likely to plan to renew.
- Renters satisfied with communication were 58% more likely to plan to renew.
- 24% named maintenance as the most stressful part of the resident experience, and 39% said better follow-through on requests would improve their experience most.
AppFolio's numbers point the same way. Renters satisfied with repairs were 81% more likely to renew. Among satisfied renters, 79% said maintenance issues were resolved within a few days or less, while 53% of the dissatisfied said it took weeks or longer.
Rent matters more than any service factor. Among Buildium's undecided renters, 66% said they would stay if the rent stayed the same, 37% if the property invested more in maintenance, and 35% if maintenance responsiveness improved. Service will not offset a large increase, but it moves a sizeable share of the renters who are on the fence.
Do operators and renters agree on why people leave?
Not in Zego's 2025 report. Renters ranked "rent is too expensive" first, then poor maintenance service, then safety concerns. Management companies ranked "life changes" first and put poor maintenance service 12th of 17. Zego writes that most of the reasons renters give for not renewing are within the property manager's control.
That gap matters for marketing. If a team believes people leave because of life changes, nothing about maintenance reaches the marketing meeting. The renter who left over a repair writes about it in a review, and the next prospect reads it.
Why would a marketing team care about renewals?
Because the resident's experience becomes public. Zillow's 2025 survey asked renters who stayed put what encouraged them to stay. 68% said the property is well maintained and 65% said they like their landlord or property manager. Those are things residents say in reviews.
My view: monthly marketing reporting should include what residents are saying about maintenance and communication. A review that repeats an open repair is a renewal warning that happens to be visible to everyone.
What does Resident OS show an operator?
In the HeyNeighborly client portal, powered by Resident OS, each community has an RSQ (Resident Signal Quotient), a 0-100 reputation score in Resident Signal, along with the drivers of what is moving it. Operators can see which reviews have been answered and which are waiting.
An operator can also ask the portal a plain-English question, such as "What are residents saying about maintenance this month?", and get an answer with the dated records behind it. HeyNeighborly's team does the work of reading, replying and reporting. Resident OS is where the operator sees it, so a property manager can walk into a renewal conversation with the same information the marketing team has.
What can a property management company do first?
Buildium recommends starting renewal outreach 90 to 120 days before lease expiration, and tracking unresolved maintenance requests by age and status. To connect that to marketing, take one community and compare its oldest open repair requests against its last ten reviews. If the same issue appears in both, a resident has already told the public about it.
Frequently asked questions
Does resident experience affect leasing as well as renewals?
Yes. Renters read reviews before they contact a community. See Do Online Reviews Affect Whether Renters Tour Your Apartment Community?
Is rent the only reason people leave?
No. Renters in Zego's survey ranked poor maintenance service and safety concerns right after rent. In Buildium's data, 32% of renters who plan to move cite lower rent or better value and 20% cite dissatisfaction with the rental experience.
Who does the work at HeyNeighborly?
HeyNeighborly's team handles reviews, replies, social content and reporting for the communities we serve.
If you run a property management company, book a social media audit with HeyNeighborly and we will show you what residents are saying publicly about maintenance and communication across your communities.
Sources
- Multifamily Executive, Property Management Satisfaction Is the New Retention Strategy (Apr 24, 2026; covers AppFolio's 2026 Renter Preferences Report; survey of 3,002 renters, Jan 6 to Feb 4): 72%, 34%, 39% vs 35%, 81%, 79%, 53%. These figures are the magazine's reporting of AppFolio's survey.
- Buildium, The 2026 Renters' Report (1,500 U.S. renters, spring 2026): 28% vs 18%, 33% to 24%, 57%, 58%, 24%, 39%, 66%/37%/35%, 32%, 20%, 90 to 120 days.
- Zego, 2025 Resident Experience Management Report (PDF, p. 16-17): renter vs manager ranking of non-renewal reasons.
- Zillow Research, Renters: Results from the Zillow Consumer Housing Trends Report 2025 (Oct 27, 2025): 68% and 65% among tenured renters.
