ApartmentRatings Prohibits “Review Gating”

ApartmentRatings will take action against practioners of “Review Gating” as it lacks authenticity

Review Gating has been on the rise as reputation management firms conduct surveys and other firms provide rewards programs with gamification to identify the most favorable opinions and encourage them to write a review. This leads to the same authenticity problems caused by incentivized reviews. We currently mark communities incentivizing reviews with a warning to readers, and we will also mark communities who use gamification / points platforms, brand ambassodor development, or hand-select survey responders to drive a review.

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 views 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.

Apartment Ratings is for everyone — not just those out to execute a marketing ploy.