We Asked for Your Opinion on Our Services – You Answered

By Eric Weld, MassLandlords, Inc.

We recently asked for your opinions on some of the services we provide to members. Thank you for your response.

More than 10% of our 2,300+ MassLandlords members responded to the survey. This survey is conducted annually as part of our election for a new director. The election was held this past fall with voting closing on Dec. 19, 2022.

Services polled in the survey were events, email newsletter, print newsletter, rental forms, message boards, savings, policy, connections and certification. The graph below illustrates the survey results in full.

High Scores for Events

Overall, based on this year’s survey, we are confident that we are building in the right direction and are aware of areas that need attention.

In particular, we received strong opinion scores for our events, with most member votes falling in the upper (4 to 5) range. We are encouraged by your approval of our slate of events as we work to return to in-person options. (MassLandlords events have been held mostly virtually since the Covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020. We have held one in-person event, and partner events are all hybrid, with online and in-person attendance options.)

MassLandlords events are a series of educational and informative forums on the business of landlording and rental real estate. Our highly popular Crash Course on Landlording is held several times a year. Other recent event topics include Common Traps for the Unwary Landlord (Jan. 11, 2023); Insuring Your Investments (Jan. 12, Fitchburg); Heat Pump Maintenance Best Practices (Jan. 20); and Rent Control and Rent Stabilization Lived Experience (Jan. 27).

High Marks Also for Rental Forms, Policy

Responding members also gave approving marks for our menu of rental forms, as well as policy and our email newsletter.

We have worked hard to build a complete set of customizable rental forms, all free with membership. Our forms cover rental applications, applicant screening (including security deposits, references, background checks, payment receipts), rental agreements, rent collection, water submetering, bedbug warnings, mold, pest inspection, cleaning, cosigners and more. We have a form for every process in the landlording business spectrum.

We are also encouraged by your approval of our range of policy pursuits. Our policy focus is guided by your input through our policy priorities survey. This survey is open to all members throughout the year. At any time, you may weigh in on issues such as right of first refusal, eviction sealing, rent control, zoning, security deposits, just cause eviction and other matters pertinent to our business. Our Board of Directors uses your responses to determine where to prioritize resources.

The MassLandlords email newsletter is a monthly compendium that reflects our work: articles on a vast range of landlord topics, infographics on trending statistics, an ongoing schedule of elections, regional and statewide events, a letter from the executive director, and much more – all right in your email inbox.

Mixed Results

Also scoring high but with somewhat more mixed results were our regional message boards, member savings and member connections.

Some members love our message boards, where you can connect with other landlords through email. Others may find more use in different forms of communication, such as our events.

As for savings, we strongly maintain that the savings we offer through our benefit programs – most prominently our Home Depot partnership and our free (for members) rental forms – will pay for MassLandlords membership, often many times over. We encourage all members to take advantage of these benefits and aim to increase members’ participation.

Areas for Improvement

Finally, areas that fell a notch below top survey scoring were our print newsletter and our landlord certification program.

We are amid a reorganization of our process for the monthly print newsletter that will bring more consistency to its publication and delivery. We hope that will enable more members to enjoy our publication of this resource.

The Certified Massachusetts Landlord™ is a proprietary and unique three-level quality assurance program that helps landlords improve their business knowledge and practice and promote their achievement. We launched cML Level One™ and cML Level Two™ of the program before the pandemic hit and have proudly certified 173 members (at time of publication) at cML Level One™. Twenty-seven members have passed the demanding cML Level Two™ test.

Our launch of cML Level Three™ has been stalled with setbacks and legislative actions related to the pandemic. cML Level 3™ will distinguish landlords who continue to expand their knowledge and commitment to best practices. We are in a testing phase and anticipate its roll-out this year.

Thank You for Your Input

Our annual elections and surveys are a vital part of our operating structure. At MassLandlords, we emphasize our democratic governance, guided by member input. We rely on our elections, along with our surveys on policy priorities and services, to determine landlording industry issues and areas on which to focus our resources and energies.

In other words, our work and leadership depend on your voice.

Thank you for participating in this and future surveys and elections.