Best Modern Apartment Exterior Renovations for Managers to Attract Gen Y Renters

By the end of 2019, Generation Y is expected to be the largest living generation, with nearly 73 million members. On top of that, they’re far more likely to be renters than their more affluent and established Baby Boomer and Gen X counterparts. Landlords must cater to this generation if they want to keep occupancy up.

Generation Y renters, made up of those born from 1981 to 1996, are a social generation with a strong sense of community. Modern apartment exterior renovations could be the way to align with those values and attract this demographic. The exterior of a complex serves as its advertising, so highlighting these community-focused upgrades is crucial.

Attracting Gen Y with Modern Apartment Exterior Renovations

Amenities aren’t just structures or pieces of equipment to Gen Y. They are the features that set the atmosphere of a multi-family dwelling. Many landlords mistakenly believe that technology is the most important thing to this group, but this is a limiting view to take.

Members of Gen Y are social, but they don’t do their socializing in bars or clubs. Instead, they prefer to do it at home to minimize the effort of going out.

When considering modern apartment exterior renovations, landlords should focus on amenities that support socialization by using those features to create events and community.

Things like outdoor movie nights, grilling stations, wet bars, pool clubhouses, and pet-friendly amenities like dog parks allow this privilege on-site.

Create Outdoor Movie Nights

An open-air theater is an interesting and unusual add on landlords can create to attract Gen Y renters. A large flat wall painted white can serve as a screen, or the landlord can invest in one that they can move around as needed. Inflatable movie screens (especially those with a sturdy base) can work efficiently for outdoor use.

Another crucial component will be the projector. A projector with enough lumens—the overall measure of brightness put out by a device—is a critical piece. About 1500 lumens is the bare minimum recommendation, but 2300 is considered ideal for proper lighting and projection.

A surround sound system will also be a necessity, though the requirement for this will vary widely, depending on the size of the courtyard or viewing space, the amount of use, and whether the sound system will be a permanent or temporary fixture.

Such a setup turns a simple amenity into an event that can draw in Gen Y renters and make them consider their community. Gen Y and Gen Z individuals make up 50% of the overall movie-going audience, so this is a feature that provides one of their favorite social activities in the place they most want to be—home.

Make Pools More Social with Outdoor Party Additions

Pools are a great draw for tenants in hot climates, and California renters are no exception. As a result, many landlords already have pools available for their use. However, it’s possible to make these even more appealing by adding some features that expand their social use.

Offering grills, wet bars, and tables and chairs allows landlords to elevate their pool by turning it into a spot for events.

Those who want to go even further can consider adding clubhouses or pool houses where tenants can enjoy community happy hours or block parties.

Such spaces are also a great option for “prospective tenant nights” where individuals interested in renting are welcome to come to check out the community and enjoy a drink with their future neighbors.

Help Pet Lovers Bond with a Dog Park and Other Pet-Friendly Accommodations

Almost 40% of renters have pets, so pet-friendly apartment complexes are becoming more of a necessity than an amenity. For Gen Y renters, simply allowing pets isn’t enough, as these individuals tend to treat their pets like extended members of their family. They want a home that caters to their pets.

Landlords can offer this with everything from providing pet waste disposal bags and cans at various spots in the community, to establishing a dog park where these individuals can take their pets and socialize with other pet owners. These parks don’t have to be extremely large. They just need to be clean, well maintained, and offer seating for pet parents to watch their dogs at play.

Many high-end apartment communities extend on-site pet grooming opportunities or self-service washing stations for cleaning and grooming their dogs. And, some even offer playdates for dogs.

Working With a California Contractor to get the best ROI on Renovations

By working with an expert, apartment managers and landlords can better understand how to highlight their outdoor amenities and use them for curbside marketing. These features must be visible to those individuals who drive past a complex as they consider apartments, so it’s important to frame them in ways where they are front and center.

Modern apartment exterior renovations that attract Gen Y renters are all about using an amenity to create an event.

Community is important to these individuals, so offering outdoor movie nights, dog parks, and block parties help to underline the lifestyle the apartment managers are trying to sell. By working with a contractor experienced in California apartment amenities for millennials, landlords can highlight the attributes that best attract the largest generation in the market.

REIG Construction is a top-notch purveyor of modern apartment exterior renovations that will increase interest in your California multi-family dwelling. To learn more about the upgrades we can provide, contact us.