EVERY BUILDING EXPO UPDATE: What Tenants Want

Property management services are the key factor in tenant satisfaction, according to a survey released at the Every Building Show Conference & Expo, presented by BUILDINGS magazine and BOMA International.

The 2013 Global Tenant Survey, a survey of office building tenants in the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa, found that the services most closely correlated with high tenant satisfaction are property management communication, property management overall, maintenance and engineering, and property quality.

The survey found that health/hygiene features (flu shots, hand sanitizers, bike racks, etc.) were also highly correlated with tenant satisfaction, according to Phil Mobley of Kingsley Associates, the firm that conducted the research in conjunction with BOMA International, BOMA Canada, CBRE, the Property Council New Zealand, and the South African Property Owners Association. However, respondents gave a comparatively low satisfaction rating to these features, suggesting that property managers have an opportunity to increase tenant satisfaction by expanding health-related services.

The survey also found that U.S. tenants were more likely to value the prestige of their building, whereas Canadian tenants value green features and access to public transportation.