Apartment communities earn more online reviews by asking every resident at the right moments, making it easy to post, and fixing problems before and after asking. They also need to do it within the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, which took effect on October 21, 2024 (FTC, 2024). This guide covers what the rule bans, what is still allowed, and how resident experience fits in.
Why apartment reviews need a compliance check now
Reviews are part of how prospects size up a community, and review tactics such as raffle entries, gift cards or “5-star days” deserve a closer look under the FTC’s rule (16 CFR Part 465). When it announced the final rule in August 2024, the FTC said the rule allows the agency to seek civil penalties against knowing violators (FTC press release, 2024).
The National Apartment Association responded with a compliance checklist and model policy for members (NAA checklist, 2024). If your management company has adopted a policy, it comes first. What follows is a plain-language overview.
What does the FTC reviews rule prohibit?
According to the FTC’s announcement, the rule targets six practices (FTC, 2024):
- Fake or false reviews and testimonials, including AI-generated reviews and reviews from people with no real experience, plus buying or spreading them when a business knew or should have known they were fake.
- Buying positive or negative reviews, meaning compensation or incentives conditioned, expressly or implicitly, on a particular sentiment.
- Undisclosed insider reviews from officers, managers, employees or agents, and certain solicitations of reviews from their relatives.
- Company-controlled “independent” review sites.
- Review suppression through baseless legal threats, intimidation or certain false accusations, or misrepresenting that displayed reviews are all or most of the reviews when negative ones were suppressed.
- Fake social media indicators, such as bought followers or views.
Can you still offer incentives for apartment reviews?
Yes, with limits. The FTC’s Q&A says the rule “does not prohibit giving incentives for reviews,” as long as the incentive is not expressly or implicitly conditioned on a particular sentiment (FTC Q&A). The FTC’s guide for marketers adds that a review should disclose an incentive even when there is no sentiment condition (FTC, Soliciting and Paying for Online Reviews). NAA’s checklist likewise tells operators to have residents who receive an incentive, such as a raffle entry, disclose it in the review (NAA, 2024).
In practice, that means wording such as “leave us an honest review” rather than “leave us 5 stars,” and no prize that only goes to positive reviewers. Review platforms can also set their own rules on incentives, so check each platform’s current terms before running one.
What about asking only happy residents?
This practice is often called review gating. The FTC’s Q&A says the rule itself has no specific ban on it, but notes the practice could still violate the FTC Act (FTC Q&A). The FTC’s marketer guide is direct: “Don’t ask for reviews only from customers you think will leave positive ones” (FTC). The safer approach is to send review requests to everyone in a defined group, for example every resident 30 days after move-in or every resident whose work order closed this week.
A compliant review request process for onsite teams
- Pick consistent trigger points. Common moments include after move-in, after a completed work order, after a renewal and after a resident event. Apply the same trigger to every resident in that group.
- Use neutral language. “We would value your honest feedback” works. Avoid “only if you had a great experience.”
- Handle incentives carefully. If you offer one, make it available regardless of rating, tell residents to disclose it, and have it reviewed by your company’s counsel or marketing compliance lead.
- Keep staff reviews out, or disclosed. The FTC guide says not to ask staff to review the business unless they disclose the relationship (FTC). Remind vendors and contractors of the same rule.
- Respond, don’t suppress. Reply to negative reviews professionally and move details offline. Flag reviews only when they are fake or violate a platform’s terms; the FTC warns against using flagging tools to remove honest negative reviews.
- Document it. Write down your review-request steps, the training staff received and any incentive terms. NAA’s checklist recommends training staff and vendors on the policy (NAA, 2024).
Common mistakes to avoid
- Running a “5-star contest” or giving a gift card for positive reviews.
- Having leasing agents, their relatives or a friendly vendor post reviews without disclosure.
- Offering a review “station” at an event where staff watch residents type and steer what they write.
- Sending review links only to residents who rated you highly on an internal survey.
- Threatening a resident over a negative review.
How resident experience drives better reviews
Compliance keeps you out of trouble. It does not create the experiences residents write about. That comes from service quality and community life, and you can measure it before asking for public reviews:
- Fix the basics first. Use an internal survey to find maintenance, communication and noise issues. Our guide to resident satisfaction survey questions has question sets you can adapt.
- Make the first 60 days count. New residents form opinions early. A structured new resident welcome program gives them reasons to feel at home.
- Create shared moments. Well-run resident events give residents a real experience to talk about. Any review request tied to an event should still go to all attendees, use neutral wording and follow the incentive rules above.
- Track it. Look at review volume, average rating and response time alongside the other numbers in our resident engagement metrics guide.
No event program or review process can guarantee a rating. What it can do is give residents more positive experiences and a fair, easy way to share them.
Frequently asked questions
When did the FTC reviews rule take effect?
The FTC’s Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule went into effect on October 21, 2024 (FTC Q&A).
Can we raffle a prize among residents who leave a review?
The rule does not ban incentives that are not conditioned on sentiment, but reviewers should disclose the incentive, platform policies may still restrict it, and raffles and drawings can raise separate legal questions. Have counsel review any prize program before launch.
Can employees review our community?
The FTC advises against asking staff to review your business unless they clearly disclose the employment relationship (FTC). A simple written policy that staff do not review the community avoids the question.
Can we ask residents to update a negative review after we fix the issue?
You can follow up after a fix. Keep it a request, not pressure or a condition of anything, and never threaten or offer a benefit for changing the rating.
This article is general information, not legal advice. Review your practices with your management company’s counsel and your review platforms’ current policies.
Build the experience residents want to write about
Roseway Resident Services plans and runs resident events, wellness programs and welcome experiences for multifamily communities in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston and San Antonio, with planning, vendor coordination, on-site execution and follow-up reporting. If you want residents to have more to say about life at your property, contact us or start with our resident experience check.