What Scares Your Residents?

When it comes to living in an apartment, ghosts don’t scare residents, but cockroaches, that’s another story. In honor of Halloween, MHN and Kingsley Associates explore what about your community makes your residents afraid.

“It would be fantastic if someone came in and nailed down the floorboards on the second floor so it didn’t sound like we lived in a haunted house.” —Cary, N.C.

“We saw a big snake last night at the corner of the building. I’m too afraid to walk over there now. I’d appreciate if the snakes were moved and the corner bushes were cleared out so it doesn’t come back.” —Tampa, Fla.

“Dogs are roaming and running free around the property and with no owners. Dogs run up to my 3-year-old son and no one will be in sight. It’s scary!” Houston

“The sewer bugs are terrifying. No lie. They are like the worms in Men in Black. I’ve started closing my drains at night, as people say they come up through there.” —Phoenix

“I didn’t know the maintenance person yet, so I was skeptical at first since he had no uniform or name tag when I looked through my peephole. I live alone and no one visits, which made me a little afraid of the stranger.” —Fort Worth, Texas

“Be proactive when the fire alarm goes off and send an update email immediately! It’s very scary to never know if the threat of fire is real or not.” —Scottsdale, Ariz.

“Residents don’t want to leave because they are scared to not get a parking space when they return. People are parking on the lawns when spots run out. I have to get home by 6 p.m. to get a parking space.” —Hendersonville, Tenn.

“There’s a ton of large dog poop around the sidewalks. Every day there are new loads of poop, it’s insane! I don’t know who’s doing it, but we are scared to step off the sidewalks for fear of stepping into a dog rocket.” —Lombard, Ill.

“I would have liked advance notice of maintenance entering my unit. I came home to my door ajar and it scared me thinking someone had broken in.” —Spokane, Wash.

“We loved the apartment and wished we could have leased, but we were concerned with the eerie feel at night. We were concerned for our safety if we did lease due to the rough look of the community and how busy the surrounding area is.” —Houston

“If you are more than one day late on your rent, you get a notice to vacate and it’s terrifying. Sometimes life happens and you can’t pay on time but you shouldn’t be fearful of eviction until it’s the 15th or so of the month.” —Austin, Texas

“In the gym, there needs to be a mirror on the wall that the treadmills face. When you’re there at night with headphones in, it’s super creepy to see shadows of people who may or may not be entering in the door behind you.” —Houston

“The elevators terrify me. They shake, get stuck, drop floors and the lights flicker. It is not normal.” —New York

“We need better reception and Internet speeds in the case of an emergency such as a hurricane, power outage, or zombie apocalypse.” —Orlando, Fla.

“Rotting wood can be seen throughout the property from decaying patios to wobbly fences. This makes me scared to allow my kids to go outside to play.” —Colorado Springs, Colo.

“The only suggestion is that the security guards need to be less creepy and not lurk between cars. The guards have scared me more than any other person in the community.” —Tucson, Ariz.