Case Study: GCI Residential, LLC achieves increased leads and improved online reputation with RentPath

GCI Residential Boosts Leads with Apartment Guide® Certified Resident Ratings & Reviews

GCI Residential, a 50‑year owner‑managed real estate firm based in Charlotte, faced a reputational challenge: anonymous online review sites showed low, unverified scores (about 2.8) that didn’t match on‑site impressions, and corporate policy discouraged responding to reviews because managers couldn’t confirm authorship. This left teams unable to address resident concerns or present an accurate picture of their communities.

GCI piloted Apartment Guide’s Certified Resident Ratings & Reviews in November 2013 at three communities, using resident certification, surveys and a management dashboard to gather authentic feedback and enable official responses. The test raised public ratings to about four stars, increased leads at Crestmont at Ballantyne from 76 leads pre‑launch to 111 in November, 129 in December and 125 in January (up to a 64% increase), and convinced GCI to roll the program out across its portfolio.

GCI Residential, LLC

Maria Perusich

Marketing & Employee Development