Step 1: The Signal Filter
Before involving marketing, leadership must determine the nature of the allegation. Does the review mention a specific safety failure, a health hazard (like mold or sewage), or a breakdown in access control? If the answer is yes, this is no longer a reputation issue; it is a pre-incident risk signal that requires an operational investigation.
Step 2: Checking for Forensic Repetition
Search your review history for keywords mentioned in the new one-star post. If 'gate,' 'leak,' or 'ignored' appears in multiple reviews over the last 90 days, you have a pattern. Repetition in a public forum creates legal foreseeability, meaning a reasonable operator should have known the issue existed and taken action.
Step 3: Internal System Cross-Reference
Check your maintenance ticketing system for the unit or resident involved. Is there a 'closed' ticket for the exact issue they are complaining about in public? If the system says 'Resolved' but the resident says 'Unaddressed,' you have a memory gap. This discrepancy is a high-liability signal that suggests your internal reporting is masking reality.
Step 4: Deterministic Escalation
Once a repeat safety or health signal is confirmed, bypass the onsite 'response' workflow. Generate an internal Notice to your regional or executive team. The goal is to document that leadership became aware of the signal and initiated a formal remediation plan. This documentation is your strongest defense against future claims.
Common Questions
Should we delete or dispute one-star reviews?
Disputing reviews is a marketing tactic. From a risk perspective, the review is an external record of an allegation. The priority is documenting your investigation and remediation of the signal, not removing the text.
What is the 'Rule of Three' in reviews?
If three different residents mention the same physical or operational failure within a quarter, it is no longer an opinion—it is a documented pattern of neglect that requires executive intervention.
How do we prove we acted on a review?
By maintaining defensible institutional memory. Keep a record of the signal intake, the internal investigation, the remediation steps taken, and the timestamped notice to leadership.