Kids in the Apartment Building

The kids in the building are restless. It’s hard to think about kids running around playing and adults socializing right now. Yet, making your building a more fun place to live has many benefits.

After Covid 19 is gone, they’ll still be restless and it will be summer. We can’t take children’s well being for granted. Kids need outlets for creative expression and activity.

Play Equipment = Fun

Play equipment simply means «Fun» to kids and it’s a great way for them to bond socially and make new friends.

In this post we explore the benefit of play amenities for kids. Too often in small apartment buildings, there are no play areas or equipment for them to enjoy. By creating indoor and outdoor play centers, you’re giving kids a chance to play with other kids in the building. And for parents, a chance to socialize in what is their home — your apartment building.

To get you launched, below, we have 6 ideas for indoor/outdoor play equipment and games you might offer as an amenity to tenants and their kids.

More Families Living in Apartment Buildings

There’s no escaping the current rental housing market. More people are living in apartments in the US, Canada, UK, Germany , Australia, and many other countries. But it can be awkward for these young parents and their children (and landlords) unless landlords help out and raise the comfort level. Keeping tenants happy should be job #1 as this ensures good cash flow and higher ROI.

Millennial parents may be apartment renters for much longer than they want to. In Australia, one study found that 25% of renters are families with kids. A lot of people are raising their kids in apartments and condos. With frustrated kids in a building, noise issues and then complaints rising, there’s a simple and affordable solution.

Families Make Good Tenants

The fact is, for landlords, families can be excellent tenants. They’re well employed, pay rent on time, keep kids away from danger, are more vigilant, hold less raucous parties, and are often responsible for their behavior and their kids behavior. Yet kids were not the intended tenant when these building were designed and built. Traditional building design and amenities creates issues for them, their parents, landlords, and other tenants.

A lack of amenities and a feeling of fun and comfort may be the number one reason why tenants with families end their leases and move on.

Getting Tenants Kids Active and Engaged

I’m sure you have local parks a couple of blocks away and mega kids indoor playgrounds miles away where your kids could play. Mega sized indoor parks have a lot of drawbacks, namely germs and viruses, high cost of entry, danger, and they’re impersonal.

These big parks are fine for the older kids once in a while, but for smaller kids 3 to 11, having something closer and more safe is something the parents would like.

Is Your Building a Friendly, Social Place?

Many landlords haven’t put in place services, spaces, equipment and supervised activities to help their tenants raise their kids properly. Without the room to play and get fresh air easily as with house rentals, kids get bored and frustrated.

Buildings often have «no loitering» rules which help to repel uninvited strangers and keep teens out of trouble. If parents have nowhere close by to take the kids for outdoor play time, it can reduce their quality of life. And that’s what makes them determined to get out of apartment living and into a house, perhaps far out into the burbs.

Responding to this mindset to keep them happily under lease for as long as possible, we’ve got some tips for making your building more kid friendly.

6 Tips to Create a Great Place for Kids to Live

Tip #1

Convert a room. Apartment renters don’t have the room for kids play centers in their units. However landlords could convert a room(s) to play areas for kids. Yes, create a space for those 3 to 12 to play in. You could install some small playground equipment such as this climbing gym at low cost. The benefits are huge for the children.

Alpine Ridge Center

Tip #2

Create an outdoor play area. Many buildings have no play areas for the kids. You can arrange to install a safety fence and bring in a kids play center. These are a little more pricey, but right now with the shutdown, you’ll see a lot of them on sale at a discount. Good time to buy an indoor play structure.

Indoor Play Structure for kids. Pic courtesy of strictlyforkidsstore.com

Tip #3

Help tenants with some ideas for kids games via your website with a blog, or via message on your property management portal. Choose games that are interactive and physical. You can share these types of communications easily via ManageCasa’s tenant portal and communications app. See more ideas at Whatmomslove.

Pic courtesy of whatmomslove.com

Tip #4

Indoor Sports Games. Indoor sports games such as hockey, basketball, and are very popular with kids. And they don’t require a lot of room space.  Franklins sports manufactures a wide array of kids games and sports equipment and it’s very affordable.

Photo Courtesy of Franklinsports.com

Photo Courtesy of Franklinsports.com

Tip #5

Big Lego Blocks. Some kids play items get good use by all ages. Lego is incredibly popular for boys and girls. You can buy unique jumbo sized, durable plastic blocks which kids haven’t been exposed to previously.  Imagine the joy a child would experience building a fort or a pretend house. This type of mental activity is constructive for them.

Find more at https://frugalfun4boys.com/lego-party-games/

Tip #6

Rideable Toys. These rideable battery powered toys are very inexpensive and kids from 3 to 8 will love them. Top speed: 2 mph. See more of these.

Pic courtesy of Amazon

Tip #6

Outdoor Play Equipment – This can help your tenants get a breather and liven up your small apartment building by providing a place for kids to play and for their parents to socialize too. Climbing apparatus are excellent to help kids physical development and to burn off energy.

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See also: Best Property Management System | Property Management Companies | How to Find Good Tenants | Sources of Good Tenants | How to Choose Good Tenants | How to Keep Good Tenants | Find Best Tenants with Good Rental Ads | Screen Tenants with Social Media | Tenant Onboarding | What Good Tenants Want |  How to Get Good Tenants to Renew their Leases | Screen for Good Tenants |  How to be a Good Tenant | Best Landlord Software