Top 5 Reasons Apartment Residents Need a Printer Amenity

Offering a printer amenity is a simple way to delight residents that need to print.

As the scramble to attract and retain renters grows more competitive than ever, multifamily property owners and managers across the country must continue to innovate for premium apartment living. Pools, fitness centers, and pet-friendly community features have become the most popular and common apartment essentials. But here is one more amenity essential that you can’t afford to skip out on: a printer.

Yep, you heard that right. A new survey suggests that what residents really value and are willing to shell out their dollars for are technology amenities, so let’s start with one of the basics.

Here are the top 5 reasons why your apartment needs a printer amenity:

1. 82% of residents still need to print.

Even with the growing presence of digital communications, printing is not a thing of the past. In fact, 82% of residents still need to print at least once a year.* This is because when residents are printing, it’s something important. From the resumé for a life-changing job interview, to return labels, medical records, tax files, even presentation slides for a big company client, there are many reasons to print. Be there for your residents when they need it the most; it’s in these moments of need that apartment amenities can truly delight your residents and make them advocates for your properties' services.

Skip the headaches and outsource your printing so tenants can print with ease and your staff can focus on all the things that matter.

2. Residents are willing to pay more for better technology and convenience.

Overall, you want to provide residents with a great wireless experience that helps them feel at home where they live. But it’s more than just a wireless connection. According to Comcast's multifamily division survey, 89% of property managers and developers cite technology as an important factor in a renters’ decision to sign or renew a lease, and 82% of building managers install the latest technology in order to “future proof” their buildings.

A printer may seem like a small thing to consider, but it’s a piece of the bigger puzzle in adding value and increasing resident retention and ROI.

3. With telecommuting on the rise, residents need a solid place to WFH.

Business centers are gaining popularity, ranking #2 most desired community amenity. More people are working from home (WFH) than ever, so it’s time to revamp business centers into welcoming co-working spaces with all the essentials for comfort. From new computers with top-speed wifi, to private conference rooms and espresso bars, your residents will love working all day in your enhanced business center / co-working space.

Other business center items to include are paper shredders, staplers, and a top-of-the-line printer amenity that offers scanning, copying, and faxing too.

4. Community printing is green and environmentally-friendly!

Having a community printer can save up to 550 lbs of individual electronic waste and 4750 kW of energy per year.* Instead of every resident buying their own printer, paper, and toner, your apartment has the opportunity to service everyone’s printing needs and cut down significantly on individual electronic and paper waste. The new sharing economy is helping all of us lead more sustainable lives, including Ubers, AirBnbs, and PrintWithMe.

Your apartment can participate in this green and efficient movement as well by installing a shared printer amenity. Not only will you be contributing to a more sustainable business practice, but you’ll also appeal to the more environmentally-conscious Millennials and Gen Zs.

5. A self-serve printer amenity means your staff has one less thing to worry about.

Every second matters when you’re managing a property. A printer amenity relieves property staff of the time it takes to print out residents’ documents by directing residents to their own self-serve printer. Residents can print at their own convenience without a need for on-site staff to answer questions.

Additionally, with a printer amenity, your staff is notified when toner or paper runs low so there’s one less thing to keep track of, and all issues are handled by your printer amenity provider. This leaves your staff with more time to handle all the other things on their to-do lists.

And there you have it!

In sum, there are many fantastic reasons why something simple like a new printer amenity can absolutely delight your residents!

As you plan to research different printer providers, make sure to keep data security and document privacy in mind. You would not want residents’ confidential printed documents to be easily accessible to others. To avoid this, make sure to choose a printer amenity provider, like PrintWithMe, that ensures data encryption and the option of ‘secure release printing’, where the residents’ document will only print when they are at the printer.

For more information on how to get the ultimate printing amenity for your multifamily property, get in touch with PrintWithMe today.

*Results from PrintWithMe's internal research.