Mystery Shopper Audit Programme Delivers 17-Point Performance Uplift for Build-to-Rent Portfolio
A leading Build-to-Rent operator managing six residential properties partnered with Moricon to gain objective insight into their prospect experience and drive consistent service delivery across their portfolio. Over six months, the programme delivered measurable improvements, with overall performance rising 9–17 percentage points above industry benchmark.
The Problem
The operator had invested significantly in their properties and teams but lacked visibility into how prospective residents experienced their viewing journey. Without consistent measurement or benchmarking, they could not identify service gaps, ensure brand standards were being met, or make data-driven decisions about where to focus operational improvements.
The portfolio faced several critical challenges. There was no objective benchmark to measure performance against industry standards, making it impossible to know whether they were leading or lagging the market. Service delivery varied significantly across properties, with no systematic way to understand why some sites outperformed others. Brand storytelling and the value proposition were not being consistently communicated during viewings, potentially costing them conversions. Most critically, leadership lacked the actionable data needed to drive meaningful operational change.
What We Did
Moricon designed and implemented a comprehensive annual mystery shopper programme, conducting monthly independent assessments of the complete prospect journey across all six properties.
Monthly Mystery Shops
Each property was audited every month across six critical touchpoints: booking response times, building presentation, greeting experience, tour delivery, sales approach, and follow-up processes. This consistent methodology created reliable, comparable data.
Industry Benchmarking
All results were compared against Moricon's national property management database, providing objective context for performance. Properties could see exactly where they stood against sector standards.
Monthly Review Meetings
Senior leadership, including Asset Managers and Regional Operations Managers, received regular presentations with specific, actionable recommendations tailored to each property's performance.
Six-Month Trend Analysis
Comprehensive trend reporting identified patterns, tracked improvements, and highlighted areas requiring sustained attention, enabling strategic decision-making at portfolio level.
The Outcome
The programme delivered measurable improvements across every key metric. Overall portfolio performance rose to 9–17 percentage points above industry benchmark. Booking response times improved dramatically, with 83% of properties achieving fast responses—22 percentage points higher than the national average.
Brand storytelling capability transformed from just 17% of viewings to 67%, directly addressing one of the client's core concerns. Follow-up processes reached 100% same-day compliance, eliminating a previous weakness. Two properties achieved top-10 national rankings.
The structured approach enabled rapid course correction. One property improved by 36 points following targeted intervention, demonstrating the programme's ability to identify and resolve issues within 30-day cycles. High-performing sites' techniques were documented and deployed across the portfolio, creating a virtuous cycle of improvement.
Most significantly, the portfolio moved from inconsistent service delivery to sustained excellence, consistently outperforming industry benchmarks across all measured categories.
About Moricon
Moricon designs operating systems, service standards and audit frameworks for luxury hospitality and residential brands. We specialise in translating brand vision into operational reality through practical frameworks that drive consistency, measurability and commercial performance across residential portfolios, branded residences and mixed-use developments.