Residents’ vote
A residents’ vote on improving the courtyard: one vote per flat, a comment and consent to data processing.
Who it is for and when to run it
A template for a residents’ association, a building committee or a property manager who wants a quick read of what neighbours think: what to fix in the courtyard first, which playground to install, whether to add a barrier at the car park. The link goes into the building’s group chat and a QR code on the noticeboard by the lift.
The result is the residents’ opinion, useful to take to a meeting or to the management company. It isn’t, on its own, a formal decision of the owners’ meeting; formal decisions follow their own procedure.
If you need a quick choice with no link to a household, among staff or followers for instance, use the simpler poll template.
What the template is made of
Every block in the order it sits in the builder. Branching decides which of them a given person actually sees.
- Residents’ vote Text block
The intro explains why the unit number is asked: only to count one vote per household. Without that, some neighbours close the form at the second question.
- Unit number Short answer
Unit number, required. When counting, it removes repeat votes from the same household and shows how much of the building took part.
- What do we improve first? Single choice
The main question: what to improve first. Four options (playground, parking, path lighting, planting and benches) with a single choice, so there’s a clear priority.
- How urgent is it? Single choice
Urgency. It separates «someday» from «this season» and gives the management company a reason why something can’t wait.
- Anything else you would suggest? Long answer
Open suggestions for anything missing from the list: bins, cameras, a broken path.
- Consent to personal data processing Consent
Consent to process data for counting the vote. A unit number together with the building address points to a person, so consent is required.
How to adapt the template
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Replace the options in the second question with your own jobs. Keep them concrete: «Lighting on the path by entrance 2» is clearer than «Lighting».
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In a large building, add a dropdown for the entrance or block before the unit number, so you can see where turnout is higher.
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If the budget covers several jobs, switch the single-choice question to a ranking question so residents put the jobs in order.
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Put a deadline on the first screen, such as «until 15 May». Without a date the vote drags on and never gets summed up.
How to read the results
Before counting, export the answers to CSV and check the unit numbers. If one unit voted twice (from two phones, say), keep one vote using a rule you announced in advance: first or last.
Work out turnout: how many units voted out of the total. A priority backed by a third of households carries more weight than the same percentage with ten units out of two hundred taking part.
Read urgency per option. If most votes go to the playground but almost every lighting vote says «as soon as possible», that’s an argument for the management company to do the lighting first.
Common mistakes
- Dropping the unit number «for anonymity». One keen household then votes from three phones and the result no longer reflects the building.
- Presenting the result as a decision of the owners’ meeting. Decisions binding on all owners require a separate procedure that an online survey doesn’t replace.
- Leaving the vote with no closing date and no announced results. Next time, neighbours won’t bother.
Questions about the «Residents’ vote» template
How do I run an online vote for residents of a building?
Publish this template, replace the options with your own jobs and post the link in the building’s group chat. Put a QR code on the noticeboard for people who aren’t in the chat. The unit number lets you count one vote per household and measure turnout.
Is an online residents’ vote legally binding?
No. An online survey shows what residents think, but it doesn’t replace a formal owners’ meeting with its own rules for holding the vote and recording the decision. Use the result to make a case to the committee or management company.
How do I limit the vote to one per household?
The template has «one response per device» switched on and makes the unit number required. When counting, export the answers and remove repeats by unit number. Announce in the vote text which vote counts if there are two.
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Do not start from an empty canvas
Open the catalog, take the closest template and rewrite the questions for your job. Five minutes instead of an hour.