Reviews are now a crucial part of every major purchase decision we make. They aid trust and credibility, demonstrate transparency and provide detailed product feedback for companies and consumers alike. But what are consumer expectations around reviews? What ratings do they see as being acceptable and how do they view negative reviews? We take a look at these, and other, factors that will help us to make reviews as useful as possible for residents.
What do consumers think is a ‘good enough’ star rating?
A common question we get asked is about how high ratings should be before a company starts publicising them.
The answer may be surprising! Consumers don’t expect to see all five-star ratings. In fact, this makes them suspicious – more on that later. Let’s take a look at the data.
An annual study on local search by Brightlocal found that, in 2025, the largest proportion of respondents (38%) would consider using a business with a minimum of 4 stars. And a large proportion (30%) would use a business with 3 or 3.5 stars (see chart below). Only 5% said they would only use a business if it had a 5-star rating.
Early data from our own reviews on Rightmove listings has, so far, shown a similar pattern. While reviews over 4 stars performed better, there was little difference between a 4.1-star listing and one with a 4.9 star rating.
What about negative reviews?
While HomeViews Partners are notified about negative reviews and can query/respond before they are published, negative reviews will always happen.
However, here’s another potentially surprising finding about negative reviews: They can be a positive thing. Here’s how.
1. Negative reviews show that your reviews are genuine
Research by HomeViews and Rightmove showed that the most important factor for BfR residents to trust reviews and find them useful was that they were balanced and showed both positive and negative experiences.
2. Responding to negative reviews shows that you care
Responding quickly to negative reviews gives you the chance to show other potential residents that you are engaged and can offer rapid solutions – a unique preview of your customer care.
3. People reading negative reviews are highly engaged
Research by Reevoo (now part of Feefo) showed that those who take the time to read bad reviews were 67% more likely to convert. Consumers looking for negative reviews are typically highly engaged in their research.
4. Negative reviews are real-time feedback for your business
Negative reviews give you immediate insights into what can be improved. They also allow you to communicate what you’re doing about any problems residents are facing.
A few other common questions
Does it matter how recent reviews are?
We often encourage Partners to regularly collect reviews. This keeps them in the running for our annual Resident Choice Awards, but it’s also something that consumers value.
Research by Power Reviews found that 64% of consumers said they were more likely to buy a product with fewer, more recent reviews than if it had a higher volume of reviews published three or more months ago.
44% of consumers in that same study wanted to ideally be able to find reviews written within the past month. And 62% would not purchase a product if the only reviews available were published a year or more ago.
How many reviews do you need?
Brightlocal data is again the best place to turn to understand the broad spread of opinions shown by consumers. In 2025, 14% of consumers wanted to see 100+ reviews in order to trust a company’s average star rating. However, the majority of consumers said that 20-49 reviews was enough for them to trust an average rating (33%), while 22% said that 50-99 reviews were enough.
How much should you engage with reviews?
Consumers are more consistent on how much they want to see companies responding to reviews. 89% were likely to use a business that repsonded to all reviews, whether positive or negative. Far fewer (55%) were likely to use a business that only responded to negative reviews.
As we stated above, responding to positive and negative reviews clearly demonstrates to prospective residents that you care.
HomeViews is the only independent review platform for residential developments in the UK. Prospective buyers and tenants use it to make an informed decision on where to live based on insights from carefully verified resident reviews. Part of Rightmove since February 2024, we’re working with developers, house builders, operators, housing associations and the Government to give residents a voice, recognise high performers and to help improve standards across the industry.
