Peter Lohmann's Newsletter - Issue #190

Google Just Quietly Banned a Bunch of Common Review Tactics

If you run a PM company, there's a decent chance you're doing something Google just banned.

I'm not being dramatic. On April 16 and 17, Google made two changes to the Maps review policy. The first had an official press release (cool). The second one slipped past most of the industry because Google didn't announce it (sneaky) - they just edited the policy page.

The April 16 announcement was actually good news for us: Gemini is now in the review pipeline, catching coordinated fake review campaigns and review-extortion scams before they go live. Google blocked or removed 292 million policy-violating reviews in 2025 (if you've ever been hit by a string of fake one-stars from a competitor or disgruntled ex-tenant, this should help).

The April 17 update is the one that matters. Google quietly added two clauses to the Rating Manipulation section of the policy. Merchants now explicitly cannot:

• Direct staff to solicit a specific number of reviews

• Direct staff to request reviews that include specific content (the example Google gives is reviews that name a specific staff member)

I'll just say it: a lot of PM companies do both of these (including mine, until now). Internal review contests. Team leaderboards. Bonuses tied to mentions of a specific employee…

…all of that is now a formal violation. And enforcement isn't just a slap on the wrist - it escalates from review removals to a public warning banner on your GBP to full profile suspension.

Three things you need to audit ASAP:

• Your scripts. If anything tells the team to ask for a name, take it out. "We'd really appreciate your honest feedback about your experience" works fine.

• Your incentives. If you're paying bonuses tied to review counts or name-mentions, kill the program. Reward staff for delivering experiences that earn reviews, not for the reviews themselves.

• Your tools. If you're using a reputation platform that gates reviews (surveys customers first, only sends the Google link to the happy ones), get off it. That's been against policy for a while, but Google's AI is much better at catching it now.

It’s still fine to send follow-up email/SMS with a review link, QR codes on receipts, asking verbally without any specific direction, and responding to every review you get.

And this doesn’t mean to stop collecting reviews - they’re still one of the highest-leverage marketing assets a PM company has. What's changed is the how. The shortcuts a lot of companies built their review pipelines on were always a little gray. Now they're black. The operators with the cleanest, most boring review processes are about to look a lot better than the ones who were gaming it.

Build the review process you'd be comfortable showing Google directly. That's the new standard. (Full breakdown on my blog here.)

-Peter

Why doesn’t your bank talk to your PM software?

Ever wonder why your bank and your PM software act like strangers? It's not your fault. It's because almost every bank in the country runs on the same handful of legacy software vendors, none of them built for property management or native API access.

I sat down with George Cheng, GM of Vertical Solutions at Column Bank, to dig into this. Column is the bank quietly powering companies like Ramp, Bill.com, and Wise behind the scenes, and they built their own core banking software from scratch (the founder also started Plaid).

We get into why trust accounting is the most under-automated function in PM, what it looks like when AI agents can actually reconcile your books in real time, and where this is all headed.

(Also available on Apple Podcasts & Spotify)

Property Management Companies For Sale This Week

• 175 units, residential PM portfolio in Washington, DC (asking $375k)

• 100-door single-family PM company in Orange County, CA (asking $675k, ~$475k cash flow)

• 13-yr. old STR company in Kissimmee, FL (asking $260k)

• Absentee-run PM business managing 12 properties in San Jose, CA (asking $120k, ~$270k revenue)

Sponsored by Column, the bank built for property managers from the ground up. Whether you're acquiring a portfolio or prepping for an exit, clean trust accounting and real-time bank data make every M&A conversation easier (APIs and all). Check it out.

Industry News & Events

• Zillow quietly removed your phone number from rental listings (unless you’re on a paid plan). Yet another example of how Zillow is NOT the friend of property managers.

• Speaking of Zillow Rentals… their Q1 numbers dropped this week, and rentals revenue grew 42% YoY to $183M. The renter-demand consolidation play is working. Not good.

• LeadSimple University is next week in SLC. (I’ll be there - will you?) A handful of tix are still available.

• Speaking of LeadSimple University, we’re doing a live episode of Peter & The Wolf from stage! Register for the livestream here if you won’t be on site.

• Bisnow on AI-powered rental fraud. Synthetic IDs, AI-generated bank statements & pay stubs that pass every visual check are tricking our screening tools.

• My recap of the 3 best after-parties from NARPM Broker/Owner 2026.

Closing Thought

A few quick things before you go…

• Last week’s issue went to 21,620 readers (49.5% opened, 4.4% clicked)

• The most popular link was the new NARPM Trust Chart of Accounts (279 clicks)

• Property managers: Your professional trade association is NARPM. You need to join if you’re not already a member.

• Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here.

Software I’m using to scale my 700+ door property management company:

Note: These are affiliate links, but I’ve been recommending all these companies long before any financial arrangements came into place.

The content of this newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. I may have consulting agreements with, or financial interests in, companies mentioned in this newsletter. Additionally, some of the links included in this newsletter are affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. Always perform your own due diligence before making any financial or business decisions.