How has the pandemic permanently altered multifamily housing? This is one of the many questions explored during the 2020 National Apartment Association APTvirtual conference. The event hosted 63 breakout sessions and five TED-style Game Changer sessions that helped participants tackle tough questions. The Connect with Execs session offered a unique opportunity for guests to talk to Anant Yardi, founder and president of Yardi. Together, participants explored technologies that surged during the pandemic and are now industry standards. “The pandemic has accelerated the transition of digital media and the use of digital media,” observed Mr. Yardi. “AI is such an important topic. AI, big data and IoT are three topics that are taking a lot of attention.” He continued, “These are the technologies that are coming to the forefront. This is what we mean by innovation, bringing tech to the market for the benefit of the industry.” Artificial intelligence and apartment chatbots, our new coworkers Technologies that leverage artificial intelligence, such as chatbots, bridge the gap between live customer service and cost efficiency. Chatbots permit leasing agents to focus on high-value tasks instead of repetitive inquiries. When leasing agents are not available, chatbots offer a natural supplement to their services. RentCafe Chat IQ can guide prospects through the leasing journey by readily presenting information on pricing and availability, tour scheduling, pet policies and more. It communicates via chat and text and will soon have capabilities for emails, calls and in-app messages. Chatbot interactions are natural, intelligent and accurate. The engine has learned, for example, that “What r ur business hours” is actually the question “What are your business hours?” It uses natural language processing to understand typos and improper grammar. Machine learning enables AI engines to adapt to human speech and writing patterns. With each...

Spring is here and you know what that means… it’s time to clean! Knocking down cobwebs, patching paint and completing other spring cleaning chores will get your properties ready for the busy leasing season ahead. Keeping your properties in top condition will help you attract and convert more prospects. In fact, one renter preferences study showed that two of the top five factors influencing leasing decisions are “property appearance” and “community amenities.” And another study by SatisFacts showed that “quality of maintenance service provided” is one of the highest-ranking factors for an apartment resident’s lease renewal decision. Use the checklist we’ve created to make sure you don’t miss anything important. If you do, it could cost you more money (and leases) in the long run! See the 27 things you should be reviewing each spring. Download our free property maintenance checklist. Plan Ahead Well-maintained properties improve retention and are easier to lease. With a preventative maintenance program, you may also be able to avoid breakdowns and keep your equipment and appliances working longer. Making early repairs can stop small issues from growing into more serious problems. Each building is different, but if you take the time to do a complete walk through of your properties, you can create a seasonal action plan that helps your team plan ahead for the entire year. Save Time & Money Maintenance takes both time and money, but the good news is that you can make everything a little more efficient using modern property management software. Online and mobile work orders make submitting and completing maintenance requests faster for everyone. With Genesis2, even small to mid-size property managers can speed up processes with electronic work orders. Allow residents to submit maintenance requests online or from their phones and they...