Throughout the years, the advantages of app-based amenities have grown to be widely recognized for their ability to create a sense of community within the multifamily industry. Due to this, Owners and Operators are incorporating apps into their amenity stack to keep community projects more organized, generate additional ROI, and strengthen resident to community manager communication. For residents, control over their in-home and community-wide amenities are managed from the comfort of their couch – offering newfound convenience. All of these benefits factored together equal a win-win for on-site team members and the residents that they serve.
But what apps are being introduced at multifamily communities today? Check out our curated list below!
Smart Thermostat
Example: Nest
What is a smart thermostat? Smart thermostats can be controlled with an app on your phone to easily adjust the temperature in your home from a remote location. Users can schedule when they prefer temperature changes in advance and even automate their heating and cooling systems.
What value does it bring to residents? Residents like this feature because smart thermostats have the ability to adapt to their home and save money on utility fees. Smart thermostats can even take into account weather conditions, the time of day, or when the home is occupied VS not occupied. It’s easy to set up user preferences and control through an app on their phones. Plus, they have a sleek, high-tech look, modernizing an apartment home.
Why do owners and operators like smart thermostats? Property managers often take interest in smart thermostats because they help the community to save energy, whether the property owner pays utility fees or not. It is estimated that smart thermostats can save up to 12% on heating annually, and 15% on cooling, according to Nest. The community can be advertised as a “smart community” and list amenities like smart thermostats to attract residents.
Direct-to-Door Package Delivery
Example: Fetch Resident
What is direct-to-door delivery? Direct-to-door package delivery is an amenity service that gets packages straight to resident’s door, within a timeframe chosen by the resident. Not only does this service eliminate the need for package lockers, rooms, as well as leasing staff’s time managing packages, residents are rewarded the ability to control their deliveries through an easy-to-use app.
What value does it bring to residents? Using Fetch’s direct-to-door delivery service, residents use their Fetch app to schedule deliveries when it’s most convenient to them. When residents have important items being shipped like a laptop, they want to be there to securely receive the delivery. With Fetch, deliveries are scheduled right to their door, at a time convenient for them. It could be when a resident is home for lunch during the day or right after work. It takes the stress out of deliveries and gives residents control of their goods. And it’s all controllable through an app!
Why do owners and operators like direct-to-door delivery? Direct-to-door package delivery removes resident packages from the property entirely, and instead routes deliveries to a local facility. This means no more staff time spent on sorting and distributing resident packages, goodbye packages scattered throughout the lobby and hello to an amenity that generates more NOI! Direct-to-door delivery is a premium and tech-forward service amenity, giving property managers the opportunity to advertise their community at higher value. With package delivery volume expected to increase by 14.96% each year until 2025, according to a report from Statista, direct-to-door delivery eliminates property managers’ issues with package lockers, rooms or leasing office overflow. (Bonus: Wondering how direct-to-door package delivery stacks up to other package solutions? Find more on this here).
Smart Control Apps
Example: Smart Rent
What are resident apps? Apps like Smart Rent give residents and property managers a full scale view of management of their assets. This is an exciting way for residents to stay in tune with all devices in their home, and an easy way for property managers to direct control of all daily operations.
What value does it provide residents? For residents, apps like Smart Rent can be used to control any smart aspect of their apartment through their phone. Residents can remotely control their home’s lighting, they can unlock or lock their doors from anywhere, create temporary access codes for visitors to enter their home if away on vacation or having guests over, and with all of this receive notifications to stay in the know on all activity going on in their home.
Why do owners and operators like rent apps? Property managers find smart control apps highly desirable in keeping track of all their community assets from rented units to parking spaces. Property managers are given the opportunity to automate processes of their choosing, like self guided tours or ID checking. It gives Owners and Operators one singular platform to manage their daily tasks and resources.
Digital Housekeeping
Example: Spruce
What is digital housekeeping? Digital housekeeping is an on-demand service for residents to use to keep up their apartment home that properties can offer as a service amenity.
What value does it provide residents? Through Digital housekeeping, residents are offered the ability to schedule services that they want in their home when they want them, from cleaning to laundry service. Professionals arrive at their apartment home to provide high quality services that residents may not otherwise have time for.
Why do owners and operators like digital housekeeping? Digital housekeeping services that residents can control through an app is an extremely marketable tool that many luxury communities can use to leverage more leases. Property managers no longer have to keep track of multiple vendors coming through their communities. Spruce reports delivering higher NOI and positively impacting renewal rates, revealing that residents who use two or more Spruce services have roughly an 81% renewal rate, while the industry average is 52%.
Are your residents expecting an upgrade to their deliveries through an app? Find out what Fetch can do for your community and request a quote here.
