How Digital Tools Changed Multifamily Amenities

Amenities are often what separates good multifamily buildings from great ones. In competitive markets things like pools, gyms, clubhouses, and office centers can be what distinguishes the buildings that charge the highest rent from their less profitable competition.

The tough thing for owners is that every amenity is basically a gamble. Amenity space is expensive, not only does it cost a lot to build them out, they also take away from the amount of space that can be rented and contribute direct income.

Many amenities, while deemed necessary, often don’t get used enough to justify their existence. Pools can sit unused, clubhouses are mostly unrented, and gyms can be little more than a stop along the leasing tour.

A few decades ago, when smartphones started to become ubiquitous, a number of resident experience apps started to become available. These apps were a place where residents could pay rent, schedule maintenance, communicate with their neighbors, and book amenity space.

Understandably, resident experience apps quickly became popular, first in luxury buildings and then in the lower tiers of multifamily properties as well. Residents appreciated how the apps made their buildings more user friendly. Owners loved how they could help their buildings run more efficiently.

Now resident experience apps are starting to influence how multifamily buildings are designed and built, including what kinds of amenities are being used and how they are being used.

“Younger generations are tech savvy and they want to interact through their phone, you have to meet them where they live,” said K. David Meit, Principal at Oculus Realty. He admitted that resident experience apps have become an integral part of his properties’ tech stack.

Mobile phone apps expand the level of service that a multifamily building can provide by adding on a digital touch point for almost all of the ways that people interact with the places that they live. Someone could ask a neighbor for a cup of sugar, submit a repair request for their leaky faucet, and find out about the next movie night, all from their phone.

Property managers are able to collect the data from all of these interactions, giving them a level of understanding of their residents that was never possible before. “If you have a layer that can track what is going on, that is invaluable,” said Meit. “You are finally able to see where money is best spent.”

Some amenities might seem like great investments but when you look at exactly how much they are being used, managers might be surprised at how little the ROI might actually be.

One example that Meit gave was golf simulators. It is common for residents that are golf enthusiasts to ask for a golf simulator. It is much less common for them to actually use them regularly. “I am surprised that they even get installed anymore,” he said.

The problem with golf simulators is that they are purpose built for a very specific type of resident, one that not only golfs but has enough free time to practice their swing in a digital driving range. The same can be said about a lot of popular amenities like weight sets, treadmills, and racquetball courts.

So rather than waste space and money on amenities that cater to specific activities, multifamily buildings are starting to build more “blank canvas” amenities spaces. The key to this strategy is to use the resident experience apps to help activate those spaces in a way that makes them more useful to a larger portion of the renter population.

Rather than installing a full list of gym equipment, multifamily buildings can install workout rooms that can be used for fitness classes, yoga workshops, or weight training circuit training.

Through surveys and forums residents can request and organize certain fitness programs and can even reserve a spot next to their friends in the app. “We used to have a resident service director but now you don’t need that person,” Meit said, “people self identify what they want by requesting it or by the way that they interact with the amenities.”

Booking a fitness instructor is only the beginning of how a building’s digital service layer is changing amenities. With the proper infrastructure workout rooms might not even need an instructor to come to the location. Instead they could be streamed onto a screen in the room, making classes less expensive and more convenient.

Collecting data about renters and their preferences also allows buildings to focus on a particular niche of residents. By catering to renters who prioritize an active lifestyle or cultural experience or social gatherings, multifamily properties can provide an experience that can’t easily be replicated elsewhere.

Data is also the key for understanding exactly how amenities and programming are affecting the bottom line. “Renewals and referrals are huge sources of profit but are not always easy to understand,” Meit said. By looking at how engaged renters are with their property, both physically and digitally, management teams can see how each change is making their leasing efforts easier.

We are still in the early innings of the digital revolution for multifamily management. As more tools become available there will be even more ways that residents and managers can benefit from digital services.

Multifamily design will also continue to evolve with technology. Properties will be able to spend less money on amenities that may or may not be used while providing a more personalized experience for renters. Unlike amenity spaces, apps can easily be changed and upgraded giving a building the ability to evolve with its renters, providing an ongoing advantage over other buildings which don’t have the technical savvy to provide a blend of digital and physical amenities.

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This article was written by Franco Faraudo, Editor of Propmodo, and originally posted on 15 April, 2025 on Propmodo.