Decoding PropTech: The ultimate guide to tenant app features (Part one)

So, you’re aware of how crucial customer experience is to signing and retaining tenants, and you already know that a tenant app plays a significant role in meeting tenant expectations and delivering an outstanding experience in commercial, residential, and every building type in between. But which tenant app should you choose?

Which tenant app is the best?

A man sits down in a restaurant and opens the menu as the waiter approaches. “Which appetizer here is the best?” he asks. “Oh,” says the waiter, “the stuffed mushrooms for sure!” “Ugh, but I don’t like mushrooms.”

“Best” is a loose, totally subjective descriptor. If you’re researching “Best Tenant App 2025” then you’re going to scroll through a bunch of rankings that are probably measuring based on criteria that don’t match the best tenant app FOR YOU. So what’s the answer?

The good news is, this article series serves as your starting point, covering the main criteria, features, and benefits of tenant apps so you can get familiar with the options and see what matches your unique use case. That should help inform your research and ultimately, your final decision when choosing the best tenant app…for your property.

The ultimate guide to tenant app features (Part one)

The tenant app is one side of a complete tenant experience platform; on the other side is the admin console for operators and managers. Today we’ll focus on the features for the users (i.e. your tenants/residents) that are available depending on which platform you choose…because this article is long enough already. (If you want more info on the features for admin, stay tuned!)

While you might be looking for a tenant app for a commercial property or a resident app for a residential property, there is a lot of overlap of features and in fact, the term “resident app” falls under the “tenant app” umbrella. With that in mind, we’ll cover all the app features you’re likely to come across for either type of real estate. Let’s dive right in.

Community building tools

At this point in proptech time, every tenant app has tools for communication and community building, which can look different depending on the app provider. Across the board, those tools’ features make it easier for property management to talk to tenants and vice versa, and for tenants to talk to each other. In general, this is what to expect.

A newsfeed: the app section where property teams and tenants can post text and image posts, polls, events, news in the building, and so on. Think Facebook but hyper-targeted (with no pesky ads or irrelevant algorithm-generated content to distract).

Speaking of targeting, you may want a feature like Channels. To help tenants customize their experience based on interests, property or community managers can set up channels in the Newsfeed. A Marketplace (hugely successful for many of our clients), a Safety & Security channel, an animal lovers channel, a set-up-playdates-for-local-kiddos channel…the options are endless.

Property alerts: when you have important information to share—an outage, notice of maintenance in the building, good news, legally-required notice, etc—you use the alerts feature to highlight that info, usually pinned to the homescreen and always visually distinct from any other content in the app.

Tenant surveys: in-app tenant surveys help collect feedback directly from the source to help inform planning and strategic decisions for many areas. 

You’ll want the ability to set these up on an automated time- or event-based trigger, whether that’s sending a general feedback request every six months or within twenty-four hours of a community-building event. Not only will tenants feel heard and provide timely feedback when it’s top of mind for them, it will also save time for onsite teams.

The surveys can be done 100% in the tenant app with a variety of formatting options for the questions (i.e. multiple choice, short-form, and so on).

Direct messaging: pretty straightforward, this feature lets tenants talk to each other or to onsite teams privately in DMs or even in groups they can set up themselves. 

Ticketing: this one is absolutely essential. A tenant app must have an easy-to-find, user-friendly way for tenants to submit maintenance requests or feedback on the building from day to day. That includes submitting photos and videos and receiving automated updates on the status of their tickets.

Just having this feature available makes tenants feel listened to, and knowing someone is on the other end ready to help will go a long way toward improving satisfaction and retention.

Events: a key avenue for community or property managers to build community and foster tenant loyalty and retention, events must be clearly visible in the tenant app, easy to promote, and connected to native calendars like Google. 

Tenants should be able to view, respond to, or cancel their attendance for local events—and your onsite team should be able to target events by location or even lease. For an even smoother user experience, some apps include an event calendar in the app where tenants can view upcoming and past events, and events they’ve RSVP’d to.

Many tenant apps also give you the ability to offer paid events for another source of revenue connected to in-app payments.   

Pre-move-in: The experience with your company starts the moment a new tenant signs the lease. Some app providers have accounted for this and offer features that are available to new tenants even before they move in. With limited access to the app in a customizable environment, the tenant can view the whole move-in process, building guides, recommendations, whatever you know they’ll need to make their lives easier from day one.

Amenity access tools

In addition to connecting people with each other, a tenant app can also connect people with the spaces and services you’ve made available to them in the building or surrounding neighborhood. When exploring tenant experience platforms, these are the app features you’ll likely find oriented around amenity and services usage.

Payments: A tenant app acts as a central hub making life simpler for your tenants. You’ll want features that support seamless payments for rent, amenity bookings, community events, upsells, services…if it can generate revenue, it should be easy to access. That includes a seamless payment experience. 

Look for secure, fast options that support multiple formats (credit, debit, mobile wallets), offer auto-payment setup, and provide tenants with a transparent breakdown of charges and receipt tracking. The easier and faster the payment process, the more satisfied your tenants (and CFO) will be.

Resource booking: unless your properties are half a decade out of date, you have spaces and revenue-generating products that need managing: conference rooms, kitchens, laundry facilities, upsells, services, or even specific parking spots. 

A great tenant app provides tenants with well-marketed listings, real-time availability, and a user-friendly booking engine. Those features eliminate frustrating double-bookings, centralize scheduling, and ensure an equitable, friction-free way for every tenant to access the amenities and services you have on offer.

Local vendors: You've worked hard to curate a neighborhood experience for your tenants, and the app should reflect that. A feature where tenants can find local vendors is a fantastic way to connect tenants with vetted nearby businesses offering anything from dry cleaning to food delivery. This not only adds to the tenant's daily life but also supports the local community, reinforcing the idea that the building is a truly integral part of the surrounding ecosystem.

Mobile access: Mobile access features turn every tenant's smartphone into their key. This means they can access their unit, office, common areas, or booked amenities with a quick tap or glance at their phone. This modern convenience is a must-have for an effortless and upgraded life in buildings and is a key component of a truly smart, future-proofed property.

Visitors: Managing guests should be safe and simple, and a tenant app can help make that happen. Visitor management features let tenants pre-register their guests directly through the app, automatically providing visitors with temporary, secure access codes or passes. Access can even be limited to a specific floor or entrance. 

This streamlines the entry process for guests (no more calling up from the lobby or waiting outside to be let in) while maintaining a verifiable and secure log for property security, giving everyone peace of mind.

Come back for Part Two…

So far we’ve covered a lengthy list of tenant/resident app features that you’ll come across on the proptech market, focusing on those for community building and for amenity and space activation. In part two, we’ll cover smart technology and other features like AI and personalization that can be your key competitive differentiators. We’ll wrap up with an overview of why a tenant app makes a difference and exactly how it benefits tenants, residents, co-livers, student renters, and everyone in between. Stay tuned!