How AI could improve the tenant experience

AI will have significant economic, cultural, and social impacts. Indeed, AI is also generating considerable interest in university planning and student accommodation.

Zeeshan Butt, Co-Founder & President of Mosino One, and Shaun McCracken, Regional Director - of Student Operations at Centurion Property Associates, Inc., offered their insight into the growth of AI at SHURE GTA (Toronto) and its impact on university planning and student accommodation.

Shaun McCracken, Regional Director - Student Operations, Centurion Property Associates, Inc.

Shaun McCracken, Regional Director - Student Operations, Centurion Property Associates, Inc.

I see AI in terms of the service piece because it opens potential doors for ensuring that you communicate precisely what you’re looking to get across. As we see a shift in Canada in the post-secondary institutions when we see a significant number of international students coming in, a more substantial sort of changing demographics, we also need to acknowledge that fact.

AI can improve international students’ leasing experience.

If you use this word in English, the international student may interpret it differently. And suddenly, that student has signed a lease agreement with a completely different set of expectations than what you provided them. And it’s no one’s fault in that situation. AI, including the new meta-glasses coming out, will reduce the opportunity for misinterpretation.

Fast forward ten years from now, and we’ll all have earpieces that somebody can speak to us in our language.

AI will better enhance the resident experience. I can understand it’s got to be so frustrating and so challenging. I empathize with anybody because it is so brave to be 18 to 25 years old, to cross an ocean or move somewhere and try to learn not only a very demanding post-secondary education but also a language that you haven’t been using for a long time, so I think that’s where AI and innovative technology, when it comes to property management, can enhance the experience.

The housing operators who can implement AI will be far beyond being able to capitalize on the market of international students coming into their property because they will be seen as international-friendly property managers.

Zeeshan Butt, Co-Founder & President, Mosino One

Zeeshan Butt, Co-Founder & President, Mosino One

Besides solving language problems, AI would also be great for working behind the scenes for property management.

AI can often figure out issues before they happen and address them. For example, if you’re late on payments, the AI could reach out to you through a message and say, by the way, your payment is late. To avoid late charges, you should at least send a message back.

Instead of sending a message back, you say, yes, I’ll pay tomorrow. Every software company in the market has to make sure that AI is implemented in a way that solves a real problem. Unless there’s a measurable way of seeing AI’s impact, it will be hard to implement it and even justify its usage in the future.