How Funnel’s resident portal helps operators scale retention and service
In multifamily, we’ve spent the last few years transforming leasing through AI and centralization. But as rent growth softens and margins tighten, the smartest operators are shifting their focus to a more overlooked opportunity: the resident experience.
In our latest Inside the Funnel episode, Jack Banask—Senior Director, Strategy + Operations at Funnel—dives into how the move-in and mid-lease experience is quietly becoming one of the biggest levers for retention and efficiency.
Watch the full conversation below to hear how Funnel is rethinking the infrastructure behind modern resident experience—and what operators need to prioritize next.
“Multifamily operations are deeply nuanced,” Banask says. “It’s almost never as simple as signing a lease. It’s the roommate you add, the pet you adopt, the parking space you forgot to reserve, the maintenance request you need to file. The job doesn’t stop when someone converts—and if you’re not solving for those day-to-day workflows, you’re leaving value on the table.”
Why you should care about the resident experience—especially now
When everyone’s offering quartz countertops and a pool, how you treat residents is what sets you apart. In today’s market, speed and experience are the differentiators.
- Retention is your new growth plan. Keeping a resident is more profitable than replacing one. It reduces vacancy loss and lowers turn cost.
- Turn costs are rising. Cleaning, maintenance, and compliance add up. Improving the resident experience reduces churn and extends the lifetime value of each lease.
- Your resident experience directly shapes your reputation. Most reviews aren’t about floor plans—they’re about how people are treated. Fix the service gaps, and you’re more likely to win the next lease before anyone walks through the door.
- It’s the foundation of centralized ops. Centralization only scales if renters can self-serve. A modern resident app offloads routine tasks so your team can focus on what actually requires a human. Instead of sending countless reminders about the move-in checklist and making sure the items were completed, the team saves hours by working with AI workflows to ensure the reminders go out, and then the resident portal ensures all to-dos are to-dones.
- It meets (and monetizes) renter expectations. People expect to manage everything from their phone. The more your experience feels like Amazon or Apple, the more likely residents are to stay—and refer.
Rethinking the infrastructure of resident experience
In a centralized, high-volume operating model, disjointed systems and manual tasks aren’t just inefficiencies—they’re liabilities. Our Resident portal was built to solve that problem head-on by embedding resident experience into the broader operational stack.
Instead of layering another portal on top, the resident portal is architected into the CRM—creating a continuous workflow from first inquiry through renewal. That means:
- Move-in checklists that adapt to each property’s requirements, with automation and compliance built in
- Maintenance requests submitted and resolved in-app—no inbox bottlenecks
- Configurable amenity reservations that reflect your policies and reduce friction
- Resident appointments to streamline scheduling and reduce reactive foot traffic
- Self-service mid-lease updates, like adding a pet or vehicle, without team intervention
- Self-service renewals, built into the same workflow renters already use daily
- Deep integrations with PMS and connected systems—no link-outs, no toggle tax
“We heard it over and over,” said Banask. “Operators were forced to choose: decent experience or efficient workflows. The resident portal solves for both.”
The real value isn’t just in what it does—but in how it’s designed. When experience and operations are unified, teams move faster, residents feel empowered, and nothing falls through the cracks.
Banask is quick to emphasize that the value isn’t in flashy features—it’s in operational design.
“It’s not just about the app,” he says. “It’s about embedding the right workflows. Things that let residents serve themselves, while giving your teams a system of record that actually works.”
Banask’s full Inside the Funnel interview breaks down what most tools miss, and what top operators are doing differently. Watch it here, it’s 20 minutes of strategy you don’t want to miss.
