Multi-Housing News — AI—and Renter Choice—Are Reshaping the Leasing Agent’s Job

How new virtual tools can enhance the rental process.

Turning to AI as an initial search method is becoming more common in apartment hunting. Prospects can now type in their apartment must-haves, and the technology populates apartment results matching their criteria. This rapidly spreading technology is shifting the leasing agent’s role in the apartment search. One telling example: Zillow’s use of AI-powered search tools within ChatGPT, which enables prospects to begin their search prior to speaking with an agent.

The speed of change is creating uncertainty about the leasing professional’s long-term role. Yet despite that uncertainty, owners, operators and leasing agents are embracing the technology, rather than viewing it as competition.

Christopher Yip, a partner & managing director at RET Ventures, attributes the fast adoption of smart technology to the impact of the pandemic. The switch to virtual tours, smart locks and access systems was just the beginning. “Consumers are leading this and consumer behavior is changing,” he reported. That’s leaving it up to owners and operators to adapt their processes accordingly.

Consumer convenience

As initial outreach is increasingly handled by AI-powered systems, leasing professionals are able to shift their day-to-day operations and take on a broader role. AI tools are allowing renters to begin the search on their own schedule, rather than within traditional leasing office hours.

At Veris Residential, about 60 percent of interactions and leasing leads happen outside of business hours and are handled by Quinn, its virtual assistant. Before the firm adopted Quinn, leads would often be dropped and residents would feel forgotten, said Dana Sente, Veris’ vice president of organizational development. It’s now more efficient for prospects to schedule tours, receive follow-up outreach and contact a virtual or human agent.

After getting updates from the virtual agent about prospects who had questions, scheduled a tour or took other steps, leasing specialists can step in where needed. The specialists can hand the process back to the AI agents to complete the lease signing.

“Over the past three years, that’s really flipped, to where the vast majority of conversations now are being handled by the AI (agent),” said Tyler Christiansen, CEO of Funnel Leasing, a software company utilizing AI in multifamily operations. “In the last year, in particular, voice technology has been a massive game changer.”

“Over the past three years, that’s really flipped, to where the vast majority of conversations now are being handled by the AI (agent),” said Tyler Christiansen, CEO of Funnel Leasing, a software company utilizing AI in multifamily operations. “In the last year, in particular, voice technology has been a massive game changer.”

Funnel deploys an AI voice agent which gives residents and prospects the option to speak with a person or continue with the AI-powered conversation. Over the last 12 months, more customers have been choosing an AI-powered conversation, Christiansen noted.

“Choice is always good,” Yip said. “And ultimately giving the consumer choice is what this is about.”

Expanding the leasing agent’s role

There’s initial discomfort about technology among leasing agents worried about potentially reduced roles. Yet AI has expanded the role of the average professional, according to Sente.

Using an AI-powered assistant benefits the agent by helping manage the volume of leads. In 2025, Quinn handled 242,115 leasing messages across the Veris portfolio. Not only has it made tracking leads more manageable but it’s also made it possible for the company to restructure responsibilities.

Since adopting AI, Veris has created area leasing specialists who can support multiple properties. The firm started cross-training its leasing team a couple of years ago. The shift has expanded career pathways while giving teams more flexibility to manage demand. As a result, Sente said, “They can easily slide in to work at a group of properties instead of just one property.”

In their expanded role, leasing specialists are better equipped to help prospective residents find the community that best meets their needs. “We’re actually going back to more relationship building, overcoming objections and different closing techniques,” she added.

Moreover, experts predict, the role of the human leasing assistant in the sales cycle will become more critical. On-site teams provide a hospitality-like experience, Christiansen shared. “They’re focused on the consumer who’s coming to tour and on the renters who are considering their renewals.”

Leasing volume and value

The industry has navigated major technological shifts before, each one redefining how leasing gets done. When the internet first started taking off, apartment listings shifted from print to online. Some initially thought this would be the end of leasing agents, but instead the position just shifted, Christiansen said.
Today’s wave of change is rising much faster. As AI takes on administrative tasks, leasing professionals can spend more time on in-person, higher-value aspects of the job.

As Yip noted, “The leasing office is the only on-site staff at some of these properties.” A digital tool can help handle early leads and sort through which to pursue. Then a leasing agent can focus on closing, negotiating lease terms and offering concessions if needed.

Lead-to-lease timelines have also become more efficient since Veris began integrating AI tools into its leasing workflow. With a streamlined process, prospects can get a personalized follow-up. Applications and background checks are started automatically to keep things moving with minimal delays.

“We’re finding that the time it takes from lead to application or lead to signed lease has been reduced,” Sente reported. “Everything’s been streamlined, so the process is incredibly easy and then it shows up on our manager’s dashboard.”

Funnel Leasing conducted a study of 6,000 units operated by Kane Realty Corp., which used Funnel’s CRM service to manage administrative tasks. Task completion increased 83 percent between March 2025 and June 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.

The study also found that prospective renters using AI in their initial search process had a 46 percent tour conversion rate, compared to 19 percent from prospects not using AI. The data suggests that AI-assisted searches are generating higher-quality leads earlier in the leasing journey.

And when you pair these AI tools with centralized operations that can manage the administrative work, employee retention among leasing professionals increases, according to Christiansen: “We’re automating away a lot of the busy work that nobody really is excited about.”