Today’s apartment property managers wear a lot of hats. In addition to being responsible for leasing up residential buildings or knowing how to calculate a property’s return on investment, they must also maintain healthy relationships with their workers, owners and residents. Figuring out how to leverage technology is key to achieving this delicate balancing act. According to a 2015 survey by the National Multifamily Housing Council (NMHC), 37 percent of households within the United States rent versus own. That’s up from 32 percent in 2010. Approximately 26 percent of those who rent are under the age of 30. This shift from owning to renting by younger residents has changed the way the industry reacts to them. “It’s one of the interesting dynamics of the 21st century and has changed the way we and other management firms do business,” says Mark Zettl, chief operating officer of Chicago-based Waterton, an owner and operator of multifamily and hospitality assets across the United States. “While customer service and satisfaction have always been priorities, today’s managers are constantly being held to a higher standard — one that measures response times in minutes and hours rather than days,” says Zettl. “We’ve embraced the change because the …
