VerbaFlo, the AI communications platform and CRM designed for multifamily housing, attended InterFace Student Housing 2026 in Austin, Texas, joining operators, developers and investors from across the living sector.
While the event focused on student housing, many of the themes discussed reflect broader shifts now visible across Build to Rent, particularly around leasing performance, cost pressures and operational strategy.
Representing VerbaFlo were Co-Founders Dan Smith and VP Singh, alongside Jennifer Love, SVP Head of US Student Housing and Multifamily.
A strong sector, but performance is becoming less uniform
Across discussions, demand for professionally managed rental housing continues to underpin sector performance. However, leasing conditions are becoming more variable.
Pre-leasing trends in the US are tracking in line with or slightly behind previous cycles in some markets, while occupancy remains stable at a high level overall. At the same time, certain locations are seeing increased competition, requiring more active leasing strategies to convert demand into occupancy.
This divergence mirrors patterns increasingly seen in Build to Rent, where performance is no longer solely demand-led but shaped by execution, pricing and positioning.
Rising cost pressures are reshaping operations
Alongside this more uneven leasing environment, operators are facing sustained cost pressures across staffing, operations, marketing and concessions. This combination is forcing a rethink of traditional operating models.
Residential property management has always been operationally intense, but the current environment demands greater efficiency, better coordination and faster response times, often without additional resource.
The challenge is not just one of volume. It is one of complexity. Prospects expect an instant, accurate response at midnight. Residents expect a maintenance request to be acknowledged before they have put their phone down. Renewal conversations need to begin weeks before they feel urgent.
Each of these interactions, handled manually, quietly consumes the time and energy of on-site teams. Time that would be far better spent building relationships, solving problems and creating the kind of community that drives retention.
“The fundamentals of the sector are still there, but the operating environment has shifted. When teams are stretched, it is always the human moments that get deprioritised first: the follow-up call, the check-in, the renewal conversation that needed to happen a month earlier. AI does not replace those moments; it protects them by absorbing everything else.”
VP Singh, Co-Founder and COO, VerbaFlo
Rebalancing the workload: what AI should carry, and what people should own
The most effective operators are not simply automating for efficiency. They are deliberately rebalancing their teams’ time. AI takes on the high-volume, time-sensitive, repetitive layer of communication: qualifying every inbound lead, answering frequently asked questions around the clock, sending follow-ups, acknowledging maintenance requests and keeping prospects warm through a longer leasing cycle. None of this requires a human touch. All of it requires consistency, speed and availability that no human team can sustainably provide at scale.
What that frees up is significant. When on-site staff are no longer fielding the same questions repeatedly or chasing prospects who never replied, they can direct their energy toward the interactions that genuinely move the needle.
The prospective resident who is undecided and needs a real conversation. The current resident who has had a frustrating experience and needs to feel heard. The renewal that hinges on a personal relationship built over months. These are the moments that define the resident experience, and they are the moments that get crowded out when teams are stretched across any residential portfolio.
“There is a real push towards centralisation and efficiency, but the best operators are very conscious of protecting the resident experience. You cannot optimise operations in a way that disconnects you from your residents.
“The opportunity is to use technology to remove friction, not to remove the human element. When AI handles the routine, your team gets to do the work that actually matters to people.”
Jennifer Love, SVP Head of US Student Housing and Multifamily, VerbaFlo
This distinction between what technology should absorb and what people should own is becoming one of the most important operational decisions across the residential sector. The risk is not in adopting AI. The risk is in deploying it without a clear philosophy about what it is for.
AI supporting leasing performance and operational capacity
In a more competitive leasing environment, speed and consistency of response are becoming increasingly important in converting demand.
VerbaFlo is designed to manage high volumes of communication across channels, ensuring leads are captured and responded to quickly, while allowing on-site teams to focus on leasing conversion and resident experience.
“What’s changed over the past couple of cycles is that operators can’t rely on the market to do the work for them. In tougher locations or more competitive schemes, performance comes down to execution.”
“If you’re slow to respond, inconsistent across channels or stretched too thin as a team, you feel it immediately in your leasing numbers. AI allows operators to get ahead of that, responding instantly, staying consistent and giving teams the space to focus on closing and delivering a better resident experience.”
Dan Smith, Co-Founder and CBO, VerbaFlo
Enabling more agile operating models
One of the clearest takeaways from the event was the need for greater operational flexibility.
As leasing patterns shift and cost pressures persist, rigid systems and processes are becoming a constraint. Operators are increasingly looking for solutions that can adapt quickly to changing market conditions.
“The pace of change is increasing. Operators need to be able to pivot quickly, whether that’s adjusting to leasing delays, changing demand patterns or evolving expectations from residents.”
“Our approach is simple. We want to give operators a system they can adopt quickly, scale easily and rely on every day. Not something they feel locked into, but something they choose to use because it works.”
Dan Smith, Co-Founder and CBO, VerbaFlo
Balancing efficiency with resident experience
Despite the focus on operational efficiency, the importance of community and resident experience remains central.
In Build to Rent, long-term performance is closely linked to retention, service quality and brand, meaning operational improvements must support, rather than replace, on-site engagement.
“The best operators are those who can run efficient, scalable systems while still delivering a great resident experience. Technology should enable that, not compete with it. That balance is where real performance comes from.”
Jennifer Love, SVP Head of US Student Housing and Multifamily
Looking ahead
The discussions highlight a sector that remains fundamentally strong but increasingly shaped by operational execution.
For Build to Rent, this reinforces a shift towards more deliberate leasing strategies, greater operational discipline and the growing role of technology in supporting performance.
VerbaFlo’s presence at the event focused on how AI can support this transition, helping operators respond faster, manage complexity and maintain consistency in a more competitive environment.
