5 Top Picks: What Today's Renters Want

At the start of 2025, Jeff Bush, President of Heritage Properties was interviewed on The Lease-Up. This podcast is produced by Multi-Housing News, which covers news, trends, and issues affecting the multifamily real estate market, both locally and nationally. Jeff chatted with podcast host, Denile Doyle, on the evolving expectations that renters are bringing to today’s market.

Remote work, rising costs, and evolving generational preferences are reshaping housing decisions. And in a market full of options, Heritage Properties President, Jeff Bush, explains that it’s important to create an experience that residents don’t want to leave—one that goes beyond the basics and delivers real value. But what are the experiences that really matter? In this conversation, Jeff shared many real-world examples of what renters want today. Here are five of them:

1.        Modern necessities

Starting with the basics! A ubiquitous part of modern life: the delivery of packages. How are building management teams streamlining and managing deliveries for residents to make their lives easier?

“If your residents are anything like me, you're ordering packages now more than you ever have,” says Jeff. “Having a system in place so that those packages can be received in a secure location and where that they can be managed—this is more important now than it certainly was 10 or even 20 years ago.”

Along with the above, more and more of today’s renters have pets, and pet-friendly communities are, today, a non-negotiable for many renters.

“This is, again, something that 10 years ago wasn't necessarily an expectation, but today it really has become an expectation.”

2.        Flexible spaces

Work-from-home flexibility is still in demand. Today’s renters expect all the modern conveniences like keyless access to units, building managed Wi-Fi, and high-speed internet – and they also look for their homes to be flexible enough to convert rooms into workspaces when needed.

“Residents are looking for that flexibility,” explained Jeff. “They’re looking for flexibility within their building and within their unit, that allows them to live the lifestyle that works for them.”

3.        Seamless technology – and its pros and cons

While tech is crucially important in today’s multifamily apartments, Jeff cautions management teams to not be “on the bleeding edge” of new technology. Thoroughly vet any new technology you plan to use and make sure it works for the entire demographic.

“You want to ask two things,” he says. “Is the system something that we feel is bulletproof in its operation? And is it something that our residents are able to seamlessly integrate into their lives? Or does it require significant training or tech adoption from their standpoint?”

Jeff underscores knowing your residents when making these changes. Consider different demographics, including those who don’t traditionally utilize their phones for keyless access – and find ways to offer flexible solutions.

4.        Utilizing AI in a way that makes sense

Jeff argues that technology can be used in two ways for building management teams: to make residents’ lives easier, and to free up your employees’ time so that more of their time is spent on high-value tasks like directly helping customers. The management team at Heritage Properties is currently looking into deploying AI chatbots to help in the leasing workflow—to do just this.

“We have some residents who work all day, and they want to be able to email us at night or off hours and get answers—or get virtual tours of an apartment that they're looking at,” explains Jeff. “So having tech that enables that to happen seamlessly or more quickly when we may not be in front of our desks just to get back to them more rapidly is a real benefit.”

5.        Putting people first – through hospitality

In conclusion, Jeff says that multifamily communities today are seeing an increasing trend towards hospitality-like experiences, and that starts with customer service.

“It's simple things like the property management team knowing who you are, knowing your name, knowing your pet's name, and being able to talk to you about your experience without having to refer to notes in a CRM software,” he says.

“We also prioritize hiring great people. Our maintenance technician in Providence, John, created a binder full of restaurants and hotels in the area. When we gave that to new residents, they were blown away. It helps introduce them to a new city and makes it feel like a real community... It’s kind of like the idea that when you check into a hotel—and they’re doing their job well—there's this warm, welcoming feeling. We're trying to recreate that in the apartment world.”

To listen to the whole podcast, hear it on Spotify here and Apple Podcasts here.