Residential Building Amenities That Can be Improved with Proptech

Residential building amenities are the key to successfully selling your development to potential tenants. BTR and PBSA continues to grow in popularity, as they create a life of convenience for residents while providing additional benefits that can’t be experienced living anywhere else.

But there’s always room for improvement.

Technology has advanced greatly in recent years. Proptech in particular has grown exponentially, going from a sector worth $220 million in 2012 to being worth $50 billion worldwide in 2020.

The reason it has developed so much in such a short space of time is that residents want to live in modern buildings that work around them, and the best solution is almost always reached through proptech.

Most residential building amenities can be improved through proptech. In many cases, you’re only limited by your imagination. We take a look at three key amenities that can be improved with the right technology.

Residents value security. Among students in PBSA properties, 45% said they would even be willing to pay a premium for 24-hour security measures according to the 2021 Knight Frank/UCAS Student Accommodation Survey.

There are several different routes you can take with security, many of which involve the use of proptech, such as building access. A key fob entry system is one of the earliest examples of how technology improved residential developments, with intercoms available to grant guests access.

Nowadays, you can find intercom systems fitted with touchscreens and video features, so residents and staff can verify who guests are before they’re allowed in. This might seem like a cost saving, but you lose the sense of personal security and the friendly face that many vulnerable residents look for after a late night out. 

An actual guard is also needed, as they can recognise when someone is in distress, and they can help with basic maintenance such as shutting the water off if a pipe bursts in the middle of the night.

Modern security management systems, such as Propsecured, gives guards an easy-to-use database to log any incidents they come across, which can then be analysed by your team to work out where extra resources are needed and where current resources aren’t being used efficiently.

Did you know that an effective package management system is one of the most used residential building amenities? Parcel rooms are great for your staff as it can save countless hours every week, and they’re perfect for tenants as they never have to miss a delivery again.

Package rooms need to have layers of security, but they also have to be accessible for staff, couriers and for tenants who are picking up their parcels. It’s the use of proptech that makes a parcel room convenient, efficient and safe.

Doors should be protected with one-time-use codes, which limits access to the room, making sure everyone who enters has a valid reason. A full electronic logging system is also important, as building operators can track who has entered the room, at what time, and they can easily find contact details if there is an issue to resolve.

24–hour CCTV cameras will monitor the room day and night, acting as a deterrent for potential theft and to record evidence if it’s required further down the line.

Not every development will be able to accommodate a parcel room, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take advantage of proptech to improve package management.

Software such as PSP Lite makes checking in parcels easy. In as little as 5 seconds, each item can be logged and accounted for thanks to OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, and automatic push notifications alert residents when they have a parcel waiting downstairs.

Working from home in 2020 and 2021 was a huge success for many companies, and the concept of hybrid working is going to be a mainstay for plenty of businesses.

Even if companies aren’t keen on the idea, staff perceptions of the typical working environment have changed too much. 28% of respondents to the Zen Internet report said they wanted a balance between working from home and the office. Only an eighth of those surveyed said they wanted to be back at the office full-time.

But working from home still comes with a few difficulties. Quality wifi has been one of the biggest issues, with 89% of workers losing around half an hour each day due to a poor signal.

According to Computer Weekly:

• 84% had an unreliable connection
• 86% have slow internet speeds
• 45% believed their company would feel the impact of their poor internet

If a poor internet service is affecting your residents while they work, Fjeld Consulting can find you a better provider and create the potential to increase your ancillary income.

Property Week’s Power of Proptech survey revealed 82% of real estate companies are looking to invest in home working digital tools, so there’s no doubt that WFH is here to stay.

If your co-working amenity spaces are set up so residents can work as effectively as possible and remain comfortable, it will go a long way in improving their efficiency and will cut out a lot of the stress they’re feeling due to bad connections.

Fjeld Consulting works to improve every aspect of your development, and proptech is key to our operations. We understand how technology can be used and successfully integrated into your existing residential building amenities so that you and your tenants will benefit.

To learn more about our services, contact a member of the Fjeld Consulting team today.