We’re in the middle of a shift that’s hard to ignore. Technology isn’t just part of life anymore - it is life.
AI is drafting emails, scheduling showings, even flagging fraudulent tenant applications before a human sees them.
And because users are learning these new behaviors everywhere—from banking apps to Amazon checkouts - they now expect the same speed and intelligence from every software they use.
We analyzed the latest Buildium industry report and reviewed leading PMS solutions to show you the top features property owners and managers expect to see in software - and how these expectations are reshaping the PMS landscape for 2025.
💳 Digital Rent Payments and Transparent Money Flow
Today, 75% of renters want to pay rent digitally, and 69% of owners expect electronic disbursements.
In 2025, anything less feels outdated.
Who’s doing it well:
• Buildium and Propertyware both offer one-click online payments with autopay scheduling, syncing transactions to ledgers instantly.
• Yardi Breeze Premier recently added Expense-by-Unit tracking and a bank feed integration for real-time reconciliation.
• CondoGenie implemented Stripe, Rotessa, and Xero integrations to provide secure, automated payments to thousands of residents.
• C.I.A. Services previously relied on manual invoice delivery. Their new PWA solved this by providing homeowners with real-time access to invoices and balances, thereby improving satisfaction while reducing the support workload.
Where AI fits in:
According to Brocoders’ AI research for SaaS in real estate,
AI agents are now automating late payment reminders and nudging residents toward on-time payments via chatbots - reducing overdue invoices before a human gets involved.
🛠️ Maintenance That Moves as Fast as the Leak Spreads
Maintenance is the number one stressor for owners and the number two challenge for managers.
Residents expect a digital way to submit, track, and escalate requests.
Who’s doing it well:
• AppFolio provides mobile-friendly ticket submissions with photo uploads and real-time vendor scheduling.
• RentVine recently added financial summaries to work orders, helping managers make repair decisions on the fly.
• CondoGenie lets users create and assign tasks directly to board teams, keeping all maintenance requests centralized.
• C.I.A. Services built a PWA that allows residents to log in and view property-related compliance issues or improvement applications—cutting out manual support emails.
Where AI fits in:
AI maintenance bots can read incoming emails, turn them into tickets automatically, categorize urgency, and even pre-assign vendors.
HappyCo’s Joy AI auto‑completes inventory and work orders, flags maintenance schedule items, and helps extend asset life.
🗣️ Communication Without the Guesswork
99% of small-portfolio owners expect online communication.
3 in 4 renters want access to a portal for payments, updates, and services.
Who’s doing it well:
• CondoGenie, rebuilt by Brocoders, was designed from the ground up as a collaboration hub - enabling news, events, forums, and emergency SMS messaging in one place for over 60,000 active users.
• C.I.A. Services launched a PWA that gives homeowners access to community events, voting tools, news updates, and account data - without needing employee support.
• Buildium offers a Resident Center that provides tenants with a mobile-ready hub for announcements, payments, and documents.
Where AI fits in:
Conversational AI portals are the next step - where residents can ask, “What’s my balance?” or “When is the next HOA meeting?” and get an instant, human-like response without ever calling management.
✍️ Paperless Leasing and Instant Signatures
Renters expect everything - from browsing to applying to signing a lease - to happen online.
No printing. No mailing. Just tap, sign, and move in.
Who’s doing it well:
• Buildium now integrates with Dropbox Sign, allowing managers and tenants to sign leases securely online.
• AppFolio offers a self-service application portal with guided steps, co-applicant support, and waitlists for full occupancy.
Where AI fits in:
AI agents can pre-fill lease templates, verify applicant data for inconsistencies, and even highlight risky terms or missing clauses before a human ever opens the document.
🛡️ Rigorous Tenant Screening & Fraud Prevention
With tenant quality listed as the number one challenge for property managers in 2025,
screening tools are no longer optional—they’re the first line of defense against bad debt and eviction risks.
Who’s doing it well:
• AppFolio expanded its screening features with statewide criminal records checks and automated ID verification for safer approvals.
• Yardi Breeze Premier introduced AI-powered ID Verify to detect altered IDs and stop fraudulent applications before a lease is signed.
Where AI fits in:
AI agents can scan uploaded documents, such as pay stubs or IDs, detect anomalies, and instantly flag risky applicants - saving managers hours of manual verification and avoiding costly mistakes.
📊 Real-Time Reporting & Analytics Dashboards
Owners don’t just want reports - they want answers.
They expect dashboards with live data to know how each property is performing right now.
Who’s doing it well:
• AppFolio Plus/Max added a pivot-table reporting interface, letting users filter by property, date, or portfolio segment in seconds.
• Rent Manager offers customizable dashboard widgets with occupancy, maintenance backlog, and rent collection stats visible at a glance.
• CondoGenie allows admins to generate resident reports instantly (phone numbers, pets, parking, etc.), showing how digital dashboards empower management with actionable data.
Where AI fits in:
AI copilots can pull data from PMS databases and answer natural language questions like
“Which units are at risk of late payments this month?” or
“How much have we spent on HVAC repairs this quarter?” - providing instant, actionable insights.
🤖 Automation & AI Assistants for Everyday Tasks
Property managers are juggling growth and staffing shortages.
Automating routine tasks like scheduling, reminders, and invoice processing is no longer a luxury - it’s a necessity.
Who’s doing it well:
• Rent Manager launched Smart Bills, an AI-driven invoice processor that reads PDFs and auto-generates bills for approval, cutting AP time drastically.
• AppFolio introduced Realm-X Assistant, which drafts responses to tenant inquiries, categorizes messages, and even triggers follow-up tasks automatically.
Where AI fits in:
AI task-execution agents can handle the mundane workflows - creating tasks from emails, syncing calendar invites for showings, and drafting responses to repetitive questions - freeing managers to focus on high-value decisions.
😊 Enhanced Resident Experience & Retention Tools
With turnover costs skyrocketing, retention has become a strategic priority.
Residents now expect perks, flexibility, and transparency - not just a roof over their heads.
Who’s doing it well:
• Buildium introduced credit reporting for on-time rent payments, helping residents build their credit scores.
• AppFolio launched Flexible Rent, powered by Best Egg, allowing tenants to split rent payments—reducing financial stress and late fees.
Where AI fits in:
AI-powered resident engagement bots can track satisfaction scores, proactively check in on tenants mid-lease ("How’s everything with your unit?"), and flag at-risk tenants likely to churn - giving managers a chance to intervene before a non-renewal notice arrives.
📱 Mobile Accessibility Across Roles
In 2025, property management is mobile-first.
Managers in the field, owners traveling, and residents on their phones all expect full functionality on mobile.
Who’s doing it well:
• RentVine rolled out a 2024 UI overhaul that optimized every property page and file management feature for mobile devices.
• Yardi Breeze added on-the-go labor tracking for maintenance techs, letting them clock in and out of jobs directly from their phones.
• C.I.A. Services opted for a Progressive Web App (PWA), ensuring homeowners and residents could access their tools from any device - without needing to download a native app. A scalable and cost-effective way to reach users everywhere.
Where AI fits in:
Conversational mobile AI assistants can handle tenant inquiries via text or app chat, help schedule showings, or even walk field staff through complex workflows with voice-guided instructions - bringing intelligence right into the pocket.
🔌 Open Integrations & Customization Options
Every property manager has a unique workflow.
A PMS that won’t integrate with other tools feels like a walled garden - frustrating and limiting.
For instance, top PMS platforms now offer APIs that enable integration with external platforms like Booking.com or Lake.com, allowing for smoother synchronization of listings, reservations, and availability across ecosystems.
Who’s doing it well:
• Buildium launched an Open API and marketplace for integrations, expanding compatibility with third-party apps.
• Propertyware allows custom fields and workflows, tailoring the system for large-scale single-family portfolios.
Where AI fits in:
AI agents thrive when data flows freely.
Open integrations let you connect PMS data with chatbots, predictive analytics tools, IoT sensors, or investor dashboards - creating a tech ecosystem that evolves with user needs instead of holding them back.
Wrap-Up: The Next Chapter for PMS Innovation
The property management software landscape in 2025 is alive with possibility but far from mature. The basics - online payments, portals, accounting - are no longer differentiators; they’re the price of entry. The real race is being run on new terrain: automation, seamless integrations, user-first design, and value-added services that make life easier for every stakeholder. The gap between what users expect and what many platforms deliver is still wide. Owners want instant, actionable insights, not clunky static reports. Managers need smarter communication hubs that cut through the noise of overflowing inboxes. Residents crave frictionless, mobile-first experiences that feel as natural as ordering from Amazon. The established players have built solid foundations, but their size can slow them down. This is where focused, agile innovators have a chance to shine. A startup that excels at AI-powered maintenance workflows or builds a truly connected ecosystem for property managers can outpace the giants in delivering what the market truly wants. Industry research makes it clear: the winners will be those who meet rising user expectations without losing the human touch. There’s a massive opportunity to create PMS solutions that are more intelligent, more cohesive, and genuinely people-friendly—and whoever captures that space will help define the next generation of PropTech. Ready to bridge the gap between what PMS users expect and what your platform delivers? Let’s explore how Brocoders can help you design and build the next-generation features your customers will love.