Innovation can unlock a more affordable and accessible housing market, and it’s already happening. By responsibly deploying cutting-edge technologies and advocating for smart, bipartisan policies, we’re helping communities transform the way they live, work, and play.
Technologies that make housing more affordable, efficient, and accessible already exist. What’s missing is a policy environment that allows them to scale. Right now, conflicting regulations stand in the way. Progress stalls as a result, and communities are the ones who lose.
Below are key priorities that the Real Estate Technology & Transformation Center (RETTC) are advancing to harness technology to expand housing opportunity, strengthen affordability, and drive smarter, more sustainable development. Achieving these goals will require bipartisan alignment across local, state, and federal policies that encourage innovation and reward solutions that work.
Artificial Intelligence at Scale in Housing Operations
Artificial intelligence (AI) and automation are changing the housing industry, making it more efficient, affordable, and responsive to those living in our communities. Developers are using AI to evaluate investment opportunities, navigate outdated and often discriminatory zoning policies, and identify viable land-use strategies. These tools accelerate construction and rehabilitation timelines while lowering costs, ultimately expanding access.
Lenders and property owners are also embracing technology platforms to streamline underwriting, improve operational efficiencies, and better align investments with growing rental demand. For rental housing providers, AI applications have become critical in improving services. From transparent and accurate resident screening to fraud detection, automated leasing, building security and predictive maintenance, these innovations reduce risk while enhancing housing opportunity.
At the same time, automation is addressing workforce challenges by taking on repetitive tasks, giving housing professionals more time to engage directly with residents and focus on building stronger communities. Together, these advances are redefining how the rental housing industry operates.
And yet, too often, policy proposals are being influenced by misconceptions, overlooking the real pressures that drive up costs, namely a lack of housing supply and an increase in compliance and operational costs. As policymakers evaluate the role of AI and automation in housing, it is important that they distinguish fact from fiction, reality from perception. If not, they risk pursuing poorly designed regulations that will hurt innovation while also failing to address the underlying affordability challenge.
RETTC sees a different path forward. Instead of restricting the use of emerging technologies, like AI, policymakers at all levels of government—state, federal, and local—should embrace these tools and still promote greater transparency about how AI models function.
Connectivity as Core Infrastructure
Across the country, renters often benefit from a multifamily broadband market that delivers more affordable and reliable internet service than many consumers can access through the broader retail market. We see a future that connects technology with daily life to everyone’s benefit.
Through bulk billing, managed Wi-Fi, and negotiated service agreements, housing providers are using their market leverage to secure high-quality broadband at significantly reduced rates. Recent filings at the FCC show that many renters are saving up to 50% on broadband service thanks to options afforded to them in multifamily communities.
The existing partnership model between broadband providers and housing operators has proven beneficial to consumers. It promotes competition and encourages providers to expand digital access in multifamily communities. That’s a win-win.
We believe that policymakers should scale up proven tools like bulk broadband and managed Wi-Fi. That means resisting misplaced fears that these tools restrict choice. It also means rejecting any legislation or regulation that raises costs or reduces competition and service quality.
Additionally, Congress should reinstate and better target the Affordable Connectivity Program. This program directly addressed the digital divide by giving low-income renters access to broadband internet at a discount.
Data Transparency and Responsible Innovation
We also believe that establishing a foundation of transparency and responsibility can protect renters and providers. Housing providers manage large volumes of personal data on applicants, residents, and employees, often retaining records for years. This information is essential for building an accurate and responsive understanding of residents, but it makes the sector a prime target for increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. To counter these risks, providers are investing in stronger defenses, implementing rigorous internal controls, and working to safeguard consumer information.
Here again, a multi-state regulatory patchwork with varying privacy and breach-notification requirements has increased costs for small businesses. This inconsistent and expensive approach is diverting resources away from meaningful data security. Too often, compliance obligations absorb needed resources or create higher housing expenses for providers and renters.
We believe that this is a problem only Congress can solve, by establishing one comprehensive federal standard for data security and consumer privacy. Such a standard would provide much-needed clarity for housing providers. Yet it should also provide flexible compliance options, assign liability to the parties responsible for breaches including third-party vendors, and ensure timely notification of affected consumers.
Thankfully, congressional leaders are giving this issue serious attention, and RETTC is committed to working with Congress to protect consumers, improve security practices, and avoid adding unnecessary costs to housing.
At RETTC, we believe technology is the key to unlocking the housing crisis. The tools to make housing more affordable, connected, and secure already exist. We just need clearer federal frameworks that allow these solutions to scale without imposing unnecessary hurdles.
When policymakers reject convoluted regulations for smart, forward-looking regulations, housing providers can direct resources toward innovation. Renters benefit with lower costs, stronger protections, and better services. By fostering consistency across federal, state, and local levels, lawmakers can ensure that tools like AI, automation, broadband, and data security work in concert to expand housing opportunity and improve quality of life.
RETTC is committed to working with partners in government, industry, and communities to advance this balanced framework. Together, we can harness innovation responsibly, remove outdated barriers, and build a housing market that is more affordable, accessible, and sustainable.