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Proven Strategies and Tactics

Student Housing Property Management

See how you can overcome challenges and streamline your operations to maximize efficiency and occupancy.

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The State of the Student Housing Market

The student housing market is a dynamic and ever-evolving sector of the real estate industry. Between increased demand and changing student preferences, property management businesses have a lot of challenges and opportunities on the horizon.

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Rising college enrollment has led to historic growth in private-sector student housing.*

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Today’s students prefer fewer shared bedrooms, flexible lease options, and on-demand technologies.

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Private-sector student housing management businesses are struggling with hiring, retention, and labor costs.

* Source: The Wall Street Journal: Commercial Real Estate Finds a Rare Bright Spot on Student Housing Campuses

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Why Student Housing Management Companies Need to Examine Their Operations

If you have a separate software platform to manage only your student housing properties outside of your business’s main property management system, it’s harder to see your data and pull the insights you need to market and pre-lease properties effectively, which can negatively impact your ability to maximize occupancy rates.
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“Our previous solution was fragmented and wasn’t scalable. From a frontline operations perspective, there were a lot of repetitive tasks. AppFolio Property Manager represents a fully integrated solution. You can go from listing to lead to lease to move out to post-move-out accounting. Having everything under one roof, accessible to everyone, has been a game-changer.”

Gozen Hartman
Fairlawn Real Estate, 5,000+ units
Read the Story

Strategies to Level Up Your Student Housing Property Management Business

Consolidate Your Technology Stack

Rather than toggling between different solutions to manage your student housing units, move to one property management platform that can house all of your property types, workflows, integrations, and data.

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Embrace Bulk Capabilities

Streamline operations and reduce repetitive tasks that impact your entire portfolio, like move-outs and renewals, by leveraging bulk management tools that are built for student housing.

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Boost Productivity With AI

By putting AI and automation to work, you can speed up the onboarding process for new hires and free teams from tedious tasks so they can have more time to focus on higher-value work and customer service.

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Use Data to Stay Flexible and Adaptable

Stay nimble and understand future opportunities by using your data to adjust your pre-leasing and property management strategy.

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Elevate Your Student Housing Management Business

Download this free guide for ways to streamline your processes, boost leasing velocity, and get time back.

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Ways a Single Solution Can Benefit Your
Student Housing Property Management Business

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Accurate Data and Reporting

Centralized data can help you get the insights you need to make smart business decisions and lease up your properties effectively.

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Streamlined Workflows and Greater Transparency

When all of your processes are standardized and in one place, it’s easier to have more oversight of your properties and understand where you can improve margins.

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Happier Employees and Residents

With a single source of truth, you can onboard new employees faster and free up your team to provide great service to your residents.

How Technology Can Optimize

Business-Critical Workflows

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Marketing

Attract more student renters and their parents with a fully integrated and professional website, virtual showings, self-guided tours, online applications, and access control integrations.

Leasing

Work smarter and streamline the leasing flow by renewing leases for large groups of student residents at the same time with bulk renewals. 

Maintenance

Enable your team to complete work orders quickly and efficiently during turn season and beyond with a fully automated maintenance flow.

Accounting and Reporting

Save time, increase visibility, and minimize errors and inconsistencies with database API, online payments, real-time flexible reporting, and automated accounting tools.

Your Key to Unlocking New Efficiencies for Your Student Housing Portfolio

See how one powerful platform can help you optimize your operations, uncover insights, and build lasting relationships with your residents.

Get Started

“We were growing like crazy, and it really forced us to take a step back and focus on the foundation. AppFolio is constantly innovating and adding new services, and making our business better.”

mike-fazio
Gozen Hartman
Fairlawn Real Estate, 5,000+ units
Read the Full Story
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Frequently asked questions

What is student housing property management?

Student housing property management is the process of managing rental properties specifically designed for students. It involves a variety of tasks, including finding renters, collecting rent, maintaining the property, and meeting residents' needs.

What is student housing?

Student housing refers to housing that is specifically designed and marketed for students. It can be either owned and operated by a university or college, or it can be privately owned and operated by a landlord. Student housing typically offers amenities and services that are specifically designed to meet the needs of students, such as on-site laundry facilities, study rooms, and recreational areas.

How do you invest in student housing?

There are a few ways to invest in student housing. The first is to purchase an existing property and rent it out to students. This can be a good option if you have the capital and are willing to manage the property yourself. The second option is to invest in a student housing development. This is a more expensive option, but it can be more profitable if the development is successful. The third option is to invest in a student housing REIT. A REIT is a real estate investment trust, which is a company that owns and operates real estate. Investing in a REIT can be a good way to get exposure to the student housing market without having to manage a property yourself.

Can nonstudents live in student housing properties?

It depends on the student housing property management company as well as the specific student apartment building. Some student housing properties are only for students, while others allow nonstudents to live there too. If you're not a student, you'll need to check with the property management company to see if they allow nonstudents to live in their student apartments.

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Student Housing Property Management

Uncover the latest insights, research, and strategies to stay at the forefront of the industry.

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