Revenue Management Bans: Policy Issue

Like most industries, technology touches every aspect of the provision of rental housing. AI and algorithm-based tools, in particular, offer benefits to housing providers and residents alike, expanding services and creating efficiencies that allow on-site staff to concentrate on the human touch, cultivating relationships and servicing applicants’ and residents’ unique needs. Examples of these tools include: 

• Chatbots that provide “round-the-clock” access to information, schedule tours, significantly reduce initial response times and track follow-ups;

• Technologies that assist with alt text to increase community websites’ accessibility for disabled renters; 

• AI-enabled screening processes and machine learning prevent fraud, reduce delinquencies and evictions, and mitigate risks to residents and staff; 

• AI that predicts when repairs are necessary and suggests preventative maintenance to help housing providers optimize their financial resources and ensure rents remain competitive; and

• AI and algorithm-based tools that are used as an efficient and data-driven means to optimize business decision making, such as revenue management. 

As technology becomes increasingly involved in all aspects of the rental housing industry, providers continue to observe requirements related to Fair Housing, Fair Credit Reporting, and other components of housing and consumer policy. Restricting the use of revenue management tools does not resolve the core challenges underlying the housing crisis, particularly the issue of underproduction, which remains the principal driver of affordability challenges.