Utilizing AI for day-to-day operations

Managing Your Property
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Utilizing AI for day-to-day operations

Joseph Thon
Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes

I've been thinking quite a bit about how AI might eventually change the day-to-day work of owning and operating rental properties, particularly for smaller landlords who still handle most things themselves.

One thing I've noticed is that even a relatively small portfolio can demand a surprising amount of hands-on attention.

Tenant questions, maintenance requests, contractor coordination, bookkeeping, financial reporting, renovation projects... there's always something that needs attention.

I'm not talking about using ChatGPT to write listing descriptions or tenant emails. Those applications are useful, but I'm more interested in whether AI could eventually take on some of the actual operational workload.

For example:

  • Serving as the first point of contact for routine tenant questions and maintenance requests.

  • Helping coordinate contractors, repairs, and follow-ups.

  • Reviewing property expenses and identifying unusual changes.

  • Comparing contractor invoices against renovation budgets.

  • Finding recurring maintenance problems.

  • Organizing documents, transactions, and project information.

  • Identifying things that need an owner's attention before they become bigger problems.

One of the biggest frustrations I've encountered as an owner/operator is how much information ends up scattered across spreadsheets, accounting software, bank accounts, texts, emails, and different management tools.

It seems like there's an opportunity for technology to do a better job connecting that information while reducing the constant hands-on involvement required to manage properties.

I'm curious:

  1. Is anyone already using AI for actual property operations beyond basic writing and administrative assistance?

  2. What tools have you tried, and are they genuinely saving you time?

  3. What recurring responsibilities would you be comfortable letting AI handle, and which ones would you always want human oversight on?

I'm particularly interested in hearing from smaller landlords and operators managing anywhere from a handful of units to 50 or so.

I'd appreciate hearing what's working, what's not, and what you wish existed.

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Rosina Persaud
Member since 2023 · 142 posts · 46 votes
2d

Joseph, good question. We run 236 doors in Memphis, mostly single-family and heavy Section 8, and my rule is simple: AI can organize and flag, but it does not make judgment calls. I would let it draft routine tenant updates from a set script, sort maintenance requests, flag an expense that jumps month over month, and keep documents in one place. I would not let it talk to a tenant about rent, decide whether a contractor did the job right, or handle an emergency call. The thing I would fix first is not the tool, it is the system — one rent payment method written into the lease, same for every house, and turnovers on a 21-day schedule. Once the process is the same every time, a tool can actually help. Before that, it just moves the mess around faster. What part of your day eats the most time right now?

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  • Joseph Thon
    OP
    Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
    3d

    I know some platforms out there already have these features bolted on - I’m thinking of MagicDoor specifically - but I’m taking about AI that’s fully integrated into the ecosystem, across all workflows

    1Reply
    • Michael Dufel
      Rental Property Investor · Seattle, WA · Member since 2026 · 2 posts · 0 votes
      1d

      I am curious what workflows are missing from MagicDoor? It seems like a very comprehensive product.

      0Reply
  • Rosina Persaud
    Member since 2023 · 142 posts · 46 votes
    2d

    Joseph, good question. We run 236 doors in Memphis, mostly single-family and heavy Section 8, and my rule is simple: AI can organize and flag, but it does not make judgment calls. I would let it draft routine tenant updates from a set script, sort maintenance requests, flag an expense that jumps month over month, and keep documents in one place. I would not let it talk to a tenant about rent, decide whether a contractor did the job right, or handle an emergency call. The thing I would fix first is not the tool, it is the system — one rent payment method written into the lease, same for every house, and turnovers on a 21-day schedule. Once the process is the same every time, a tool can actually help. Before that, it just moves the mess around faster. What part of your day eats the most time right now?

    3Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      2d

      Rosina, what AI are you using for your platform? Or have you just created independent agents to handle tasks?

      0Reply
    • Nuha Jaded
      Portugal Greece Switzerland, UAE · Member since 2026 · 12 posts · 4 votes
      2d

      Honestly, artificial intelligence has completely transformed the way we work—it's become so much easier and smoother. For instance, I use a platform that leverages AI to help me manage directories and add vendors; I can simply take a photo of any menu or document, and it automatically uploads the content—no manual data entry required! It even responds to guests on my behalf—it's truly fantastic. What AI tools do you use, and what kind of impact have they had on your STR (Short-Term Rental) performance?

      1Reply
    • Nuha Jaded
      Portugal Greece Switzerland, UAE · Member since 2026 · 12 posts · 4 votes
      2d

      @

      Rosina Persaud

      I think that in your situation, you could benefit from an analytical AI, along with some ongoing support. Specifically, such analytical tools would save you time when reviewing reports and alert you to important gaps—what do you think about that?

      0Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      2d

      I’m building the tools out with Claude code, codex, Google apps script inside my Victor platform.

      I haven’t outsourced anything yet because AI changes so quickly, I don’t want to get tied into a lead generating platform or operations system I become dependent on and then have to switch 3-6 months later

      1Reply
  • Lee Futcher
    Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 199 posts · 45 votes
    2d

    Hi @Joseph Thon,

    I think you've put your finger on the real problem, which is that the information lives in six different places. A surprising amount of what you listed comes down to reading everything in one go, and that's where AI is really strong.

    To answer your question, my wife and I automated our own businesses to about 95 percent, and the jobs that saved us the most time weren't the writing ones. They were the reading and spotting jobs. On a rental, that looks like checking every contractor invoice against the budget line it belongs to, or noticing that the same unit has had three plumbing calls since spring. Nobody has time to do that by hand every month, so it usually just doesn't get done.

    I agree with Rosina on where the line sits. I'd always keep anything involving someone's money or home with the owner: approving spend above a set amount, choosing vendors, emergencies, disputes and anything to do with rent.

    If you're building toward this, I'd start with one weekly owner brief rather than the whole ecosystem. It would be one page listing anything unusual in the numbers, any repeat repairs and anything waiting on a decision. It's a small first step, but it shows you quickly which information is easy to pull together and which is still stuck in texts and spreadsheets.

    Best of luck building it,
    Lee

    1Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      2d

      Thanks for your insight. If you don’t mind me asking, what did you use to build it? I’m using Claude code and codex and implementing it directly into the platform I’m building

      Do you also have a platform are are they just agents?

      0Reply
    • Nuha Jaded
      Portugal Greece Switzerland, UAE · Member since 2026 · 12 posts · 4 votes
      2d

      @ On which app or platform did you do this? It’s really great!

      1Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      2d

      I used lovable.dev for the initial build with supabase and Vercel. But when I brought on my CTO, we switched to Claude code and Codex to continue product development

      0Reply
  • Rukhaam Mahar
    Member since 2026 · 19 posts · 6 votes
    2d

    Joseph, on the fully integrated part: the bolt-on AI features mostly answer one question inside one tool. What you're describing reads across all of it (texts, email, the PM software, the bank) and does the repeat jobs on a schedule while you approve. Agree with Rosina on the line: organize and flag yes, judgment calls no. At 38 doors, which job would you want running that way first?

    1Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      2d

      Right now I’m building out the maintenance triage so that Markus can identify which trade the problem should be assigned to and then assign the top ranking trade in my contractor list - so if it’s an electrical problem, I’ll have my electrical contractors ranked for Markus to select from, send the request to that contractor via email notification

      1Reply
  • Ming Yi
    Investor · San Francisco · Member since 2026 · 60 posts · 28 votes
    2d

    I use AI for the drafting and sorting, not the deciding. It is genuinely useful for turning a rambling tenant message into a clear work order, drafting a polite reply to a late rent text, summarizing a long invoice, or pulling the key numbers out of a stack of receipts. Where I keep a human in the loop is anything involving money judgment or a tenant relationship: approving a repair, deciding whether to renew, or answering a complaint where tone matters. One setup that works for me is a single inbox for tenant messages with a few saved reply templates, so AI drafts and I send. The time saved is real, but only if you review before anything goes out. A wrong automated reply to a tenant costs more time than the draft saved.

    2Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      2d

      Do you use a platform for PM management? Or just plug and play agents that support your current systems?

      0Reply
  • Lee Futcher
    Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 199 posts · 45 votes
    2d

    Hey @Joseph Thon,

    Happy to share. I don't use one platform. The AI teammates are set up inside each business and work alongside the systems it already has, so the inbox, the accounting software and the files all stay where they are and the agents read across them. I'll keep the specific tools out of it, since I think the approach matters a lot more than which tools you pick.

    Maintenance triage sounds like a great first piece to build. One thing I'd add is a short job brief that goes out with every request: what's wrong in plain words, the tenant's photos, how to get in, and when the tenant is home. That way your top-ranked electrician can usually price the job without a phone call first. I'd also have anything that sounds like a real emergency, like a gas smell, sparking or water coming through a ceiling, skip the ranking altogether and come straight to you.

    Best of luck with Markus,
    Lee

    0Reply
  • Lee Futcher
    Technology · Vancouver, BC · Member since 2026 · 199 posts · 45 votes
    2d

    Hi @Nuha Jaded,

    Thank you, I'm glad it was helpful! There isn't one app or platform behind it. The AI teammates are set up inside each business and work with the systems it already uses, which is why I'd rather keep the focus on the approach than on any particular tool.

    If you're trying it in your own short-term rental business, I'd start with the one piece that takes up the most of your week, like turning a stack of vendor invoices into a short summary you can check in a few minutes, and get that working well before you add anything else.

    All the best,
    Lee

    0Reply
  • Matthew Tregoning
    Property Manager · Melbourne, FL · Member since 2019 · 561 posts · 194 votes
    2d

    Joseph, on the maintenance triage you're building: what happens when the first contractor never accepts the job? From the STR management side, I'd want separate states for request sent, accepted, scheduled and verified complete, with a person alerted when one stalls. An email going out shouldn't make the issue disappear from the owner's list. I'd test that no-response scenario and a duplicate tenant report before giving it more autonomy. Those are useful tests of whether it's actually reducing follow-up work.

    1Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      1d

      The contractor is notified when the request is assigned and then again 12 hours later if he/she hasn’t accepted by then. After 24 hours of no response, the user is notified and can ask Markus, or manually push the job to the second ranked contractor.

      The tenant portal shows the tenant the “stages” of the request. When a contractor accepts the job, the request is “accepted”. Once accepted, the contractor can select a 4 hour time window that’s visible on a calendar seen by the owner, contractor, and tenant. When that window is selected, everyone is notified.

      There’s more stages but I won’t get into all of it here.

      But you’re right, and that’s what I’m pushing the system to do for the next two months to run that workflow live with my portfolio

      0Reply
  • Muyees Ayilara
    Lender · Boynton Beach, FL · Member since 2026 · 238 posts · 106 votes
    1d

    Joseph, great question. You nailed the real problem — it is not that owners don't have AI, it is that the information is scattered across texts, emails, bank accounts, and spreadsheets. From what I see with smaller landlords managing 5 to 50 units, AI works best for the repetitive stuff right now:

    1. First point of contact for routine tenant questions and maintenance requests, then routing the real issues to a human.

    2. Organizing documents, transactions, and invoices so you are not searching for a receipt at tax time or during a refi.

    3. Flagging unusual expenses or recurring maintenance problems before they become a big repair.

    Where I would still want human oversight is anything that touches money, legal, or tenant relations — approving a contractor payment, handling a late rent conversation, or deciding on a renovation budget. AI can draft it, but a human should approve it.

    The other win people miss: clean operations = clean books. When your expenses, rent rolls, and invoices are organized, a refinance or a new purchase goes much faster because a lender can actually see the real cash flow. Curious to hear what tools other owner-operators here are actually using day-to-day, not just testing.

    1Reply
  • Nayeem Biswas
    Dhaka, Dhaka · Member since 2026 · 4 posts · 0 votes
    1d

    Tracking live liquidation spreads and 60+ DOM inventory across 140+ US metros. Which specific market are you deploying capital in this week?

    0Reply
  • Leon Timmon Sr.
    Real Estate Agent · Detroit, Wayne County · Member since 2026 · 24 posts · 15 votes
    1d

    I think that’s the real next step — not just adding an AI feature to each individual tool, but having AI sit across the entire workflow and connect the information.

    If a maintenance issue comes in, the value isn’t only drafting a response. It’s being able to connect that request to the property history, prior repairs, contractor records, costs, lease information, and follow-up schedule without the owner having to manually move between five different systems.

    I agree with Rosina too that the process still has to be solid underneath it. AI can make a good system much more efficient, but it can also make a bad system move faster.

    For me, the ideal setup is AI doing the organizing, cross-checking, flagging, and follow-up — while the owner still makes the actual judgment calls.

    1Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      18h

      Couldn’t agree more. That’s why we are building Markus in phases - connecting the modules and workflows, then building out his capabilities, always giving the user flexibility for what they want to control vs what they want to hand off to Markus

      0Reply
  • Lauren CutchenBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · The Woodlands, TX · Member since 2019 · 234 posts · 87 votes
    1d

    I hand first-pass grunt work to AI and keep the judgment calls. It changes how agents work, but it doesn't replace a physical house or owning an investment. For agents who love real estate, investing is still a way to participate beyond commissions while the tools keep shifting.

    [email protected]832-406-4239
    Lauren Cutchen 513 Reviews
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    1Reply
  • Alik Levin
    Property Manager · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2016 · 76 posts · 11 votes
    2h

    Scattered info is the real problem, not the tool. In general - a lot of it is just emails so setting forwarding rules and having AI monitor where these forwarded emails land is key IMO. For example, vendor invoice emails land in a dedicated email mailbox, turned into tickets (I personally love Jira for that purpose), AI pulls the PDF fields into a comment, and plain rules do the rest. Here is how I use pool service processes with Jira: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/aliklevin_mention-jira-to-a-room-full-of-real-estate-share-7518701211047366656-Gk6R/ Which of those tasks eats the most hours?

    1Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      2h

      That’s interesting. Can you do all that inside the platform you currently use for PM operations or is that an adjacent system/process?

      0Reply
    • Alik Levin
      Property Manager · Scottsdale, AZ · Member since 2016 · 76 posts · 11 votes
      2h

      It's yes and yes. Full disclosure, former IT geek with 20 years under the belt. The key message I like playing with the tools, not that my specific experience matter these days tools wise.

      I use Atlassian Jira as my system of record - my brokerage and PM ops.

      I use Claude, ChatGPT, and Grok Bot that feed off it and feed it too.

      I don't use any PM/RE industry well known names at all.

      So my platform is Atlassian Jira and Claude/ChatGPT/Grok Bot are advanced systems

      Everything is inside of it

      Now, if you are using a system that exposes API (or MCP in AI jargon) then adding adjacent systems and processes should be fairly easy even for non technical person.

      Pick you AI platform

      Give it an email mailbox access

      Connect to your system via MCP/Connector from the AI

      Start automating.

      Example:

      You get an email confirmation about X.

      You create an email rule to route it to your AI accessible mailbox.

      AI picks up the mail, figures out what's there.

      AI connects to your system of record and based on what it read in the email updates the system,

      1Reply
    • Joseph Thon
      OP
      Real Estate Broker · Rochester, NY · Member since 2026 · 39 posts · 12 votes
      2h

      90% of normal people will read that and look at you cross eyed. But for operators in the field and businesses looking to improve/systemitize their workflows, they’ll do that in-house.

      The platform I built for my portfolio is a true operating system which I’m building those functions into it. The goal is not to over complicate the process but streamline and connect modules/departments across one native AI operator

      It’s been exciting to design and build out this technology.

      Do you know anyone else in the real estate space who’s attempting to do a similar thing?

      0Reply
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