Technology is redefining how housing is developed, operated, and experienced. Pressure around costs, efficiency, and predictability is accelerating adoption, while advances in artificial intelligence, data, and connectivity are transforming how decisions are made and executed in real time.
OPTECH 2026 arrives at a defining moment. We spoke with this year’s co-chairs, Jason Gherardini, Janine Jovanovic, and Whitney Kidd, to understand where technology is delivering measurable impact, where it is falling short, and what leaders should be preparing for now.
Here is what they are watching and why it matters now.
Jason Gherardini: AI for corporate operations, right now, there is a lot of focus on using AI on the properties for leasing, maintenance, and chatbots. The value of using AI to streamline internal operations has become somewhat of an afterthought. Being able to streamline and automate tasks and processes in accounting, IT, and operations in the corporate offices should be more of a focus. In third-party property management, anything that cannot be billed back to the properties eats into the fees, so having the ability to increase and grow your portfolio without increasing your operational size is important.
Janine Jovanovic: The #1 priority for renters is financial predictability. Renters care about the planet, but they care more about their utility bills. Having controls that reduce spending is a growing differentiator, especially with rising energy costs. While many in the industry are still focused on Smart Home technology, the real shift is happening with the rise of Agentic AI and Predictive Operations. We are moving away from Smart Thermostats (which only recognize when someone is home) toward room-level dynamic handling, for example. Instead of cooling your 2-bedroom apartment while you work in the kitchen, the building's system will adjust airflow into the space where it’s needed, ensuring a $125 electric bill rather than a $200 electric bill.
Whitney Kidd: The shift from software to orchestration. We are moving away from systems of record toward systems of execution, where AI sits across the stack, triggering actions, routing decisions, and completing workflows in real time. The operator is becoming event-driven, with humans stepping in at points of failure, judgment, or high-impact decisions.
Jason Gherardini: I think AI is adding value to property operations in leasing, support, and helping to free up property staff to do more.
Janine Jovanovic: 2026 is drawing a line between hype and real value. AI is driving substantial ROI right now in fraud detection and predictive maintenance. We’ve moved from static credit checks to real-time behavioral screening that identifies synthetic identities humans simply can't catch. AI-driven IoT is predicting HVAC failures before a renter even notices a temperature swing, protecting NOI and renter experience. The hype remains around autonomous property management. While AI can handle most routine inquiries, high-stakes human interaction (negotiating a renewal or de-escalating a resident conflict) requires a person. The hype is thinking AI can replace the entire team. The reality is that the best teams will use AI to automate mundane tasks so they can be more human when it actually counts.
Whitney Kidd: AI is creating value anywhere there is volume, variability, and delay, leasing inquiries, resident communication, service requests, and portfolio analytics. It is eliminating lag and standardizing execution. The hype is thinking AI is the strategy, when in reality, it is only as good as the operation behind it.
Jason Gherardini: The threats and dangers of unauthorized use of AI in the workplace. I have spoken with a lot of companies that allow employees to use AI tools and company data unchecked. It is at the cool factor stage where everyone is racing to build the latest AI prompt or skill without taking into account data leakage risk, shadow IT tools, AI manipulation vulnerabilities, and legal and business implications.
Janine Jovanovic: I’m paying a lot of attention to the work that RETTC (with the support of NMHC) is putting into tech education for lawmakers. For many years, the industry has enjoyed the incomparable inspiration and collaboration that happens at OPTECH. The underlying and increasing priority for us all is to ensure that supplier, housing provider, and renter interests are optimally balanced. OPTECH is a pivotal event where we should maintain that focus and priority.
Whitney Kidd: Buy versus build 2.0. AI is compressing development timelines to the point where certain point solutions can be recreated internally in days. That is going to force a reset in how we evaluate technology platforms, pricing, and long-term platform strategy.
Jason Gherardini: Leaders should definitely not be ignoring AI, but should be cautious and focus on the immediate needs for business, tenant, and operational needs. Take advantage of third-party vendors who have already built AI tools that can be used to keep the company up to date, and don’t get caught up in the hype to be bleeding edge that may come back to bite the company by not paying attention to security and cybersecurity threats that come along with AI.
Janine Jovanovic: All leaders should be prioritizing Agentic AI to participate proactively in the business transformation that lies ahead rather than reacting to it. Simultaneously, we must ensure that as we capitalize on accelerating innovation, we use it to amplify the human experience, not replace it.
Whitney Kidd: Data readiness, workflow automation, cybersecurity, and a clear AI governance strategy. Just as important, leaders need to double down on their internal technology teams. We may be real estate companies, but our businesses do not function without the technology that powers them, and the teams who build, manage, and evolve it.
Jason Gherardini: OPTECH by far is the best conference for business leaders from all departments (Accounting, Technology, Marketing, and Operations). It provides good technical information for executives to absorb to keep them up-to-date on the latest trends and technologies without causing brain fry. The conference is not too big where you get lost in content, and not too small where you are struggling to find something to do.
Janine Jovanovic: Technology and Operations are no longer distinct disciplines. They are a single, integrated engine. Business has been reimagined for us through technology, which is evolving at an increasingly faster rate. If you’re in the business of rental housing – whether a supplier, operator, investor, or asset manager – you cannot afford to sit on the sidelines. There is no other event like OPTECH, where we come together to turn industry disruption into a clear, actionable road map for the year ahead. At OPTECH 2026, we’ll be building the blueprint for the future of rental housing.
Whitney Kidd: OPTECH is not just a technology conference, it is a must-attend for multifamily leaders across operations, investment, marketing, and technology. It is one of the only places where the full business comes together to align on what is next and what actually works.
Jason Gherardini: I think the top two conversations will be on: Regulations (fee transparency, privacy, and electronic refunds) & AI, and what companies and vendors are doing with it.
Janine Jovanovic: Conversations at OPTECH will include the shift from point solutions to ecosystem orchestration. Agentic AI weaves threads together into a single, autonomous operating system. We can create an environment where costs are more predictable for renters, risk is more manageable for owners, and our teams are freed from the mundane to focus on what matters most: the people they serve. We’ll also see a focus on the regulatory frontier, discussing how to innovate responsibly, ensuring that data privacy and algorithmic transparency aren't just compliance checkboxes but foundational to the renter trust model.
Whitney Kidd: The defining theme is building the future of the automated operator. AI governance, buy versus build, and platform consolidation will be front and center, with robotics and physical-digital convergence accelerating what is possible. The conversation shifts from what could happen to what is actually working at scale and driving NOI.
The focus is shifting from individual tools to how technology works together to drive performance, resilience, and better outcomes for residents. Artificial intelligence is already delivering value when paired with strong operations, disciplined data strategies, and clear accountability. At the same time, risks around security, governance, and regulation are rising, requiring a more deliberate and coordinated approach.
OPTECH 2026 will bring this next phase into focus, connecting leaders, ideas, and strategies to turn rapid change into real-world results.
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