Week 17 Before AI: You Need Data You Actually Own

In this weekly series, we explore how the commercial real estate industry is being transformed by data and digital infrastructure. Guided by the principles in Peak Property Performance, we unpack a new idea every week to help owners unlock value, reduce risk, and future-proof their portfolios. Learn more about OpticWise and Bill Douglas, the authors of this series.

The AI Mirage Without Data Ownership

In an era of AI hype, commercial real estate (CRE) owners are bombarded with promises: “Predictive analytics for your portfolio,” “AI-powered tenant engagement,” “Smart building automation with ML.” But beneath these shiny offerings is a hard truth:

AI can’t deliver value if you don’t own or control the data it relies on.

Most properties today run on a patchwork of third-party systems—access control, HVAC, lighting, WiFi, leasing platforms—all generating data. Yet in too many cases, the building owner can’t access that data without permission (or payment) from a vendor. It’s trapped in proprietary dashboards, stored on someone else’s server, or worse, not captured at all.

This is the digital equivalent of drilling for oil on your land—then handing the barrel to someone else.

Data Is the Raw Material of AI—but Ownership Is the Refinery

Before you can extract value from AI, you need structured, accessible, and high-integrity data. That begins with owning the underlying digital infrastructure—not just installing it, but designing it with ownership in mind.

This is a key theme in Peak Property Performance: you can’t optimize what you don’t control, and you can’t control what you don’t own. Without a clear strategy to capture and centralize data at the source, AI becomes a pipe dream.

Think of your building like a human body:

• Sensors are the nerves
  
  
• Infrastructure is the nervous system
  
  
• Data is the signal
  
  
• AI is the brain

If the signal never reaches the brain—or is routed through a third party—no intelligence can emerge

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Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR

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Ascendix Analysis – Leading Proptech trends in Property Management in 2025

What’s Shaping Property Management Technology? 

Ascendix Analysis – Leading Proptech trends in Property Management in 2025

As we head further into 2025, the property management sector is undergoing rapid technological change. From sustainability mandates to more flexible renting models, operators and tenants alike are expecting smarter, more responsive systems. Below are the top trends shaping the future of property management — and how tech is driving them.

Overview of the Property Management Technology landscape

These are the key trends that are defining the direction of property management in 2025:

AI-powered tools: AI lease abstraction, chatbots, predictive maintenance. Sustainability and smart buildings: Energy intelligence, real-time environmental monitoring, green compliance. “As-a-Service” models: Flexible space, SaaS (software-as-a-service), Data-as-a-Service (DaaS).

Community living and co-renting/co-owning platforms with social & booking features. Growth in mid-term rentals (1-6 months) as a bridge between traditional and short-term rentals. Mobile-first solutions: Tenant portals, inspection apps, document management on the go.

Lastly, Virtual and augmented reality for tours, visualisation and staging. IoT devices: Smart sensors, automation, energy efficiency, security.

Key Areas to Watch

Sustainability & Smart Buildings – Technology is enabling property managers to monitor and control building performance in real time. Smart sensors, automated reporting, predictive maintenance, and energy-intelligence platforms help reduce waste, cut costs, and meet regulatory requirements. Tenants increasingly expect greener buildings and eco-friendly features.

Community Living & Co-Renting / Co-Owning – As affordability is squeezed, more people are choosing shared living arrangements. Tech platforms are responding by including features to evaluate prospective co-renters, manage shared bookings, organize amenities, and streamline communications. This isn’t just about lower cost — it’s about richer shared experiences.

Mid-Term Rentals Become a Sweet Spot – Renters are seeking flexibility that long leases can’t offer, but without the volatility or high cost of night-by-night short-term stays. Mid-term rental management systems support operations like rent collection, cleaning turnover, and maintenance with less friction.

The “As-a-Service” Models – Space-as-a-Service: Flexible workspaces, amenity bookings, event spaces on demand. Software-as-a-Service: Cloud-based platforms for leasing, CRM, property operations — eliminating heavy upfront investment. Data-as-a-Service: Insights from market data, energy usage, occupancy trends, helping operators benchmark and optimise performance.

AI in Operations – AI is changing back-office and front-office workflows: Lease abstraction and document summarisation to reduce manual review. Chatbots for tenant enquiries, maintenance requests, scheduling. Predictive analytics for maintenance and pricing, helping to avoid costly breakdowns or rent vacancies.

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Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR

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Adam Pigott ‘Without court reforms, the RRB will see a 20% drop in rental stock’

Exodus of Landlords – means lower supply and increased rents’

MPs have taken the Renters’ Rights Bill a major step closer to Royal Assent, confirming the scrapping of Section 21 “no-fault” evictions and the end of fixed-term tenancies, which will now convert into open-ended periodic agreements.

Ministers argue this long-awaited reform will rebalance the rental market in favour of tenants, offering them greater security and stability. Landlords, however, warn that it tilts risk too far the other way, eroding their confidence and accelerating the steady exodus of private landlords from the sector. Caught in the crossfire are letting agents, who face the challenge of navigating a rapidly changing regulatory landscape while managing expectations on both sides.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: without reforming the courts, nobody wins.

Tenants may welcome greater protection on paper, but if possession claims take months—or even years—to progress through an already clogged court system, landlords will price in the risk. That means longer voids and higher rents for renters.

Mass exodus of Landlords – means lower supply and increased rents

Landlords are being asked to take on additional risk and uncertainty. If removing a tenant for arrears or anti-social behaviour requires wading through a dysfunctional court process, many will simply exit the market, further squeezing supply. Agents will shoulder the fallout. They will be the ones explaining to tenants why rents are rising and to landlords why timelines for possession are unworkable.

Adam Pigott, CEO of tlyfe/OpenBrix, adds: ‘Without court reforms, the RRB will see a 20% drop in rental stock. My five decades in the PRS tells me this a continued attack on private landlords by this, and successive governments. I now represent the voice of the rational U.K. tenant who pays their rent on time. With the impending reduced stock, rents will soar! This government have received qualified coal-face advice by the leading industry bodies and ignored them all. Huge mistake!’

What makes Adam Pigott’s comment even more insightful is that as CEO of tlyfe an App that is helping over 200,000 renters get tenancy ready, he has the best interests of landlords and tenants firmly in focus. He sees that renting property is a symbiotic relationship, tenants needs properties to live in, Landlords need tenants who pay rent. If the balance of control goes too far in the favour of either player then adverse unforeseen consequences play out.   

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Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR

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