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Flexible apartment living platform Landing has expanded its offering to individual landlords with a new service that handles all aspects of listing and guest management, according to a Dec. 7 press release sent to Inman.
Branded “AutoPilot,” the new product gives Landing customers the option to use the company’s extensive network of members as a customer base, as well as for furnishing units, marketing vacancies, assisting tenants and, according to the company, “everything in between.” In essence, Landing is now offering property management.
“Over the past four years, Landing has become the choice membership for people seeking maximum freedom and flexibility over where and how they live,” said Bill Smith, founder and CEO of Landing, in a statement. “Autopilot offers our valued partners a holistic guest management experience that delivers the ultimate convenience and increased occupancy they can count on.”
The company allows its members to pay for ongoing access to a wide array of geographically disparate living options, primarily apartments, for short periods of time. The company arranges all stay logistics, member payments and operating concerns.
Landing’s intent is to appeal to the mobile professional and digital nomad. In July 2023 it announced Flex, a program specifically for corporate accounts that allows users to book open-ended stays and requires no multi-month equipment. In short, it eliminates the need for a fixed reservation, meaning when a company project takes longer than expected, the resident can feel confident in the stability of their housing status.
AutoPilot uses its resources to help member landlords fill sudden or long-term vacancies. “Partners also unlock access to Landing’s corporate housing demand and Standby bookings – all of which are fully vetted to ensure trustworthy reservations,“ the release stated.
Agents working with aspiring buyers can use Landing as a resource to “place” them while waiting out the market or for the right opportunity, as short-term leases with traditional landlords are rare. This means when the right home hits the market, the buyer can move faster.
The company’s timing couldn’t have been more prescient, as the post-pandemic remote work lifestyle remains largely intact. Citing an Upwork study, Forbes reported that by 2025, 32.6 million people will work remotely, despite a number of companies pushing for staff to come back to the office, a trend that has, to a small extent, motivated homesellers.
However, according to a Redfin report, the leading motivator for people to move at 33.8 percent was a desire for more space, followed by the desire to be closer to family at 22.6 percent, and the desire for a lower cost of living at 21.6 percent.
For those not ready for a mortgage, there’s always a Landing account. Since launching in 2019, the company has expanded to more than 375 cities and has more than 20,000 apartments in its network, with a 90 percent average occupancy rate and an average stay length of 77 days.
