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Zumper is the latest software company in the rental industry to launch an artificial intelligence product to assist current and aspiring tenants, Inman has learned. The chat assistant is called Zoe.
“Integrated directly into select Zumper listings, Zoe can answer virtually any renter question about a property or its neighborhood. From inquiring about pet policies to exploring local hotspots, she is available 24/7 to educate prospective renters and drive high-intent leads to leasing teams,” the company said in an email announcement.
Zoe can alleviate the number of common questions fielded by leasing agents and be faster in the process. Tours, rent concerns, maintenance request handling and other such issues often draw agents away from the lead response pipeline, which Zoe is designed to handle, said Zumper Co-founder and CEO Anthemos Georgiades.
“We want to harness AI to empower both property managers and renters in a whole new way. Zoe is a game-changer for the rental industry — she offers 24/7 support to educate renters, narrow down their search, and help set up their tours,” he said. “Property managers should expect to receive far better informed and quality Zumper leads when Zoe passes them across.”
The more an applicant learns about a property before requesting an application, the better, meaning that agents field fewer unqualified or non-responsive leads. Questions can range from what dog breeds are allowed in a community to how many parking spaces each unit is granted and whether a landlord allows rent payments to be bimonthly.
Artificial intelligence has found its footing in the leasing space in 2024. A number of property management software providers have rolled out a variety of initiatives, from skip tracing and collections to predicting costs and identifying the best individual to tackle specific maintenance projects.
Zumper launched a ChatGPT integration in May this year.
The tool allows users to view listings on Zumper by conversing with the ChatGPT integration and telling it the types and characteristics of apartments it would like to see. For example, a user could input “Show me 3-bedroom apartments in Brooklyn, New York, with a backyard for under $5,000” and be shown any number of listings that fit that description.
The company also announced a partnership with short-term rental leader Airbnb this fall. Renters searching on Zumper can now filter their search to see where they can offset the cost of their lease by renting out their unit short term.
“Airbnb-friendly rental communities can also elect to earn a share of the revenue from stays as well as have visibility and controls over the number of nights that may be hosted per year, occupancy limits, and more,” Zumper said. “The success of the program can be easily monitored and analyzed using Airbnb tools.”
