Your 2026 Playbook Starts Now: Key Multifamily Operational Takeaways from 2025

Start 2026 Hiring Here!

2025 was a year of quiet shifts that will define how multifamily operators compete in 2026. Rent growth cooled, occupancy softened in pockets, resident expectations moved even further into digital and convenience-first territory, and staffing crunches forced operators to rethink how — and who — keeps communities running. If you want your portfolio to win in 2026, start acting now. Below are the operational takeaways that should be in everyone's playbook for next year.

Multifamily Operational Takeaways

Market Reality: Expect More Supply and Softer Rent Growth

After several years of outsized growth, 2025 showed the market normalizing: occupancy ticked down in late 2025, and rent momentum slowed to the weakest year-over-year growth since 2021 in several indexes. RealPage reported occupancy backtracking to the mid-90s and monthly softness through autumn 2025, and Yardi Matrix warned that recent months registered some of the weakest annual rent growth since 2021. These dynamics mean tighter margins and greater emphasis on operational efficiency rather than revenue-only plays.

What to do: Stress-test budgets for lower rent growth scenarios, prioritize retention (renewal incentives, targeted retention leasing), and protect NOI by reducing controllable ops costs.

Resident Expectations: Digital, Convenience, and “Smart” Amenities

Large surveys and industry research in 2025 confirmed what operators already felt: renters now expect frictionless digital leasing, advanced parcel/package solutions, and tech-enabled conveniences (from contactless entry to building apps). RentCafe and industry resident-preference reports highlight strong demand for digital leasing options and amenity upgrades that improve everyday convenience. Parcel/amenity solutions also rose in importance as package volume and resident expectations increased.

What to do: Accelerate digital leasing and resident app rollouts, add or upgrade package and access solutions, and prioritize tech that measurably reduces staff time on routine tasks.

Proptech and Predictive Maintenance Are Now Operational Necessities

AI-driven leasing, predictive maintenance, and integrated ops dashboards moved from experimentation toward broad adoption last year. Analyst and industry updates in 2025 highlighted an acceleration in predictive analytics (for HVAC, plumbing failures, and CAPEX forecasting) and embedded payments/automation that reduce friction and lower reactive costs.

Investing selectively in tools that shorten time-to-repair and reduce emergency trips will pay back faster when rent growth softens.

What to do: Pilot predictive maintenance on your 10–20 highest-cost assets, require vendors to demonstrate ROI (fewer emergency work orders, longer asset life), and integrate systems (CRM + maintenance + payments) to reduce manual reconciliation.

Staffing Shortages and Burnout Require New Workforce Strategies

2025 reinforced that many operators can’t hire their way out of shortages, especially for trades and seasonal peaks. Industry analyses called out burnout, an aging maintenance workforce, and the limits of traditional hiring in a tight labor market. Flexible workforce models and vetted contingent labor became key levers for many portfolios in 2025. Rather than treating temporary help as a stopgap, top operators began viewing external staffing support as an operational continuity strategy.

What to do: Formalize flexible rosters, create vendor/SOW standards for contingent technicians, and track metrics (time-to-fill, no-show rates, resident satisfaction during coverage events) so you can compare internal vs external unit-turn speed and service quality.

Regulations and Vendor Risk Are Real

2025 also saw increased regulatory scrutiny of pricing algorithms and platform providers, with litigation and enforcement actions highlighting vendor risk (e.g., investigations and lawsuits involving rent-setting tools). That means operators need to treat software vendors and revenue tools as part of their compliance stack.

What to do: Conduct an annual vendor review (pricing/revenue tools included), get legal/controls to review algorithmic pricing contracts, and keep audit logs and documentation showing how pricing decisions are made.

ESG, Resilience, and Disaster Prep

Environmental risk, energy efficiency, and resident health measures moved from marketing copy to operating investments. NMHC and other industry surveys in 2025 showed growing owner interest in resilience and sustainability as both cost and risk-reduction strategies. Preparedness for severe weather (winter storms, wildfire smoke, flooding) also remained a top operational priority at many portfolios.

What to do: Update emergency playbooks, invest in preventive measures (roof/boiler checks pre-winter), track energy use centrally, and consider small resilience upgrades that reduce outage risk and insurance exposure.

Efficiency Wins the Day

With softer top-line conditions, operators that lowered controllable costs while maintaining resident satisfaction outperformed peers. That means faster and higher-quality unit turns, fewer repeat maintenance calls, and better coordination between leasing, maintenance, and housekeeping. Track KPIs such as average days-to-ready, first-time fix rate, and resident NPS to measure gains. Industry data and operator bulletins emphasized “heads-in-beds” strategies and operational discipline after mid-2025 softness in certain markets.

What to do: Standardize turn checklists, use data to prioritize bottleneck properties, and align incentives for regional/onsite teams on both speed and quality.

Playbook Checklist for Q1–Q2 2026

• Audit your tech stack: remove duplicate tools, consolidate where possible, and require ROI for any new contract.

• Create an external staffing playbook: pre-vet partners, define SOWs, and sign seasonal MSA addenda now.

• Pilot predictive maintenance on 10–20 assets and measure emergency call reductions.

• Update vendor risk reviews (especially revenue-management tools) and retain documentation that shows pricing governance.

• Renew resident-retention programs: tailored renewal offers, amenity enhancements that matter, and frictionless digital experiences.

Start Now, Iterate Quickly

2026 will reward operators who used late-2025 signals to fix processes, shore up staffing resiliency with vetted external staffing support, and invest in tech that measurably reduces labor and asset risk. The market is not about dramatic rebounds; it’s about operational advantage. Start with one high-impact pilot (predictive maintenance, a formal external staffing program, or a resident-convenience upgrade), measure outcomes, and scale what works for success in the new year.

As you build your 2026 playbook, the right support can make all the difference. From flexible workforce solutions to operational support that keeps properties running smoothly, BGSF helps multifamily teams adapt faster, operate smarter, and stay ahead of what’s next. Request talent today!