New ActiveBuilding Enhancements Help Properties Reopen Amenities Safely

As stay-at-home restrictions are relaxing nationwide, multifamily portfolios are preparing for safe, phased re-openings of leasing offices and amenities. In early May, The National Apartment Association issued guidance on community areas where there is the potential for large gatherings. New enhancements recently released to the RealPage ActiveBuilding resident portal are making the reopening process more convenient for residents and more manageable for operators. Apartments – with amenities like clubhouses and guest suites – are expecting an increase in bookings as residents return to normal routines, said Jennifer Piccinini, who is vice president of consumer solutions at RealPage. “Residents across the country are eager to get back into their communities’ gyms, pools, meeting spaces and other amenities so they can begin to reconnect with families and friends – but it has to be done safely,” she said. “So with these enhancements, our focus is to make it easier for properties to apply their local social distancing rules to amenity reservations. And, for residents, we’ve made it easier to find time slots and reserve those newly limited spaces, right from the app.” RealPage clients are already fielding requests for community amenities to host birthday parties, graduations, anniversaries and other celebrations. Based on ActiveBuilding network data, requests are also on the rise for pool and fitness reservations—which now require reservations to enforce occupancy and availability restrictions. Setting limits on reservations to avoid overcrowding Through the portal’s amenity reservations module, residents can make their own bookings for a wide array of community amenities like parking, storage, meeting rooms, clubhouses, pools, gyms and equipment like household appliances, sporting goods or ladders.  ActiveBuilding eliminates double-booking and allows properties to enforce social distancing by...