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What worked yesterday doesn’t always work today. If it did, multifamily operators would still be posting apartment listings in the classified section of their local newspaper, collecting rent checks, and sending official communications to their residents via the USPS. But the forward march of progress goes beyond technology, as we see more and more contemporary operators rethinking traditional staffing models in light of rising labor costs and high onsite turnover.
EliseAI has had a front row seat to the transformation of the traditional management model as we’ve helped over 500 operators around the nation scale their operations with AI. We’ve watched firsthand as leading operators big and small discover that centralization, powered by AI automation, can dramatically improve the employee experience while maintaining or improving service quality. But what is arguably the most significant impact of this seismic shift to the way communities run, beyond onsite satisfaction and service quality? Improved NOI.
Let’s dive deeper into the trends driving the shift towards centralization before showcasing quantifiable NOI metrics from operators who have leveraged EliseAI to enable their centralized operating models.
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The Strategic Shift: From Community-Level to Centralized Operations
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The multifamily management “status quo” is easily observable in plenty of communities around the nation. A 100 unit community might have two full time office staff, a primary property manager and an assistant community manager or just a PM and floating leasing agent. Their set of responsibilities is wide ranging and unfocused, making them a jack of all trades without a designated specialization. This has worked for a long time, but as modern consumer preferences change and standards elevate as a result of the “on-demand economy”, this model begins to lose its luster. That’s why some operators are looking to improve service quality and response times by shifting from several unspecialized team members per community to floating, specialized managers who can manage specific tasks at 3-5 properties each.
As the industry moves away from the days of inconsistent lead response times and difficulty scaling unit counts without proportional headcount increases, and towards automated processes and specialized teams that ensure residents and prospects get the help they need, new technology has emerged as a lynchpin of these efforts—namely AI and automation technology. With AI-powered automation tools handling routine communications, delinquency management, and lead qualification, onsite teams can double down on the authentic human experiences that delight residents and improve conversion and renewal rates. Leveraging natural attrition rather than disruptive layoffs to transition gradually can minimize the impact of centralization on team morale while still getting you to your desired end state.
So what does it look like when the dust settles? Fast replies to prospects and residents alike, specialized team members who do one or two things really well as opposed to doing everything at an average level…and significantly improved NOI.
Measuring the NOI Impact of Centralization at The Busboom Group
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Through a combination of improved leasing conversion rates, more effective staffing ratios, and decreased delinquency, operators deploying centralized models are able to recognize significant cost reductions and improved revenue numbers, resulting in substantially increased NOI. Look no further than the innovative Dallas-Fort Worth based owner operator The Busboom Group for tangible proof of the impact of centralization.
By centralizing in conjunction with deploying EliseAI’s full suite of conversational AI products, The Busboom Group recognized an NOI increase of $75+ per unit per month. This performance improvement was driven by three primary levers: conversion rate improvements as a result of their 24/7 AI-powered leasing operations, payroll savings, and decreased delinquency with AI and centralization.
Leasing Conversion Rate Improvement
Deploying EliseAI’s LeasingAI and VoiceAI products to automate low-value, repetitive tasks like scheduling and confirming tours was a key component of The Busboom Group’s centralization effort. Once EliseAI began handling over 90% of all prospect communication autonomously across text, email, and voice, Busboom recognized improved lead-to-tour rates, while giving time back to their centralized and onsite teams. It also provided them with round the clock after-hours coverage, with 25%+ of leads arriving after hours or on weekends.
Payroll Savings
Through adopting a flexible, needs-based onsite staffing model supported by their centralized teams, Busboom was able to create roughly 40%+ of their NOI improvements through total payroll reduction. What’s important to note is that service quality and employee sentiment both experienced increases as a result of this process refinement.
Delinquency Improvement
As part of their centralization effort, Busboom deployed EliseAI’s Delinquency product to reduce the amount of manual delinquency outreach their centralized teams needed to handle. With DelinquencyAI supporting one single centralized team member across 2,600 units, Busboom Group managed to achieve a 99% 30-day collections rate. The single centralized team member now only spends 2 hours per week on collections & delinquency management, including AI handoffs, physical eviction notices, and any resident escalations.
Measuring the NOI Impact of Centralization at Villa Serena Apartments
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Another operator that realized substantive NOI improvement through a combination of centralization and AI-powered automation technology was Villa Serena Communities, a regional property management company with a diverse portfolio of market-rate apartment communities spread across Texas. Facing rising labor costs and elevated renter expectations, the company identified a clear opportunity to streamline costs while maintaining high-quality service by centralizing operations and leveraging automation technology. Rather than backfilling positions as onsite team members left through natural attrition, Villa Serena Communities shifted those responsibilities to a centralized team supported by EliseAI's automation platform, allowing them to maintain leasing performance while achieving substantial operational efficiencies.
The results speak directly to the bottom line impact of centralization. When comparing January–April 2025 to the same period in 2024, Villa Serena Communities achieved significant margin expansion across all 14 properties. Individual property performance was equally impressive, with standout examples like Rockridge Park demonstrating the model's effectiveness. After centralizing operations, this property maintained strong leasing performance while operating with just one onsite leasing agent and floating support staff, proving that centralized support could deliver results without sacrificing service quality.
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The centralization strategy delivered measurable NOI improvements by fundamentally restructuring their service costs while improving conversion rates and delinquency numbers. Villa Serena Communities’ case shows how centralization, powered by EliseAI’s automation-focused technology, can help reduce headcount costs while maintaining service quality. With strong early results validating the approach, to the tune of a $731 annualized [er unit NOI increase, Villa Serena Communities is now expanding centralized leasing across its entire portfolio while launching centralized maintenance operations in parallel.
Villa Serena's story is just another clear demonstration of how innovative operators are leveraging centralized models (enabled by force-multiplying AI technology from EliseAI) to drive sustained NOI growth.
Setting Up for Centralization with The Right Tech
Centralizing without the right technology is like trying to bake a cake without sugar—it might look like a cake, but it sure won’t taste good. Without AI solutions that can autonomously handle prospect communications, delinquency workflows, and application processing, it’s impossible to achieve the necessary leverage that allows centralized teams to operate at scale. Put simply, they need to be focused on what really matters, their specialized skillsets, and not the minutiae that is currently bogging down your onsite teams. Plus, deploying a robust technology platform built around AI enables operators to scale their portfolios without proportional cost increases.
If you’re looking for the best purpose-built centralization technology on the market, look no further than EliseAI. With over 500 operators around the country deploying our AI to take work off the plates of their onsite and centralized teams, EliseAI knows a thing or two about centralization. Plus, our robust industry experience and deep understanding of centralized models give third-party managers and owner-operators alike the support they need to undergo this operational transformation with confidence. Get in touch today to learn more.