As a property owner or operator, you learn to expect the unexpected. It’s when you finally think you’ve seen everything that you get a message from a resident about a never-before-seen issue. When you work in multifamily rentals, you need to be fully present for these situations, to think on your feet and to leverage your operational knowledge to find quick, creative solutions.

But what about the more mundane tasks that come up day after day? Not every resident request requires your full attention all the time — and many property managers are now leveraging AI tools like ApartmentAdvisor ASSIST to help them triage, prioritize, and resolve tickets faster than ever. This is especially helpful with common tickets that come up time and time again.

To learn more about how our customers are using AI to streamline their maintenance operations, we analyzed all of the maintenance tickets and resident requests submitted through ApartmentAdvisor ASSIST. Here’s what we found.

The Most Common Maintenance Requests

Every property is unique, but there’s a common thread between the maintenance requests owners and operators are receiving from their residents.

Across all of our customers, the most common category that maintenance tickets fall into is appliance issues. Of all tickets ever submitted on ASSIST, 20% are appliance related. Within this category, the most common issues tend to be related to laundry machines, dishwashers, and microwaves.

The next most common category for maintenance requests is water leaks, water temperature problems, and clogged drains, with about 17% of all tickets submitted dripping into the water bucket. Of those, about 15% are related to issues with the resident’s toilet.

At a high level, here’s a look at a few other common categories for maintenance issues:

How AI Can Help Resolve Your Most Common Maintenance Tickets

While our Maintenance ASSIST AI agent can’t come into a resident’s apartment and fix their microwave, it can actually get pretty close. The benefit of an AI maintenance assistant is that it instantly responds to resident requests, asking follow up questions and offering informed suggestions that empower residents to better understand their maintenance issues and sometimes even resolve them themselves with a few safe, basic steps.

Our data shows that appliance issues are common. However, they are also some of the most easily resolved maintenance tickets. For example, when there’s an issue with an appliance like a dishwasher or microwave, the appliance will often display an error code. By telling the ASSIST AI what an error code is, a resident takes the first step in solving the issue. In some cases, knowing what the code means can lead to a solution — without a visit from a maintenance technician. Another common issue we see is an appliance tripping a fuse in the unit’s circuit breaker without the resident realizing. With the help of our AI agent, they are often able to locate the fuse box and reset it, fixing their own issue without calling maintenance.

This is a real conversation between a resident and the Maintenance ASSIST AI agent. Names have been removed for privacy.

This is a real conversation between a resident and the Maintenance ASSIST AI agent. Names have been removed for privacy.

This is a real conversation between a resident and the Maintenance ASSIST AI agent. Names have been removed for privacy.

With slightly more complicated issues like a water leak, you may need to call in an expert. After all, neither your resident nor your Maintenance ASSIST AI agent is not a plumber. Still, the ASSIST and your resident can work as a team to at least temporarily stop an issue from getting worse. When it comes to any sort of issue related to a leaking or draining pipe, the most important step is to shut off the water before serious damage occurs. When a resident submits a ticket about a leak, ASSIST is able to walk them through this crucial step, even helping them find shut-off valves by analyzing photos they send.

How to Implement an AI Solution in Your Maintenance Operations

When it comes to multifamily maintenance, AI is the helping hand you didn’t know you needed. By taking care of the first touch with all of your resident tickets, it ensures that residents feel seen and that they feel armed with the tools needed to prevent damage in their units.

ApartmentAdvisor ASSIST is an easy-to-use, out-of-the-box solution for property owners and operators. To learn more, schedule a complimentary demo with our team. We’ll review your process and spotlight the most impactful AI opportunities to elevate your property operations.