The multifamily housing sector is moving away from standalone smart home gadgets and toward integrated systems that combine access control, connected devices, and property data into a single operating platform, according to a new report from Parks Associates.

The report was sponsored by building intelligence company DOOR, formerly known as Latch, and drew on surveys of more than 700 apartment residents and over 300 decision makers at firms that own or operate multifamily properties.

Operators that deployed smart building systems reported measurable operational gains, the research found. Companies cited a 20% average increase in operating efficiency, a 19% reduction in energy costs, an 18% drop in both operating and water costs, and a 21% decline in safety and security incidents. Parks Associates said the metrics it tested improved by 15% to 20% overall.

Adoption is already broad. The report found that 70% of companies had installed smart door locks in at least one property, a share that rose to 91% among those with luxury holdings. About 25% of residents said they used a mobile app to unlock doors or gates, up six percentage points since 2021.

Access control emerged as a central theme, likely because DOOR is the report’s sponsor. The report found that 52% of operators planned to deploy electronic access control within a year. It also estimated that smart locks and electronic access systems saved an average of $80,000 per building annually, without explaining how it reached that figure. Roughly two-thirds of multifamily unit residents rated controlled access as important when choosing a home.

The report also identified a barrier to progress. Some 41% of operators said they had difficulty managing their smart building vendors, a challenge that intensified as the number of vendors in a portfolio grew. Parks Associates argued that isolated, unit-level devices scale poorly and that reliable connectivity forms the foundation for any broader building intelligence strategy.

AI sits at the center of that vision. The report positioned AI as an evolution layer that lets multifamily systems detect anomalies, anticipate maintenance needs, and move property management from reactive to proactive.