[Note from editor: The “Mastermind Showcase” highlights companies and news from members of the GEM. Today’s showcase: SmartRent]

The idea of a Smart Home has been an awe-inspiring staple in portrayals of the future. Although we don’t have completely autonomous homes that can make a strawberry smoothie with a voice command as depicted in the movie Smart House, the technology is getting smarter and more accessible to homeowners every year. But where do renters fit into this?

Notorious for the limits it places on tenants’ ability to alter their units, home tech installation is not an option for a majority of renters. An enterprise home automation company providing software and hardware for owners, property managers, and renters in multifamily communities, SmartRent is changing that. Its platform allows rental units to be equipped with smart home technology like digital locks, lights, and thermostats and gives both the property owners and residents access. Owners can control access credentials and available points of entry to a unit, which allows them to provide self-guided tours regardless of office hours, limited staff resources, or security concerns, streamlining the move-in/move-out process. Other protections include devices that prevent property damage, like leak sensors and smart thermostats that notify property managers about potential damp, mold, and condensation issues before it’s too late. SmartRentis partnered with a variety of third-party IoT device makers to create smart solutions that fit any community’s needs. It even provides centralized parking databases that help parking management optimize parking space usage and reduce unauthorized parking with sensor technology and long-range intermediaries that notify staff and towing vendors.  

What we like: Offering owners more efficient and secure ways to protect their properties and renters the convenience of smart home technology is a win-win for multifamily communities. 

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