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MDU Research

Q3 2025

Quantified Consumer

Smart, Safe, and Secure Apartment Living

With a record amount of new inventory hitting the market, the multifamily housing is growing increasingly competitive. Newer and older properties must vie for renters, and key decision makers are looking towards meaningful ways of differentiating their communities. This study examines renter demand for smart, safe, and secure living solutions, looking at the actual impact to renter decision making. It identifies the impact of investments into resident-facing apps and app functions, property access control, security cameras and smart security solutions, and smart door locks for residential units, comparing them against more traditional amenities.

This study draws from Parks Associates’ Q1 2025 survey of 8,000 U.S. internet households. The survey is demographically representative of US internet households, with quotas for age, income, gender, and educational attainment.

Purchase

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Executive Summary

Net Promoter Score of Unit and Neighborhood

NPS Among Those Likely vs. Unlikely to Move

Importance of Tested Amenities Among Prospective Residents

Community Safety Concerns by Residence Type

Apartment NPS by Number of Tested Security Measures

Willingness to Pay for Property-Provided Smart Home and Security Packages by Residence Type

Potential Market Opportunity of Property-Provided Smart Home and Security Packages by Residence Type

Impact of Smart Amenity Satisfaction on Property NPS

Satisfaction With Tested MDU Metrics

Property NPS by Internet Service Type

Home Internet NPS by Property Type

Residential Smart Building Market Characteristics

Multifamily Market Size

Single-Family Market Size

Resident-Reported Landlord by Housing Type

Net Promoter Score of Unit and Neighborhood

Net Promoter Score of Unit by Property Type

Length of Tenure And Churn by Residence Type

Amenities and Features Provided by Community by Residence Type

Satisfaction With Tested MDU Metrics

Impact of Smart Amenity Satisfaction on Property NPS

Self-Reported Property-Provided Device Adoption Among Multifamily Residents

Appeal of Smart Safety Use Cases

Community Safety Concerns by Residence Type

Satisfaction with Safety and Security of Home and/or Neighborhood

Use of Home Security Devices by Residence Type (Either Resident-Acquired or Property-Provided)

Current Property Security Measures by Residence Type

Apartment NPS by Property Security Measures

Apartment NPS by Number of Security Measures

Desired Property Security Measures by Residence Type

Impact of Smart Amenities on Home Selection

Impact of Tested Amenities on Apartment Resident NPS

Importance of Smart Amenities for Future Home

Interest in Smart Home Devices and Security Features by Residence Type

Importance of Smart Amenities vs. Top Amenities for Future Home

High Importance of Amenities, Among Those Likely to Move In Next 6 Months

Willingness to Pay for Property-Provided Smart Home and Security Packages by Residence Type

Potential Market Opportunity of Property-Provided Smart Home and Security Packages by Residence Type

Demographics of Those Willing To Pay $60 Per Month for Smart Home and Security Amenity Package

Future Home Expectations: Smart Features and Amenities by Residence Type

Smart Apartment Apps and Services

Importance of Resident App Features by Residence Type

Usage of App & Website Portal by Residence Type

Tasks Performed by Using Mobile App Among MDU Residents

Tasks Performed by Using Web Portal Among MDU Residents

Tasks Performed Using App, Among App Users

Tasks Performed by Using Web Portal, Among Portal Users

Use of Resident App by Apartment Rent Tier

Tasks Performed Using Resident Mobile App by Apartment Tier

Bulk Internet and Amenity Fees

Adoption of Bulk Internet Service

Home Internet Payment Method by Residence Type

Bulk Internet Payment by Type of Rented Home

Bulk Internet Payment by Type of Owned Home

Bulk Internet Service

Receives Bulk Internet or Pays Technology Amenity Fee

Median Technology Amenity Fee (Including Bulk Internet) by Property Type

Property NPS by Internet Service Type

Home Internet NPS: Standalone Retail vs. Bulk

Mean Monthly Cost of Standalone Internet Service: Retail vs. Bulk

Average Download Speeds of Multifamily Residents

Technology Amenity Fee is Worth the Cost

Willingness to Pay $60 Per Month for Smart Home and Advanced Security Features from Community

Appendix

Housing Factors Breakdown of Residence Type

Demographic Breakdown of Residence Type

Employment & Race Breakdown of Residence Type