Adding Smart Home Technology to Your Rental Property
By Jennifer Dawson
The number of houses sold in New Zealand in December 2018 decreased by 12.9% to 5,330 houses, according to statistics released by Reinz. This may be an important indicator that people are leaning towards renting and leasing as opposed to buying. However, even in a rented space, there are a variety of options available to spruce it up and make it feel more like home. But redesigning a rental may be tricky. A landlord can not change a home too drastically due to differences in the personal preferences of incoming tenants and tenants have restrictions themselves. A great compromise for both the tenant and landlord, in this case, is incorporating smart technology.
From Smartphones to Smart Homes: The Revolution.
The concept of a smart home is actually pretty simple: it is a setup where electrical appliances can communicate with each other. What this means is that all the devices in the house from the TV to the fridge, the cooker, and even the lights can be controlled remotely, provided there is a working internet connection. A smart home, like any other smart device, has various benefits, which include energy saving and convenience. For property owners who are looking to make their property more attractive to tenants, it’s good to know that a smart home makes life that much easier, especially for those living with disabilities. It allows them greater ease in controlling the lights, regulating the temperature and even opening and closing the curtains.
Where to Begin: Smart Home Assistant.
It would certainly defeat the entire point of a smart home if each smart device had to be controlled individually. If ease and convenience are actually to be achieved, then there must be a way to control the various devices from a central point. This is the intended purpose of the smart home assistant: it integrates different small gadgets and allows them to be controlled through voice commands or through a smartphone. You may want to opt for a voice-command-enabled home assistant such as Google Home or Amazon Echo as studies have shown it is preferred across all generations. Multiple smart device connectivity also ensures efficiency for your tenants.
Smart Tech Helping You Save Energy and Money.
A great advantage of smart technology is that it can help you save on energy consumption and as a result, reduce your bills. All too often, in our rush out of the house, we often forget to switch off some of the lights and they remain that way all day till we come back home from work. However, if you have smart lights, they would only turn on if you happen to be in the room. On the flip side, as a landlord, you could remotely regulate heat and light usage in vacant rental property and in doing so, significantly cut costs.
Whether you’re looking for ways to upgrade your rental property or want to incorporate new tech into your new rental development, smart technology is a good investment. It increases the value of your property while also attracting the more-tech savvy tenants who’re after efficiency and convenience.
