Multifamily operators are feeling the shift. Revenue management and data usage are under more scrutiny than ever, as regulators demand greater pricing transparency. Many pricing engines still depend on algorithms powered by massive third-party datasets that few people truly understand or control.
When every operator taps into the same external data source, pricing recommendations begin to look the same. That uniformity weakens competitive positioning and increases compliance risks. The multifamily market is now an environment where transparency is inseparable from how your data is collected, managed, and applied. The consequence is that occupancy suffers across the board when rents are inflated above 30%; hence the involvement of the DOJ and FTC.
A First-Party Data Advantage
Progress will not come from having more data, it will come from having better data that you actually own. In this environment, that means leaning into first-party data.
First-party data is the information a property management company collects directly from its own systems and interactions. It includes leasing activity, prospect engagement, pricing performance, renewal behavior, and the choices renters make as they move through your funnel. First-party data is authentic, precise, and fully controlled by your team.
That makes it a strategic asset. It is unique to your properties, inherently more compliant when handled correctly, and perfectly aligned with your performance goals, because it is built from your own results.
Table: Comparing First-Party and Third-Party Data
Dimension | First-party data | Third-party data |
|---|---|---|
Volume | Smaller overall, but specific to your properties, residents, and prospects. | Much larger, aggregated across many owners, markets, and sources. |
Velocity | Captured and usable in real time as conversations and applications happen. | Operates on a lag because it must be collected, cleaned, and redistributed. |
Variety | Rich mix of conversations, behaviors, preferences, and outcomes. | Limited to fields that can be standardized at scale, usually high level metrics. |
Veracity | High trust, because it comes directly from your systems and can be audited. | Quality and context vary, and it is harder to validate at the asset level. |
Value | Enables strategic, proprietary decisions competitors cannot easily copy. | Often drives reactive moves based on the same broad signals everyone else sees. |
What First-Party Data Can Unlock in Multifamily
Revenue management: Livsee uses prospect level data to optimize concessions and pricing based on real demand and behavior. The goal is simple: lease faster while protecting NOI.
Marketing communications: Understanding the voice of your residents gives marketers the raw material to build campaigns that land and programs that feel meaningful instead of generic.
Operations: First-party insight helps operators see dynamics and trends early, so they can protect NOI with decisions that reflect reality on the ground, not assumptions.
How It is Collected and Operationalized
First-party data already lives in your emails, texts, tours, applications, renewals, and onsite conversations. The hard part is not getting the data, it is making sense of it at scale and putting it back into the business, where it can actually change decisions.
Livsee uses agentic AI to listen to and learn from renters and prospects, to understand what truly motivates their decisions. We turn everyday dialogue into structured insight that informs pricing, concessions, and ultimately where teams invest time and attention.
For instance, understanding that renewals are directly tied to amenity upgrades or that renters will pay a premium for convenient features and services can drive business decisions, provide insight into breakeven costs, and justify operational changes. These are precisely the insights that Livsee discovers and executes on. The goal is to turn first-party data insights into a balanced income source, whether by reducing concessions with retargeting or providing insights into demand for specific services.
Multifamily is heading into a phase where data integrity, transparency, and ownership are not optional. They are the cost of doing business, and the path to differentiation. First-party data is the asset that makes that shift possible, and platforms like Livsee exist to help operators actually use it, not just admire it in a report.
The Livsee Blog was created by Livsee’s team of experts to help multifamily owner-operators lease smarter. For insights covering proptech, AI, and innovation in multifamily, make sure to subscribe and follow Livsee on social media.
Ready to go Beyond the Conversation? Schedule a demo to see how Livsee helps properties strategically increase their occupancy.
