Artificial intelligence (AI) has just made a high-profile entry into the public sphere. AI, and especially generative AI, has caused a veritable uproar, so much so that its uses and potentialities could turn our personal and professional lives upside down. In the real estate sector, digitalization is already well established, as witnessed by the rise of Proptech. However, in condominium management, this digitalization came rather late, first legislatively in 2014 with the ALUR law and then factually during the Covid crisis. Faced with this first wave of digitalization, property managers find themselves confronted with significant transformations in their profession.

So the arrival of artificial intelligence is raising questions about how they might absorb this potential disruption, particularly as regards customer relations, an essential element of their business. An analysis of the state of digitalization among property management firms reveals significant changes in customer relations, requiring greater responsiveness, transparency and personalization. Artificial intelligence is also beginning to make inroads into the real estate sector, offering productivity gains in the creation, analysis and automation processes. Concrete examples from some property managers and condominium trustees illustrate the impressive time-saving potential of administrative, accounting and repetitive tasks, despite the limits of implementation and appropriation.

There are two possible strategies for property managers to exploit the time freed up by AI: increase the density of the portfolio of properties managed by each manager and boost profitability, or refocus attention on high value-added missions, with closer and more sustained support. The latter strategy offers the property manager the opportunity to reinvest in his role as agent, based on a relationship of trust, integrity and transparency. At a time when the trust of co-owners is sometimes fragile, this evolution of the profession could prove to be an essential lever for restoring recognition of the essential role played by managing agents in the management of condominiums.