A renter comes to your website, and in the lower right corner a chat window automatically opens up.
"Hello there! I am excited that you're here," says the robot. "How may I help you?"
The renter has to choose one of three options:
- Help find a home
- I'm a resident
- See all my options
They click the first, and…
"Great!"
"Now, please fill out a guest card."
Then a form appears, asking the renter to enter in their personal details, interested floorplans, and expected move-in dates.
It’s too much too soon. The renter clicks skip, and…
"What can I help you with?"
The chatbot reverts back to showing a list of more options: See available floorplans? Price? Neighborhood details? Apply now?
By this point, the renter feels more overwhelmed from this pushy, robotic agent.
Which begs the question…
Are interactions like these with a chatbot truly helpful for a prospective resident?
Read this before adding a chatbot to your apartment website.
What are Chatbots?
Chatbots are automated tools that simulate conversations with website users, typically through a chat interface.
On apartment websites, a chatbot serves as an AI virtual leasing agent readily available 24/7, providing conversational support to users as they browse the website and guiding them toward converting as a lead. That includes answering common questions renters may have about the community, price, and availability.
Their promise is to capture the details about potentially interested renters so no leads slip through the cracks just because the leasing office is closed.
But, in many ways, chatbots repackage the content of the website itself—and like the example above—that can make them less beneficial than what they seem.
If you're considering adding a chatbot to your apartment community website, weigh these pros and cons.
Pros of Using Chatbots on Apartment Websites
✅ Chatbots assist with after-hours lead capture.
Leasing never sleeps, and chatbots are like an insurance plan.
When the leasing office is closed—or short staffed—a chatbot can handle many of the same functions as an agent would.
That means learning more about who the prospects are and later passing off that information to the leasing staff for further follow-up the next day.
✅ Chatbots provide renters with answers—fast.
Renters today are more accustomed to conversing with a large language model, AI chatbot.
They want answers to specific questions:
- What's the price for this floorplan?
- Do you allow labradoodles?
- Are there extra fees for utilities?
- Do I pay a deposit?
And they don't always want to wait until the next day to get answers via phone call or email.
✅ Chatbots direct high-intent prospects to convert.
Ultimately, chatbots are designed to help renters take action—schedule a tour, fill out a contact form, or applying for a lease.
They do this by guiding prospects currently on a community's website, providing personalized answers, directing them to the right pages, and prompting them to take those next steps.
Additionally, they pass-off critical lead details to real leasing agents for fast and efficient follow-up—nurturing the prospects closer to converting to leases.
Cons of Using Chatbots on Apartment Websites
❌ Chatbots create a poor user experience on mobile.
Considering that the majority of your prospective renters will visit your community's mobile site, ensuring it's easy to use is critical.
However, chatbots usually worsen a mobile user’s experience.
They sometimes load slow, break pages, and take up an annoying amount of screen space that covers the website itself—such as important features that matter to prospective residents.
All of those send negative signals to both users and search engines.
❌ Chatbots cannot overcome bad websites.
If your chatbot has a button that says something like 'See Photos', why is that not already a highly visible link in your main navigation?
What happens when someone clicks the button within the chatbot and it goes to a page that is poorly designed or doesn't work?
Also, if chatbots are pulling information from your website, then it must be getting up-to-date, accurate content. If pricing, availability, or details the chatbot reports differ in any way than what's shown on the website, it will confuse renters and erode their trust.
❌ Chatbots are oftentimes not accessible for website users with disabilities.
Adding a chatbot unintentionally makes it more difficult for individuals with a permanent, temporary, or situational disability to navigate your apartment community's website.
Conclusion
Chatbots can supplement the 24/7 leasing functionality of apartment websites, but they're not always a perfect solution. Much of what those AI tools rely on is the content of the website itself while potentially hurting performance and user experience.
The blueprint of high-converting apartment websites centers on floorplan-specific pages with virtual tours, live pricing and availability, and comprehensive details about fees, amenities, and policies. Or, essentially, all of the same features that help capture and convert leads—without the extra help.
That's how RentVision's Community Websites are built. Getting a conversion-friendly website may be a better play than simply adding a chatbot. Learn how we can help by scheduling a demo today.