Four PropTech Trends That Will Define Real Estate’s Next Chapter
Head of Real Estate Practice
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of attending PropTech Connect in London, billed as Europe’s largest real-estate technology event. With more than 6,000 attendees, 400+ speakers, and an agenda designed around adoption and ROI, it was an energizing opportunity to hear where the industry is headed.
Across sessions, private roundtables, and side conversations, four clear trends emerged, each pointing to a realignment in how technology is being deployed across real estate. More importantly, each of these trends maps directly to how we at First Line Software (FLS) are helping leaders succeed.
1. Operational AI is Replacing “Pilot Theater”
The days of AI experiments for the sake of experimentation are over. As one speaker put it: “If it doesn’t show up as a KPI, it’s still a pilot.”
At PropTech Connect, leaders emphasized that scaling AI requires governance, observability, and measurable ROI, not just another model demo.
How FLS helps: Our Managed AI Services (MAIS) provide the infrastructure and processes needed to keep AI models running, improving, and compliant. From MLOps + LLMOps to GDPR-ready governance and production SLAs, we help clients move from pilot purgatory to real operational value.
2. Data Plumbing Is the New Battleground
So much of the real estate value chain still sits in PDFs, rent rolls, service-charge statements, and ESG attestations. The conference reinforced what we already see in the market: organizations want to make this unstructured data liquid or usable in Yardi, MRI, SAP, Snowflake and more.
How FLS helps: Our Document Intelligence solutions ingest, classify, and extract critical fields from unstructured documents, validate the results, and deliver trusted data directly into core systems. This means lease terms, service charges, and compliance evidence are not only digitized, they’re decision-ready.
3. Sustainability Is Being Tied Directly to NOI
From the Smart Building Showcase to ESG-focused roundtables, sustainability was framed less as a reporting exercise and more as a path to profitability. Attendees zeroed in on automation loops: detect an HVAC fault, issue a work order, measure savings, and produce evidence for lenders and auditors.
How FLS helps: We build Ops automation and ESG evidence systems that connect BMS/IoT data with work management platforms, close the loop with monitoring and verification, and generate auditable sustainability reports. The result: lower energy costs and higher NOI, with compliance built in.
4. AI Agents That Finish the Job (Not Just Chat About It)
There’s growing fatigue around generic chatbots. At PropTech Connect, the conversation shifted toward task-focused agents that handle tenant requests, arrears nudges, leasing FAQs, and compliance workflows, always with guardrails and human-in-the-loop oversight.
How FLS helps: We design Custom Voice & Workflow Agents scoped to real estate operations. From triaging maintenance tickets to assembling diligence packs, these agents don’t just talk—they complete the process, log the evidence, and escalate when needed.
Closing Thoughts
The message from London was clear: real estate technology is moving beyond tools toward services that deliver measurable ROI. Whether it’s operational AI, unlocking document data, automating sustainability, or deploying workflow agents, the winners will be those who scale solutions that are both effective and compliant.
At First Line Software, we’re proud to already be building these capabilities with our clients worldwide.
If you’d like to discuss how these trends apply to your portfolio or pipeline, I’d be glad to connect.