Heimstaden is changing residential real estate management with AI

The buildings haven’t changed. Everything around them has.

A hundred years ago, managing a residential building meant finding tenants, collecting rent and keeping properties in good condition. Today, these fundamentals remain remarkably similar. What is changing is how that work gets done.

For European residential real estate operator Heimstaden⁠(opens in a new window), this presents an opportunity: what if AI could fundamentally change how thousands of homes are managed?

In June 2025, Heimstaden’s leadership decided to accelerate its bet on AI. After evaluating several platforms, the company chose OpenAI. The goal was twofold; empower employees and rethink the processes at the heart of its business.

The ambition is to move towards increasingly self-operating buildings, where AI can help anticipate needs, coordinate work and support decisions across the property lifecycle. “The purpose of our buildings hasn’t changed.” says Helge Krogsbøl, Co-CEO at Heimstaden. “We provide homes for people. But the way we operate them continues to change as we challenge conventions and adopt new technology.”

“We see AI as one of the biggest opportunities to accelerate that transformation.”

—Helge Krogsbøl, Co-CEO, Heimstaden

Reimagining the business of letting homes

Consider what happens when a property becomes vacant.

Traditionally, getting it back onto the market involves assessing rental value, arranging photography, producing advertisements and responding to market demand. Each stage requires time, coordination and specialist input. And it is an information challenge; understanding what you own, what the competition has, and what the customer wants.

AI is now supporting all the key steps in this process:

Employees remain responsible for reviewing and approving decisions. But the work surrounding those decisions is changing.

The significance extends beyond cheaper advertisements. By applying AI across the letting process, Heimstaden is building a more responsive way to bring homes to market.