How can I set up an AI leasing agent to answer calls after hours for my mid-rise apartments?

If you manage a mid-rise apartment community, you know the frustration. A prospect calls at 7 PM asking about availability, but your leasing office closed two hours ago. By morning, they've already toured a competitor and signed a lease elsewhere. You never even knew they called.

After-hours leasing calls turn into signed leases more often than you'd think, and missing them costs real money. Setting up an AI leasing agent to handle those calls is simpler than you might expect.

Why after-hours calls matter for your apartment community

Prospects don't search for apartments during your office hours. They're scrolling Zillow on the couch at 9 PM, browsing listings on their lunch break, or searching late at night because they just found out their lease isn't being renewed. When they find a place they like, they want answers now.

According to Digible's 2024 multifamily report, nearly half of all calls to apartment communities go unanswered. Those missed calls add up fast. One missed call could cost your property anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 in annual revenue, depending on your rent prices and lease terms.

If your average rent is $1,500 per month and you miss just one prospect who would have signed a 12-month lease, that's $18,000 walking out the door. Miss a few of those each year and you're looking at a serious hit to your bottom line.

It gets worse: 35% of prospective renters say they'll move on to another apartment if they don't hear back quickly. Your competitors are just a phone call away, and they might actually pick up.

What is an AI leasing agent?

An AI leasing agent answers your leasing office phone, talks to callers naturally, and handles their questions or requests.

If you're picturing a robotic voice saying "press 1 for leasing, press 2 for maintenance," that's not what we're talking about. Modern AI answering services for apartments have actual conversations. They understand what callers are asking and respond like a real person would. A prospect can call at 10 PM, ask about pet policies and available two-bedroom units, and get real answers.

A good AI receptionist for your leasing office can:

• Answer questions about your apartments (pricing, availability, amenities, policies)
• Collect caller information for your team to follow up
• Schedule property tours directly on your calendar
• Transfer urgent calls to you or a team member
• Handle maintenance emergency calls with proper escalation
• Take detailed messages when someone just wants to leave information

The AI works alongside your leasing team. It covers the hours when your office is closed and handles overflow calls when your team is busy giving tours or buried in paperwork.

How to set up Upfirst as your AI leasing agent

Setting up a 24/7 apartment answering service with Upfirst takes about 15 minutes. You could do it during your lunch break and have after-hours coverage by tonight.

1. Sign up and create your account

Head to Upfirst and create your account. You'll enter basic information about yourself and your property management business. There are no long-term contracts, so you can try it out without feeling locked in.

2. Add your apartment community information

Next, you'll add details about your mid-rise community. This includes your property name, address, and leasing office hours. The AI uses this information to give callers accurate details about your location and when they can visit in person.

You can also add information about your units, amenities, pet policies, parking, and anything else prospects commonly ask about. Think about the questions you answer over and over again. Those are the ones to add here. The more details you provide, the better the AI can answer caller questions.

3. Set your greeting and AI instructions

This is where you customize how the AI represents your property. You'll set the greeting callers hear when they call, and you'll give the AI instructions on how to handle different situations.

There are a few ways to set up your AI leasing agent depending on what works best for your business:

Option 1: Collect information for follow-up

If you prefer to handle leasing conversations personally, set up the AI to gather caller details. The AI will collect the prospect's name, phone number, email, best time for a callback, and any specific questions they have. You'll get a summary after each call so you can follow up when your office opens. No more sticky notes or half-remembered voicemails.

Option 2: Book showings directly

Want to capture leads while they're hot? Connect your Google Calendar or Outlook calendar to Upfirst. The AI can check your availability and book property tours right on the call. No back-and-forth scheduling needed. The prospect hangs up with a confirmed appointment, and you wake up to a full calendar.

If you use a separate scheduling tool, the AI can also send callers a text message with a link to your booking calendar. They can pick a time that works for them immediately after the call.

Option 3: Transfer to a sales agent

For property managers who want prospects to speak with someone right away, you can set up the AI to transfer calls to you or a team member. The AI answers, qualifies the lead with a few questions, then connects them to a live person. This works well during business hours or for high-priority inquiries.

You can also combine these options. Transfer calls during business hours but collect information for follow-up after hours. Whatever fits your workflow.

4. Configure call handling preferences

Decide how you want to receive information from calls. Most property managers choose to get email summaries after each call. You can also receive text alerts for urgent calls or specific situations, so you're not checking your inbox constantly.

Set up emergency escalation rules for maintenance issues. If someone calls about a burst pipe or no heat in January, the AI can recognize the urgency and call you or your maintenance team immediately. Leasing questions can wait until morning. Flooding cannot.

5. Forward your calls to Upfirst

The final step is routing calls to your AI leasing agent. You have a few options.

If you only want calls answered after hours, set up conditional call forwarding on your leasing office line. Calls that aren't answered within a few rings will automatically forward to Upfirst. Your office hours stay the same, but now someone picks up when you're not there.

If you want 24/7 coverage, you can forward all calls to Upfirst and let the AI handle everything. Your team can still receive transfers for calls that need a human touch.

Your phone provider can help you set up forwarding if you're not sure how to do it. Usually takes just a few minutes.

What your AI leasing agent can handle

Once set up, your AI leasing agent becomes the first point of contact for anyone calling your property.

Leasing inquiries: Prospects can ask about available units, monthly rent, move-in specials, lease terms, and application requirements. The AI provides accurate information based on what you've told it about your property. No more "I'll have to call you back on that."

Tour scheduling: Whether through direct calendar booking or sending a scheduling link, the AI helps prospects take the next step without waiting for office hours. They called interested, they hang up with a tour booked.

Common questions: Pet policies, parking availability, utility information, amenity hours, nearby schools, public transportation access. If you've added it to the AI's knowledge base, it can answer it. All those questions you answer five times a day? The AI handles them now.

Maintenance emergencies: The AI can identify true emergencies like flooding, no heat in winter, or security concerns. It asks the right questions and escalates to your maintenance team when needed.

General messages: Sometimes callers just want to leave a message for a specific person or department. The AI takes detailed notes and makes sure nothing gets lost.

What to expect after setup

Your AI leasing agent starts working immediately after setup. The first call that comes in after hours will be answered by your AI instead of going to voicemail. No waiting period, no "implementation phase."

The first week typically looks like this:

Day 1: Your AI starts answering calls. You'll receive your first call summaries via email. Review them to see how the AI handled each conversation. It's kind of fun, honestly.

Days 2-3: You might notice a few responses that could be improved. Maybe the AI didn't have information about your storage units or gave an outdated move-in special. Update the AI's knowledge base with these details. Takes two minutes.

Days 4-7: As you fine-tune the information, the AI gets better at representing your property. Most property managers find their AI is handling calls smoothly by the end of the first week.

The key is reviewing those early call summaries. Think of it like training a new employee, except this one doesn't call in sick and works every holiday.

How much does it cost?

Upfirst starts at $24.95 per month, which covers 30 calls. For most mid-rise apartment communities, that's plenty to handle after-hours inquiries without breaking the budget.

Compare that to the alternatives. A traditional answering service might charge $1 or more per minute. Hiring overnight staff costs thousands per month in salary alone. An AI answering service for apartments gives you 24/7 coverage at a fraction of those costs.

If your AI leasing agent helps you sign just one additional lease this year, it's paid for itself many times over. At $24.95 per month, you're spending about $300 per year. One 12-month lease at $1,500 monthly rent brings in $18,000.

That's a 60x return.

Stop missing after-hours calls today

Every call to your leasing office is an opportunity. When prospects can reach you at any hour, they're more likely to choose your property over a competitor that sent them to voicemail.

Setting up an AI leasing agent with Upfirst takes about 15 minutes. You'll have 24/7 coverage, detailed call summaries, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing every call gets answered, even when you're asleep.

Your prospects are calling. Make sure someone's there to answer.

Try Upfirst today for free for 14 days, no credit card required.