News

The Association for Rental Living, the membership body for all institutionally backed, professionally managed purpose-built rental living sectors, has announced the extension of the entry deadline for its prestigious 2026 ARL Awards to 30 September. Designed to honour key contributors across the rental living sector, the free-to-enter…

There was a core phrase echoing from session to session during the ARL’s AI in Rental Living Summit this week: “invisible reliability, visible care”. Credit goes to opening keynote speaker Antony Slumbers for coining the phrase during an energising presentation, which came to encapsulate discussions during the day. AI capability…

The Association for Rental Living has appointed Merilee Karr, Founder and CEO of UnderTheDoormat Group, as its Short Stay Rental Special Advisor. As the membership body for all institutionally backed, professionally managed purpose-built rental living sectors, empowering growth is one of the Association for Rental Living’s strategic goals and through…

Association for Rental Living Annual Conference 2026 agenda & first speakers announced Concurrent senior-level Annual Conference and NextGen Pathways Conference will take place in London on 10th November 2026 Annual Conference keynotes, panel discussions and forward-focused sessions will span topics ranging from investment to operations, regulation and AI NextGen Pathways…

By Alex Vail A chatbot answering parcel enquiries is not the same as an algorithm influencing affordability decisions. Understanding that distinction may become one of the most important leadership skills in the rental living sector. Public conversations about AI often suffer from a simple problem: everything gets labelled…

Today, the Government has announced the commencement date of next phase of the Renters’ Rights Act reforms. The new national landlord registration service will be rolled out region by region. It will launch on 15 December 2026, starting in the West Midlands and onto other areas over 12 months. Landlords…

By Alex Vail Every week, ARL members receive approaches from suppliers promising revolutionary outcomes. The challenge is no longer finding AI vendors. It is distinguishing meaningful innovation from expensive noise. Having spent over a decade working with everyone from startups to high street banks in deploying emerging technologies,…

  “As Built & Handover Information: requirements” An Industry Task and Finish Group convened by CLC Building Safety Group, Portfolio 4: Building Occupation and industry technical experts BIM in Asset Management are pleased to announce the publication of their guidance regarding the Occupied Sector’s expectations for accurate, trustworthy and complete…

By Alex Vail The most successful operators are unlikely to begin with futuristic concepts or experimental technology. They are far more likely to start by solving everyday operational frustrations. As I discovered while researching my book, Data Culture, one of the most persistent myths surrounding AI is…

Most BTR operators are still debating AI strategy. The reality is that AI may already be influencing resident communications, maintenance decisions, pricing recommendations and operational reporting across their businesses. The governance challenge has arrived earlier than many realise. For several years, discussions about artificial intelligence in Build to Rent…