FirstService Residential rolls out HODA AI assistant to redefine property management support

FirstService Residential, a leading property management provider across the United States and Canada, has officially launched HODA, an AI-powered digital assistant designed to transform how residents interact with their communities. The AI assistant, named the “Homeowner Digital Assistant,” is already operational in 900 residential communities and is now available to millions of residents across North America under FirstService Residential’s portfolio. This technology, built in-house and tightly integrated into the company’s digital infrastructure, aims to streamline resident services, improve first-response resolution, and enhance community management workflows.

HODA is not a generic AI chatbot layered onto existing systems. Rather, it is a purpose-built, proprietary technology embedded directly into FirstService Residential’s operational and customer service ecosystem. This foundational integration has enabled the platform to deliver a 90% first-contact resolution rate during its multi-market pilot phase—figures that the company believes signal a new industry standard for digital service delivery in managed residential communities.

David Diestel, Chief Executive Officer of FirstService Residential, described the launch as a milestone in resident experience transformation. He stated that the move was part of a broader strategy to meet rising expectations among homeowners and residents while equipping community managers to manage more responsibilities with greater efficiency. In his view, AI should not merely assist in handling queries but should elevate the entire support experience.

How does HODA improve property management workflows while maintaining resident satisfaction?

HODA is positioned as both a resident-facing tool and a strategic operational enabler. On the resident side, it offers real-time, multilingual responses 24/7 through a digital interface that allows homeowners to handle routine inquiries such as checking account balances, submitting service requests, booking amenities, and accessing community documents. The platform’s multilingual capability is especially relevant in diverse urban centers across Canada and the United States where FirstService Residential has a significant presence.

On the backend, the digital assistant alleviates pressure on community managers by automating repetitive, time-consuming interactions. According to internal estimates, the assistant has significantly reduced inquiry response time and freed property managers to focus on high-value tasks such as managing capital improvement projects and engaging with homeowner associations and boards on strategic issues.

While many AI tools in property management are third-party integrations with limited customization, HODA was developed from the ground up within the FirstService Residential ecosystem. This native integration enables the assistant to leverage real-time operational data, deliver more personalized support, and adapt as system-level changes occur. Unlike off-the-shelf tools that require API mediation, HODA can evolve in tandem with platform updates and property-specific configurations.

Why is FirstService Residential choosing to develop proprietary AI tools instead of licensing third-party platforms?

Jeff Hahn, Chief Information Officer of FirstService Residential, explained that the value of AI is not in the algorithm alone but in its connection to process, data, and user experience. He noted that while many companies are purchasing AI tools, few are investing in the underlying integration and data strategy needed to extract real business value.

HODA is designed to function as more than just an interface. It is an intelligent node in a larger service network, pulling data from internal systems and customizing responses based on the context of each resident’s property, community rules, and engagement history. Hahn emphasized that proprietary development gives FirstService Residential full control over data privacy, system performance, and ongoing product evolution.

This internal development approach also allows FirstService Residential to future-proof its service platform. As AI models evolve, the company can train or fine-tune HODA using anonymized resident interaction data while maintaining strict compliance with North American data protection standards, including Canada’s PIPEDA and relevant U.S. state-level laws such as CCPA.

What role does HODA play in FirstService Residential’s broader digital transformation strategy?

HODA is part of a larger shift at FirstService Residential toward AI-driven operational models that enhance both customer experience and service efficiency. While traditional property management has focused on physical upkeep and manual service coordination, digital transformation efforts over the last five years have increasingly focused on automating service delivery, enhancing transparency, and increasing personalization for residents.

The introduction of HODA builds on FirstService Residential’s earlier investments in digital platforms for amenity booking, maintenance request tracking, and real-time billing. These platforms are complemented by in-house capabilities such as FirstService Financial, FirstService Energy, and regional operations centers that allow for standardized yet localized service delivery.

In this context, HODA is not an isolated innovation but a keystone of the company’s AI-forward roadmap. By centralizing routine resident interactions through HODA, FirstService Residential is consolidating its service logic and creating a data foundation that can support predictive maintenance, resident satisfaction scoring, and even future use cases such as dynamic staffing models or energy optimization alerts.

How does the institutional real estate community view AI innovation in residential management?

The institutional response to AI in real estate has historically been fragmented, with commercial landlords moving faster than their residential counterparts. However, recent shifts in resident behavior—especially post-COVID—have accelerated the push toward more digital self-service tools in managed communities. For private equity firms, REITs, and condo developers partnering with FirstService Residential, innovations like HODA are increasingly viewed as value-add capabilities that improve operational resilience and resident retention.

While HODA’s financial impact on FirstService Corporation has not been quantified in earnings releases, analysts tracking the firm’s digital initiatives note that AI-driven automation could yield margin improvements over time. Labor-intensive customer service departments may eventually be rebalanced to focus on exception management, allowing the business to scale with leaner overhead. This is particularly relevant as FirstService Residential continues to expand its presence in high-growth urban markets like Florida, California, Ontario, and British Columbia.

Investors have also shown interest in FirstService Residential’s ability to build rather than buy AI capabilities—a strategy that aligns with long-term IP ownership and potential licensing opportunities. Though there are no immediate indications of HODA being commercialized as a standalone product, its architecture and success rate make it a noteworthy asset in FirstService Corporation’s broader technology portfolio.

Could HODA influence AI adoption trends across the wider North American property management sector?

With HODA, FirstService Residential becomes one of the first major players in North American residential management to roll out a proprietary AI assistant at this scale. While smaller PropTech startups have introduced AI tools focused on leasing or maintenance diagnostics, few firms in the property management sector have matched FirstService’s end-to-end operational integration.

Given FirstService Residential’s reach—which spans more than 8,000 communities and millions of residents—the success or limitations of HODA will likely set expectations for the rest of the industry. Competitors may be forced to evaluate whether licensing third-party AI tools is sufficient or whether a proprietary build is now table stakes in a digitally mature property management environment.

Industry watchers also suggest that HODA could serve as a case study for how AI and human service models can coexist. While critics of automation warn against the depersonalization of resident interactions, HODA appears to offer a hybrid model—handling the routine while escalating complex or emotional issues to human staff. If executed consistently, this could redefine what residents come to expect in digitally managed communities.

What comes next for FirstService Residential and its AI-driven community platform?

Looking ahead, FirstService Residential is likely to expand HODA’s feature set and deepen its integration with other internal and third-party systems. While the current use case revolves around customer support, future extensions could include voice-based interfaces, predictive service alerts, and integrations with energy management or security platforms.

There is also potential for HODA to influence policy engagement and community planning. By aggregating anonymized query data across regions, FirstService Residential may be able to provide insights into resident concerns, satisfaction trends, and operational bottlenecks—supporting data-informed decision-making for boards and developers.

At a strategic level, FirstService Corporation appears to be leveraging its operating subsidiaries not only to deliver services but to build scalable digital infrastructure. The internal development of HODA reflects a broader pivot away from being a service outsourcer and toward becoming a vertically integrated platform company for essential property services.