If 2020 has taught us anything it’s that people and places are constantly pivoting and shifting, and that’s not just due to a pandemic. The way we live and the expectations of our homes are constantly changing. Amenities are no different.

Top Five Amenities for 2021

Amenities may be one of the most important ever evolving elements to pay attention to when it comes to meeting and exceeding the needs of buyers and renters. We’re delving into the amenities that are important to consider when attracting new tenants and retaining current tenants long-term.

Co-Working Spaces in Buildings

Click here to see more photos and features from this project that features an E-Lounge that allows multiple people to work at the same time utilizing different setups. Even before 2020, more people were moving to remote working. There’s now about 42% of the U.S. labor force working from home full-time, and many of these remote workers will continue to work remotely for the foreseeable future as well as permanently. For this reason alone, dedicated workspaces, free from family and other non-work-related distractions are becoming a popular amenity. To address this new challenge, many residential properties are offering co-working spaces, and these spaces can run the gamut from day use as needed, to working spaces similar to what is offered in hotels, to more formal working spaces with quiet areas (like are found in libraries), meeting rooms, and technology spaces/centers. And since many people are now working remotely, the availability of the latter is crucial since videoconferencing and teleconferencing are now the main way companies are conducting their day-to-day business. ## Upgraded Fitness Spaces Click here to see more photos and features from this project inlcuding this upgraded fitness space While it’s not uncommon for multi-family communities to offer a gym space with equipment, this is often not enough for today’s tenants. The tenants of 2021 and beyond are looking for communities that offer fitness spaces equipped with virtual exercise classes that can be taken when most convenient, partnerships with local gyms who offer their classes on site, as well as different workout rooms geared towards yoga, boxing, and other similar forms of exercise. Simple outdoor spaces conducive to fitness-related activities are also popular with tenants. In addition to fitness spaces, healthy and convenient meal options are also important to today’s tenants, so communities who partner with meal delivery services to offer discounts to residents can both attract and keep tenants.

The Luxury of Quiet

Detailed photo from one of our recent apartment models

Yes, you read that right. Quiet is an increasingly important amenity for renters and property owners alike. Along with enhanced fitness spaces and fitness options as discussed previously, tenants also crave quiet spaces where they can temporarily escape from this crazy, often overstimulated, world. We’re not talking about meditative spaces, but the luxury of peace and quiet.

Think about it, one of the most sought-after features in an airport lounge is muted lighting and dampened sound. The same applies to renters’ homes. Silence is a commodity and an amenity that can be achieved by using soundproofing techniques during construction, carpeted areas, or even separated silent work areas (for those places with co-working spaces). If the minimalist trend has taught us anything, it’s out with the loud, and in with the muted quiet. The same applies to the perception of actual sound, and we can certainly design with that in mind.

Package Centers

LuxerOne Package Lockers located inside the clubhouse of one of our multi-family property projects

In 2018 1.79 billion people worldwide shopped online, and that number is expected to jump to 2.14 billion in 2021. With an expected world population in 2021 nearing 7.9 billion people, that’s a high percentage of people who will be utilizing online shopping. Because of this continually increasing trend, the community mailbox stations from years past with small, keyed boxes will not be sufficient for today’s tenants who are frequently receiving multiple packages of various sizes with random delivery times.

Another factor is the alarmingly increasing rate of package thefts. Because of these factors, it is becoming more and more essential for communities to offer package centers where deliveries can be safely received and where tenants can pick up packages at their convenience without the fear of theft. Ideal package centers will also be able to accommodate large packages, like mattresses and big screen TVs, as well as meal delivery service packages that need to be kept hot or cold.

Access to Technology

Technology is always changing, making it essential for communities to also adapt to new technologies as quickly as possible. Communities with in-unit smart technology where utilities, surveillance, and entry and exit access are concerned are attractive to tenants since they can offer more control over utility costs, safety, and both remote and in person entrance into their units. Smart technology can also offer tenants a higher degree of safety and financial savings since they can control different aspects of their unit no matter where they might be. And since more and more people are spending more time at home, adequate, and even beyond adequate internet availability is becoming more and more important to service the increasing number of remote workers, home schoolers, and entertainment lovers as well as the ever-expanding number of devices requiring internet access. If a property’s internet speed isn’t adequate for tenants’ needs, this fact, alone, could often send them looking elsewhere for a new place to live.

It's highly likely that many of the changes 2020 brought aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, as more and more workers continue to work remotely, and as we all adapt to a post-2020 world, the need for these amenities as well as additional ones we haven’t even thought of yet will become the new norm. So, in order to continually attract—and keep—tenants, understanding tenants’ needs, even before they do, and then staying current where amenities are concerned are crucial to a property’s success, both for customer service and longevity and financially for property owners as well.

Contact us with any questions you may have about how amenities can benefit your property and for any design questions, in general, and we’ll put our design expertise to work for you.