Mark-Taylor Residential Case Study:

How Smart Technology Fuels Arizona’s Innovative POD of Centralized Communities

With iApartments, Mark-Taylor Residential has scaled and standardized its centralized operations model throughout its portfolio of Class A communities. Powerful automations have enabled remote teams, transformed leasing capabilities, and empowered teams to serve residents at a higher level.

Case Study: Mark-Taylor Residential + iApartments

Challenges: Staffing shortages, need for specialized operations and meeting the shift to self-service.

Maintenance Challenges

“Our staff can be spread thin and as a result, preventative maintenance becomes essential. When issues do arise, we are often only notified when a resident submits a maintenance request.”

“We needed tools that help us augment the number of menial and repetitive tasks that our teams face daily. If we can cut three steps into one, whether it’s in the move-in/out phase or triggering a maintenance task, we want to look at innovative ways to improve our operating efficiency.”

Leasing Challenges

“We recognized that there was an efficiency gap to fill in our property tours. Our most talented leasing consultants were spending 50% of their time scheduling and walking property tours. It’s important that our top performing team members are working with prospective residents at the right stage.”

Energy Consumption Challenges

“We have always considered ourselves a forward-thinking company, prioritizing the use of energy-efficient appliances and heating and cooling systems. The challenge is that they all function independently of one another, and there’s no automation of controls across properties.

Fragmented Tech Stack Challenges

Multiple platforms across a portfolio of communities created training challenges and operational friction—slowing down the ability to scale and standardize.

The Solution: Mark-Taylor partnered with iApartments to enable remote teams and unlock operating and leasing efficiencies.

What began as a smart home technology initiative evolved into a critical lever for operational transformation, cost savings, and resident satisfaction. The iApartments system typically generates $258+ per unit / year in net operating income (NOI).

“We’ve been able to progress forward in our operations in three short years as a result of our centralized pivot with iApartments.”

Portfolio-Wide Smart Home Deployment

By standardizing iApartments as its smart home partner, Mark-Taylor Residential streamlined resident and team experiences across its Class A communities. Residents now enjoy keyless locks, smart thermostats and sensors. Community management also benefit from mobile access to maintenance requests, vacant unit control, and automated access credential management for move-ins and move-outs.

Time is Money, Energy Efficiency is Priceless

Keyless access has enabled maintenance teams to save 2,098 hours annually across three POD communities. Maintenance and Leasing team members have used Smart Access 7,045 times over the past year (2024), and resident lockouts have essentially been eliminated.

iApartments’ smart thermostat automations have reduced energy cost in vacant units, with HVAC units running an average of 29% less, saving Mark Taylor over $40,000 in energy costs.

“iApartments’ smart thermostats have reduced energy usage in vacant units, saving us over $40,000/year in energy consumption across three communities.”

Setting a New Standard with MT+

Mark-Taylor incorporated iApartments into its resident-exclusive MT+ Program, a technology and discount bundle that differentiates the company in competitive markets. Resident surveys confirmed smart technology is a critical factor in the decision to lease. Its inclusion helps reinforce the value proposition, improves renter satisfaction and contributes to market-leading retention rates.

Centralization Powered by Smart Access and Self-Guided Tours

Mark-Taylor has reorganized Leasing teams into centralized roles where they share locations. “This strategy has enabled us to realize a 30-35% increase in payroll efficiency.” Smart leasing technology handles self-guided tour scheduling, access control to vacant and/or model units, and delivery of actionable data to Mark-Taylor’s Integrated Operations Network (ION) software.

“We’re seeing lead-to-tour rates and tour-to-lease conversion rates that are equivalent to in-person.”