Rently Summit is an annual event that brings together industry leaders to discuss the latest trends and innovations in the rental housing industry. Every year, our goal is for attendees to leave the event feeling more connected to Rently, more educated on our new and existing products, and excited about the future we’re building together.
This year we gathered once again at the beautiful Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, CA, from September 29th–October 2nd. Attendees began arriving Monday afternoon and gathered in the Lighthouse Room of the resort, a waterfront event space with indoor and outdoor sections. This is where they would be returning for meals throughout Rently Summit.
Throughout the Welcome Reception and dinner, there were refreshments provided by Kwikset, and of course nitro-frozen cocktails provided by FROST 321. This was the first of many opportunities for guests to mingle and build connections over the following days.
What’s New with Rently
At 8am on Tuesday, guests met up for breakfast and the Summit fully kicked into gear. It opened as always with a keynote from CEO Merrick Lackner, where he unveiled Rently’s vision for the future, along with groundbreaking new product announcements and strategic partnerships.
To break the ice, we got everyone up and out of their seats with the first real session “Innovation & Insights: A Collaborative Forum”. In this workshop, attendees split into small groups, each tackling a unique question regarding the rental industry and contributing their own ideas and perspectives. Each group wrote their ideas down on posterboards, which we left out to foster discussion throughout the event.
With everyone warmed up, the next session was “Powering Smarter Leasing with AI” where we formally announced Rently’s Intelligent Agent, “Ria”, which is currently live on homes.rently.com as we continue to train and improve it. We knew that AI would be a major topic of discussion this year, and it was brought up many times over the next couple days. Guests were eager to learn how Rently is leveraging the power of artificial intelligence to create more efficient and effective experiences for both renters and property managers.
Listing, Leasing, Living
Another important topic for Rently Summit 2025 was the concept of the resident lifecycle management (RLM) platform. This phrase encompasses the full scope of what Rently does, optimizing every stage of the rental journey, including listing properties, streamlining leasing processes with self-guided tours and smart access, and improving resident living experiences through smart home technology.
In the session “Always On, Always Protecting: Comprehensive Solutions for Securing Communities”, we explored how unified access control systems can create a seamless and secure user experience. What makes Rently unique as a vendor is how everything we do is connected in one unified platform. Other access control solutions force operators to juggle multiple providers and make sacrifices in functionality, cost, and convenience. Rently approaches access control as a platform rather than a product, integrating it with our complete RLM platform so community access, unit access, maintenance, security, smart home, and more are all connected for maximum NOI.
To that end, we launched several new hardware devices this year:
- Rently Smart Bolt Elite: an all-in-one smart deadbolt lock that combines Kwikset® SmartKey Security® with Z-Wave & Bluetooth connectivity.
- Rently Access Panel Pro: the companion to the Access Panel with Intercom, designed for shared spaces.
- Rently Smart Hub Pro: a hub and smart thermostat combined for easy installation, reliable connection, and resident convenience.
We discussed these new products further in “Smart Homes of the Future”, where Badri Krishnan K N, Group Product Manager, and Jacqueline Murphy, Director of Product Marketing, gave guests an exclusive look at what’s on the horizon for Rently, and how our upcoming innovations will empower their businesses.
It’s also important to note that Rently offers white-glove installation services and full implementation support for all of our products. We view implementation as an ongoing strategic partnership that goes beyond basic setup. Leon Davis from our Implementations team took the stage to share how to take full advantage of the range of services Rently offers.
Training, Networking, Games, and More
Rently Summit isn’t just about sitting through sessions—we make sure to mix things up with training workshops, scheduled time for socializing and networking (mimosa breaks), one-on-ones with clients, and of course fun games and activities.
For example, we hosted a Rently Manager Portal training session, splitting into multifamily and single family groups. Hands-on opportunities like these are a valuable part of Rently Summit, as we get to answer questions in real-time and attendees learn best practices they can take back to their teams.
That’s not all; to keep the energy going, we also make time games and prizes! Since our version of ‘Family Feud’ was such a hit last year, we brought it back for Rently Summit 2025! This time, the questions centered around smart home preferences to test how well contestants know their renters. Shoutout to the winners from self-titled Team B—everyone loves an underdog!
Building a Better Tomorrow
Finally, we welcomed Cody Walker, Felicia Walker, and John Brotherton from Reach Out Worldwide (ROWW) to teach us about their organization and what our next activity would be. ROWW is a non-profit organization co-founded by late actor Paul Walker and dedicated to disaster relief around the world.
The theme of Rently Summit 2025 was “Building A Better Tomorrow”, and with that in mind, we decided to give back to local communities. ROWW has been supporting those who lost their homes in the LA wildfires earlier this year, and Rently donated over 500 essential items to build ‘kits’ for those affected. After the sessions on Monday, attendees gathered to assemble 90 kits and write personalized messages of hope that are going directly to families and individuals who are still struggling to rebuild their lives.
Education and Connection
For the panel “Man vs Machine: Balancing Automation & Human Touch”, we asked operators how they are incorporating automation without sacrificing authenticity. Kelly Weems from Willow Bridge, Heidi Turner from Blanton Turner, and Becca Nevarez from Rently discussed how automation can help you keep up with volume and ensure leads aren’t falling through the cracks, but it’s not a replacement for a human touch.
After, we had another panel inspired by our Security Symposium, where Blair Weatherly, Managing Attorney at Brock & Scott, led the session “Working with Lawyers and Law Enforcement to Combat Illegal Occupancy”. She was joined by Matthew Horace from Progress Residential & Ashley Newman from FirstKey Homes to discuss combatting illegal occupancy by using the resources available to us and partnering with legal professionals. Security is a top priority for Rently, both on the hardware and software sides, and we know it;s important to our clients to understand how to work with lawyers and local law enforcement to combat illegal occupancy and secure their properties.
After lunch, it was time for roundtable sessions. We took feedback from previous years to provide a setting for smaller, more intimate group conversations. Here were the topics:
- – Self-Showing Device Inventory Management Strategies: Having trouble keeping track of all your lockboxes? Don’t know when the right time is to upgrade to smart locks? Join this roundtable to learn how others are managing their self-showing device inventory.
- – How to Market Your Self-Guided Tours: Learn how others are successfully marketing their self-guided tours along with some best practices from the Rently team.
- – Everything You Need to Know about Rently APIs: Data is king. Take a deep dive into the data Rently has available through our APIs and how you can utilize that data to make more informed business decisions.
- – Choosing the Right Smart Home Deployment Style for You: What’s the best approach to deploying smart home technology? Share your experiences and hear from your peers about what’s worked, what hasn’t, and why.
After a short break, we dove into the next session “Servant Leadership in the Rental Industry: Leading People Not Just Properties” to go beyond property management and discover transformative leadership principles that can elevate your team and organization. Todd Allen from Connect Digital shared his unique insights on servant leadership and fostering a culture of growth and success. He was joined by Nicole Konkel from Hazel Valley Homes, Denise Wessel from Willow Asset Management, and Jake Colson from Bridge Homes.
For the final session of the event, Zach Goulhiane from Rently welcomed to the stage Aaron Oosterbaan from Progress Residential and Eddie Yarmer from AHV Communities for “Translating the Value of Rently to Owners”. We wanted to hear from an operator and owner on what key points and strategies attendees can use to convince their owners to adopt (and keep) Rently. This is valuable feedback not just for us, but for our clients to have a better understanding of Rently’s offerings and be able to plan for the future.
Closing
At the end of the day, after one last Networking Reception, attendees split into groups for Duffy Harbor Cruises at sunset. We love this tradition, as it allows out-of-state attendees to experience the beautiful Southern California coastline, and make the event all the more special.
Rently Summit began with the goal of delivering an experience filled with valuable education, insightful breakout groups, and unparalleled networking opportunities. Based on the conversations, feedback, and energy in the room, we more than accomplished our goal. We’re grateful to our incredible sponsors—Brock & Scott, Connect, and Kwikset—our brand ambassadors, champion clients, and esteemed guest speakers who led so many of our enriching sessions. Without you, Rently Summit wouldn’t be possible.
Here’s to another great year of partnership and to building a better tomorrow together!
