Young startup successfully applies technology in apartment management

Startups "burn" themselves out with passion for technology

Currently, digital transformation is taking place strongly in many fields, in which real estate management and operation is considered one of the fields that will have the opportunity to "explode" in the near future.

Mr. Le Hoai Nhat, founder and CEO of Air City (Binh Trung Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) said that the idea of developing technology solutions in building management and operation was formed at the end of 2021. At that time, most apartment buildings were operating manually, lacking connection between departments, slow processing procedures, and scattered information, making management ineffective.

“My colleagues and I decided to come up with a solution to apply modern technology to create new values, helping residents, management boards, and investors of apartment buildings access services faster and more conveniently. Therefore, the Air City ecosystem was born with many technology-integrated products, from building management and operation applications to search and rental platforms for rooms and serviced apartments, and data digitization solutions,” Mr. Nhat shared.

Currently, Air City's management software applications have been deployed in more than 50 buildings, apartments, and serviced apartments in Ho Chi Minh City. According to Mr. Nhat, the biggest benefit of digital transformation in apartment management is optimizing the interaction between residents, management boards, and technical teams. From service fee invoices, operation notifications to feedback, repair requests, etc., all are received and processed on the same electronic platform. Residents can evaluate the quality of service immediately after completing the work. This is both transparent and enhances the responsibility of the operating unit.

According to Mr. Nhat, currently, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in apartment operations has become more popular and plays a key role for real estate businesses. "We plan to develop two more areas from 2026: automatic robots and tik robots (AI) to support dangerous and highly accurate jobs. These solutions are expected to contribute to improving security and safety for residents such as early detection of incidents, fire and explosion warnings, automatically sending information to relevant departments and helping residents respond faster," Mr. Nhat emphasized.

“In order to diversify technology solutions and products, the company is in the process of researching and developing new technology platforms to support the purchase and sale of social housing in a transparent, automated manner and to reduce violations. This project has been selected for cooperation by a leading enterprise in the social housing sector in Vietnam and will be implemented in the near future,” said Mr. Vu.

AI effectively solves security and fire prevention issues

Currently, the management and operation of apartment buildings have made significant progress since the application of smart technology has reduced many risks occurring in apartment buildings. Mr. Tran Van Thy, Head of the Management Board of PetroVietnam Landmark Apartment, Binh Trung Ward (Ho Chi Minh City) said that in the past, the fire prevention and fighting system had many shortcomings because the fire alarm control panels were placed separately, in the basement and far from the technical staff's position. When there was a fire alarm signal, the staff had to move continuously between the fire alarm panel and the actual location to check, causing a waste of time and manpower.

Photo caption — Air City's fire prevention and early detection technology solutions are being applied in many apartment buildings in Ho Chi Minh City.

Since applying IoT technology to building management and operation, it has been possible to monitor the status of fire alarm cabinets directly on the system, determine the alarm location immediately and reduce the number of false fire alarms. In particular, the system allows remote reset of cabinets after safety checks, which was not possible before.

In addition, technology also helps standardize the process of assigning tasks and monitoring daily operations in the apartment building. 100% of security, cleaning and technical staff use the application to record work in images, completely replacing paperwork. The management board can check quality in real time and compare when there is feedback from residents.

“In transportation monitoring, repair and maintenance activities, these technological solutions have helped protect and control assets entering and exiting, assess the condition of elevators before and after use, limit damage and reduce disputes. A special feature is the ability to automatically synthesize reports. Previously, meetings often lacked comparison data, but now the Management Board can fully view reports to focus on handling outstanding issues and improving the quality of service to residents.

The security monitoring system uses artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and security cameras can also identify strangers, detect unusual movements, and warn when someone enters a restricted area. When there is a signal, the security force will receive immediate notification to check, increasing the safety level of the entire building," Mr. Thy added.

To encourage the entrepreneurial spirit of young people, especially the young business community, Mr. Le Xuan Vu suggested that the State needs to improve the capital mechanism, especially simplifying the process to reduce barriers in accessing capital for start-up businesses. At the same time, there should be specific policies on fast and appropriate disbursement time. In fact, investment funds for start-up projects currently usually disburse within a period of 1-3 months and this time frame can be applied to State support programs.

“Through Resolution 68, the Politburo can consider developing a project to prioritize start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to participate in bidding for State projects, especially projects with a scale of less than 20 billion VND, so that start-ups can have a “safe zone” in the initial stage, and businesses can have capital to develop their businesses more firmly in the next stage,” Mr. Vu hopes.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/doanh-nghiep-doanh-nhan/startup-tre-thanh-cong-ung-dung-cong-nghe-trong-quan-ly-chung-cu-20251118145018370.htm