Ron Kutas, CEO of OneWall Communities, is pushing back against the notion that artificial intelligence will eliminate property management jobs. Instead, he believes AI will separate operators who embrace it from those who lag behind. In a recent interview, Kutas outlined how his firm is using AI to enhance—not replace—human-centric operations.
“Property management is still very much a human-first industry,” Kutas said. “Let AI do the things that you’re using computers to do anyway. And allow humans to do the things that only humans can do – which is human-to-human interaction, authentic, real, genuine relationship building.”
OneWall Communities, which manages workforce housing across multiple geographies, has been investing in its tech stack for years. Kutas cited data visibility as a key benefit of AI. “AI gives us the ability to have full visibility into every data point within our portfolio,” he explained. “It provides insights so that we can be proactive rather than reactive. It allows us to see the data in real time and project forward-looking trends so that we can stop problems before they occur and add value.”
For OneWall’s asset management team, AI handles time-consuming tasks like pulling data and building reports, freeing analysts to focus on interpretation and decision-making. Kutas emphasized that this efficiency gain does not come from cutting headcount but from reallocating human effort to higher-value work.
Despite the technological push, Kutas draws a hard line on operational roles like leasing, maintenance, and resident relations. “These are roles where the quality of human interaction isn’t a soft benefit. It’s the business model,” he said. OneWall’s resident app and onboarding platform were designed not to reduce staff contact but to free on-site teams from administrative tasks. “It allows our on-site teams to spend more time being resident-facing,” Kutas said, “rather than pulling information, sitting behind a desk, constantly answering questions, looking over data.”
OneWall has added roughly 16 properties since October. To scale effectively, Kutas moved up a planned investment in learning and development, hiring a dedicated head of the department to ensure new employees are effective immediately.
Kutas also reflected on his own leadership style, noting a shift toward meeting direct reports where they are. “As an entrepreneur, everything is urgent. I want to get things done at speeds that are unreasonable for most people,” he said. “I used to just continue to add to the priority list for my direct reports without really helping them grasp what is a priority. If everything is a priority, nothing’s a priority.” The adjustment came after noticing that multiple star employees were dropping tasks. “I realized the problem is me, not them,” Kutas said. Now, Monday team meetings include a shared project management view, and one-on-ones include a standing agenda item for challenges and support.
Looking at the broader industry, Kutas sees a similar dynamic. Operators who understand fundamentals, have scalable systems, and deploy capital wisely will thrive. Those cutting corners on people, data, and discipline will find the window closing. “The first disruption that happens is that workers and people who understand AI are going to replace workers who don’t – before there are mass layoffs or anything like that,” he said. “Learn the skills, be familiar with the technology, and start to adopt it.”
For OneWall, technology serves the company’s core mission: an owner-operator mentality that treats residents as neighbors, manages expenses like their own money, and builds communities people want to come home to. “That,” Kutas said, “is the part no algorithm is going to handle for you.”
