By: Maria Alva
The U.S. housing market is experiencing a pivotal moment. A nationwide housing shortage has contributed to increased demand for rental properties, potentially putting pressure on property owners and managers to maximize efficiency while meeting the evolving expectations of renters. At the same time, the rapid growth of smart home technology has begun to transform the way people interact with their living spaces, with renters increasingly expressing a preference for convenience, security, and seamless digital experiences as desirable amenities.
Navigating this landscape often requires innovation, foresight, and a deep understanding of both market trends and consumer behavior. Enter Merrick Lackner, co-founder and CEO of Rently. Since launching Rently, Lackner has been recognized as a leader in leasing automation and smart home solutions, aiming to help property owners streamline operations, secure communities, and optimize tenant experiences.
With renters expressing a desire for more control over their living environments and property managers seeking ways to boost occupancy rates and NOI, Rently has positioned itself as a valuable technology partner in the real estate industry. In this exclusive CEO Weekly interview, Lackner shares his insights on the shifting rental landscape, the regulatory trends shaping the industry, and how Rently continues to explore new possibilities in proptech.
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about Rently?
I co-founded Rently in 2011 with Clark Li, a highly skilled technologist who brought a rare combination of software and hardware expertise. Rently provides self-touring, smart access, and home automation technology to the rental market, aiming to help single-family and multifamily owners and operators potentially maximize tenancy rates, efficiency, and profitability.
Our journey started with a different idea—we initially wanted to build a platform where renters could post their housing needs and have landlords pitch properties to them. However we quickly realized this would require a significant behavioral shift in the market. The real breakthrough came when I was moving to UC Berkeley and struggled to view rental properties because landlords weren’t responsive. That’s when Clark and I recognized a notable gap in the market: renters needed a way to access homes without waiting on an agent. We developed high-tech software for lockboxes that generated one-time-use durational codes to facilitate secure self-touring.
From there, we never looked back. Over time, we expanded beyond software to create hardware solutions like smart home hubs, smart locks, and intercom access panels, all seamlessly integrated into our system. Today, Rently manages access from the main gate to individual units, positioning us as a comprehensive solution in the rental technology space.
The recent COVID pandemic forced significant change across nearly every industry. What impact did you see with rental technology?
The COVID-19 pandemic appears to have significantly accelerated the adoption of self-showing and other contactless rental technologies, especially in the multifamily housing sector. Before the pandemic, we were already working with single-family real estate investment trusts and SMB property management companies, helping them lease properties efficiently without massive increases in headcount. But COVID seems to have triggered widespread adoption among multifamily properties, further accelerating this trend.
Another observable shift was the change in renter behavior. With the rise of remote and hybrid work, people became more mobile, often relocating to new states or regions. Our technology aimed to make these transitions easier by providing secure, self-guided tours and streamlining the rental process. While the pandemic created volatility, it also led to faster adoption of technologies that may benefit renters and property managers for years to come.
Regulations around data privacy, fair housing, and tenant protections continue to evolve. As a company operating in this space, how do you see these regulatory changes impacting rental technology, and what challenges or opportunities do they present?
As a California-based company, we operate in one of the most heavily regulated environments when it comes to privacy and data protection. We anticipate these regulations to become even stricter nationwide, and rightly so. Consumer privacy is critical, and we’ve invested heavily in robust data security measures and transparent disclosures (for example, we’re SOC2, ISO 27701:2019, and ISO 27001:2022 certified) to stay ahead of these trends. One thing we’ve learned is that there’s no endpoint when it comes to protecting data—it’s an ongoing process.
Another regulatory trend we’re closely watching is fair housing enforcement, which has seen increased attention over the years. Ensuring that all renters have equal access to housing is something we take very seriously. Our goal is to make the rental process as fair and efficient as possible for both renters and property managers, which means constantly improving our technology to meet and exceed regulatory standards.
A commitment to transparency fuels everything we do, and we’ve applied this same commitment to how we navigate regulatory issues. For us, it’s about anticipating changes and being proactive. If something comes up, I want Rently to be the company that can say, “We saw this coming, and here’s what we’ve done to prepare.”
As companies navigate the evolving landscape of workplace dynamics, return-to-office policies have become a major point of discussion. How do you view the role of in-person work in fostering collaboration and company culture, and what factors should businesses consider when implementing or refining their return-to-office strategies?
I think there’s potential value in working together in person. Face-to-face interaction can foster deeper relationships and collaboration in a way that virtual meetings may not always replicate. You might not develop the same bonds over Zoom as you do when you’re in the same physical space, seeing each other every day. That said, managing a return-to-office transition can be challenging, especially after a period when remote work became the norm.
At Rently, we’ve adopted a hybrid approach where our team comes into the office a couple of days a week. It’s important to strike a balance that works for both the business and the employees. Personally, I find value in the routine of getting up in the morning and heading into the office to see my colleagues—it energizes me. But the success of any return-to-office policy likely depends on company culture. If people feel that their work is meaningful and they’re part of something bigger, they’re much more likely to embrace being in the office. Without that sense of purpose, the shift can feel forced and even counterproductive.
A well-curated bookshelf is often a key advantage of many successful CEOs. Are there any particular books that have influenced your thinking or shaped the way you approach building and scaling Rently?
Two books have played a significant role in shaping how I think about innovation and growth.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries was like a guide for us when we were starting Rently. It introduced us to the concept of a minimum viable product (MVP) and taught us how to approach iterative development. We learned not to overthink things but to launch with a simple, functional product that could be tested and improved based on real user feedback. This approach was instrumental in our early days, especially when we realized that trying to make massive behavioral changes in the rental market wasn’t going to work. Instead, we focused on using technology to make incremental, meaningful improvements. That lesson is still very much with us today.
Beyond the book itself, I remember attending one of Jason Calacanis’s conferences back in 2011, where The Lean Startup was a big focus. That experience stuck with me—not just the ideas in the book but the energy of being surrounded by people who were deeply passionate about building something meaningful. It illustrated the value of raw hustle and how transformative it can be to share knowledge and expertise with others.
Another book that had a notable impact was Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore. It provides valuable insights into how companies can bridge the gap between early adopters and the mainstream market. As we grew Rently, we relied on the principles in that book to navigate the challenges of scaling our technology and reaching a broader audience.
Published by Mark V.
