The transformation underway in real estate
We speak of advanced PropTech because real estate is undergoing a silent yet profound transformation: on the one hand, new technologies emerge almost daily; on the other, the assumptions used to assess assets, risks, and opportunities are changing.
Advanced platforms, artificial intelligence, digital ledgers, and the automation of Project and Property Management processes are no longer experimental topics. For institutional investors and value-chain stakeholders, they are becoming tools of competitiveness, as they shorten decision-making times, increase operational transparency, and make performance more measurable, including from an ESG perspective.
In Italy, PropTech has entered a phase of consolidation and maturation, driven by the growing adoption of data-driven solutions and by the impact of AI on valuation and management models.
This is a journey that requires method: without governance, integration, and compliance, innovation risks remaining a collection of uncoordinated tools. Market signals instead point to a clear direction: operators that build solid digital architectures today raise the bar on their ability to attract capital and manage complex portfolios.
The PropTech map in Italy
Italian PropTech has become an articulated ecosystem, made up of specialist platforms and solutions that cover the entire real estate lifecycle. The landscape includes tools for data collection and normalization, technical and documentary due diligence, asset management in operation, occupier experience, and commercial value creation.
In recent years, the “AI-enabled” component has accelerated especially in analysis, monitoring, and marketing applications, thanks to a leap forward in the ability to process heterogeneous and unstructured data.
On the investment side, expectations of growth in PropTech deal flow point to a market that is becoming more structured and that progressively distinguishes between niche solutions and platforms with industrial scalability. In this dynamic, for institutional investors it becomes crucial to assess not only the product, but also data quality, the robustness of the delivery model, and integration with processes and systems already present in the portfolio.
Today there are mature advanced PropTech solutions
The most mature solutions are those that have demonstrated measurable impact on time, costs, and operational risk. In investment and asset management, data collection and data-quality tools make it possible to build a “single source of truth” that reduces friction between advisors, technical teams, property managers, and investors.
At the same time, advanced Project and Property Management software digitizes workflows that until recently were still dependent on fragmented documents and procedures, delivering direct benefits in terms of traceability, progress control, and change management.
In the commercialization phase and in managing relationships with end users, the evolution is equally evident: virtual tours, digital value-enhancement tools, and marketing automation have raised the standard of the customer experience and reduced time-to-market. This is also highly relevant for investors, as it affects vacancy rates, absorption, and asset reputation, especially in major cities and in the most dynamic living segments.
Smart contracts and digital ledgers
Smart contracts and digital ledgers are often described in futuristic terms, but their real value emerges when they are applied to critical points in the value chain: certainty of conditions, error reduction, verifiability, and the tracking of events and obligations.
In contexts where processes require coordination among multiple actors, contractual automation can reduce timelines and disputes, provided that work is done on data standards, interoperability, and legal framing.
For institutional operators, the focus is less on the technology itself and more on governance design: who enables the rules, who certifies the input, who manages exceptions, and how operational continuity is ensured. This is where digital transformation meets internal control discipline, and where the robustness of the model matters more than the narrative of innovation.
The contribution of AI to pricing and forecasting
AI is becoming the most incisive lever for pricing, underwriting, and forecasting because it works on signals that traditional models struggle to capture: micro-dynamics at neighborhood level, perceived quality, accessibility, amenities, rent evolution, energy performance, and attractiveness for specific targets.
In practical terms, AI can improve valuation granularity and strengthen early warning mechanisms for market and operational risks, especially across diversified portfolios and high-turnover living assets.
The most effective adoption is not the one that replaces human judgment, but the one that makes it more robust: transparent and advanced models, continuous validation, scenario comparisons and stress tests, and integration of results into investment committees. In a market that demands both speed and rigor, the ability to combine real estate expertise with predictive systems becomes a measurable competitive advantage.
Privacy and compliance
Every technological leap brings with it a fundamental question: can it be done, and under what conditions. In advanced PropTech, compliance is not an ancillary constraint, but part of the project itself. The European Banking Authority’s outsourcing guidelines define relevant criteria and expectations for banking and insurance groups when outsourcing activities, especially those considered critical or important, with practical implications for vendor assessment, contracts, audits, and business continuity.
For AI, the European framework has also taken shape with the AI Act, which establishes rules and requirements for high-risk systems, as well as governance and transparency mechanisms. Even when an application does not fall into “high-risk” categories, the regulatory approach pushes toward documentation, controls, and accountability, elements that institutional investors increasingly consider an integral part of risk.
In this scenario, privacy, cybersecurity, and data management become foundational. It is not just about compliance, but about protecting assets and reputation: those who govern data well, govern their portfolios better.
Adoption roadmap
An effective roadmap starts from a simple principle: technology must solve concrete and scalable problems.
The first step is mapping processes and information flows to identify where digital tools create the most value: data quality, due diligence, technical management, reporting, leasing, and customer experience. Next comes a clear architectural choice: interoperable platforms, integration with existing systems, and a data governance model that makes decisions and reporting reliable.
For an institutional operator, adoption is never just an IT matter. It is a journey involving risk management, procurement, compliance, operations, and investment, with measurable objectives and clearly defined responsibilities. The final phase is what distinguishes early adopters from leaders: industrialize, monitor, improve. When technology becomes method, transformation is no longer a project, but a permanent capability.
Article by Claudio Monteverdi, Institutional Communication Manager
Sources on advanced PropTech and AI
- Italian PropTech Monitor 2025, Executive Summary, Italian Proptech Network
- EBA Guidelines on outsourcing arrangements
- EU Artificial Intelligence Act, Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (EUR-Lex
- AI Act Explorer (testo OJ 13 June 2024): Section 2: Requirements for High-Risk AI Systems
- Approfondimento su PropTech e modelli, Startup Magazine
