Why the 2026 budget season is the time to rethink multifamily security
Budget season is when savvy multifamily operators seize new opportunities. In 2026, the question isn’t should you modernize video security—it’s how fast you want the savings, certainty, and resident confidence to show up.
The macro picture helps: the global video surveillance market continues to expand on the back of edge AI, cloud, and analytics, with credible forecasts projecting considerable growth through the end of the decade. That means the marketplace is maturing, competitive, and innovation-rich—and more affordable.
At the same time, cloud-based video surveillance and AI analytics are now mainstream in physical security—not prototypes. Vendors and integrators report steady migration to cloud and hybrid models because they scale faster, convert capex to opex, and unlock analytics that human patrols simply can’t match.
Translation for multifamily: 2026 budgets should tilt toward remote video + AI options that reduce guard spend, speed response, and gives you measurable protection residents can feel.
Security should be managed for you, not thrown on you
If your current security stack feels like a pile of parts—cameras here, guards there, while user manuals, and spreadsheets are somewhere—your team is stuck doing the integration work the security system should be doing. Our view is simple:
- Security managed for you: offload complexity, keep control of outcomes.
- Innovation that empowers you: analytics that elevate operations, not dashboards that create busywork.
- Openness that adapts to you: integrate access, video, visitor, and the ecosystems your properties already run on.
This is the standard to budget against in 2026.
What to prioritize in your 2026 plan (a simple, CFO-friendly framework)
1) Start with the outcome line items
Your budget should map to outcomes residents notice and ownership values:
- Guard-cost reduction via remote monitoring and “voice-down” deterrence. Case examples show material OPEX reductions when live remote monitoring augments or replaces overnight or perimeter patrols.
- Incident decline + faster response using AI-assisted alerts (loitering, License Plate Recognition, people/vehicle detection).
- Retention uplift: perceived safety is a renewal driver; “quiet, safe, well-managed” is a top amenity—now table stakes in competitive submarkets.
2) Choose a deployment model that matches your portfolio
Cloud and hybrid-cloud video surveillance make it easier to scale across communities and phases (new lease-ups, renovations, stabilized assets). You’ll reduce site-by-site variation, update features centrally, and move costs to predictable OPEX—a win for budget discipline.
3) Fund integration, not fragmentation
Budget explicitly for video + access integration. It’s the difference between watching incidents and preventing them. When access events are matched to video identity, investigations shrink from hours to minutes and false alarms plummet.
5) Tie investments to KPIs that CFOs will champion
Make the numbers obvious:
- Guard hours removed (and dollars saved)
- Incidents reduced (rate per 100 units)
- Response time (alert-to-intervention)
- Uptime / health checks closed (SLA delivery)
- Resident sentiment (satisfaction surveys, renewal deltas)
Where remote video delivers immediate wins (and how to justify them)
Replace routine patrols with intelligent monitoring
Overnight or low-yield patrols are expensive and inconsistent. Remote video with AI gives you continuous coverage, verifies events before dispatch, and supports “voice-down” deterrence to stop problems before they escalate—especially at parking, mail/package rooms, lobbies, elevators, and perimeters. Case stories in construction, retail, and residential show direct loss reduction and fewer false alarms.
Turn cameras into an operational sensor network
Modern platforms aren’t just recording; they’re measuring. You’ll see pattern data (trespass times, hotspot maps), equipment health, and SLA performance of vendors—so you can move budget to the sites and hours that actually need it. Industry studies confirm that analytics and ops value are now core purchase drivers, not nice-to-haves.
Standardize across properties to lower TCO
With cloud-managed video, camera onboarding, firmware updates, and analytic tuning can be done centrally—cutting truck rolls and contractor time. Independent analyses of the category point to consistent growth in cloud video adoption, precisely because operators prefer OPEX predictability and central admin.
Guard costs vs. remote video: how to present the business case
Direct substitution: Replace overnight guard hours with remote monitoring + 24/7 recording and on-demand dispatch.
Hybrid model: Keep high-touch guards for resident-facing moments (open houses, peak move-ins), but shift routine watch to AI-assisted monitoring.
“Every camera counts” math: Calculate guard-hour costs at high-risk zones and compare to per-camera monitoring fees + expected loss reduction. You’ll often see months, not years, to break even.
FAQs
How much can remote video really save compared to guards?
Guard spend is linear and unpredictable; remote video is predictable and scalable. Real-world examples show loss reduction and OPEX savings by replacing low-yield patrols with monitored, AI-assisted coverage (plus “voice-down” deterrence), often achieving payback within months.
What should multifamily operators budget for in 2026?
Prioritize cloud-managed video, AI analytics (loitering, LPR, people/vehicle detection), access-video integration, and remote monitoring. This combination hits guard costs, incident prevention, and resident confidence all at once.
How do I defend the investment to a CFO or investment committee?
Present a pilot with KPIs: guard hours removed, incidents prevented/resolved, alert-to-response time, uptime/SLA adherence, and renewal deltas. Pair that with market context (growth in video, cloud adoption) and supply-chain due diligence.
