Most AI leasing tools sit on top of your CRM. Union is the CRM.
That architectural difference is why Mark Taylor went from answering 30 to 40% of leasing calls to answering all of them, and why lead-to-tour went from 7% to 18%. The AI sees everything the CRM sees, because it is the same product on one data model.
See the difference in 20 minutesEvery vendor now claims the full renter journey. Almost none of them are one system.
The AI works from a copy of whatever the PMS exposes, refreshed on the integration’s schedule. Each tool holds a different slice of the same renter.
One product, one data model, one record. The AI reasons across the whole journey because there is nothing to sync.
The edge is architecture, not scope. Union is the only platform where the CRM and the AI are the same product, built and not acquired, so the AI acts on the live system of record.
Union compared to the tools you are probably evaluating
Written to be checked. Every claim below is about architecture, which you can verify in any vendor’s own documentation or in a technical discovery call.
| AI leasing overlaysEliseAI, Funnel | PMS-owned leasing CRMKnock CRM (RealPage), Entrata | Union | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | An AI layer that rides on top of your existing PMS and CRM | A leasing CRM inside a larger PMS suite | One product: the CRM and the AI are the same system |
| What the AI can see | A synced copy of what the PMS exposes, refreshed on the integration’s schedule | Data across suite modules that were built separately and integrated afterward | The live record. Everything the CRM sees |
| Handoff to a human | The conversation transfers. Whether the context transfers depends on the integration | Varies by module. Discrepancies tend to surface in reporting | Native warm handoff. The AI stays on until a person greets the renter |
| Scope | Leasing and lead nurture at the core, with renewals and resident modules added alongside | Leasing plus PMS functions | Marketing through renewals, vacates, and resident revenue on one record |
| How it was built | Built or bought as a layer on someone else’s system of record | Assembled in part through acquisition, then integrated | Engineered end to end, one roadmap, one login |
| Ancillary revenue | Not marketed | Varies | Credit Builder and Union Security Deposit. Net-new income, no on-site lift |
If you are comparing feature checklists, most of these tools will look similar. The difference shows up on the third call of a Saturday afternoon, when the renter asks about the unit they toured on Tuesday and the AI either knows or does not.
Last reviewed: August 17, 2026
Where bolt-on architecture shows up in your operating numbers
The cold handoff
When the AI hands a conversation to a leasing agent without history, the renter repeats themselves and the agent starts over. Every one of those is a moment where a qualified lead decides you are not organized.
The reconciliation tax
When four tools each hold a slice of the same renter, someone on your team spends their week making the systems agree instead of leasing apartments. That work is invisible in every vendor demo.
The after-hours gap
Most tours are decided outside office hours. An overlay that cannot see availability or application status can take a message, but it cannot move the renter forward.
Mark Taylor handled 7,800 calls in a single December-to-February window on Union. Those calls produced 1,700 scheduled tours and returned 950 leasing hours to the on-site teams.
Mark Taylor, in numbers
A Union customer case study. These are Mark Taylor’s published outcomes.
“There’s no one in PropTech SaaS that prioritizes support and partnership the way Union does. Union is peerless there.”
Dustin LaceyCTO, Mark Taylor
The journey does not end at the signed lease
Renewals and vacates on the same record
Retention runs on the same data model as leasing, which is how Mark Taylor reached 55% resident retention in a down market.
You decide how much AI
Set the AI-to-human mix by property, channel, time window, or workflow. Roughly one in four renters still prefer a person, and Union never forces an AI-only path.
Resident-funded revenue
Credit Builder and Union Security Deposit add net-new income at no cost and no on-site lift, with first revenue in 45 to 60 days. A revenue line, not another software cost.
An embedded partner
Live in 30 days. Your team is in our Slack. Union travels to you and is onsite for kickoff and training, not on a webinar.
The three things people ask before they book
“We already have a PMS we are not replacing.”
Good, and you should not. Union connects to Yardi, RealPage, ResMan, and Entrata. What Union replaces is the patchwork around the PMS: the separate leasing CRM, the AI chat vendor, the AI voice vendor, and the applications and screening tools.
“We are not centralizing, so this probably is not for us.”
Union supports centralized and decentralized operations equally. It was built alongside Mark Taylor’s centralization, but it enables centralization without forcing it. Plenty of Union operators run property-level teams and have no plans to change that.
“We already started an evaluation with someone else.”
Then you have a baseline, which makes this easy. Bring the same questions to a 20-minute Union call and compare the answers on architecture, warm handoff, and what happens after the lease is signed.
Frequently asked questions
What are the alternatives to EliseAI for multifamily?
Commonly evaluated alternatives to EliseAI include Knock CRM (RealPage), Funnel, Yardi Chat IQ, Entrata, and Union, though they are not all the same kind of product. Most are AI and leasing layers, or leasing modules owned by a property management system, that operate on data synced from that system. Union is an AI-powered CRM where the CRM and the AI are one product on a single data model, so the AI acts on the live record and also runs renewals, vacates, and resident revenue rather than leasing alone.
What is the difference between an AI leasing bot and an AI-native CRM?
An AI leasing bot is an overlay that sits on top of a property management system and works from whatever data that system exposes through the integration. An AI-native CRM is the system of record itself, so the AI reasons across marketing, leasing, and the resident lifecycle without a sync step. The practical difference shows up at handoff: with an overlay, whether the human inherits the full conversation depends on the integration, while a native system transfers full context by default.
Is Union a replacement for Knock CRM?
Union can replace a leasing CRM such as Knock CRM, and it also replaces the separate AI chat, AI voice, and application tools that typically sit alongside it. Knock was acquired by RealPage in 2022 and operates as part of that suite. Union was built end to end as one product, so leasing, renewals, vacates, and resident revenue run on a single record with one login.
Does Union replace my property management system?
No. Union integrates with Yardi, RealPage, ResMan, and Entrata, which feed occupancy and revenue data into Union. What Union replaces is the patchwork of point solutions around the PMS: the separate leasing CRM, the AI chat vendor, the AI voice vendor, and the applications and screening tools.
How long does it take to switch to Union?
Union goes live in about 30 days, and Union travels to you and is onsite for kickoff and training rather than running a webinar. Operators who also adopt the resident-funded ancillary products typically see first revenue within 45 to 60 days.
Do I have to centralize my leasing to use Union?
No. Union supports centralized and decentralized operations equally and enables centralization without requiring it. It was built alongside a centralizing operator, but property-level teams run on it without any organizational change.
What size portfolio is Union built for?
Union’s sweet spot is multi-property owner-operators and management companies running 5,000 to 15,000 units, Class A and B, and it serves portfolios from roughly 2,000 units up to 60,000.
Bring your comparison questions
Twenty minutes, your portfolio, real numbers. Ask us the same architecture questions you asked the other vendor.