The Real Estate and Rental and Leasing industry is a broad sector that includes businesses involved in buying, selling, renting, and leasing of real estate properties. There are several uses for GAO’s Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons and gateways in the real estate and rental and leasing industry. GAO has developed a set of BLE systems for the real estate and rental and leasing industry:

• Asset tracking- BLE beacons can be attached to assets including equipment such as phones, fax machines, computers, and laptops, and furniture such as desks, chairs, and filing cabinets, allowing property managers to track their location and movement within a property.
• People tracking- BLE beacons can be used to track employees or visitors as they move through a building. This can help security personnel identify unauthorized access, or locate individuals in case of an emergency. BLE beacons can be installed in each room or area of a building. This can help building managers track occupancy.
• Access control- BLE beacons can be used to control access to restricted areas within a property. When a person with a BLE-enabled device comes within range of a beacon, access can be granted or denied based on predetermined rules.
• Environmental monitoring- BLE beacons can be used to monitor environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity within a property. This can help property managers identify areas that are too hot, too cold, too humid, or too dry and determine where improvements are needed to ensure tenant comfort and safety.
• Parking control- To track the occupants, entry, and exit of large vehicles like cargo vans, box trucks, and shuttle buses, BLE gateways can be installed at parking gates. By monitoring the entry and exit of heavy vehicles, they can prevent unauthorized access to the property and reduce the risk of theft and vandalism.
• Navigation- BLE beacons can be placed throughout a building to provide indoor navigation for potential tenants or buyers. For example, BLE beacons can be used to navigate to the location of emergency exit doors so that workers or tenants in case of an emergency can leave, by providing clear and accurate directions, property managers and agents can help to reduce panic and confusion during an emergency.