Digital Nomads Expose Housing Gaps. PropTech Could Help Fill Them.

Forbes

11 hours ago

Digital Nomads
Over the last five years, housing markets have been shaped not only by familiar pressures such as economic volatility and supply chain disruptions, but also by profound shifts in how and where people work. Today, more than 40 million people identify as digital nomads globally, a figure that has more than tripled since 2019, driven by the pandemic and a broader decoupling of employment from place. Recent research estimates that 165,000 British citizens alone live and work abroad this way, spending an average of seven months overseas each year.
With 67 countries now offering dedicated digital nomad visas and many firms continuing to formalise remote policies, global mobility is no longer a rare perk or pandemic experiment. It has become a structural feature of the modern workforce.
At the same time, PropTech has continued to develop and impact how homes are marketed, leased, and managed. Together, borderless living and real estate digitalisation are exposing the limitations of legacy housing systems, particularly in accommodating mid-term stays (rentals lasting one to twelve months that fall between regulated leases and short-stay tourism).
A New Class of Housing Demand By Digital Nomads
Digital nomads are not tourists, nor are they permanent migrants. Research shows that 80% of digital nomads prefer to stay in one location for three to nine months, driven by visa conditions and cost considerations. This shift reflects more than just tech workers with laptops. Increasingly, digital nomads include professionals from fields like law, consulting, design, and marketing. The result is a growing population whose needs and behaviours don't align with either short-stay tourism or conventional rental models. In hubs such as Lisbon, Cape Town, Bali, and Mexico City, this has produced a growing class of residents who live locally, spend actively, but remain largely detached from the traditional housing supply.
The benefits are tangible. In Cape Town, digital nomads have been linked to tourism recovery and infrastructure investment, as policymakers integrated remote work incentives into broader economic strategies. In some locations, co-living operators have begun facilitating skills exchange programmes, connecting mobile professionals with local entrepreneurs to support inclusive innovation. Elsewhere, their spending supports cafés, coworking hubs, and service sectors that benefit from longer stays.
But these benefits coexist with mounting strain. Lisbon's central rents have surged, and the Balearic Islands saw an 18% jump in one year, fuelled by workers earning in strong currencies spending in weaker ones. The issue is less about whether nomads should be present in cities, and more about how housing systems can evolve to recognise mid-term demand as a distinct and manageable category.
Where PropTech Fits In For Digital Nomads
If digital nomadism represents a new class of housing demand, PropTech provides the infrastructure to manage it more intelligently. Its role goes beyond convenience. It reduces friction in housing access, allows for more efficient use of existing stock, and generates data that can inform planning decisions in real time.
Much of this is already underway. Platforms for flexible leasing now offer digital tenant screening, dynamic rent pricing, and remote contract execution, shrinking leasing cycles from weeks to days. Meanwhile, AI-driven valuation tools and big data platforms are enabling landlords to track occupancy patterns and adjust pricing or amenities dynamically.
As these tools become more embedded, their potential to bridge private-sector activity with public oversight is becoming clearer. The EU's recently passed 'Airbnb Law' provides one example. Short-term rental platforms are now required to share host identity, property location, and occupancy data with local authorities to improve transparency and tackle housing pressures in tourism-heavy cities.
Applying similar mechanisms to mid-term rentals and co-living schemes would not be a stretch. Many of these platforms already manage identity verification, digital leases, and occupancy logs. With the right privacy standards, this kind of data could help cities anticipate seasonal inflows, calibrate zoning or permitting thresholds, and avoid the unintended consequences of unmanaged mobility.
Conclusion
Remote work and global mobility have pushed housing into unfamiliar territory, where residents are neither short-term tourists nor long-term tenants. The strain is real, but so is the opportunity.
PropTech's tools, however, can make mid-term demand more visible and easier to manage. When linked with planning frameworks, they offer a path toward housing systems that are more responsive and less reactive.
Digital nomads look to be here to stay. As mid-term sojourns become more common, adapting housing is less about accommodating a trend and more about modernising systems to match how people now live and work.