Drones: A Controversial Eye in the Sky for Property Managers

By Ashley Halligan, an analyst at Software Advice

The FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act, passed earlier this year, will authorize funds exceeding $60 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through 2015. The bill, intended to accelerate modernization in U.S. aviation, includes a rather controversial component: drones.

By September 2015, the FAA is required to accept and support the flight of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in U.S. airspace. The range of potential commercial uses for these UAVs is vast and, not surprisingly, of interest to a broad spectrum of markets–including real estate and property management.

In fact, until the bill passed last February (which restricts airspace accessibility until the FAA devises a plan for non-authority UAVs), some real estate agencies had already begun hiring companies specializing in aerial photography via drones. The LAPD cracked down on such operations in January, warning of possible FAA violations.

While awaiting the FAA’s release of new regulations on commercial drone use, companies are designing high-tech devices ready to perform a slew of airborne operations. Other organizations are considering how using these drones could improve their businesses. Meanwhile, the public and media are in frenzies about what such flying contraptions mean in their day-to-day lives.

What is the potential future of drones in the U.S. real estate market? And what concerns are residents expressing?

For more, read the original story at Drones: A Controversial Eye in the Sky for Property Managers