The verdict in three sentences
For a lift contractor maintaining 2,300 units for managing agents and housing associations, a client portal connected to the CMMS costs between GBP 21,000 and 38,000 (about EUR 25,000 to 45,000) and ships in 3 to 5 months. The main gain is roughly 50% fewer follow-up calls, because every property manager sees breakdowns, visits and quotes in real time. Ongoing support at GBP 500 to 1,000 per month costs less than half a coordinator dedicated to phone updates.
What the portal must show a managing agent or landlord
A block manager in London often looks after 40 to 150 buildings. They want to know, without calling, whether the lift in block B is back in service, when the next maintenance visit is due and where the quote for new landing doors stands. The portal centralises this by contract, site and unit, with the records required under LOLER 1998: six-monthly thorough examination reports for passenger lifts, maintenance logs and remedial actions.
Data comes from the existing CMMS (Joblogic, Simpro, BigChange or an in-house tool) and engineers' tablets. As soon as an engineer closes a job, the client receives an email or SMS with the report and photos.
| Module | Content for the client | 2026 range (GBP) |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-site access and roles | Agent, landlord, caretaker accounts, rights per building | 3,400 to 5,900 |
| Real-time breakdown tracking | Status, arrival time, downtime, photos | 4,200 to 7,600 |
| Maintenance visit schedule | Calendar, signed PDF reports, LOLER records | 2,900 to 5,500 |
| Repair quotes and approval | View, accept online, track works | 3,400 to 6,300 |
| CMMS and tablet connector | API or scheduled sync, mismatch handling | 4,600 to 8,500 |
| Notifications and dashboard | Email, SMS, availability rate per portfolio | 2,500 to 4,200 |
| Total project | 21,000 to 38,000 |
Timeline, hosting and support: the real budget lines
The most uncertain line is the CMMS connector. If the vendor offers a documented API, allow 3 to 4 weeks. If data is exported as CSV files every hour, development is faster but real time becomes near real time, which is enough for most managing agents.
| Phase | Duration | Deliverable |
|---|---|---|
| Scoping and wireframes | 3 to 4 weeks | Agent and landlord journeys signed off, API spec |
| Core build | 6 to 8 weeks | Accounts, sites, units, history |
| CMMS and tablet connector | 3 to 5 weeks | Job and report sync |
| Acceptance with 5 pilot clients | 2 to 3 weeks | Fixes, notification tuning |
| Phased rollout | 2 to 4 weeks | Whole portfolio live, training |
| Total | 3 to 5 months |
After launch, support covers UK hosting (GBP 70 to 170 per month), backups, security updates and small changes. The GBP 500 tier suits a stable portfolio. The GBP 1,000 tier includes about one day of enhancements per month and priority support.
| Option | Estimated annual cost (GBP) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Essential support | 6,000 | Hosting, security, fixes |
| Evolving support | 12,000 | + 1 enhancement day per month |
| SMS notifications | 750 to 2,100 | Depends on breakdown volume |
| CMMS vendor portal licence | 7,500 to 17,000 | Less customisable, per-user pricing |
Mini case study
James, technical director of a lift maintenance firm in London, handles about 1,400 follow-up calls a month ("has the engineer been?", "where is my quote?"). Each call takes 4 minutes on average, or 93 hours a month. With a 50% drop, he frees 46 hours, about 0.3 of a full-time role. At a loaded cost of GBP 3,000 a month for a coordinator, savings reach about GBP 900 a month. Add faster online quote approval: if 15 extra GBP 3,400 quotes are accepted per year thanks to automatic reminders, at 25% margin, that is GBP 12,750 of annual margin. For a GBP 30,000 project and GBP 8,000 a year of support, payback lands around 20 to 24 months, before counting better retention when contracts come up for renewal.
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FAQ
Can we keep our current CMMS?
Yes, the portal connects to the existing CMMS through an API or file exchange. The connector accounts for GBP 4,600 to 8,500 of the budget depending on data quality.
Do clients need to install an app?
No, the portal is a responsive web app that runs in any browser. An installable version (PWA) adds about GBP 1,700 to 3,000 if caretakers want an icon on their phone.
Where is the data hosted?
In the UK, with daily backups kept for 30 days. Personal data about residents is kept to the minimum, in line with UK GDPR.
How soon do we see results?
A pilot with 5 managing agents usually starts after 10 to 12 weeks. The impact on the switchboard is measurable from the second month of use.
Wouldn't a vendor portal be cheaper?
At first, yes, but licences of GBP 7,500 to 17,000 a year add up and customisation stays limited. Over 4 years, a custom build often pays off for portfolios above 1,500 units.
Let's scope your project. Send us your portfolio size, your CMMS and your priority modules: we will price a portal between GBP 21,000 and 38,000 with a 3 to 5 month plan. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
