The verdict in three sentences
For a firm managing 80 condominiums and 4,000 units, market property management software remains the accounting core: it keeps each building's books, budgets and charge allocation. The custom extension, between EUR 25,000 and 50,000 excl. VAT, focuses on what makes the difference for owners' boards: a branded owner portal, video general meetings with e-voting and service charge calls payable online. Delivered in 4 months, it cuts inbound calls, speeds up collections and becomes an argument to win new management contracts.
What property management software costs for 4,000 units
Vendors charge per unit, with paid options for the portal, video meetings or e-signature. At 4,000 units, the annual bill becomes significant.
| Item (2026 estimate) | Market software only | Software + custom extension |
|---|---|---|
| Price per unit per month | EUR 1 to 3 | EUR 1 to 2 (base plan is enough) |
| Annual cost for 4,000 units | EUR 48,000 to 144,000 | EUR 48,000 to 96,000 |
| Owner portal | Included but generic, limited branding | Your brand, tailored journeys |
| Video meeting and voting module | Option EUR 3 to 8 per meeting per voting unit, or flat fee | Built in |
| Initial development | EUR 0 | EUR 25,000 to 50,000 excl. VAT |
| Extension maintenance | EUR 0 | 15% per year, i.e. EUR 3,750 to 7,500 |
| Timeline | Immediate | 4 months |
The key calculation: moving to a base vendor plan and carrying differentiating features in the extension can save EUR 20,000 to 40,000 a year in premium licences.
Features that change the owner relationship
The custom layer plugs into the accounting software (export, API or nightly sync) and carries the customer experience. Here are the typical building blocks.
| Feature | Indicative budget excl. VAT | Measurable impact |
|---|---|---|
| Owner portal (documents, account, claims) | EUR 8,000 to 14,000 | -40 to 50% calls to property managers |
| Video meetings, attendance and e-voting | EUR 7,000 to 12,000 | Quorum reached at first notice in 70% of cases |
| Service charge calls and online payment (card, direct debit) | EUR 4,000 to 9,000 | Average collection time cut by 12 days |
| Incident reporting and tracking with photos | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 | Work orders issued in 24 h instead of 4 days |
| Owners' board space (invoice and contract approval) | EUR 3,000 to 6,000 | Accounts review meetings halved |
| Mobile app (PWA) | EUR 4,000 to 8,000 | 60% of logins on mobile |
On the legal side, e-voting at general meetings must follow the rules in force on remote participation (owner identification, vote security, minutes). Scoping pins down these requirements before development.
Mini case study
Julien, managing director of a condominium management firm in Nantes, handles 80 buildings and 4,000 units with 9 property managers. Each manager receives about 35 calls or emails a day, 45% of them about documents, balances or claim status. He currently pays EUR 2.40 per unit per month for a premium plan, or EUR 115,200 a year.
Scenario: switch to a base plan at EUR 1.40 per unit (EUR 67,200 a year) and a custom extension at EUR 42,000 excl. VAT. Licence savings: EUR 48,000 a year. Avoidable calls halve, freeing about 1,000 manager hours a year, enough to take on 6 to 8 more buildings without hiring. After EUR 6,300 of maintenance, the direct net gain reaches EUR 41,700 a year: the extension pays back in 12 months.
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FAQ
Do we need to change our accounting software?
No. The extension connects to your existing software via export or API. If the vendor offers no data access, an automated daily export is enough in 80% of cases.
Is e-voting at general meetings secure?
Yes, with strong identification (unique link and SMS code), timestamping of each vote and automatically generated minutes. The module costs EUR 7,000 to 12,000 excl. VAT depending on options.
How long until the owner portal is live?
4 months in total: 3 weeks of scoping, 11 weeks of development, 2 weeks of acceptance testing with two pilot buildings. Rollout across all 80 buildings then takes 3 to 4 weeks.
Will older owners use it?
Firms that support the launch (paper guide, phone helpline at the first meeting) reach 55 to 70% activated accounts within 6 months. Postal mail remains available for the others.
Where is the data hosted?
In France or the European Union, with encryption and daily backups, for EUR 100 to 300 a month. The firm remains the data controller under GDPR.
Let's scope your project. Owner portal, video meetings with e-voting, online service charge calls: we scope an extension at EUR 25,000 to 50,000 excl. VAT delivered in 4 months. 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.
