The verdict in three sentences
In Edinburgh, a property management company website built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 order of magnitude, between 8 000 and 30 000 GBP, and more when the brief includes a bespoke landlord or tenant portal. Kolonell builds the landlord service pages, the lettings showcase connected to your software and the repair request routing at a fixed price: 2 300, 3 900 or 6 900 GBP, delivered in 3 to 4 weeks for Starter and Growth. The useful comparison is the three-year total cost, how each quote handles the tools you already use (Reapit, Alto, Arthur Online, Fixflo and the like) and whether your registrations are presented accurately under Scottish letting rules.
What do Edinburgh agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?
The ranges below are cautious orders of magnitude, not official figures. They draw on public price guides from Scottish digital agencies, minimum project sizes shown on Clutch.co agency profiles, hourly rates published by agencies in Edinburgh and Glasgow (often 70 to 120 GBP an hour) and rates visible on Upwork and PeoplePerHour for UK-based developers. Scope moves them a lot: number of service pages, listings feed, portals and copywriting.
| Criterion | Edinburgh agency | Scottish freelancer | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build, 2026 order of magnitude | 8 000 to 30 000 GBP and more | 2 000 to 7 000 GBP | 2 300 / 3 900 / 6 900 GBP, fixed price |
| Out-of-scope changes | Often 70 to 120 GBP an hour | Often 35 to 70 GBP an hour | Additions priced before any work |
| Usual timeline | 8 to 14 weeks | 4 to 10 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks, Premium usually 4 to 6 |
| Listings feed from your software | Often quoted as an extra | Depends on experience | Integration of the feed or widget your software provides |
| Copy for landlord pages | Often billed separately | Rarely included | Native English or French copy included |
| Support after launch | Separate maintenance contract | Case by case | 3 months, 6 with Premium |
| Ownership | Check the contract | Check the contract | Domain in your name, all access handed over |
An honest point: a good Edinburgh freelancer can deliver a simple brochure site for a price close to our Starter tier. What Kolonell adds is a project manager, a written scope, copy written by a native speaker and a fixed price, not a lower invoice in every case. Payment is by bank transfer or Wise: 50% at kickoff, 50% on delivery. Your project manager is reachable in your time zone, through Google Meet calls booked at a time that suits your office, with a written update every week. The team is based in Senegal (GMT), so there is no time difference with Edinburgh in winter and one hour in summer. The packages are detailed in our international website offer.
What three-year cost should you compare?
The build price is only the entry ticket. A letting and management firm also pays for hosting, maintenance, new pages (a new neighbourhood, a service for HMO landlords) and team photography. The table assumes the same maintenance budget on both sides, since Kolonell maintenance after the support period is quoted separately.
| Item over 36 months | Edinburgh agency (mid range) | Kolonell Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Website build | 15 000 GBP | 3 900 GBP |
| Support after launch | Per contract | 3 months included |
| Maintenance (same assumption) | 120 GBP a month for 33 months, or 3 960 GBP | 3 960 GBP, maintenance quoted separately |
| Six new area or service pages over three years | 6 hours at 90 GBP, or 540 GBP | Priced before work, assumption 500 GBP |
| Team portrait session | 600 GBP | Local photographer booked separately, 600 GBP |
| Indicative total | 20 100 GBP | 8 960 GBP |
These figures structure the comparison; they do not predict your bill. Ask every supplier to fill in the same table.
What does each Kolonell package include for a property management firm?
| Item | Starter 2 300 GBP | Growth 3 900 GBP | Premium 6 900 GBP |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landlord pages | Main services, one page each (let only, full management) | Page per service, fees table, area pages | Full structure, several offices or brands |
| Properties to let | Link to your listings on the portals | Feed or widget from your property software | Integrated feed with filters by area and budget |
| Repair requests | Link to your existing tool | Embedded form or repair tool | Routing by property type and urgency |
| Landlord rental valuation request | Simple form | Form with area and property type | Multi-step form |
| Bilingual FR/EN version | No | No | Included |
| Timeline | 3 to 4 weeks | 3 to 4 weeks | Written plan at kickoff, usually 4 to 6 weeks |
| Support after launch | 3 months | 3 months | 6 months |
A landlord portal with statements, a tenant extranet or a custom viewing booking system is a bespoke application, quoted separately. Ongoing SEO work is also quoted separately. Kolonell does not shoot photos or video on site and holds no in-person meetings: your property photographer or a local one covers that.
What does an Edinburgh property management website need?
Edinburgh's rental market has its own shape: tenement flats in Marchmont and Bruntsfield let to students of the University of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and Napier; New Town and Stockbridge apartments for professionals and relocating staff; new-build blocks in Leith and around Western Harbour; and owners who used to rely on August festival lets and now have to work within the city's short-term let rules. Many landlords live abroad or elsewhere in the UK, so the site is often their first piece of due diligence.
- Clear landlord pages: what full management covers, how rent collection, inspections and repairs work, and fees laid out plainly.
- Tenant information: how to apply, what happens to the deposit, how to report a repair.
- Area pages that read like local knowledge: Leith, Marchmont, Morningside, Portobello, with the realistic tenant profile of each.
- A connection to your software, so listings and repair requests are not entered twice.
- Registrations shown accurately: Scottish Letting Agent Register number, the deposit scheme you use, professional bodies only if you are a member.
On compliance, stay factual. Letting agents operating in Scotland must be registered on the Scottish Letting Agent Register and follow the Letting Agent Code of Practice; property factors managing common parts are registered under the Property Factors (Scotland) Act 2011. Charging tenants a premium for granting a tenancy is prohibited in Scotland, which shapes how you present fees. Deposits go into an approved tenancy deposit scheme. Enquiry forms collect personal data, so UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 apply, with a clear privacy notice and cookie consent; WCAG 2.2 AA is a sensible technical target given the Equality Act 2010. Have the exact wording checked by your adviser or professional body. This is not legal advice.
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How do you compare quotes, and what are the red flags?
- A price without a written scope: ask for the list of pages, integrations and who writes the copy.
- A domain registered in the supplier's name: it must be in your company's name.
- A property database rebuilt from scratch when your software already provides a feed.
- No fees page in the proposal: it is the first page landlords read.
- Maintenance imposed for several years with no clause letting you take the site back.
- Accessibility left out while your tenants include older and disabled people.
Mini case study
Illustrative example. Fiona M., operations director of an Edinburgh firm managing about 420 homes across Leith and Marchmont, receives two proposals. A local agency quotes 17 800 GBP including a team photo session, with a 12-week timeline. Kolonell proposes the Growth package at 3 900 GBP, delivered in 4 weeks, and the firm books a local photographer for portraits at 450 GBP.
Build and photos: 17 800 GBP against 4 350 GBP, a 13 450 GBP gap. With the same maintenance assumption of 3 960 GBP on each side over 33 months, the three-year total comes to 21 760 GBP against 8 310 GBP. Fiona keeps the agency in mind for a future landlord portal, which would be a bespoke application either way.
FAQ
How much does a property management website cost in Edinburgh in 2026?
With a local agency, budget roughly 8 000 to 30 000 GBP depending on integrations and portals. A freelancer often charges 2 000 to 7 000 GBP for a simpler site. Kolonell charges a fixed 2 300, 3 900 or 6 900 GBP.
Can the site display listings from our property software?
Yes, from Growth (3 900 GBP) we integrate the feed or widget your software provides, so you keep a single source of data. A fully custom search engine wired to your database is a bespoke application, quoted separately.
Do you build a landlord portal?
Not within the website packages. A portal with statements and documents is a bespoke application quoted separately; many firms start with a link to the portal included in their software, at no extra cost.
How do we work together without meetings in Edinburgh?
A project manager runs Google Meet calls at your hours and sends a written update every week. The team works on GMT, the same as Edinburgh in winter, with one hour of difference in summer.
What happens after the 3 months of support?
You can run the site yourself, hand maintenance to another supplier or ask us for a quote. The domain stays in your name and all access is handed over at delivery.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current site, the name of your property software and the services you want to highlight, and we will propose a fixed-price package delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. Request your free quote or see the international offer.
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.