The verdict in three sentences
Redesigning a Montreal property management company website costs CAD 15,000 to 45,000 with a local agency in 2026 (roughly USD 10,900 to 32,800), while Kolonell's fixed grid is USD 2,900, 4,900 or 8,900, with tenant portals and payments on quote. The main danger lies in rental listings and rental application forms: hundreds of URLs that change and personal information governed by Quebec's Law 25. Plan five to nine weeks in total, including 3 to 4 weeks of production once content is ready, and a site that leads in French, as Quebec's language framework expects of a business.
When should a property manager redesign its site?
A firm managing rental buildings in the Plateau, Rosemont, Griffintown or Laval handles weekly requests from tenants, owners and condo boards. The site becomes an operating tool, and it needs a rebuild when:
- rental listings are updated by hand, duplicated on Marketplace or Kijiji, and rented units stay online;
- the rental application is a PDF to print, or it collects more information than needed;
- diaspora owners who entrust you with a building from abroad cannot find your management fees or your reporting method;
- the English version is more complete than the French one, which is a problem under the Charter of the French Language;
- tenants looking for an emergency number land on a generic contact page.
What budget should you plan in 2026?
2026 ballpark ranges based on typical agency quotes and public rate pages of local agencies. Approximate conversion at 1 USD ≈ 1.37 CAD.
| Provider | Usually included | Ballpark CAD | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress freelancer | Theme, 10 pages, listings entered by hand | 5,000 to 12,000 | 3,650 to 8,750 |
| Montreal SME agency | Custom design, FR and EN, listings module | 15,000 to 30,000 | 10,950 to 21,900 |
| Real estate specialist agency | Synced listings, portal, search work | 30,000 to 45,000 and up | 21,900 to 32,850 and up |
| Kolonell Starter | Company site, services, contact | USD 2,900 | 2,900 |
| Kolonell Growth | Neighborhood pages, listings, blog, analytics | USD 4,900 | 4,900 |
| Kolonell Premium | The multilingual tier, languages set in the quote, advanced design | USD 8,900 | 8,900 |
| Tenant portal, rent payment, property software sync | Depends on your software | On quote | On quote |
Every Kolonell tier includes a project manager reachable in Eastern time, native French or English copywriting, delivery in 3 to 4 weeks and 3 months of support; maintenance afterwards is on quote. Tier details are on the international offer page. Kolonell built, among others, the site of Orven Properties, a Dubai real estate company.
How long does the redesign take?
- Inventory (week 1): export URLs from Search Console, list active listings, neighborhood pages and forms.
- Content (1 to 3 weeks, on the firm's side): French copy first, building photos, updated privacy policy.
- Design and build (weeks 1 to 3): listing templates, owner pages, tenant pages.
- Testing and compliance (weeks 3 to 4): copy review, form tests, redirect checks.
- Launch and monitoring (30 days): Search Console, Google Business Profile links, 404 checks.
A local agency usually plans 8 to 14 weeks for the same path, especially if the portal is built at the same time.
Which risks, and how do you neutralize them?
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Countermeasure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traffic loss on neighborhood pages (Plateau, Rosemont) | High without a plan | High | URL inventory, 301 redirect map, sitemap submitted on launch day |
| Hundreds of expired listings returning 404 | High | Medium | Redirect each expired listing to its neighborhood or building page |
| Rental form collecting too much | Medium | High | Ask only what is needed at that stage, for example no social insurance number; secure hosting |
| Cookies and tracking tools on by default | Medium | Medium | Consent banner and privacy settings off by default |
| English site richer than the French one | Medium | Medium | Content parity, French by default |
| Outage during the switch | Low | Medium | DNS TTL lowered 48 h ahead, switch on a weekday evening |
On the legal side, keep a few general markers. Law 25 requires, among other things, a designated person in charge of personal information and a clear published policy. Lease rules and disputes fall under the Tribunal administratif du logement: your information pages should stay factual and never replace legal advice. If the firm also leases through a broker, brokerage advertising falls under the OACIQ and those mentions should be validated by the broker. This is not legal advice.
Questions to ask the provider: who builds the redirect map; how expired listings are handled; where rental applications are stored; who owns the code, domain and photos.
When a local agency is the better choice. If you want a tenant portal integrated with your property software, in-person workshops with your team and one agency that also runs your local campaigns, a specialist Montreal agency at CAD 30,000 and up makes sense. A remote studio is enough when the need is a clear, fast site in French and English with well structured listings.
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Mini case study
*Illustrative example.* Marc-André Lavoie runs a firm managing about forty buildings in Rosemont and Laval. He compares two options for a French and English site.
- Local agency: CAD 28,000, about USD 20,400.
- Kolonell Premium (the multilingual tier, languages set in the quote): USD 8,900, plus a local real estate photographer, a third-party cost estimated at 15 buildings × CAD 250 = CAD 3,750 (≈ USD 2,740). Total ≈ USD 11,640.
- Difference: ≈ USD 8,760, which he sets aside for the tenant portal, quoted separately in a second phase.
He writes the handling of 120 expired listings and French English parity into the contract. To price your own redesign, request a free quote.
FAQ
What does a property management website redesign cost in Montreal in 2026?
Expect CAD 15,000 to 45,000 with a local agency (≈ USD 10,900 to 32,800). Kolonell's fixed grid runs from USD 2,900 to 8,900, with portal and payments on quote.
Does the site have to be in French?
For a business established in Quebec, commercial content must be available in French, and an English version can be added. Plan content parity from the inventory stage; it saves 1 to 2 weeks of fixes.
What should we do with listings already rented?
Redirect each expired listing to its building or neighborhood page instead of leaving a 404 error. With 100 listings or more, plan this sorting from week 1.
How long is the switch?
With DNS prepared 48 hours ahead, the visible outage usually lasts under an hour. Redirect monitoring continues for 30 days.
Is online rent payment included?
No, payments and the tenant portal are quoted separately depending on your property software. Growth at USD 4,900 and Premium at USD 8,900 cover the site and listings.
Let's scope your project. Send us your list of pages, forms and buildings, and we will price a redesign delivered in 3 to 4 weeks. See the international offer or request a free quote: detailed reply within 48 hours.
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.
