The verdict in three sentences
For an agency managing 1,100 rental units and 25 condominium buildings, you should not replace the off-the-shelf industry software billed EUR 300 to 900 a month: it handles client accounting and rent receipts well. You should extend it with custom modules at EUR 15,000 to 40,000 wherever your property managers lose time: reminders, inspections, bank reconciliation, owner questions. The target is 30% less management time per unit and unpaid rent flagged 15 days earlier, with break-even around 6 months.
Where your property managers' hours go
The figures below come from an agency in Marseille; a Berlin property manager with a similar portfolio faces the same structure. A property manager typically handles 300 to 400 units. A large share of the day goes to repetitive tasks the core software covers badly or not at all.
| Task | Current time per unit per year | After extensions | Lever |
|---|---|---|---|
| Answering owners (statements, repairs, payments) | 1 h 30 | 0 h 30 | Real-time owner portal |
| Chasing unpaid rent | 0 h 50 | 0 h 15 | Automatic reminders at D+3, D+10, D+20 |
| Move-in and move-out inspections | 1 h 00 | 0 h 40 | Tablet inspection, PDF signed on site |
| Bank reconciliation of rents | 0 h 45 | 0 h 10 | Automatic matching by reference |
| Sending receipts and rent notices | 0 h 20 | 0 h 05 | Automatic email and tenant portal |
| Total | 4 h 25 | 1 h 40 | About 60% on these tasks, 30% of total time |
Off-the-shelf, extensions or full custom
| Option | Upfront cost | Annual cost | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Off-the-shelf software only | EUR 2,000 to 6,000 (data import, training) | EUR 3,600 to 10,800 | Client accounting, receipts, regulatory owner extranet |
| Off-the-shelf + custom extensions | EUR 17,000 to 46,000 | EUR 6,000 to 16,800 | Proven core + automation tailored to your agency |
| Fully custom software | EUR 120,000 to 250,000 | EUR 18,000 to 40,000 | Full control, but client accounting and compliance rebuilt from scratch |
| 5-year cost, extensions | About EUR 41,000 to 113,000 | The most profitable option above 500 units |
Full custom only makes sense above 5,000 units or for a very unusual model. Extensions plug into the existing software through an API or scheduled file exchanges.
The extensions and their budget
| Extension | Content | Budget | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner portal | Payments, statements, repairs, documents, in real time | EUR 4,000 to 10,000 | 4 weeks |
| Automatic reminders | SMS, email and letter sequences, alert to the manager at the first delay | EUR 3,000 to 7,000 | 2 weeks |
| Tablet inspections | Room by room, photos, move-in versus move-out comparison, e-signature | EUR 4,000 to 10,000 | 4 weeks |
| Bank reconciliation | Statement import, automatic rent matching, flagged gaps | EUR 3,000 to 8,000 | 3 weeks |
| Manager dashboard | Arrears, vacancy, workload per manager, condominiums | EUR 1,000 to 5,000 | 2 weeks |
| Total | 5 extensions | EUR 15,000 to 40,000 | 3 to 4 months |
On the condominium side, the legally required owner extranet stays with the off-the-shelf software; the extensions enrich it (claims tracking, repair requests) without replacing it.
Mini case study
Karim, managing director of a property agency in Marseille, manages 1,100 units at an average rent of EUR 750 a month, i.e. EUR 9.9 million of rent collected per year. He orders all five extensions for EUR 28,000, plus EUR 4,000 of annual maintenance.
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- Time freed: 1,100 units × 2 h 45 = about 3,000 hours a year on the targeted tasks. He takes on 300 extra units without hiring a property manager, i.e. EUR 45,000 of loaded salary avoided.
- Unpaid rent: write-offs represented 0.6% of rent, i.e. EUR 59,400. Flagged 15 days earlier, they drop by a third, i.e. EUR 19,800 saved.
- Annual gain: EUR 64,800. First-year investment: EUR 32,000. Break-even in about 6 months.
FAQ
Do we need to change our property management software?
No, in the vast majority of cases. The extensions connect to the existing software; the connector costs EUR 2,000 to 5,000 depending on the vendor.
Is a tablet inspection legally valid?
Yes, if it follows the required content and carries both parties' e-signatures. The PDF is sent immediately, which reduces move-out disputes, often 10 to 15% of files.
Do owners actually use the portal?
In practice, 50 to 70% of owners log in at least once a quarter. Inbound calls often drop by 40% in the first year.
How is tenant data handled?
Hosting in the EU, role-based access, retention limited under GDPR. Hosting costs EUR 80 to 250 a month.
How long before the first gains?
Automatic reminders and bank reconciliation go live in 5 weeks. The portal and inspections follow within 2 months.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your current software, number of units and main pain points: we price extensions between EUR 15,000 and 40,000, delivered in 3 to 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.
