Custom property management portals that eliminate per-unit fees, capture ACH revenue, and give you complete control. Save $30K-$100K+ annually while owning 100% of your platform.
See exactly how much you'd save with a custom portal
Every month, you're paying rent to your software vendor. Here's what that really costs your business—and why property managers are switching to custom portals.
AppFolio charges $1.49-$3 per unit per month. At 500 units, that's $9,000-$18,000/year just for software access. Every new property increases your costs.
You're giving away $2.09 per ACH transaction that could be revenue. With 60% of tenants paying digitally, a 500-unit property loses $7,500/year in potential profit.
Switching property management software is a nightmare by design. Data export is limited, migrations are painful, and vendors know you're stuck.
Your tenants see AppFolio's interface, not yours. Generic software undermines the professional image you've built for your properties.
Paying for 200 features when you use 20. Your team wastes time navigating cluttered interfaces designed for every property type imaginable.
Need a workflow that matches your business? Too bad. Request denied. You adapt to the software instead of the software adapting to you.
Let's do the math for a typical 500-unit property management company:
One-time development investment pays for itself in months, not years
Enter your property portfolio details to see exactly how much you'd save with a custom property management portal.
Industry average: 55-65%. Higher adoption = more ACH revenue captured.
Your cost: $0.40. Keep same as current ($2.49) or reduce to attract tenants.
*Development costs are estimates. Final pricing based on specific requirements. You own 100% of the code forever.
Three distinct portals designed for each role: tenants, property managers, and owners. Each interface is optimized for its specific use cases.
Self-service features that reduce support inquiries and improve tenant satisfaction
ACH and credit/debit card payments with automatic receipts
Photo upload, priority selection, and real-time status tracking
View lease terms, download signed agreements, access move-in docs
Contact property manager without phone calls or emails
Complete transaction history with downloadable receipts
Native iOS and Android apps for on-the-go access
See exactly how a custom property management portal stacks up against the leading SaaS platforms.
| Feature | AppFolio | Buildium | Custom Portal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Software Cost | $1.49-$3/unit | $1.25-$2/unit | $0 (you own it) |
| ACH Transaction Fee | $2.49 (lost revenue) | $1.99 (lost revenue) | $0.40 (you profit $2.09) |
| ACH Revenue to You | $0 | $0 | Keep the difference |
| Branding | "Powered by AppFolio" | "Powered by Buildium" | 100% Your Brand |
| Customization | Limited | Limited | Unlimited |
| Native Mobile Apps | Generic app | Generic app | Your branded apps |
| Data Ownership | Vendor owns | Vendor owns | You own 100% |
| Feature Bloat | Pay for everything | Pay for everything | Only what you need |
| Vendor Lock-In | High | High | None |
| New Property Fees | $1,500+ integration | Setup fees apply | $0 |
| Multi-LLC Routing | Complex setup | Limited | Built-in from day one |
| Source Code Access | Never | Never | Full ownership |
500 units = $8,940/year in fees, plus you lose all ACH revenue to them
500 units = $7,500/year in fees, same vendor lock-in problems
One-time investment, then $0 per-unit fees forever + capture ACH revenue
A proven development process refined across dozens of custom portal projects. You'll have visibility into progress at every step.
We interview your team, document current processes, identify pain points with AppFolio/Buildium, and define requirements. You'll receive a comprehensive specification document before any development starts.
Figma mockups for all three portals (tenant, manager, owner) with your branding. Interactive prototypes let you click through the experience before code is written.
Tenant login, rent payments via Plaid/Dwolla, maintenance requests, and lease document access. Weekly demos on staging server keep you informed.
Admin controls for applications, leases, and maintenance. Owner portal with real-time reporting and automated PDF generation.
Plaid for bank verification, Dwolla for ACH with multi-LLC routing, Stripe for credit/debit cards. Integration with your existing property websites.
React Native apps for iOS and Android. Tenant app for payments and maintenance, manager app for on-the-go approvals. Published to App Store and Google Play.
Import your existing property and tenant data. Parallel operation with current software for 2-3 months. Comprehensive testing across devices.
Zero-downtime deployment, live training sessions (recorded for reference), documentation, and 30-day post-launch support warranty.
Core web portal typically ready for testing by week 8-10. Mobile apps follow in weeks 14-16. We recommend 2-3 months of parallel operation with your existing software for smooth transition.
Modern, scalable infrastructure built on industry-leading platforms. The same technologies powering companies like Airbnb, Shopify, and Stripe.
Bank account verification, identity checks, income verification
ACH transfers with multi-LLC routing to separate bank accounts
Credit/debit card payments (convenience fee passed to tenant)
React framework with server-side rendering for fast page loads
Managed PostgreSQL with row-level security for multi-tenant isolation
Edge deployment, automatic SSL, global CDN
Native iOS and Android apps from shared codebase
Published under your developer accounts
Real-time alerts for payments, maintenance, messages
Transactional emails, bulk newsletters, read receipts
SMS notifications for payments, maintenance updates
Push notifications to mobile apps
Database isolation ensures tenants only see their data
All data encrypted in transit and at rest
Plaid, Dwolla, Stripe all SOC 2 Type II certified
Embed listings and applications via secure API
Automatic listing syndication to major portals
Integration with TransUnion, RentPrep, or preferred provider
Compare to AppFolio: 500 units × $1.49 = $745/month, 2,000 units × $1.49 = $2,980/month
How a 2,000+ unit property management company eliminated AppFolio and built a custom portal that pays for itself every year.
A regional property management company managing 2,050+ units across three markets (Northern Kentucky, Louisville, and Cincinnati) was paying $36,654/year in AppFolio subscription fees. Every new property acquisition increased their software costs.
Worse, they were losing $2.49 per ACH transaction to AppFolio—revenue that could have been theirs. With 60% of tenants paying digitally, that added up to over $30,000/year in lost revenue.
They also managed multiple LLCs with separate bank accounts, making AppFolio's payment routing a constant headache.
We built a complete custom property management platform with:
10-Year Projected Benefit
$653,000+
The ROI was obvious from day one. We broke even in under 4 months, and now every dollar we were sending to AppFolio stays in our business. Plus, our tenants love the mobile app.
Ready to see what a custom portal could do for your portfolio?
Get Your Custom ROI AnalysisStill have questions?
Get a free ROI analysis for your portfolio. We'll calculate your exact savings and provide a transparent fixed-price proposal within 24 hours.
