Half a Manager’s Time for 500 Apartments

“How many people do we need to manage 500 apartments, not counting technical staff?”

We often hear this question from management companies. It came up again on a call yesterday.

Our answer: about half of one manager’s working time.

Why so few?

Technical work doesn’t go away. Someone still fixes the lift, cleans the stairs and checks the pumps. But much of the office work falls into two recurring tasks: answering residents’ questions and preparing bills. The right tools can take a substantial part of both off a manager’s desk.

Communication

Residents ask many of the same questions: When is the water coming back? Who do I call about the lift? Where’s my bill? Each question is small, but together they take up hours.

An AI concierge can answer routine questions in chat or by phone and create a ticket when something needs doing. Requests can then be routed to the right person. The manager stays involved where a human decision is needed.

Billing

Many management companies still calculate charges in Excel. That can take two working days every month.

In Unitify, billing for a building can take about 10 minutes: charges are calculated, bills are issued and residents see them in the app. The manager spends less time preparing invoices and answering questions about where to find them.

What this means for team size

When routine communication and billing take less time, the staffing picture changes:

• Around 500 apartments: about half of one manager’s working time.
• Around 1,000 apartments: one manager.
• Up to 4,000 apartments: potentially one manager with today’s AI tools.

These figures refer to office management, not technicians, cleaners or other on-site staff. Likewise, their work can be organized more efficiently with the technician app and AI-assisted scheduling. The actual workload depends on the buildings, the services provided and how the company organizes its work.

Why this matters for management companies

A growing portfolio does not have to mean adding office staff at the same rate. When bills go out quickly and routine questions are handled automatically, managers have more time for difficult requests, contractor coordination and decisions that affect residents’ experience.

The useful question is not only how many apartments a team manages. It’s how much of its time is still spent on repeatable work.

Want to see what this could look like for your portfolio? Book a call.