Guides and FAQ5 min read

Condo vs apartment vs subdivision management: what changes

Three owners, three very different jobs: one holds six condo units in four towers, one owns a building, one chairs an association of seventy houses. The money looks similar; the responsibilities do not.

By the end of this pageYou will see what each shape adds and removes — responsibility, people, weekly work — and which parts of the platform each one actually uses.

On this page

Scattered condo units A whole apartment building A subdivision or HOA What stays the same Mixed portfolios

What changes across the threeDrag to compare

Condo → apartmentApartment → subdivision

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The apartment building is the middle case; slide to see what each neighbour drops or adds.

Scattered condo units

You are responsible for: the inside of each unit, the tenant, the lease, the rent, repairs inside the unit. Not for: the lobby, the gate, the elevator, the pool — the condominium corporation runs those and bills you dues. Money: rent in, dues and RPT as running costs, repairs as expenses; net per unit is the whole picture and varies a lot between towers. People: the tenant, a handyman on call, the building admin as a counterpart. Weekly work: almost none beyond tickets. Platform: units under "managed by others" places, clients, money, documents, the portal. No rota, no gate, no stock beyond a few spares.

A whole apartment building

Responsible for: everything — units, common areas, the door, utilities, the fabric of the building, fire safety, the neighbours' complaints. Money: rent and extras in; general expenses split across units; stock; turnover costs; vacancy days priced. People: tenants, a cleaner or two, perhaps a guard and reception, contractors, an accountant. Weekly work: the rota, tickets, supplies, the walk, the gate log. Platform: all of it. The full guide.

A subdivision or HOA

Responsible for: the common property — roads, gate, streetlights, park, clubhouse — and collecting what pays for it. Not for anyone's house. Money: dues not rent; common expenses split by the by-laws; special assessments; a reserve; an assembly to report to. People: homeowners (and their tenants), elected officers who change, a guard agency, a secretary, an accountant. Weekly work: the gate, common-area maintenance, tickets about shared things, notices. Platform: association mode — dues, homeowner portal, gate with vehicles, officers as roles, notices, the association report. HOA guide.

What stays the same

A ledger of money in and out per door. A document trail — lease or by-laws, IDs, receipts. A monthly close and a pack for whoever keeps the books. Data privacy duties. A chase rhythm for whoever has not paid. That common core is why one platform covers all three with the words changed.

Mixed portfolios

An owner who has a building and six condo units — common — runs both in one workspace, with the building as a stacked place and the condo units under "managed by others". The portfolio roll-up sums them; the per-place views keep them separate. An HOA treasurer who also owns rental houses keeps two workspaces, because they are two sets of books.

Townhouse compounds sit between building and subdivision: your common areas, your gate, but units on the ground with their own meters. Set them up as a flat place that is not an association — rent, not dues — with common areas and a gate. Most of the subdivision section applies except the officers.