When you’re a board member of a condo or co-op, you know how important it is to leverage a powerful building management software. 

There are many types of softwares out there that handle a variety of tasks, including asset, maintenance, and facility management. For example, computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) are typically used by maintenance managers, technicians, custodial workers, and others to handle repair and maintenance programs in their buildings. Integrated workplace management systems (IWMS) help workplaces optimize resources by giving board members the ability to manage their organization's infrastructure, real estate portfolio, and more.

However, most condo and co-op board members are likely to seek a general-use building management software that lets them manage and streamline payment collection, resident communications, vendor relationships, and maintenance.

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How can you use building management software?

Here's how you can use building management software to manage your properties, whether you have one or 50 buildings:‍

Create eagle-eyed maintenance programs and overviews of your properties

Building management software lets you monitor and control all security and technical installations in your building, including lighting, elevators, access control systems, camera systems (CCTV), and more.‍

Digitize and organize all of your documents

Say goodbye to paperwork. Modern building management tools allow you to digitize and store all your documents in one centralized hub that you, your board, and your property management company can access anytime, anywhere, on any device.‍

Analyze, negotiate, and re-negotiate contracts to cut costs

With all your information in one place, you can keep tabs on the yearly operational cost of your building through monitoring and controlling energy consumption, as well as tracking and resolving technical problems faster. You'll be able to provide much more safety and comfort to everyone.‍

Establish smart CapEx plans

Building management software can also help you establish groundbreaking CapEx plans. With all your stats, people, and assets in one digitized hub, you can easily determine:

• What your long-term needs are
• How you can meet these needs
• What assets you need to meet these needs

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Top five building management softwares

Buildium

Buildium is a cloud-based property management tool that helps managers of association and residential properties take control of every aspect of their business. Buildium comes with features such as full general ledger accounting, tenant and lease tracking, on-demand reports, late fee notices, and automated rent reminders. It also provides you data-driven analytics to spot trends and to make informed decisions about your building.

Pros:

• Two-week free trial
• If you use Happy Inspector, your Buildium data and assets will automatically synchronize with it, saving you time and energy
• Comes with a dedicated subdomain that tenants can use to log in, pay their bills, and place requests for maintenance

Cons:

• Doesn't have integration or premium consulting services
• If you don't sign up for a paid account after the two-week free trial, you'll lose all your information on Buildium
• Subdomain is in the format SiteName.ManageBuilding.com, rather than the standard domain SiteName.com
• Doesn't offer payroll, property management, third-party integration, two-factor authentication, point of sale, or the ability to import QIF/QFX files

BuildingLink

Currently used to manage over 3,000 properties in the U.S. and around the world, BuildingLink is a popular property management software that comes with a variety of features, including:

• Calendar management
• Member database
• Accounting software
• Maintenance management software
• Vacancy management
• Rent tracking
• Room scheduling
• Equipment management

Pros:

• Lots of features to keep you organized
• User-friendly
• Enables communication between different departments
• Includes guardrails to prevent you from moving to the next page until you've given all necessary details, such as dates for paying rent and special events
• Wide range of integrations, including mobile apps, KeyLink (a tracking system that comes with biometric employee identification and seamless integration with BuildingLink), and an array of hardware, such as ID card scanners, electronic signature pads, and fingerprint readers

Cons:

• No free trial
• Can be time-consuming to use since it asks you many mandatory questions before you can move to the next page

Pilera

An industry-leading software that allows you to manage condos, single-family homes, and apartments, Pilera is a fairly flexible building management tool. It comes with a wide range of functions that you can use to create a cohesive environment using community websites, ticket management, automated communications, and more.

Pros:

• Diverse tools to reach all demographics and ages, including automated text, phone, and email in multiple languages – up to 109 different language options
• Condo, apartment, and single-family home-specific functionalities
• Ability to pick and choose the software package you need, including maintenance, help desk, communication, condo and rental, community websites, and resident portal
• Great customer service

Cons:

• Unable to see all the work orders at once
• Required to enter an individual name to see contracts
• No search feature on the site
• No bulletin board, so you’ll have to purchase additional software to make community announcements

BuildingBoard

Also known as OnBoard, BuildingBoard is a tool that board members can use to simplify the way they organize and hold board meetings.

Unlike the other picks on this list, BuildingBoard is solely for managing board meetings. As such, it doesn't come with other building management functionalities, such as rent trackers and accounting software. However, BuildingBoard does allow you to:

• Control the flow of meetings with features to screen share, mute and unmute speakers, and invite additional presenters
• Let every unit owner vote with their smartphone or computer through a built-in secure voting tool
• Instantly send notices to unit owners about future meetings

Pros:

• Simple to use
• Great customer service
• Digitizes all of your contracts and records, so you can go paperless
• Seamless integration with other tools – you can compose agendas using Word and directly access Zoom links through BuildingBoard

Cons:

• Can be expensive, particularly for smaller companies
• Difficult to set up annotations and e-signatures
• Not a full-suite building management software, so you’ll have to buy other software if you want other functionalities

Daisy

Finally, there's Daisy. Daisy is a full-service property management company that provides a digital-first approach to building management that includes:

• A dedicated building dashboard that allows board members to govern effortlessly. This includes easy access to key documents in real-time, including daily financial updates, project statuses, and more. Board members enjoy high-level snapshots complemented by detailed reports for easy reference and better decision-making. And finally, they can take advantage of digital tools that make board duties easier, including voting, e-signing, commenting directly on initiatives, and more.
• An app that residents and board members can use to chat with Daisy specialists instantly as well stay updated on what's going on in their building via real-time posts and push notifications
• Connected and empowered onsite teams
• Data-driven maintenance calendars
• Violation and compliance trackers
• Monthly building walkthroughs and proactive equipment monitoring
• Data-driven performance metrics

Unlike the other picks on this list, Daisy is an end-to-end management solution built from the ground up. Rather than having to sign in to multiple tools to manage everything, users log in to just one system to do everything - even on the go from their phones! We combine our technology with a full team of industry and tech experts to create the best building experiences. We believe it's the people who make buildings special, and we make the happiness of residents and board members our top priority. Unlike traditional management companies, which measure success solely on the number of buildings signed, we measure our success based on the satisfaction of our building's residents and board members. 

At Daisy, we want to make property management easy for everyone. Think about how effortless it is to order a ride or takeout at the tap of a button. We do the same, but for property management. We believe in making buildings people want to live in, and we’ll partner with you to identify and resolve issues in order to maximize your building's potential. 

For example, once 160 Wooster – a beautiful eight-floor condo in Manhattan's SoHo – switched to Daisy, we were able to accomplish the following within the first four months:

• Fix their water tank
• Remove a defunct rooftop antenna
• Clean out a decommissioned battery room
• Replace the water pump
• Install security cameras

We also helped set new standards for the property's operations. After improving the building's health, we focused on creating a smart budget for the strategic improvement of the property. Specifically, we started a façade restoration project to comply with Local Law 11 (FISP) and are focused on finding more savings for the building, decreasing energy costs and carbon consumption (Local Law 97, anyone?), and providing more services to boost resident satisfaction.

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Final thoughts

Choosing the best building management software can be challenging, particularly if you're new to building management. Although Buildium, BuildingLink, Pilera, and BuildingBoard have their pros, Daisy provides you a collaborative and stress-free building management solution.

Unlike the others, Daisy is more than just an app. We're a full-service management company. Because we prioritize your satisfaction above all else, we'll help you maximize your property's potential and ensure that everyone is living their best lives.

Visit us today to learn more about how we can help you.