Community Management Services

What Community Management Services does

Community Management Services, Inc. (CMS) is a privately held professional community association management firm headquartered in Campbell, California, serving homeowner associations (HOAs) across the Silicon Valley Bay Area. Founded in 1977, the company manages a portfolio of over 200 HOAs, deploying 23 dedicated Association Managers alongside 20 support staff (43 total employees). Its service offerings are organized around two core tiers—a Full Management Package (delivering a dedicated Association Manager, 24/7 support, monthly billing, customer service, and full fiscal accounting under a fixed monthly fee) and an Accounting Only Package (standalone billing and fiscal services), supplemented by customizable programs tailored to each association's needs.

CMS operates on a subscription-based revenue model with fixed monthly management fees per HOA, complemented by a one-time $500 administrative onboarding fee and ancillary hourly services ($150/hr for legal, insurance claims, and extra meeting time). All operations are powered by the third-party CINC Systems platform, which centralizes accounting, maintenance requests, vendor work orders, web portals, and mobile applications, with real-time banking integration through Heritage Bank for homeowner balance updates. The company's go-to-market is sales-led and direct, targeting Bay Area HOA boards through website proposal requests, local search visibility, and professional industry network referrals.

The firm is independently owned with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or capital raises. Leadership comprises President Marianne Hudkins and Vice Presidents John Stinson and Brian Emery. CMS maintains active professional memberships in the Community Associations Institute (CAI), Executive Council of Homeowners (ECHO), and California Association of Community Managers (CACM), and emphasizes a service-led value proposition anchored on 48 years of operating history and tenured association management talent rather than proprietary technology.

Name

Community Management Services

Legal name

Community Management Services, Inc.

Website

https://communitymanagement.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Community Management Services, Inc. is a privately held, 48-year-old HOA management firm serving over 200 homeowner associations across the Silicon Valley Bay Area via subscription-based full management and accounting-only packages, powered by the CINC Systems technology platform with Heritage Bank integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HOA Management Services

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Homeowners Association (HOA) Management (BPAJAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Association Compliance, Governance & Board Support Services (BPAJAHAN), Association Maintenance, Vendor & Capital Project Management (BPAJAHAM)

Keywords

• HOA management services
• Community association management
• Property management
• Association accounting
• Homeowner association administration

Headquarters

HQ city

Campbell

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Full Management Package: Comprehensive community association management including dedicated Association Manager, round-the-clock support, monthly billing statements, customer service, and full fiscal accounting services. All services included for a fixed monthly management fee.
2. Accounting Only Package: Billing and fiscal support services for associations requiring solely accounting services. Includes comprehensive fiscal accounting services covered by a fixed monthly fee.
3. Administrative Onboarding Fee: One-time administrative fee charged to onboard all new clients.
4. Hourly Services: Additional hourly charges for extra meeting time beyond included allowance ($150 per hour), legal matters participation ($150 per hour), insurance claims facilitation ($150 per hour).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Community Management Services provides professional community association (HOA) management for homeowner associations, condominiums, townhomes, PUDs, and senior communities in the Silicon Valley Bay Area. Services include dedicated Association Managers, monthly billing, fiscal accounting, administrative support, customer service, vendor coordination, and board meeting preparation, delivered under Full Management and Accounting Only packages for a fixed monthly fee.

Product overview

Community Management Services offers a modular community association management platform centered on two primary service tiers: the Full Management Package and the Accounting Only Package. The Full Management Package provides comprehensive HOA management including dedicated Association Manager assignment, 24/7 support, mobile homeowner app access, monthly billing, customer service, and fiscal accounting—all under a fixed monthly fee. The Accounting Only Package delivers standalone billing and fiscal services for associations needing limited support. Both packages leverage the CINC Systems technology platform for core operations, with customizable program options available for tailored service scope adjustments. The company's technology infrastructure also includes web portals, mobile apps, and real-time banking integration through Heritage Bank.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Management Package Full-service community association management package including assignment of a professional Association Manager, round-the-clock support with mobile homeowner app, monthly billing statements, local customer service support, and comprehensive fiscal accounting services, all delivered for a fixed monthly management fee.
• Accounting Only Package
• Customizable Management Programs
• Administrative Onboarding
• Extra Hourly Services
• Document Transfer Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 emergency response with dedicated on-call managers
• +3 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CINC SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationPowered by CINC Systems, the company's state-of-the-art technology platform that facilitates real-time banking integration, centralizes accounting tasks, maintenance requests, vendor work orders, web portals, and mobile apps for community management operations.
• Heritage BankcoreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated with Heritage Bank for seamless real-time balance updates and financial transaction processing within the homeowner portal system, enabling up-to-date homeowner balance information.
• Community Associations Institute (CAI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional organization membership providing ongoing education, industry standards, and professional certification support for association managers.
• Executive Council of Homeowners (ECHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional organization membership supporting excellence in homeowner association management with industry resources and networking.
• California Association of Community Managers (CACM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerState professional organization providing ongoing in-house training and industry certification support for association managers.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• FirstService Residential: Major North American residential property and community association management firm with significant California presence. Offers full-service HOA management, financial services, and consulting to condominium, townhome, and PUD communities comparable to CMS's customer base.
• Associa: Largest HOA and community association management company in the United States, serving residential communities through full-service management, financial services, and technology platforms. Directly comparable to CMS in core offering and customer segment, though at significantly larger national scale.
• The Management Trust: West Coast-focused community association management company with strong California presence. Provides full-service HOA management, accounting, and board support to similar client types (condos, townhomes, master-planned communities), making it a close regional comparable to CMS.
• RealManage: National community association management company operating across multiple states with a focus on scalable HOA management, financial services, and technology-enabled service delivery. Comparable to CMS in core HOA management offerings and customer segment.

Others

• CINC Systems: Technology platform provider that powers CMS's community management operations. While not a direct competitor, CINC Systems is an ecosystem participant whose own HOA-focused software increasingly competes with traditional managers like CMS by enabling self-service and remote management.

Broad incumbents

• AppFolio: Major cloud-based property management software provider serving both residential and commercial property managers, including community associations. Represents a platform-level competitive threat to local managers like CMS by enabling streamlined remote management.

Emerging players

• Vantaca: HOA-specific community management software platform purpose-built for homeowner associations. An emerging competitor that enables boards to manage associations directly or through partners, potentially disintermediating traditional local managers like CMS.
• TOPS Software: HOA and community association management software platform providing accounting, communication, and operational tools to management companies and self-managed communities. Comparable to CMS in serving HOA boards, but as a software platform rather than full-service manager.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/community-managment-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Management Services