Gifford Management Group

What Gifford Management Group does

Gifford Management Group (GMG) is a privately held, family-owned residential property management firm headquartered at 1547 E. Little Creek Road, Suite 100 in Norfolk, Virginia. The company traces its origins to 1956, when Joan D. Gifford co-founded a residential real estate company that later spun off the property management division as a standalone entity in 1998 under Tim Gifford's presidency. GMG provides full-service property management for homes, duplexes, condos, townhouses, and apartments across the South Hampton Roads region, specifically Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth.

GMG's service offering covers the entire residential rental lifecycle: tenant screening, advertising, rent collection, property inspection, maintenance coordination, court work, monthly accounting, and electronic deposit of funds to owners. The company operates on the AppFolio Property Manager platform, which powers self-service Tenant and Owner portals accessible via web and mobile. Tenants can pay rent, submit maintenance requests, communicate with management, and manage renters insurance online; owners can view financial statements, access shared documents, set up payment preferences, and receive direct deposits around the 20th of each month. All property managers hold CPM certification and Virginia Realtor licenses, and the firm is affiliated with NARPM and the National, State, and Local Associations of Realtors.

The business model is a managed-services revenue stream, charging management fees on rental properties under contract. Tenant applications carry a $50 non-refundable fee per applicant, and the company enforces a 575 minimum credit score, income requirements of 2.5x–3.5x rent depending on property type, mandatory self-showings before applying, and pet screening for all applicants. The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer for tenants and direct-to-owner consultations (free, in-office or on-property) for prospective management clients, supported by a daily-updated website, third-party listing syndication, paper listings at the Norfolk office, and walk-in and referral traffic.

Name

Gifford Management Group

Legal name

Gifford Management Group

Website

https://giffordmgmtgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Gifford Management Group is a privately held, family-owned residential property management firm founded in 1956 and headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia. It serves property owners and tenants across the South Hampton Roads cities using the AppFolio platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Property Management

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513)

akta.pro primary industry

Multifamily Apartment Property Management (BPAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Single-Family Rental (SFR) Property Management (BPAJAFAB)

Keywords

• Residential property management
• Rental property services
• Tenant screening
• Rent collection services
• Property leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Norfolk

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Management Services: Full-service property management for residential properties including homes, duplexes, condos and apartments. Services include tenant screening, advertising, rent collection, property inspection, maintenance coordination, court work, monthly accounting, and electronic deposit of funds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Gifford Management Group provides full-service residential property management for owners of homes, duplexes, condos, townhomes, and apartments across South Hampton Roads (Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth). The company performs tenant screening, property advertising, rent collection, property inspections, maintenance coordination, court work, monthly accounting, and electronic funds deposit, supported by an AppFolio-powered Online Tenant Portal and Online Owner Portal.

Product overview

Gifford Management Group (GMG) operates as a property management company offering a unified suite of services for residential properties in the South Hampton Roads area of Virginia. The company provides tenant-facing services through its Online Tenant Portal (for rent payments, maintenance requests, and communication) and owner-facing services through its Owner Portal (for financial statements, property insights, and document access). Additional offerings include available property listings and comprehensive management services encompassing tenant screening, advertising, rent collection, property inspection, and maintenance coordination. All portals are powered by AppFolio property management software.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Property Management Services Full-service residential property management for property owners in South Hampton Roads, covering tenant screening, advertising, rent collection, property inspection, maintenance coordination, court work, monthly accounting, and electronic deposit of owner funds.
• Available Properties Listings Daily-updated browseable rental property listings of homes, apartments, duplexes, condos, and townhomes available across Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, and Portsmouth, with online application submission.
• Online Tenant Portal AppFolio-powered online portal enabling tenants to pay rent online, submit maintenance requests, view account information, communicate with management, and manage renter's insurance through a mobile app.
• Online Owner Portal AppFolio-powered online portal providing property owners with access to financial statements, shared documents, payment options, direct deposits around the 20th of each month, monthly summaries, and year-end tax statements.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM)minorOthersGMG property managers are members of NARPM. All property managers hold CPM (Certified Property Manager) certification.
• National Association of Realtors / Virginia Association of RealtorsminorOthersAll property managers are licensed Realtors in Virginia and members of National, State and Local Associations of Realtors, adhering to the Realtor Code of Ethics.
• Equal Housing OpportunityminorOthersGMG is an Equal Housing Opportunity member, demonstrating commitment to fair housing practices.
• AppFoliocoreTechnology or IntegrationGMG uses AppFolio Property Manager as their technology platform. Provides tenant portal for online rent payment, maintenance requests, and account management. Provides owner portal for financial statements, payments, and document access.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• HomeRiver Group: Large, vertically integrated residential property manager operating across multiple U.S. markets. While broader than GMG, it directly competes for institutional and individual landlords in regional markets including the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast.

Direct peers

• Real Property Management: National residential property management franchise with offices across the U.S., including in Hampton Roads. Directly competes with GMG for landlord clients by offering similar tenant screening, rent collection, and maintenance coordination services under a branded system.
• Bay Management Group: Regional residential property management firm headquartered in the Baltimore/Hampton Roads corridor offering full-service management similar to GMG, including tenant placement, rent collection, and maintenance coordination.
• RPM (Virginia local franchise): Franchise of Real Property Management serving the Hampton Roads area, competing head-to-head with GMG for single-family and small multifamily residential management accounts.
• Specialized Property Management Virginia Beach: Residential property management firm with offices in Virginia Beach, directly overlapping GMG's footprint and competing for the same owner/tenant pool in South Hampton Roads.

Regional players

• GreatFide Property Management: Residential property management company serving the Virginia/Mid-Atlantic region, offering tenant placement and full-service management comparable to GMG's services.

Others

• NARPM (National Association of Residential Property Managers): Trade association for residential property managers in which GMG's staff hold membership. Industry body that influences standards, ethics, and referrals across GMG's peer group.
• AppFolio: Property management software platform that powers GMG's tenant/owner portals, listings, and accounting. A key technology enabler for GMG's operations; peer in the sense that AppFolio also sells adjacent services to similar customers.

Emerging players

• Pillow Homes: Tech-enabled co-living and residential management platform operating in select U.S. cities. Comparable in target customer (single-family and small multifamily landlords) but differentiated by managed co-living model.
• Pure Property Management: Tech-forward residential property management firm serving the Mid-Atlantic/Virginia market. Competes with GMG on landlord services but differentiates with a more digital-native owner and tenant experience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gifford-rentals

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Gifford Management Group