Sami

What Sami does

SAMI is a privately-held student housing operator headquartered at 608 Kingsley St., Suite A, Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1989, the company owns and manages more than 1,000 rental apartments concentrated around the Illinois State University and Heartland College campuses, serving undergraduate students seeking off-campus housing. Its core offering combines physical residential units (1BR through 4BR configurations, with select pet-friendly and furnished options) with a PropertyWare-based tenant portal that supports online rent payment (one-time and recurring, via bank, credit card, or cash), maintenance request submission, utilities management, and renters insurance enrollment.

The company's go-to-market is direct-to-consumer through its website, Microsoft Outlook/Zoom-based tour booking, in-person showings at the Normal office, and a content/blog layer targeting prospective tenants. Pricing is structured per bedroom on a monthly subscription cadence, ranging from approximately $395 to $1,105 per bedroom depending on unit type, location, and finish level. Revenue is supplemented by a set of transaction-based fees — $95 application fee, $195–$295 move-in/admin fee, $300 non-refundable pet fee, and $300 sublease fee — plus a $13/month in-house renters insurance offering. Operational infrastructure includes an in-house maintenance company (Maintenance Contractors Inc.) and a broadband network management partnership (ConnectivityU), with recent amenity additions including Amazon Hub package lockers at three properties.

SAMI has no disclosed parent company, no outside funding rounds, no public listing, and no proprietary AI/ML capabilities; its technology stack is built around third-party SaaS (PropertyWare, Microsoft 365) layered onto a long-standing local property portfolio and brand. Demand is concentrated on two institutions in a single metro, making enrollment trends at Illinois State University and Heartland College the primary top-line sensitivity.

Name

Sami

Legal name

SAMI

Website

https://sami.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SAMI is a privately-held student housing operator in Normal, Illinois, managing over 1,000 rental apartments for Illinois State University and Heartland College students since 1989 via per-bedroom monthly leases and a PropertyWare tenant portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Housing Rentals

NAICS

Rental and Leasing Services (532), Lessors of Real Estate (5311)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Student Housing Property Management & Leasing Operators (THAMAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Off-Campus Shared Student Houses (Room-by-Room) (THAMAGAC), Student Housing Roommate Matching, Assignments & Occupancy Management (BPAJAJAJ), Student & Academic Term Monthly Housing (THAMAFAH)

Keywords

• Student housing rentals
• Off-campus apartments
• Property management services
• Tenant portal platform
• Lease management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Normal

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Monthly Apartment Rent: SAMI generates revenue through monthly rental payments from student tenants. Rent is quoted per bedroom with pricing varying by unit type, location, and amenities. The company offers various bedroom configurations (1BR, 2BR, 3BR, 4BR) and accepts both individual and joint leases.
2. Renter's Insurance: SAMI offers in-house renter's insurance at $13/month as an option for tenants. Tenants can also obtain insurance through other providers or their parents' policy.
3. Pet Fees: Non-refundable pet fee of $300 per pet specified in the lease for pet-friendly units.
4. Application and Move-in Fees: Application fee of $95 for subleasers; Move-in/admin fee of $295 for 1BR apartments and $195 for 2/3/4BR apartments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SAMI owns and manages more than 1,000 rental apartments in Normal, Illinois, leased primarily to Illinois State University students on a per-bedroom, monthly basis across 1BR, 2BR, 3BR, and 4BR configurations. Residents are supported through a PropertyWare-based tenant portal for online rent payment, maintenance requests, and utility management, and prospects can book in-person or live video tours through a Microsoft Outlook scheduling system. Supplementary offerings include roommate and sublease listings, in-house renters insurance, pet-friendly units at select properties, and Amazon Hub package lockers at three locations.

Product overview

SAMI (Student Apartments Management, Inc.) is a student housing company providing rental apartments near Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, since 1989. The company manages over 1,000 apartments across multiple properties. The core product offering consists of an Apartment Search & Listings platform for finding available units, paired with a Resident Center tenant portal that provides integrated access to Online Rent Payment via PropertyWare, Maintenance Request submission, Lease Lifecycle Management, Roommate & Sublease Listings, Renters Insurance, and Technology Center resources. Additional services include pet-friendly apartments, Amazon Hub package lockers at select locations, and in-person or video tour scheduling via Microsoft Outlook. SAMI operates a full-service maintenance company (Maintenance Contractors Inc.) and partners with ConnectivityU for broadband network management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Apartment Rentals Per-bedroom rental of furnished and unfurnished 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4-bedroom apartments near Illinois State University and Heartland College campuses, leased monthly to individual student tenants or via joint leases.
• Apartment Tour Scheduling (In-Person and Live Video) Self-serve booking service allowing prospective student tenants to reserve in-person tours of available units or live video (Zoom) tours via a Microsoft Outlook/Office 365 calendar page hosted by SAMI.
• Roommate and Sublease Listings Internal marketplace for SAMI tenants to post and view roommate-wanted and sublease listings so students can find replacement tenants or fill empty bedrooms within SAMI's portfolio.
• SAMI In-House Renters Insurance Optional monthly renters insurance policy offered directly by SAMI at $13 per month, fulfilling SAMI's renters insurance requirement for tenants who do not provide proof of alternative coverage.
• Pet-Friendly Apartment Rentals Rental apartments at four named SAMI locations that allow pets up to 50 lbs (and emotional support animals with documentation) in exchange for a $300 non-refundable pet fee per pet.
• Amazon Hub Package Lockers Secure Amazon package delivery and pickup lockers installed at Vernon Stables, College Park, and Lofts North End as a resident amenity.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Maintenance Contractors InccoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFull service maintenance company that supports SAMI's property management efforts. Handles maintenance requests and repairs across the 1000+ apartment portfolio.
• ConnectivityUcoreTechnology or IntegrationNetwork management company that handles all broadband networks for SAMI properties. Provides high-speed internet infrastructure for student residents.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Cardinal Group Companies: Cardinal Group is a student housing and multifamily property management company that develops, owns, and manages off-campus student housing. Directly comparable to SAMI in operating student apartment communities with on-site leasing, maintenance, and resident services.
• Place Properties: Place Properties develops and manages student housing communities across the U.S. with a focus on off-campus apartments near college campuses. Comparable to SAMI's per-bedroom leasing model, proximity-to-campus positioning, and student-focused amenity offering.
• The Scion Group: Scion is one of the largest private student housing owner-operators in the U.S., developing and managing off-campus student housing near major universities. SAMI is comparable as a vertically integrated private operator focused exclusively on student housing, though Scion operates at significantly larger scale across multiple markets.
• Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions: Balfour Beatty Campus Solutions develops and manages student housing on behalf of universities and institutional partners. Comparable to SAMI as a student housing operator managing large portfolios of off-campus or university-affiliated apartments.
• Campus Evolution Villages: Campus Evolution Villages operates purpose-built student housing communities near multiple U.S. universities. Comparable to SAMI in its exclusive focus on student housing, off-campus apartment offerings, and lease-by-bedroom model aimed at college students.

Broad incumbents

• American Campus Communities: American Campus Communities (now part of Blackstone) is the largest publicly-traded student housing REIT in the U.S., owning and managing ~150,000+ beds. Comparable as the dominant scale player in the same student housing category SAMI operates in, but at vastly greater national scale and capital access.
• RPM Living: RPM Living is a large multifamily property management company with a growing student housing segment. Comparable to SAMI as a third-party property manager of student-oriented apartment communities, though it operates across much broader multifamily categories.
• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Greystar is the largest multifamily and student housing operator in the world, with a significant student housing portfolio (including the EdR acquisition). Comparable to SAMI in operating student housing communities but operates broadly across multifamily and student verticals at massive scale.

Others

• JLL Student Housing: JLL's Student Housing group provides investment sales, capital markets, and advisory services for student housing assets and portfolios. Comparable as an adjacent participant serving institutional investors in the same asset class SAMI operates in, but offering advisory rather than operational services.
• Cushman & Wakefield Student Living: Cushman & Wakefield's Student Living division provides brokerage, investment advisory, and consulting services for student housing. Comparable as an adjacent ecosystem participant serving the same student housing market SAMI operates in, but offering advisory services rather than direct property operation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Sami