District Realty Corporation Brokerage

What District Realty Corporation Brokerage does

District Realty Corporation Brokerage is a privately held, family-owned full-service real estate company founded in Ottawa in 1987 by Steve Ramphos and Lionel Shinder. The firm operates three integrated business lines: third-party residential and commercial property management, commercial real estate brokerage (sales and leasing), and direct residential apartment rentals from a portfolio of owned and managed buildings (e.g., The Pinecrest, Domaine 435, 125 Somerset St. W., 3301 Uplands Dr., The New Yorker). It manages 1,800+ residential units across Ottawa and more than 3 million square feet of commercial space across 40+ properties on behalf of local and international investors, institutional clients, and investment syndicates. Revenue is generated through recurring monthly apartment rents, percentage-based and per-square-foot property management fees, and transactional brokerage commissions on commercial sales and leases; the firm has sold more than 350 commercial properties since 1987. The company employs 80+ professionals led by CEO/Broker of Record Jason Shinder and President/Founder Steve Ramphos, with go-to-market executed through a sales-led model combining direct broker outreach, a website with property search and inquiry forms, email vacancy alerts, content/SEO, and walk-in reception at the downtown Ottawa head office.

The underlying technology is conventional rather than proprietary: a property search website with 3D tours, floor plans, and email capture, supplemented by blog content, social media, and SEO. Pricing is per-unit monthly rent (ranging from $1,649 for studios to $2,600 for premium 2-bedroom units) with parking and utilities priced separately, alongside bespoke commercial management agreements and standard brokerage commission structures. There is no disclosed software product, API, or AI capability; service delivery is people-intensive, anchored by live-in building superintendents providing 24/7 on-call support. Competitive positioning is built on 39 years of Ottawa market presence, deep local knowledge, family-firm service ethos, and accumulated transaction and management track record rather than technology differentiation.

Name

District Realty Corporation Brokerage

Legal name

District Realty Corporation Brokerage

Website

https://districtrealty.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

District Realty Corporation Brokerage is a privately held, family-owned Ottawa real estate firm founded in 1987 that manages 1,800+ residential units and 3+ million square feet of commercial property, and brokers commercial sales and leases for owners, investors, and tenants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Brokerage and Property Management

NAICS

Real Estate Property Managers (53131), Nonresidential Property Managers (531312), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Real Estate (6500)

akta.pro primary industry

Investment Sales Brokerage (BPAJABAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Rental Brokerage & Tenant Placement (BPAJAAAF), Tenant Representation & Corporate Services Brokerage (BPAJABAJ), Commercial Real Estate Brokerage (Leasing & Sales) (FSAEAJAB)

Keywords

• Apartment rentals
• Property management
• Commercial real estate brokerage
• Residential leasing
• Commercial leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Apartment Rentals: Rental income from owned or managed residential apartment units across Ottawa. Manages 1,800+ residential units including high-rise, low-rise, townhouse complexes, and garden homes.
2. Commercial Property Management: Third-party property management fees from commercial property owners. Manages more than 3 million square feet of commercial space across 40+ properties including office buildings, shopping malls, and industrial/warehouse space.
3. Commercial Sales & Leasing: Brokerage commissions from commercial real estate sales and leasing transactions. Sold more than 350 properties since 1987.
4. Residential Property Management: Third-party residential property management services for building owners, including accounting, tenant management, and maintenance services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

District Realty Corporation Brokerage is a full-service Ottawa real estate company that rents residential apartments (1,800+ units), brokers commercial real estate sales and leasing (office, retail, industrial, multi-residential), and provides third-party property management for both residential and commercial property owners. Revenue is generated through monthly residential rents, brokerage commissions on commercial sales and leases, and ongoing property management fees from owners.

Product overview

District Realty Corporation Brokerage is an Ottawa-based real estate firm offering apartment rentals, commercial real estate leasing and sales, and third-party property management services. The company operates a portfolio of residential apartment buildings across Ottawa (including The Pinecrest at 1322 McWatters, Domaine 435 at 435 Albert St., 125 Somerset St. W., and 3301 Uplands Dr.) alongside commercial brokerage and property management divisions managing over 3 million square feet of commercial space and more than 1,800 residential units. The offering is structured as a full-service real estate brokerage with integrated property management rather than a unified software product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Apartment Rentals Leasing of owned and managed apartment units across Ottawa, ranging from bachelor/studio to 3-bedroom units, townhouses, and furnished apartments, to individuals, families, and students seeking housing in Ottawa neighbourhoods.
• Commercial Real Estate Sales and Leasing Brokerage Brokerage services for the sale and lease of commercial real estate in Ottawa, including office buildings, retail and restaurant space, shopping malls, industrial/warehouse properties, development land, and multi-residential investment properties, serving commercial property owners, investors, and tenants.
• Commercial Property Management Third-party management services for commercial property owners and investors in Ottawa, covering 40+ properties and 3+ million square feet of office, retail, shopping mall, and industrial/warehouse space, with tenant management, maintenance, and financial reporting.
• Residential Property Management Third-party management services for residential property owners in Ottawa, covering 1,800+ apartment units including high-rise, low-rise, townhouse, and garden home buildings, with accounting, tenant management, maintenance, and 24/7 on-call service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 24/7 support available 365 days a year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Colliers International (Ottawa): Global commercial real estate services firm with a significant Ottawa presence offering brokerage, property management, valuation, and investment sales. Directly comparable to District Realty's commercial investment sales and property management lines, but operating at much larger scale with a broader service portfolio.
• CBRE (Ottawa): World's largest commercial real estate services firm with Ottawa office providing investment sales, leasing, property management, and advisory. Competes with District Realty for the same institutional and investor clients in the Ottawa commercial market, though at materially greater scale.
• Cushman & Wakefield (Ottawa): Global CRE services firm with Ottawa operations offering brokerage, property management, and valuation services. Comparable service mix to District Realty's commercial lines, particularly around landlord/tenant representation and investment sales, but with broader geographic and service reach.
• JLL (Ottawa): Global real estate services firm providing brokerage, property management, capital markets, and advisory. Competes with District Realty on commercial leasing, investment sales, and institutional property management mandates in Ottawa, with significantly more resources and a global platform.
• Morguard Corporation: Canadian real estate investment and management company with significant Ottawa commercial and residential holdings. Comparable to District Realty on the property management side, particularly for institutional and investor-owned commercial real estate.

Direct peers

• Osgoode Properties: Ottawa-based residential property management and rental company operating apartment buildings across the city. Highly comparable to District Realty's residential property management and apartment rental business with a similar regional focus on the Ottawa market.
• Trinity Property Management: Canadian third-party residential property management company serving building owners and investors. Directly comparable to District Realty's residential property management division in terms of service offering and target customer (building owners seeking professional management).

Regional players

• Minto Group: Ottawa-founded real estate developer, owner, and manager of apartment buildings, with property management operations. Comparable to District Realty on the residential ownership and management side, though Minto also develops and operates in Toronto and Florida.
• Boardwalk REIT: Large Canadian residential REIT with multi-residential rental properties in Ottawa. Comparable to District Realty on the residential rental ownership and management business, though Boardwalk operates as a publicly-traded REIT across multiple provinces.
• Domicile Developments: Ottawa-based real estate developer and manager of condominium and rental properties. Comparable to District Realty on Ottawa residential real estate operations, with a similar regional focus but more of a developer/owner orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DistrictRealty_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 District Realty Corporation Brokerage