PPM

What PPM does

Planned Property Management, Inc. (PPM) is a privately held, owner-operator of residential rental apartments headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The company controls approximately 4,000 apartments across 31-32 properties concentrated in four of Chicago's most supply-constrained, premium neighborhoods: Gold Coast, River North, Lincoln Park, and Lakeview. The portfolio spans studio through three-bedroom units ranging from vintage to fully renovated, and is staffed by an employee base of 251-500 personnel across a corporate office, on-site building contacts, and nine neighborhood leasing offices. PPM is a member of the Chicago Association of Realtors, National Apartment Association, and NAR, signaling broker-facing engagement alongside its direct-to-consumer operation.

PPM generates revenue through recurring monthly residential rents on 12-month leases, supplemented by parking fees and administrative fees at lease signing — importantly, the company charges no security deposit, no pet fees, and no pet deposits, using those concessions as competitive positioning. The core technology layer is the third-party RentManager property management platform, which powers online rent payment, maintenance requests, and digital rental applications. PPM layers a fully digital rental experience on top of this: online scheduling, mobile-friendly self-service, virtual tours (email photos, video walkthroughs, FaceTime/Skype) for remote prospects, and an on-site maintenance staff available seven days a week with 24-hour emergency response. Distribution runs through three channels: direct leasing offices staffed seven days a week with evening hours, a self-service online portal, and remote virtual touring.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer with supplementary content marketing, multi-platform organic social, resident lifecycle events (pool parties, mixology classes, community dinners), and a resident referral program (PPM Connect Rewards). PPM serves four primary persona segments — young professionals, graduate students, medical professionals, and pet owners — using persona-tailored content to drive top-of-funnel demand. Charitable partnerships with Lakeview Pantry, Chicago Public Schools, the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago, and the American Red Cross support community positioning rather than commercial expansion. The company is independently owned with no disclosed institutional backing and no parent company or subsidiaries.

Name

PPM

Legal name

Planned Property Management, Inc.

Website

https://ppmapartments.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Planned Property Management (PPM) owns and operates approximately 4,000 apartments across 31-32 properties in Chicago's Gold Coast, River North, Lincoln Park, and Lakeview neighborhoods, serving young professionals, graduate students, and medical professionals with pet-friendly, fully digital rental services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Apartment Rentals: PPM generates revenue through monthly rental payments from approximately 4,000 apartments across 31-32 properties in Chicago's premier neighborhoods. Standard lease term is 12 months with flexibility considered on a case-by-case basis. Additional revenue streams include parking fees, pet-related fees (though PPM does not charge pet fees), and admin fees at lease signing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

PPM owns and manages approximately 4,000 apartments across 31 buildings in four Chicago neighborhoods (Gold Coast, River North, Lincoln Park, Lakeview), offering studio through 3-bedroom units for monthly rental to residential tenants. The rental experience is supported by on-site leasing offices, on-site maintenance staff available seven days a week with 24-hour emergency response, a digital RentManager-based portal for applications and rent payment, and virtual tours for remote prospects. Ancillary paid offerings include resident parking and a referral rewards program.

Product overview

Planned Property Management (PPM) operates a single unified apartment rental platform managing approximately 4,000 apartments across 31 properties in four Chicago neighborhoods: Lakeview, Lincoln Park, River North, and Gold Coast. The core product is the PPM Apartments Rental Portfolio, which offers studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom units ranging from vintage to fully renovated. Supporting the core rental offering are supplementary services including Virtual Tours for remote viewing, an Online Resident Portal powered by RentManager for rent payments and maintenance requests, an Online Rental Application system, PPM Connect Rewards referral program, On-Site Maintenance Services available seven days a week, Resident Parking, and Pet-Friendly Housing policies. PPM also maintains a company blog and offers rent promotions across its neighborhoods.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PPM Apartments Rental Portfolio

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

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Lakeview PantryminorOthersPPM partners with Lakeview Pantry through food drives, clothing and household donations to support the local community. Residents are provided opportunities throughout each year to participate in these charitable initiatives.
• Chicago Public SchoolsminorOthersPPM collaborates with Chicago Public Schools through philanthropic efforts and community support programs.
• Epilepsy Foundation of Greater ChicagominorOthersPPM has worked closely with the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago to help those in need through their philanthropic initiatives.
• American Red CrossminorOthersPPM participates in charitable initiatives with the American Red Cross as part of their community giving-back efforts.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• FQLPM-related Owner/Operator: Similar independent, privately-held Chicago apartment owner-operators (e.g., The Apartment People, TLC Management) compete directly for the same renters and neighborhoods as PPM.

Others

• RentManager: Property management software platform that PPM uses for its online rental applications, resident portal, and rent collection. Adjacent technology enabler rather than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Largest U.S. apartment management and investment company, with significant Chicago operations. Overlaps with PPM on multifamily property management and resident services, but at a national scale.
• Equity Residential: Large publicly-traded apartment REIT with a major Chicago urban portfolio. Overlaps with PPM on urban multifamily rentals in Chicago, but operates at much greater national scale.
• Lincoln Property Company: National multifamily management and development firm with Chicago presence. Comparable to PPM on apartment management services and urban rental product.
• Bozzuto Group: Multifamily developer/operator focused on urban and suburban apartment communities. Comparable to PPM on amenity-rich urban rental product targeting young professionals.

Direct peers

• The Habitat Company: Chicago-based multifamily owner/operator managing apartment properties in the metro area. Directly comparable to PPM as a regionally concentrated multifamily owner-operator in Chicago.
• Waterton: Chicago-based multifamily owner-operator managing apartments across major U.S. metros. Comparable in business model (own + operate apartments) and customer base (urban professionals).
• CA Ventures (CA Residential): Chicago-based real estate investment firm with a large student and urban multifamily portfolio. Overlaps with PPM on Chicago urban apartments and student housing.
• AMLI Residential: Multifamily owner/operator with a strong Chicago presence offering luxury apartment rentals. Comparable to PPM in target market (urban professionals), product (apartments), and amenitized rental model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/theapartmentdish
• Xx.com/ppmapartments
• Facebookfacebook.com/plannedproperty

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 PPM