Apartment Association, California Southern Cities

What Apartment Association, California Southern Cities does

Apartment Association, California Southern Cities (AACSC), founded in 1924 and headquartered in Long Beach, California, is a private nonprofit trade association serving rental housing providers across Southern California. Its stated purpose is to promote, protect, and enhance the rental housing industry and preserve private property rights. The service area spans Los Angeles and Orange Counties, extending north to San Luis Obispo, east to San Bernardino County, and south to San Diego. AACSC operates with a small staff (1-10 employees) and is governed by a board of directors under Executive Director John Edmond.

AACSC's core offerings center on member-exclusive compliance and legislative support: a continuously updated library of California legal forms (including F11, F43A, F56A, F80A, F80B) reflecting current law such as AB 1482, AB 628, AB 414, AB 1529, AB 2747, and SB 924; authoritative CPI-based maximum rent increase calculations; legislative tracking and political advocacy through its Legal Fund PAC (with separate Candidate PAC and Issues PAC vehicles); educational programming delivered via hybrid membership meetings and Zoom webinars; and the monthly Official California Apartment Journal (OCAJ) magazine. Supporting services include tenant screening, collection services, the Sourcebook Directory of vetted vendors, and affiliate discount programs. Technology infrastructure relies on the third-party GrowthZone member management platform and ChamberMaster event management system; AACSC does not operate proprietary software products.

The revenue model is membership-driven and diversified across recurring streams: annual membership dues, PAC contributions, education and event fees, one-time forms/compliance product sales, and Sourcebook Directory advertising. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and requires an application. Go-to-market is community-led, targeting SMB landlords and property managers through the member portal, the Long Beach Education Center, phone/email support, the OCAJ Magazine, legislative blog, email newsletter (Constant Contact), and active social media channels. There is no evidence of parent company ownership, institutional investment, M&A activity, or external capital raises; the organization operates as an independent membership-funded nonprofit.

Name

Apartment Association, California Southern Cities

Legal name

Apartment Association, California Southern Cities

Website

https://aacsc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1924

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Apartment Association, California Southern Cities (AACSC) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1924 that serves rental housing providers across Southern California through compliance forms, legislative advocacy, educational events, and the OCAJ Magazine.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rental Housing Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association Compliance, Governance & Board Support Services (BPAJAHAN)

Keywords

• Rental housing association
• Landlord compliance resources
• Apartment industry membership
• Tenant protection advocacy
• Property management education

Headquarters

HQ city

Long Beach

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues for rental housing providers, property owners, and managers joining the association for access to forms, compliance resources, legislative advocacy, and member benefits
2. PAC Donations: Political Action Committee fundraising through Candidate PAC and Issues PAC for legislative advocacy efforts
3. Education and Events: Revenue from membership meetings, webinars, and educational events including certification programs and training sessions
4. Forms and Compliance Products: Sale of legal forms, compliance documents, and templates for rental property management
5. Sourcebook Directory: Advertising and listing revenue from the annual Sourcebook Directory featuring service providers to the rental housing industry

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AACSC is a nonprofit trade association that provides rental housing providers in Southern California with access to updated legal forms and compliance documents, legislative tracking and advocacy through its PAC, educational programming via monthly meetings and webinars, and a directory of vetted service providers. Members also receive the monthly Official California Apartment Journal (OCAJ) magazine, tenant screening and collection services, and affiliate discount programs tailored to the rental housing industry.

Product overview

AACSC operates as a member-based trade association providing a suite of services for rental housing providers in Southern California. The core offering consists of member-exclusive access to legal forms and compliance resources (including F11, F43A, F56A, F80A, F80B for various AB requirements), legislative tracking and advocacy through its Legal Fund PAC, and educational programming through events and the OCAJ Magazine. Supporting services include the Sourcebook Directory (vendor referrals), Tenant Screening, Collection Services, and affiliate discount programs. The association does not offer a unified software platform but rather provides downloadable forms, guidance documents, and in-person/hybrid educational events.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OCAJ Magazine: Official California Apartment Journal - the organization's official magazine publication.
• California Apartment Journal

Products and services

• Forms & Compliance Resources
• Education & Events

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

22 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Jim's Floor CoveringminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor of AACSC and OCAJ Magazine. Provides flooring services to rental housing industry members.
• Optimum SeismicminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsor specializing in seismic retrofitting services for apartment buildings in Southern California.
• Royal Roofing CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRoofing contractor sponsor providing maintenance and repair services to rental property owners.
• Dennis Block Associates (Evict123)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerEviction services and legal support provider for landlords.
• ENL Service Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerService provider sponsor featured in magazine advertising.
• Kay Properties InvestmentminorGTM or Marketing Partner1031 exchange and real estate investment services for property owners.
• Albanos PlumbingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPlumbing services sponsor for apartment maintenance needs.
• Buffalo Maintenance Inc.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProperty maintenance and repair services provider. Contributing author of 'Dear Maintenance Men' column in OCAJ Magazine.
• CBREminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommercial real estate services firm covering multifamily housing in Orange County.
• ICF (Multi-family Housing)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMultifamily housing services and property management solutions.
• SoCalGasminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSouthern California Gas Company sponsor providing utility services information.
• T&G RoofingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRoofing contractor sponsor for rental property maintenance.
• Sondance PaintingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPainting services sponsor for property maintenance.
• Magnolia BlindsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWindow treatment services sponsor.
• Chief ApplianceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAppliance repair and maintenance services for rental properties.
• Wash.comminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLaundry equipment and services provider.
• Western MagnesiteminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMagnesite decking and floor coating services.
• Jenkins Property ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerVacation rental property management services.
• TFS PropertiesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProperty management company sponsor.
• Landlord Legal ServicesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLegal services provider for landlord-tenant matters.
• Coastline CleanminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCleaning services for rental properties.
• FlexOffers (Affiliate Program)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAffiliate marketing program providing deals and specials for members through the affiliates page.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM): International membership association for real estate managers; overlapping customer base with AACSC and comparable in offering credentialing, education, and advocacy resources to property management professionals.
• National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM): National membership organization for residential property managers; comparable because it serves a closely overlapping customer base (small-landlord / property-manager SMBs) with education, certification, and advocacy, even though its focus is on property managers rather than owners.
• National Apartment Association (NAA): The largest U.S. trade association for the rental housing industry; comparable because it offers overlapping member benefits (advocacy, education, supplier directory) at the national level and affiliates with state and local associations including AACSC.

Direct peers

• Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles: Direct regional competitor serving Los Angeles-area rental housing providers with advocacy, forms, and education; overlaps substantially with AACSC's core geography and member services.
• California Apartment Association: The statewide umbrella trade association for California rental housing providers; the most direct comparable to AACSC and its primary state-level counterpart for legislative advocacy and compliance resources.

Emerging players

• Buildium: SaaS property management platform serving small-to-mid landlords; an emerging substitute for the operational parts of AACSC's value proposition (tenant screening, collections, lease forms) delivered via a software model rather than a membership association.
• AppFolio: Cloud-based property management software for residential portfolios; competes indirectly with AACSC's tenant-screening, collection, and forms offerings by digitising workflows that AACSC delivers through membership benefits.

Regional players

• Apartment Association of Greater Dallas: Regional apartment association serving North Texas rental housing providers with advocacy, training, and member benefits; comparable business model to AACSC but in a less regulated market.
• Rental Housing Association of Greater Portland / Portland Rental Owners Association: Regional rental-housing trade association operating outside California; comparable membership model (dues, advocacy, forms) but in a different geography, useful as a structural comp for AACSC's regional franchise.
• Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington: Regional multi-family trade association serving the DC/Maryland/Virginia market; comparable dues-funded trade-association model with advocacy, education, and forms support for landlords, though geographically distinct.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/theaacsc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw4pSCFHphYRSmhJravTqDg
• Facebookfacebook.com/theaacsc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/apartment-association-california-southern-cities-32225920a
• Instagraminstagram.com/theaacsc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Apartment Association, California Southern Cities