Copper Bay

What Copper Bay does

CopperBay (legally Copper Bay Company LLC) is a privately held build-to-rent single-family housing operator founded in 2020 and headquartered in Portage, Michigan. The company designs, constructs, and professionally manages newly built single-family rental homes across Michigan and Indiana, organized into seven regional markets (Detroit, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lakeshore, Lansing, Michiana/Northern Indiana, and South Lakeshore) and more than 100 named communities. Every home is independently certified to the RESNET Energy Smart standard, with engineered HVAC (95% furnaces, 13 SEER AC), sealed ductwork, R-30 attic insulation, low-VOC paint, Whirlpool appliances, Sterling toilets, programmable thermostats, and Silverline windows. Standard features include attached garages, private yards, modern floor plans, and a pet-friendly policy of up to three pets per home with no breed or weight restrictions.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer model with fully digital leasing: prospective tenants discover homes on copperbay.com, schedule self-showings, complete applications online, and manage their tenancy through the AppFolio-powered resident portal for rent payment, maintenance requests, insurance verification, and team messaging. Revenue is primarily recurring monthly rent under 12-24 month leases that renew month-to-month, supplemented by $50 application fees per adult applicant, one-month security deposits (up to 1.5x rent depending on application strength), a $250 non-refundable move-in processing fee, $100 non-refundable pet fees, and $25 monthly pet rent per pet (capped at three pets). Two customer segments are served: general market renters and families seeking new, move-in-ready homes, and a workforce housing segment for households earning at or below 120% of county Area Median Income, delivered through partnerships with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and local governments.

Notable projects include a $2.4 million, 12-home Garfield Park neighborhood in Three Rivers (2021), 53 new construction rental homes approved at the former Muskegon Farmer's Market site (2020), and downtown Grand Rapids walkable in-fill homes (2021). CopperBay is privately held, founder/management-owned, with no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or private equity backing in the source materials.

Name

Copper Bay

Legal name

Copper Bay Company LLC

Website

https://copperbay.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CopperBay (Copper Bay Company LLC) is a privately held build-to-rent single-family housing operator founded in 2020 that designs, builds, and professionally manages newly constructed, RESNET Energy Smart-certified rental homes across Michigan and Indiana, serving general-market renters and workforce housing-eligible households through digital direct-to-consumer leasing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portage

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Residential Leasing: CopperBay earns revenue primarily through monthly rental payments from tenants in their newly constructed single-family homes. Standard lease terms are 12-24 months with automatic month-to-month renewal after the initial term. Rent amounts vary by home, location, and market conditions.
2. Application Fees: Non-refundable application fee of $50 per adult applicant (18+).
3. Security Deposits: Security deposit equal to one month's rent for most approved applicants, may be up to 1.5x monthly rent depending on application strength. Deposits are held for the lease duration and returned after move-out minus damage charges.
4. Move-In Processing Fee: One-time non-refundable processing fee of $250 due before move-in.
5. Pet Fees and Pet Rent: One-time pet fee of $100 per pet (non-refundable) and monthly pet rent of $25 per pet. Maximum of 3 pets per home.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CopperBay designs, builds, and leases newly constructed single-family homes across Michigan and Indiana. Every home is RESNET Energy Smart certified, professionally managed by CopperBay's in-house team, and accessed by tenants through a digital resident portal for applications, rent payment, and maintenance. The company also operates a workforce housing program that delivers income-qualified rentals (≤120% AMI) in partnership with MSHDA and local governments.

Product overview

CopperBay operates a unified build-to-rent platform delivering purpose-built single-family homes for lease across Michigan and Indiana. The portfolio spans over 100 named communities organized into seven regional markets (Detroit/Metro, Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Lakeshore, Lansing, Michiana/Northern Indiana, and South Lakeshore). All homes share core attributes: new construction, RESNET Energy Smart® energy efficiency certification, attached garages, private backyards, and pet-friendly policies. The resident experience is managed through the AppFolio-powered Resident Portal for applications, rent payments, maintenance requests, and insurance verification. A distinct workforce housing sub-brand offers income-qualified units at rents tied to 120% AMI through MSHDA partnerships. No tiered software tiers or add-on modules are offered — the product is fundamentally a single-family rental housing service rather than a software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Built Energy Smart™: Energy efficiency certification program - RESNET Energy Smart® labeled homes designed to save residents approximately $2,200 annually on utilities compared to 50-year-old rentals.

Products and services

• CopperBay Single-Family Rental Homes (Build-to-Rent) Purpose-built, newly constructed single-family homes for lease across Michigan and Indiana, professionally managed by CopperBay. Homes feature modern floor plans, RESNET Energy Smart energy efficiency certification, attached garages, private backyards, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, smoke-free interiors, and a pet-friendly policy (up to 3 pets, no breed/weight restrictions). Tenants apply, pay rent, and request maintenance online through the AppFolio-powered resident portal.
• Workforce Housing Program Income-qualified single-family rental homes for households earning at or below 120% of county Area Median Income (AMI), including teachers, nurses, tradespeople, first responders, service workers, and young professionals in the 'missing middle' income bracket. Operated through partnerships with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and local governments; income limits are published annually by MSHDA (updated every April) and approved households self-certify at move-in and annually thereafter.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average savings of approximately $2,200 per year on utilities compared to a 50-year-old rental
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• City of Three RiversminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021In 2021, the City of Three Rivers partnered with CopperBay to bring new purpose-built single-family rental homes to the area. The result is Garfield Park, a new neighborhood just north of downtown Three Rivers featuring a dozen CopperBay homes. This partnership represents a $2.4 million investment in new housing stock.
• City of MuskegonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020In August 2020, the Muskegon City Council and Mayor approved the construction of 53 new construction rental homes at the former Farmer's Market site. The partnership was described as a significant investment in new housing stock and downtown transformation.
• Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCopperBay partners with MSHDA through workforce housing programs designed to bring high-quality, affordable rental housing to working households who earn too much for traditional subsidized housing but too little to afford market-rate rent. Income limits are published annually by MSHDA and updated every April.
• Local Governments Across MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCopperBay partners with local governments across Michigan through various programs to develop workforce housing units. These programs are designed to bring high-quality, affordable rental housing to working households in the 'missing middle' income bracket.
• AppFoliocoreTechnology or IntegrationCopperBay uses AppFolio's property management platform for their resident portal, including online rent payments, maintenance requests, and account management. Available via web browser and mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• AppFolio: Property management software platform used by CopperBay for resident portal, rent payments, and maintenance. Technology ecosystem peer / vendor rather than a competitive landlord; included to highlight CopperBay's reliance on AppFolio as core operating infrastructure.
• Roofstock: Online marketplace and SFR investment platform for buying and managing single-family rentals. Adjacent to CopperBay as an enabler for SFR investors; competes indirectly for tenant demand and landlord mind-share in the broader SFR market.

Broad incumbents

• Invitation Homes: Largest publicly traded single-family rental operator in the U.S., with ~80,000+ homes across multiple Sun Belt and secondary markets. Comparable to CopperBay as a scaled SFR landlord, but operates nationally with institutional capital and targets a different geographic mix.
• Progress Residential: Large private SFR operator (Blackstone-backed) with ~80,000+ homes concentrated in Sun Belt markets. Comparable scaled SFR landlord with institutional backing, though geographically focused on higher-growth metros rather than the Midwest.
• American Homes 4 Rent (AMH): Publicly traded SFR REIT with ~59,000 single-family homes. Comparable vertically integrated operator that develops, acquires, and leases SFR; however, AMH operates at materially larger scale with national geographic reach and institutional financing.
• FirstKey Homes: Institutional SFR operator with thousands of single-family rental homes across the Sun Belt and select Midwest markets. Comparable SFR landlord focused on lease-up and disposition; competes with CopperBay in overlapping secondary Midwest submarkets.
• Pretium Partners: Specialized SFR investment manager with thousands of homes via Front Yard Residential and related vehicles. Competes with CopperBay for institutional SFR capital and tenant demand in select Midwest and Sun Belt submarkets.
• Tricon Residential: Publicly traded SFR operator and developer with a vertically integrated build-to-rent platform across the U.S. and Canada. Closest large-cap analog to CopperBay's build-to-rent model, including purpose-built communities and workforce housing exposure.

Emerging players

• Haven Realty Capital: Build-to-rent developer focused on workforce and attainable housing communities in the Sun Belt. Comparable to CopperBay in BTR model and affordable/workforce housing emphasis, though with a different geographic footprint.
• Christopher Todd Communities: Purpose-built build-to-rent single-family rental communities operator based in Arizona. Closest mid-market analog to CopperBay in business model (BTR communities with standardized floor plans and professional management), though concentrated in Phoenix rather than the Midwest.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/copper-bay-living

Compliance2 records

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 Copper Bay