Washtenaw Area Apartment Association

What Washtenaw Area Apartment Association does

The Washtenaw Area Apartment Association (WA3, also branded WAAA) is a nonprofit trade association founded in 1996 that serves as the unified voice of the rental housing industry across four southeast Michigan counties: Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, and Washtenaw. Headquartered at 24 Frank Lloyd Wright Drive, Lobby L, Suite 4160 in Ann Arbor, the association provides membership, legislative advocacy, professional education, and recurring networking programming for property managers, rental housing operators, and supplier partners serving the multifamily sector.

Its core product is the WA3 Membership program, which automatically confers affiliate membership in the National Apartment Association (NAA) and the Property Management Association of Michigan (PMAM), layering national and state-level education, designations, and advocacy on top of local benefits. Adjacent offerings include the Member Compass self-service portal, Property Professionals and Supplier Partners directories, a calendar of monthly general membership meetings plus an annual trade show, golf outings, certification programs (CAMT, CAPS, CALP), and advocacy services covering local ordinances such as Ann Arbor's Pre-Tenancy Fees Ordinance and Green Rental Housing Initiative. The underlying technology is Novi AMS, an association management software platform that powers member registration, event ticketing, directories, and legislative updates.

The business model is a recurring membership-dues subscription augmented by per-event unit pricing (e.g., $125 per single golfer, $450 per foursome for the 2026 Fall Golf Outing), with supplier advertising and sponsorship opportunities providing incremental revenue. The go-to-market motion is event-driven, relying on monthly meetings, an annual trade show (the Reverse Trade Show), Capitol lobbying days, certification courses, and cross-promotion through NAA and PMAM to acquire and retain members.

Name

Washtenaw Area Apartment Association

Legal name

Washtenaw Area Apartment Association

Website

https://wa3hq.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Washtenaw Area Apartment Association is a 30-year-old nonprofit trade association headquartered in Ann Arbor that provides membership, advocacy, education, and networking for property managers, rental housing operators, and supplier partners across Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, and Washtenaw Counties in Michigan, with automatic dual affiliation to the National Apartment Association and Property Management Association of Michigan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

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 fees for property professionals and supplier partners. Local membership includes automatic affiliation with National Apartment Association and Property Management Association of Michigan.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WAAA is a regional nonprofit trade association that sells an annual membership program giving property managers and supplier partners access to legislative advocacy at local, state, and national levels, professional education and designations, member directories, and a calendar of monthly networking events, an annual trade show, and Capitol lobbying days. Membership automatically includes affiliation with the National Apartment Association and the Property Management Association of Michigan, and the association charges separate event-based fees for activities such as its annual Fall Golf Outing ($125 per golfer, $450 per foursome).

Product overview

Washtenaw Area Apartment Association (WA3) operates as a membership-based association organization serving the rental housing industry across Lenawee, Livingston, Monroe, and Washtenaw Counties in Michigan. The organization provides a unified suite of member services centered around its core WA3 Membership program, which automatically includes National Apartment Association and Property Management Association of Michigan affiliations. The product portfolio includes Education Programs (featuring NAA Online Learning, IRO Professional Program, and Designations), Events & Networking offerings through a comprehensive events calendar, Property Professionals and Supplier Partners directories, the Member Compass online portal for member management, and Advocacy Services at local, state, and national levels. Additional offerings include a News & Blog section for industry communications. The association leverages Novi AMS association management software as its technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• WA3 Membership Annual membership program that gives property managers and supplier partners access to legislative updates, education resources, automatic National Apartment Association membership, Property Management Association of Michigan membership, networking opportunities, and member directories.
• Education Programs Educational offerings including NAA Online Learning, IRO Professional Program, NAA Designations (CAMT, CAPS, CALP), and various training courses for property professionals seeking credentials and continuing education.
• Events & Networking Calendar of educational and networking events including annual trade shows, monthly general membership meetings, golf outings, bowling mixers, Capitol lobbying days, and various professional development events for members.
• Property Professionals Directory Online directory of member property management companies and rental housing providers in the four-county region, used by tenants and industry partners to find approved WAAA members.
• Supplier Partners Directory Directory of business supplier members offering products and services to the multifamily housing industry including advertising, appliances, construction, HVAC, insurance, and maintenance supplies.
• Advocacy Services Legislative advocacy services at local, state, and national levels, including direct engagement on Ann Arbor ordinances (Right to Renew, Pre-Tenancy Fees, Green Rental Housing Initiative), PMAM Capitol Day lobbying, and NAA federal advocacy.
• Annual Fall Golf Outing Recurring annual golf fundraiser and networking event held at Lake Forest Golf Club in 2026, with single-golfer registration at $125 and foursome registration at $450 (rising to $475 after August 1, 2026).

Named customers11 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• City of Ann ArbormajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2026Collaboration on the Green Rental Housing Initiative ordinance compliance. The City provides guidance on implementing required checklist items and the association helps members understand and comply with the ordinance requirements.
• Washtenaw 2030 DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2026Partnership for the Green Rental Housing Initiative, providing resources and technical support to help property owners achieve energy efficiency goals aligned with Ann Arbor's carbon-neutral 2030 vision.
• DTE EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 April 2026Resource partner for the GRH Readiness Workshop, providing information on available rebates and programs to support property compliance with energy efficiency requirements.
• National Apartment Association (NAA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomatic affiliation provides WAAA members with access to NAA education programs, research, events (including Apartmentalize conference), designations, and advocacy resources at the national level.
• Property Management Association of Michigan (PMAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAutomatic affiliation provides WAAA members with access to PMAM education, events (including GLAStar Awards), Capitol Day lobbying activities, and state-level advocacy representation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Institute of Real Estate Management (IREM): International association for real estate management professionals. Provides comparable certifications (CPM, ARM), education, and member services overlapping with WAAA's CAMT/CAPS offerings for property managers.
• Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International: Trade association for commercial real estate owners/managers. Adjacent peer with overlapping membership model and advocacy/education programming, though focused on office/commercial rather than multifamily rental housing.

Broad incumbents

• California Apartment Association: Large state-level apartment association. Comparable advocacy, education, and member service model but at state-wide scale; offers a benchmark for how WAAA could expand scope within Michigan.
• Florida Apartment Association: State-level apartment trade association in Florida. Comparable trade association model scaled to a large multifamily market; similar education/designation, advocacy, and event programs.
• National Apartment Association (NAA): National trade association for the rental housing industry. WAAA is an automatic-affiliate local chapter, making NAA the closest structural peer; comparable membership/advocacy/education model scaled nationally.

Direct peers

• Apartment Association of Greater Dallas: Regional apartment trade association serving the Dallas-Fort Worth multifamily market. Directly comparable operating model — local membership with NAA affiliation, advocacy, education programs, and a reverse trade show for supplier members.
• Chicagoland Apartment Association: Regional apartment association serving greater Chicago. Directly comparable model — local landlord/supplier membership with NAA affiliation, legislative advocacy, certification programs, and annual trade show.
• Houston Apartment Association: Regional apartment trade association serving Houston-area multifamily operators and suppliers. Same NAA-affiliate membership/advocacy/education playbook, comparable event-driven engagement, and member directory structure.
• Property Management Association of Michigan (PMAM): State-level rental housing trade association in Michigan. WAAA members automatically receive PMAM membership; identical advocacy+education+events model and directly comparable GTM to local landlord members in Michigan.
• Atlanta Apartment Association: Regional apartment association in metro Atlanta. Similar NAA-affiliated local trade association structure with membership dues, advocacy, certification programs, and annual trade shows serving rental housing operators and suppliers.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ewing-investment-corp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Washtenaw Area Apartment Association