Vantaca's Inaugural State of the Industry Report Shows a New Operating Model Taking Hold in Community Management

Drawing on data from more than 52,000 community associations and 6.5 million homes, the report reveals how rising costs, growing expectations and technology are reshaping community management

WILMINGTON, N.C., Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Vantaca, an AI-first technology company purpose-built for community association management, today released The State of the Industry: Managed Community Living in America, a comprehensive look at how the economics, operations and experiences of professionally managed community living are changing. Unveiled at Vantaca Vision 2026, the report draws on a substantial sample of anonymized operational data from the Vantaca platform, encompassing more than 500 management companies, 52,000+ associations and approximately 6.5 million homes, alongside three independent surveys of homeowners, management company executives and service providers. The findings reveal an industry navigating rising costs, growing expectations and persistent operational complexity, while new technologies create opportunities for management companies to build capacity and strengthen the communities they serve.

"Community management has always been a relationship business. It's about people taking care of people and the places they call home," said Ben Currin, CEO of Vantaca. "What this research shows is that the industry has an opportunity to scale what already works. When technology takes on more of the routine work, management companies gain the capacity to strengthen relationships, deliver better service and lead their communities more effectively. The human relationship is the foundation and now we have an opportunity to scale it."

What the Data Shows

• The Economics Have Reset. Association assessments rose 50.5% between 2021 and 2025, driven by significant increases in insurance, utilities and other operating costs. Communities are facing a fundamentally more expensive operating environment.
  
  
• A New Staffing Model is Emerging. Management companies are growing their teams while supporting even larger portfolios. AI-enabled operations now manage 669 doors per staff member, compared with 436 at traditional operations, highlighting the potential of new operating models to expand capacity.
  
  
• Homeowners Want Greater Transparency. Nearly four in ten homeowners surveyed believe their dues are too high, yet 73% would accept an increase with a clear explanation. Communicating value is becoming as important as delivering it.
  
  
• Service Providers Need Less Friction. With 83% reporting margin compression and 75% citing slow approvals, service providers are looking for greater efficiency and predictability in how they work with management companies.
  
  
• Management Companies Are at the Center of It All. As the connection point between homeowners, boards and service providers, management companies have an opportunity to move beyond traditional administration and deliver greater value across the community ecosystem.

A New Operating Model Creating New Possibilities
The findings point to a significant opportunity for management companies: using technology to create more capacity, strengthen relationships and expand the value they deliver across the community ecosystem. At Vantaca Vision 2026, Chief Product Officer Trisha Price and Chief Technology Officer Jeff Beard built on these insights, unveiling expanded capabilities designed to bring this new operating model to life. From agentic AI and connected resident experiences to streamlined financial and vendor workflows, the innovations demonstrate how management companies can put that capacity to work.

• Agentic AI Expansion with HOAI fleet. HOAi Fleet adds agents for invoicing, association onboarding, compliance and budgets, working inside the workflows teams already use. Agents prepare the work, and the management company's team reviews and approves what goes out. Teams can teach Fleet new skills, and a redesigned Fleet workspace shows what every agent is doing. Vantaca also previewed what comes next, including a Priority Action Queue that puts a team's work and its agents' work on the same screen, a community manager agent that helps prepare for board meetings, and elections and voting for residents.
  
  
• An Expanded Resident Experience With Vantaca Home. Residents receive clear answers at any hour through HOAi Voice and a connected experience in the expanded Vantaca Home. With routine work handled, managers spend their time on judgment and leadership. Community Brief puts a polished, company-branded report directly in front of board members each month, showing exactly what their management company delivered. This turns operational data into a clear case for the value of professional management.
  
  
• Reliable Vantaca Vendor Network. Vantaca Pay cuts settlement from four business days to one and gives residents itemized receipts. Vantaca Vendor gives service providers streamlined onboarding, payment setup and a portal that shows where their work and payments stand.

"Excellence in the everyday isn't built on features, it's built on outcomes," said Trisha Price, Chief Product Officer, Vantaca. "When work moves to agents, your people are freed up to lead instead of manage, residents receive answers and real connection to their community, and vendors get paid faster. That's how management companies stop being measured by the work they process and start being valued for the communities they lead."

About the Report
The State of the Industry: Managed Community Living in America draws on anonymized, aggregated operational data from a cross-section of the Vantaca platform, including consistent groups of associations analyzed over time, and three independent, third-party-administered surveys fielded in June 2026. The surveys included a combined 654 respondents across homeowners in managed communities, management company executives and service providers. Full methodology and source notes are included in the report.

About Vantaca
Vantaca is an AI-first technology company purpose-built for community association management. Serving 600+ MCs, nearly 6.8M doors, and 60K+ associations across the United States, Vantaca combines intelligent automation, integrated payments, and resident-facing features to elevate community living. Recognized on the Inc. 5000 list for six consecutive years, Vantaca is uniquely positioned to lead the modernization of community management through operational excellence, agentic AI, and an expanding ecosystem connecting management companies, residents, vendors, and boards.

For more information, visit vantaca.com.

Media Contact:
Ryan Kelly
PR and Communications Director, Vantaca
732.770.5942 | ryan.kelly@vantaca.com

SOURCE Vantaca LLC