Business

Nathan Levinson and Royal York Property Management: From One Property to $11 Billion

December 14, 2025

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CEO Interview: How a 19-year-old entrepreneur built Canada’s largest residential property management company

Royal York Property Management’s headquarters coordinates operations for over 25,000 properties across seven countries.

TORONTO, ON — Nathan Levinson was 19 years old when he started Royal York Property Management with a single rental property in Toronto. Fifteen years later, the company manages over 25,000 properties valued at $11 billion across seven countries — a milestone recently reported by Barchart.

We sat down with Levinson to discuss the journey from startup to industry leader, the role of technology in scaling a service business, and what’s next for Royal York Property Management.

Nathan Levinson, Founder and CEO of Royal York Property Management, serves on the Bank of Canada’s Business Leader Survey panel.

The Beginning: Starting at 19

You started Royal York Property Management at 19. What made you think you could compete in an industry dominated by established players?

I didn’t think about competing with established players — I thought about solving a problem. I saw landlords who were frustrated with their property managers. They weren’t getting timely updates. They weren’t getting transparent financial reporting. They felt like their properties were being managed as an afterthought. I believed I could do better, and I was willing to work around the clock to prove it.

What was the first year like?

Brutal, honestly. I was doing everything myself — showing properties, screening tenants, coordinating maintenance, handling accounting, answering calls at 2 AM. But that’s actually where I learned the most. When you do every job yourself, you understand exactly how to systematize it later. Every process we have today started with me doing it manually and asking, ‘How can this be more efficient?’

Building the Team

How did you transition from doing everything yourself to building a team?

The first hires were the hardest. You’re asking people to bet on a company that barely exists. I hired people who believed in what we were building, not people looking for a safe corporate job. Those early team members are still with us. They built the culture that allowed us to scale.

Today we have in-house departments for everything — maintenance, legal services, accounting, customer care. We provide 24/7/365 service through offices in Toronto and Tirana, Albania. But it all started with a handful of people who were willing to work as hard as I was.

What do you look for when hiring now?

Ownership mentality. We treat every property as if it were our own — that’s not just a tagline, it’s how we operate. I look for people who take problems personally, who don’t wait to be told what to do. Technical skills can be taught. That mentality can’t.

Technology as Competitive Advantage

Royal York is known for technology-enabled property management. Your AI-powered tenant placement system places renters in seven days. You have bank accreditation from all eight major Canadian financial institutions. How did technology become such a focus?

It wasn’t a grand strategy from day one — it was necessity. When you’re growing fast and trying to maintain service quality, you can’t just keep hiring more people to do things manually. You have to build systems that scale.

We now have a database of over 60,000 pre-screened tenants. When a property becomes available, our AI matches it with qualified candidates who are already searching. That’s why we can place tenants in seven days when the industry average is weeks. The tenant screening includes AI-enabled document verification — we can detect fraudulent employment letters and pay stubs before a lease is signed.

Tell me about the bank accreditation. You’re the only property manager in Canada accredited by all eight major banks for Bill Pay.

That was a two-year process. Each bank has rigorous requirements — they evaluate your financial systems, security protocols, operational standards. We went through it eight times. But the result is that tenants can pay rent through the same secure system they use for utility bills. We’ve processed over one million transactions through that system with complete documentation and verification.

The only way to scale service is to make every part measurable. Our platform captures data on every interaction, every transaction, every maintenance request. That visibility is what lets us grow to 25,000 properties without sacrificing quality.

Royal York Property Management provides services in over 20 languages through offices in seven countries.

Going Global

Royal York now operates in seven countries — Canada, the United States, Albania, Kosovo, Germany, the Netherlands, and Poland. Property management is traditionally a local business. How did international expansion happen?

It was completely client-driven. We had Canadian investors who owned properties in Europe and asked if we could manage them. We had diaspora clients — Canadians with roots in Albania or Kosovo — who inherited family properties and needed professional management. The demand existed before we made any strategic decision to expand.

How do you maintain consistency across different countries with different regulations?

Centralized technology, local expertise. Our platform handles the same financial reporting, the same communication tools, the same documentation standards everywhere. But we have local teams in each market who understand the regulations, speak the languages, and know the contractors. Our European headquarters in Tirana employs property management professionals, maintenance coordinators, and tenant support staff who serve those markets.

The time zone coverage is actually a benefit. When our Toronto office closes, our Tirana office is still operating. We provide true 24/7 coverage without anyone working overnight shifts.

The Rental Guarantee

Royal York offers what you call ‘the world’s first rental guarantee program.’ How does it work?

We guarantee landlords receive rent even if tenants default. If a tenant stops paying, we cover the rent from our own funds while we handle collection or eviction. The landlord’s income is protected throughout the process.

That sounds risky for your business. How can you offer that?

It’s only possible because of our screening process. We don’t just check credit scores — we verify employment, confirm income, review rental history, contact previous landlords. Our AI predicts which applicants are likely to pay on time and maintain the property. When you screen that carefully, defaults are rare. And when they happen, the cost is manageable because we’ve selected well on the front end.

We report an 87% tenant retention rate and an average vacancy period of 18 days. Those numbers come from screening and selection, not luck.

The State of the Industry

You serve on the Bank of Canada’s Business Leader Survey panel. What’s your perspective on the Canadian real estate market right now?

The rental market is growing. More Canadians are renting long-term, whether by choice or necessity. That means more demand for professional property management. But the industry hasn’t kept up. Most property managers still operate the way they did twenty years ago — manual processes, inconsistent service, limited transparency.

Is that an opportunity or a problem?

Both. It’s an opportunity for companies willing to invest in technology and service quality. It’s a problem for landlords stuck with managers who haven’t evolved. The property management industry is still fragmented, still underserved by technology, still waiting for someone to set a higher standard. We intend to continue being that standard.

What’s Next

You’re onboarding 750 new properties per month. What does growth look like from here?

We’re opening 10 additional office locations across Canada and 5 new offices in Europe — Germany, Portugal, and the Netherlands. But growth isn’t just about geography. We’re investing in predictive maintenance, dynamic pricing optimization, and automated compliance monitoring. The platform we’ve built can do more than it does today.

Fifteen years in, what keeps you motivated?

Fifteen years ago, I started this company with one property and a belief that landlords deserved better. Today we manage over 25,000 properties worth $11 billion across four continents. But eleven billion is a milestone, not a destination. Every landlord who trusts us with their property, every tenant who calls one of our managed units home — that’s the motivation. We’re not done building.

— For more information about Royal York Property Management, visit royalyorkpropertymanagement.ca. Client feedback is available through verified reviews.

About Royal York Property Management

Royal York Property Management is committed to managing investment properties with exceptional care and professionalism. With over 40 locations across North America and more than 25,000 properties leased and managed, they prioritize the needs of clients and tenants in every task, from handling maintenance emergencies to conducting tenant showings. Their mission to redefine property management is driven by innovation, transparency, and accessibility. Managing $11 billion in assets, Royal York offers services in over 20 languages, empowering both property owners and tenants. They treat every property as if it were their own, ensuring outstanding service every day. Explore career opportunities or read FAQs.

Royal York Property Management – North American HQ

311 Bowes Road, Suite B4

Vaughan, Ontario L4K 3M6

Phone: (833) 666-3306

Website: https://royalyorkpropertymanagement.ca

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