For many in the community association management (CAM) industry, "collections" might as well be a four-letter word.
Yes, CAMs are responsible for overseeing the financial health of associations. But at the end of the day, their passion lies in fostering vibrant communities—not in chasing down past-due assessments or escalating accounts to legal action. Unfortunately, "send to the attorneys" has been the default solution for decades.
That old way isn’t just uncomfortable. It’s inefficient. Whenever a third party gets involved, managers often spend hours reviewing spreadsheets, requesting updates, and tracking down paperwork.
Axela, a CINC Systems technology partner, is changing that. Our deep integration gives CAMs a smarter, more connected, and far less painful way to manage collections without sacrificing transparency or relationships.
Axela Founder & CEO Martin Urruela, who previously served as president of his own condo association and worked extensively in real estate, saw firsthand how collections could be handled better.
“I always had an issue with how we handled collections,” he says. “These are usually good people. They only owe a few thousand bucks. Why are we sending them straight to an attorney who’s just going to start the lien and foreclosure process?”
With Axela, community associations can resolve delinquencies without the legal expense or aggressive tactics. Axela’s platform combines automation, transparency, and multi-channel outreach to engage delinquent homeowners constructively, giving them options and keeping them out of court.
“If we know that the overwhelming likelihood is that these people will pay,” Martin says, “then the question becomes, what’s the most cost-effective and ethical way to bring them to the table to get them to pay?”
Axela’s integration with CINC allows CAMs to set the terms of engagement from the start.
1. Accounts are automatically flagged & escalated. Managers can define thresholds based on balance or days overdue, either in CINC or Axela. Once a unit crosses that threshold, the system flags it.
Axela takes action. Depending on manager preferences, Axela can begin outreach automatically, notify you before starting, or ask for approval.
This enhanced flexibility and control is making a noticeable difference for management companies on the ground.
“The Axela + CINC integration has been a game changer in terms of how our people efficiently manage all-things collections,” said Blake Sanford, VP of Partnerships at PMI, a national property management firm with over 2,000 associations leveraging the two solutions.
“Not only does Axela deliver on their promise of collecting, but they’ve saved our communities millions of dollars in legal fees that would have otherwise been spent on attorneys,” added Blake.
For many CAMs, one of the most frustrating parts of collections is not knowing what’s happening once an account is handed off. Axela eliminates that blind spot.
“In our case, we very much prioritize transparency,” Martin explains. “They can read every single email. They can listen to every single conversation. They can download reports to know exactly what’s going on”
And with Axela's AI features, staying informed is even easier. AI summarizes lengthy call transcripts and email exchanges into bite-sized insights so managers can quickly understand what's going on with an account.
“Instead of having to dig for a piece of information, you can just ask AI and get a very detailed, targeted response.”
With nearly 100 employees and a growing footprint that includes 10,000+ associations nationwide, Axela isn’t resting on its success. Several new features have recently been announced, all shaped by customer feedback:
Property Eye, an ownership monitoring tool, automatically detects property sales and ownership changes in real-time, ensuring managers know who owns what without relying on word of mouth or delayed reports. Axela has also introduced First Notice+, an early-stage delinquency outreach tool —simple, proactive nudges via text, voicemail, or email to encourage owners to catch up on dues before third-party collections are necessary.
“These are just more touch points for the owners, encouraging them to get caught back up,” Martin says. “We’re building this based on customer feedback from the last eight years.”
Unlike traditional collection partners that operate on exclusivity or long-term contracts, Axela offers a flexible, no-risk partnership model.
“All of our contracts are non-exclusive and month-to-month by nature,” says Martin. “So we’re the type of company where there’s nothing to lose in giving it a shot.”
More importantly, Axela only earns revenue when collections are successful. As Martin puts it: “The better our customers do, the better we do.”
That alignment extends to customer support as well. Each CAM partner gets a dedicated account manager who ensures a smooth onboarding experience and remains a direct point of contact throughout the relationship.
The partnership between Axela and CINC Systems represents a smarter way forward for CAMs. By combining best-in-class collections technology with deep empathy and transparency, we’re helping communities recover more funds, save time, and ultimately pass savings on to homeowners.
Learn more at https://www.axela.com/.