About Us

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The Bridgeport Company, A RealManage Company

Since 1989, The Bridgeport Company has delivered full-service management to Community Associations of every kind, including single-family, multi-family, mixed-use, and commercial association properties. With over 35 years of proven expertise, our highly trained team brings unmatched knowledge in management, construction, facilities and maintenance, for Owners and Developers alike. These strengths allow us to consistently protect, enhance, and maximize the value of every community we serve.

In 2024, The Bridgeport Company joined RealManage. With the powerful resources and technology of our parent company behind us, we’ve expanded our capabilities and strengthened our position as a leading force in the Association Management industry.

Though our name and reach have grown, our people, values, and dedication remains the same. To learn more about RealManage, visit the RealManage website.

Our Clients

Group of young employees in the workplace in the office

Homeowners Associations

HOA’s own the common areas that homeowners have very specific rights and obligations to. These common areas may include the grounds, recreational areas, and sometimes roads.

Commercial Management

Commercial properties we manage include commercial R&D, office, and retail shopping centers throughout the greater Bay area,

Developing Communities

From groundbreaking to turnover, we help developers launch communities the right way. Our proven expertise ensures a smooth transition, strong foundations, and thriving neighborhoods and commercials centers from day one.

Condominium Communities

Condo owners typically only own the air space, but not the physical boundaries of the unit or the land beneath the unit. The owner holds a shared interest in the common area.

Our Leadership

Rachel Garrett
PCAM®, AMS®, CCAM

Regional President

Chris Candy

Vice President, Operations

John Rodrigues
CMCA®

Director of Community Association Managers

Testimonials

Bridgeport was not our first management company, but has been managing our HOA since about 2002 – around the time I joined the board. They had to pick up the pieces from a dysfunctional management company that closed its doors, and work with our HOA which had just started a (4 year) construction defect litigation process.

In our experience, Bill (owner), Chris and the entire Bridgeport team has been really great to work with – telephone reception is consistently courteous and responsive, mailings are timely and informative, and project management is comprehensive and focused on quality work with cost control. They keep up to date with changing HOA laws, follow through with board pet projects and pet peeves, and even brings us unsolicited proposals every now and then for us to consider in order to cut costs, or improve the common area. For example, Chris recently convinced us to swap out our Exit light signage to LED signs and replace all our garage light fixtures with energy efficient fluorescent ones. Our energy costs have decreased 20% as a result, so the projects have already paid for themselves. Their emergency and on-call process works well, and on more than one occasion, I’ve seen Chris or one of his co-workers out here responding to after hours emergency issues.

I manage individual condos in 5 other buildings in Oakland and beyond and I can honestly say Bridgeport is the most personal and responsive management company of them all. I really appreciate that I know their staff by name and that they always answer their phones during working hours – no voicemail messages! And we haven’t experienced any staff turnover with them. Chris has been with us since the start. In fact, he practically got a standing ovation at our Annual Meeting last week. We do really love working with Chris and The Bridgeport Company.

Tiffany E.
I have been president of our association for eight years. During that time we haven’t even needed to serve a notice of violation. That is partly because of the cooperation in the community, but also because of the managers at The Bridgeport Company. The managers at Bridgeport have helped us identify potential problems and ways to avoid those problems so that we haven’t had to deal with conflict. As president, I have always been able to get our manager on the phone or through e-mail when I needed him. The company has been very responsive to all our requests. I have dealt with many management companies and can’t imagine being happier than I have been with The Bridgeport Company.
Kathleen R.

The Bridgeport Company has been Property Manager for our Homeowner’s Association for five years. During that period, our Board of Directors and The Bridgeport Company have developed a strong working relationship.

Our Board values the reliability of Bridgeport, not only during normal working hours but also during evenings and weekends, 24 hours a day. The individual property managers assigned to our account by Bridgeport have been effective, efficient and pro-active in addressing the daily business and the occasional emergencies of a 202-unit condominium complex.

The Bridgeport Company has reliably provided budget advice, financial reporting, liaison with our attorneys, and communications to members of the Association.

The Bridgeport Company has depth in its home office support staff. In the rare events when our property manager is unavailable, there is always a back-up manager to handle urgent matters for us.

I confidently recommend The Bridgeport Company for professional association and property management of the highest caliber.

Peter S.

My name is Laura and I am a condo owner and have been since 2009. I am writing to express my gratitude, and to let you how I feel about our Association’s management company, The Bridgeport Company.

I have had the benefit of working with TBC for several years now, and our property has definitely seen a significant improvement. It is not often that you witness a management company take such a personal interest in a property’s well being and benefit from their knowledge.

I witnessed this firsthand at our homeowner’s association meeting when I first moved in and it continues on still today. We had been facing major improvements to our property a few months back and with their assistance we have gradually been able to conquer all of them. Like many Associations these days, our finances were not always where we would like them to be given the economy in the recent past. Due to TBC and our manager’s (Brian) due diligence in obtaining quotes from various contractors, we have received our repairs at a better price. As I said earlier, as a long time condo homeowner, I have never seen a management company, or Brian, make such a personal investment in a property’s financial well being. His superior treatment of our Association should not go unnoticed.

Personally I have needed Brian’s assistance with various matters over the years. He is gracious, professional, timely, thorough, patient and funny…I could go!

Thank you for the opportunity to express my thoughts. And thank your for the pleasure and privilege of working w with The Bridgeport Company.

Laura F.

The Bridgeport Management Co. has managed our HOA in San Ramon, CA, for approximately 15 years. As a Board member and president the majority of that time I can acknowledge and express appreciation for the excellent services provided by the entire Bridgeport staff. Mr. Bavelas, the owner, has always kept abreast of current regulations, helped direct the actions of the Board and resolved all issues to the complete satisfaction of the Association. I would highly recommend The Bridgeport Co.

Steve L.

As President and then Treasurer of our Association, I have had a very close relationship with Bill Bavelas and his team for over 10 years. My experience with The Bridgeport Company has been nothing but delightful!

Bill’s team has always been very responsive. They have created a safe and peaceful community for all residents, and insured that our common areas are well maintained and landscaped. As a 30-year-old development, we expect to occasionally have serious issues, but the Bridgeport team has always resolved our problems efficiently by applying expert management of the vendors and government officials that were brought to bear.

Because Bill is also a real estate broker, we could always count on him to use best practices to maintain and improve our properties within code and with the best contractors available. As a result, the work was done right the first time.

I have nothing but good words to say about Bill and his team. It has been a great pleasure to work with them over all these years.

Pete B.

We have been working with The Bridgeport Company for many years. They manage nearly all of the homeowner associations on the projects we have developed. They do an excellent job of managing the budget, controlling expenses, and keeping all the proper paperwork to make sure the associations are always in compliance with the ever-changing regulations.

I would unconditionally recommend The Bridgeport Company for any property management assignment.

David G.

Bill Bavelas of The Bridgeport Company has managed our community association since January 2013. During this time he has increased or reserves balance substantially. He has also brought in new landscaping crews that have greatly improved the appearance of our community.

He is a licensed real estate broker and brings a tremendous amount of skill that goes far beyond the standard property manager. With this level of skill, he is continually striving to increase the property values of our association.

Their staff is extremely friendly, courteous, and easy to work with. Bringing The Bridgeport Company onboard has worked out extremely well for us. It is my hope for a long relationship between our association and The Bridgeport Company.

Michael M.

Frequently Asked Questions

A homeowners association (HOA) is a non-profit corporation that serves as the governing body of a residential community. It is subject to the statutes governing homeowners associations as mandated by the State of California. All community homeowners are mandatory members and must follow the community’s guidelines to ensure a harmonious environment and lifestyle for all its members; failure to comply can result in fines or penalties. Its purpose is to maintain all common areas and to govern the community in accordance with the provision of the legal documents (CC&Rs, Bylaws, Articles of Incorporation). Each homeowner received these important documents when they purchased their home. They are also available for viewing through the Owner Login Portal for your specific association.

A management company is contracted by the board of directors to provide advisement on important issues relating to the association. They report directly to the board and all decisions are made by a majority vote of the board of directors. Listed is just a sampling of some of the services provided: overseeing the day to day operations and maintenance of the association, on-site visits, preparing/maintaining financials, record keeping of all homeowners and association related business, assessments collections, oversight of routine service providers, obtain bid proposals for non-routine work, CC&R compliance, and much more.

It is important to note that the management company does not set policies or create rules and regulations for the association. Only the board of directors and the members can do this.

The assessment is the amount due from each homeowner used to pay for the ongoing maintenance and repairs to a community’s common areas, equipment, and shared amenities. Examples of services commonly included are landscape service, trash removal, pool maintenance, elevator or gate service, utility costs for common area electricity, lighting, heating/AC. Assessments are also used to pay for master insurance policies to protect the common building structures, as well as other riders as required. In addition, assessments can be used to pay for janitorial staff as well as the services of a professional association management company to manage the operations and maintenance and enforce the board’s rules and decisions.

A fiscally sound association allocates a portion of the assessments to a long-term reserve account to ensure the adequate funding for planned and budgeted renovations and repairs that do not occur on a regular basis. Examples include interior road resurfacing, roof replacement, and pool equipment replacement. They also set aside contingency funds each month to cover unforeseen expenses and emergencies. To determine the amount of long term reserves needed, a Reserve Study is completed on a timely basis. It provides an in-depth evaluation of a property’s physical components and an analysis of its reserve funds. Based on a thorough on-site inspection, a custom reserve study details anticipated renovations and repairs to common-area elements and recommends annual reserve funding to cover these expenditures for the next 30 years.

The Civil Code provides for annual increases, but not to exceed 20 percent per year without the vote of the membership. The board of directors may approve an increase if it is determined necessary to cover increased costs of operating and maintenance and to retain sufficient reserve funds.

Every year, homeowners are mailed an annual budget packet prepared by the management company at the direction of the board of directors. It includes a detailed budget for the upcoming year outlining all the income and expenses related to the association.

The maintenance and management of your association depends on the timely receipt of assessments from its members. When assessment are not received by the stated due date, the CC&Rs allows for late fees and interest to be accrued. Severely delinquent accounts may be subject to collections and or a lien placed on the property and could result in foreclosure proceedings for nonpayment. Please refer to your CC&Rs to become familiar with your property’s collection policy. If you are having difficulty paying your assessments, please contact us so that we can forward this information to your board of directors for consideration.

Governing Documents is a term commonly used when referencing the legal documents associated with your association. These may include the Covenants, Conditions, and Restrictions (CC&Rs), Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, and Rules & Regulations. All homeowners receive a complete packet of these legal documents during the purchase of their home. Owners selling their home are required by law to disclose these documents to the buyer during the escrow period. Typically, your title company will make a formal request for them on your behalf.

Covenants, Condition and Restrictions (CC&Rs) are the governing legal documents that set up the guidelines for the operation of the planned community as a non-profit corporation. Each association is governed by its own unique rules and policies that are clearly defined in the CC&Rs. They are designed to protect property values by maintaining a clean, safe and harmonious community for all residents. Homeowners are required to follow all the conditions of the CC&Rs and non-compliance may result in fines or legal action. You received these important documents when you purchased your property. They are also available to view on the website by logging in through your homeowner login portal.

The Bylaws are the guidelines for the operation of the non-profit corporation. Bylaws define the duties of the various offices of the board of directors, the terms of the directors, the membership’s voting rights, and required meetings and notices of meetings, and the principal office of the association, as well as other items specific to the business of the association.

Most associations have developed Rules and Regulations as defined in the CC&Rs and adopted by the board of directors. Rules are established to provide direction on the common courtesies expected of all owners. Examples include parking, vehicles, pets, and shared amenities such as pool and park use. Also included will be architectural guidelines with required procedures for submitting requests to make changes to your home. Examples include exterior paint color, patio covers, significant landscape modifications and in cases were extensive interior modifications are planned. The Rules and Regulations are in place to help maintain property values and to support a cohesive and fair community for residents. Failure to follow them may result in fines, loss of privilege of shared amenities, or the removal of unapproved architectural changes.

Strong leadership is a valuable asset to the community. The association is a non-profit corporation and, therefore, required to function under the applicable laws of our state. A governing body, the Board of Directors, is required to oversee the business and represent the interest of all owners. The Bylaws contain specific information about the makeup of the board, as well as how they are elected, terms of service, and limitations and restrictions of the powers their role allows. A board typically includes a president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary. Owners in good standing are eligible to run for a position and are elected by anonymous vote of the membership, usually during an Annual Meeting. Advance notice and information about board position openings is provided to allow an equal opportunity to run for a position. Board members are responsible for making important decisions on behalf of the entire community and serve on a volunteer basis.

The frequency of board of director’s meetings vary by association but are typically held monthly, bi-monthly or quarterly, depending on the requirements outlined in the association’s Bylaws. This is where general association business is conducted and homeowners are welcome to attend. Notice of an upcoming board meeting is sent by mail, or posted on-site in your community, or noted on the courtesy assessment statements mailed to owners who use coupon books. Annual Meetings are held once a year and are open to the entire membership. Notice of Annual Meetings will arrive in the mail and will have information regarding available board positions, if any terms are expiring, and include directions on how to run for a position.

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