Cortile, an end-to-end platform for UK residential property management, has appointed former Checkatrade head of AI services James Hamilton as general manager and HomeViews co-founder Hannah Marsh as head of marketing.
The business was co-founded in 2019 by Manchester-based property and technology entrepreneur Akeel Malik. It has since attracted clients including Pinnacle Group, RMG and Urban Splash and is now trusted by managing agents overseeing more than 400,000 homes across the UK.
Its technology development has been supported by Innovate UK, the UK government’s innovation agency.
At Checkatrade, Hamilton was Head of AI services and consumer growth and built an agentic AI platform powering over 1,000 home services businesses.
He said: “Cortile’s end-to-end platform is rare in the sector in that our focus has always been on delivering great user experiences for residents, managers and owners.
“This foundation sets us up to deliver market-leading tools across domains, including communications, compliance and finance, and to use AI in practical ways that save time and improve service. Our products drive more engaged communities, safer buildings and comprehensive site data.”
He is joined by PropTech entrepreneur Marsh, who co-founded HomeViews, the residential review platform, which was sold to Rightmove in a seven-figure deal in 2024.
She said: “I’ve spent my career engaging with residents and I know they want transparency, responsiveness and to feel their building is well run. Cortile gives managing agents the tools to deliver that and I’m excited to help bring it to more of the sector.”
The senior team is further strengthened by Ross Murphy, who joins the board as non-executive director, advising on AI strategy. Murphy is a PhD researcher in machine learning at UCL, where he is part of the PRISM and DARK AI research labs, and previously worked in volatility trading at Capula and J.P. Morgan.
The changes come as Cortile, which is profitable, invests in its next phase of growth. The business has received investment from experienced real estate, venture capital and private equity professionals, including Urban Splash founder Tom Bloxham CBE, investor and philanthropist Bill Holroyd CBE, Ben Maiden, Partner and CFO at Hg, and Paul Gough and Uniti Bhalla of STAR Capital.
The company unveiled a rebrand at The Property Institute (TPI) Annual Conference, where the company is Gold Sponsor and official technology partner. Formerly known as Ark Residential, the business has taken its new name from the Italian word for an interior courtyard – reflecting the platform’s role connecting property teams and residents.
Malik added: “Residential property management has run on disconnected systems for too long: emails, spreadsheets and separate tools for every task. Cortile brings all of that into one place, so managing agents can run buildings more efficiently and residents can see exactly what’s happening in their homes.
“With a new name, a profitable business and a senior team who have built and scaled some of the most respected businesses in property and technology, we’re ready to grow with our clients. Our ambition is for Cortile to be the centre of every building we work in.”
Cortile brings communications, workflows, compliance, reporting and service charge into a single platform used by both property teams and residents. More than £10m in service charge payments have been processed through the platform, and Cortile is the official technology partner of The Property Institute for the UK Service Charge Index.