Settlement Automation in Real Estate: How Kodoro Saved 15% of Accounting Time
Updated: Oct 21
Lost receipts, paper invoices and subcontractors paying out of their own pockets slow down every company that runs many projects at once. Kodoro, a real estate company specialising in rental management and office space adaptation, faced exactly this problem.
By moving subcontractor purchases to Sparados virtual cards with instant document capture, Kodoro automated its settlements, saved about 15% of accounting time and cut unsettled transactions to virtually zero. This case study shows what the company needed, how the solution works and what changed.
Case Study at a Glance
Client: Kodoro, a real estate company specialising in rental management and office space adaptation
Industry: Real estate
Challenge: Lost paper invoices and receipts, cash advances and subcontractors paying from their own funds, with slow manual settlements
Solution: Sparados company cards for subcontractors, with invoices and receipts added to each transaction in the app and visible to accounting in real time
Result: About 15% of accounting time saved, unsettled transactions down to virtually zero and better relations with subcontractors
Table of Contents:
About the Client: Kodoro
Kodoro is a fast-growing company in the real estate sector, specialising in comprehensive rental management and office space adaptation. Its business model is based on renting office space and ongoing cooperation with an extensive network of subcontractors.
Those subcontractors carry out renovation, finishing and ongoing property maintenance work. With many projects and properties running in parallel, every day brings purchases of materials and services that need to be paid for and settled.
The Challenge: Lost Invoices and Time-Consuming Settlements
Managing numerous projects and properties, Kodoro struggled with two classic but frustrating problems in operating expenses and subcontractor relations:
Documentation chaos: employees and subcontractors often lost paper invoices and receipts, which led to delays, errors and the need to contact vendors again.
Time-consuming settlements: settling each cash advance or expense paid from private funds was manual and lengthy. It took valuable time from both subcontractors and the accounting department and slowed down cash flow.
These problems burdened the accounting department and strained relations with subcontractors, who had to commit their own money and spend time collecting receipts.
“There was always a receipt missing, and paying out of pocket and waiting for a refund was the biggest headache. This created unnecessary tension and took up valuable time.” – one of Kodoro's subcontractors
The Solution: Company Cards and Instant Document Capture
Kodoro implemented the Sparados expense management platform, which gave the company full control over project budgets and operating expenses. Subcontractors now pay with company cards instead of their own money, and every purchase is documented at the moment it happens.
How It Works
Kodoro issues Sparados cards to the people who buy materials and services for its projects.
A subcontractor pays with the card, online or in a store, for example in a DIY store.
Right after the purchase, the subcontractor adds a photo or scan of the invoice or receipt to the transaction in the Sparados app.
The transaction and the document appear in the accounting control panel in real time.
Accounting reviews and settles the expense without chasing missing paperwork.
Spend Controls
Sparados lets companies set limits and spending rules for each card and assign cards to specific purposes, so project budgets stay under control. In the client console, administrators see every transaction, check whether a document has been attached and can send employees a reminder when an attachment is missing.
Invoices can also be sent to a dedicated e-mail address and are matched to the right transaction automatically. Sparados integrates with popular accounting systems, so documents reach accounting without manual forwarding.
The Results: 15% of Accounting Time Saved
The implementation brought Kodoro almost immediate, measurable results:
About 15% Less Time Spent on Accounting
Thanks to the automatic assignment of documents to transactions and instant visibility, Kodoro's accounting department saved about 15% of the time it previously spent on manual verification, searching for missing invoices and settling advances.
Unsettled Transactions Down to Virtually Zero
Because documents are added right after each purchase, unsettled transactions in Kodoro's control panel dropped to virtually zero. Accounting can be sure that all documents are in place.
Better Relations with Subcontractors
Subcontractors welcomed the new solution. They no longer pay with their own funds or collect paper documents, which makes cooperation with Kodoro easier.
“Sparados is a win-win solution for us. Gone are the days of tedious settlements and errors in invoices. Subcontractors pay with company cards, and we have a complete set of documents right away. Our accounting department can breathe a sigh of relief, and we have saved about 15% of the time spent on tedious manual processes. It was a bull's eye.” – Katarzyna Drzyzga, owner and CEO of Kodoro
Before and After Sparados
Aspect | Before Sparados | With Sparados |
Paying for materials and services | Subcontractors paid from their own funds or with cash advances | Subcontractors pay with Sparados company cards |
Invoices and receipts | Paper documents, often lost | Photo or scan added to the transaction right after the purchase |
Visibility for accounting | Documents arrived late or not at all | Transactions and documents visible in real time |
Settling expenses | Manual settlement of each advance and refund | Automatic matching of documents to transactions |
Unsettled transactions | Backlog of open items | Virtually zero |
Accounting workload | Time spent searching for missing invoices | About 15% of accounting time saved |
Subcontractor relations | Tension over refunds and paperwork | No private money involved and no paperwork to collect |
Why Real Estate Companies Choose Sparados
Kodoro's experience reflects what Sparados offers to real estate and development companies that run many projects with separate budgets:
No more private money: instead of employees or subcontractors financing purchases, virtual Mastercard cards are issued immediately with a defined limit and purpose. Read more about eliminating cash advances.
Paperless documentation: a photo of an invoice or receipt is enough, and documents are stored with the transaction.
Real-time budget control: every transaction is recorded as it happens, so project budgets can be tracked accurately.
Faster settlements: according to Sparados, the workflow from submitting an invoice to settling it is on average 1.7 times faster than with traditional methods. See how billing and invoicing works.
FAQ: Settlement Automation in Real Estate
How did Kodoro automate settlements with subcontractors?
Kodoro gave subcontractors Sparados company cards. After each purchase, the subcontractor adds a photo of the invoice or receipt to the transaction in the Sparados app, and accounting sees the transaction and document in real time.
How much time did Kodoro save?
Kodoro's accounting department saved about 15% of the time it previously spent on manual verification, searching for missing invoices and settling advances.
What happened to unsettled transactions?
Because documents are added right after each purchase, unsettled transactions in Kodoro's control panel dropped to virtually zero.
Do subcontractors still pay from their own money?
No. Subcontractors pay with company cards, so they no longer finance purchases privately or wait for refunds.
How are invoices and receipts sent to accounting?
Users add a photo or scan in the Sparados app or send documents to a dedicated e-mail address. Files are matched to the right transaction and can be passed on to integrated accounting systems.
Can real estate companies control spending per project?
Yes. Companies can assign cards with predefined limits and spending rules to project teams, so every expense is tied to the right budget and visible in real time.
Automate Settlements in Your Projects
Kodoro's story shows that moving away from cash advances and paper receipts saves accounting time and makes cooperation with subcontractors easier. Company cards with instant document capture keep every project budget under control.
Want similar results in your company? Book a demo to see how Sparados works in real estate.
