What goes into the yearly total
The ongoing management fee is a percentage of the rent collected, month after month. It is easy to compare between companies, which is exactly why it is the number everyone quotes.
The leasing fee, or tenant placement fee, is charged when a new resident is placed, normally as a share of one month's rent. Turnover therefore moves your total more than a point on the monthly percentage does.
The maintenance markup is added on top of what a contractor charged. If a plumber bills $400 and the markup is 10%, you pay $440. It adds up quietly, because it never appears as its own line on a quote.
- Management fee = a year of rent times the monthly percentage
- Leasing fee = one month's rent times the leasing percentage, per new lease
- Repair markup = your yearly repair spend times the markup percentage
- Total = all three, which is the number worth comparing
The ranges you will see quoted
Published industry sources give the ranges below, so you know what territory a quote sits in. They are not a recommendation and they vary by market and company. Ask for a written schedule of every fee and use that, not this.
- Ongoing management fee: commonly 8% to 12% of rent collected
- Leasing or tenant placement fee: commonly 50% to 100% of one month's rent, sometimes a flat amount
- Lease renewal fee: commonly $100 to $350 flat, or a share of one month's rent
- Markup on repair invoices: commonly 5% to 15%, though some charge an hourly coordination fee instead
Before you sign, and the other option
Ask whether the fee is charged on rent collected or rent due — a vacant month costs nothing under the first and the full fee under the second. Ask about a monthly minimum, the renewal fee, the repair markup, the approval threshold for spending, and the cost of leaving.
Doing it yourself is not free either: it costs your time and whatever tool keeps rent, leases, repairs, and the books straight. What changes is the shape. A flat software fee does not rise with your rents and takes nothing when somebody moves.
A worked example
A single-family rental at $1,500 a month, managed at 10%, with one new lease placed during the year at 75% of a month's rent, and $2,400 of repairs at a 10% markup.
- Rent collected in a year
- $18,000
- Management fee (10% of $18,000)
- $1,800
- Leasing fee (75% of $1,500, once)
- $1,125
- Markup on repairs (10% of $2,400)
- $240
That is 17.6% of a year's rent against a headline quote of 10%. A year with no turnover lands at $2,040.
Common questions
How much do property managers charge?
Published industry sources put the ongoing fee at roughly 8% to 12% of rent collected, leasing fees at 50% to 100% of one month's rent per new resident, and repair markups at 5% to 15%. Total a quote for a full year rather than comparing headline percentages.
Is the management fee charged on rent collected or rent due?
Both models exist and the difference matters. On rent collected, a vacancy or missed payment costs you no fee that month. On rent due, you pay whether the money arrived or not. Get the answer in writing — it is rarely on the front page of a quote.
What is a leasing fee and how often will I pay it?
It covers marketing, showings, screening, and getting a lease signed, and is charged each time a new resident is placed. If residents stay two or three years you pay it rarely. In a building that turns over every year it becomes one of your largest costs.
Is it cheaper to manage rentals myself?
In direct cost, usually yes, because a share of your rent is replaced by a flat software fee. In total cost it depends on what your time is worth and whether you are set up for a repair call at 11pm.
Where these figures come from
Fee ranges above are quoted from these public industry pages, checked on 08/16/2026. They describe what companies commonly charge, not what you should pay. Always ask for a written fee schedule.
These calculators are educational and are not legal, tax, lending, or accounting advice. Rules vary by state and by city, and your lease governs your own properties. Check your own requirements before relying on any number here.