The default is 10% of net income with a $50/unit per month minimum. For units that are vacant when we take over, there's a one-time leasing fee — 50–100% of first month's rent depending on the property. After that, finding a new tenant is always included in the management fee. No maintenance markup, no renewal fee, no setup fee. The structure is also flexible — we can work with almost any agreement format.
The standard property management fee is 8–10% of gross rent. That structure rewards the manager when rent is high and ignores expenses entirely. If your property loses money, the manager still gets paid the full fee — and they have no incentive to reduce expenses, because their cut doesn't change.
We charge a percentage of net income — what's left after expenses are paid. When the property has a tough month (vacancy, big repair, eviction proceedings), our fee shrinks. When the property is humming, it grows. Same incentive as you.
There's a small floor for months where the property breaks even or runs negative — we still need to cover the operational cost of being there. But the floor is low, and we don't make money on the property until you do.
Below is the math on 2421 Riverside Dr — a 4-plex in Dayton. This is a high-expense month: the owner carries the water bill, there’s a repair, and lawn service. The fee is 10% of what’s left — not 10% of gross rent.
A gross-rent manager charges $400 this month regardless of the water bill. We charge $317.50 — because when expenses are high, our cut shrinks too.
Dayton OH 45405 · 4-plex · March 2026
Income
Operating expenses
Our cut
For the management fee — and only that fee — you get the full operating service. No upcharges, no add-ons. Below is what 10% of net income actually buys.
Other PMs build their margin on these. We don't. Each line below is something we genuinely don't bill, ever:
On a typical small portfolio, those line items add up to $2,000–$3,500/year that you keep instead.
Three real Dayton and Columbus property scenarios. Numbers reflect what we'd charge vs. what a typical full-service PM in this market quotes — actual quotes from owners we've spoken with, not made-up benchmarks.
Real numbers from owners we've spoken with. The gap is biggest on distressed acquisitions because that's where typical PMs charge the most markups — exactly the scenario where you can least afford them.
Our previous PM was charging us a leasing fee on tenants we already had — $1,800 every renewal. The math hit us in the face on the first statement. Switching paid for itself in 60 days.
Some owners self-manage and just want our maintenance crew. Some have their own PM and want our acquisitions help. Both are available standalone — pricing depends on the specifics.
For self-managing owners or those using a different PM. Same in-house crew, same response times, no bundling pressure. Materials passed at cost with no markup. Pricing depends on scope — get in touch and we'll give you a real number.
Learn about maintenance →Whether you have a deal in mind or are still defining your buy-box, the structure depends on what you need — sourcing, representation, or end-to-end. Tell us what you’re working with and we’ll give you an honest read on fit.
Learn about acquisitions →We photograph every visit before and after, and we don’t mow unless the grass actually needs it. Pricing is quoted per property — contact us for a number on yours.
Default contract is 12 months with 30-day notice required from either party to exit. We don't lock you in beyond that — if it's not working, you go, no penalty. Same the other direction.
The fee structure is also negotiable. If you have a contract format you're used to (flat % of gross, hybrid model, performance bonus), we can usually work with it. The first conversation includes a real number against your specific property.
We do require operating funds in a property-specific account (in your name, you have read access). Standard practice and it's where the monthly statements pull from.
The fee shrinks. If net income is $600 in a month, the management fee is $60 (at 10%). There's a floor of $50 per unit per property — so a duplex has a $100 floor, a 4-plex has a $200 floor. That floor covers the operational cost of staying on top of vacancy marketing, contractor coordination, and everything else that still has to happen even when rent isn't coming in. Most owners have slow months, and that's the model working as designed.
The default is 10% of net income with a $50/unit per month minimum. So a single-family has a $50 floor; a 4-plex has a $200 floor. Within that, the structure is flexible — we can work with any combination of net income %, leasing fee, gross rent %, or flat fee. We can compete with almost any existing management agreement. The first conversation is where we work out the actual number against your specific property.
For units that are vacant when we take on management, yes — there's a one-time leasing fee, typically 50–100% of first month's rent. The range depends on the property type and number of units. After that, finding a new tenant is always included in the management fee at no additional charge.
If a tenant is already in place when you come to us, the leasing fee doesn't apply at all — we start from the management fee only.
We don't charge renewal fees. We don't charge a re-leasing fee if a tenant leaves and we need to find a replacement. The only leasing charge you'll ever see is the first one on a vacant unit, and only if the unit was vacant when we started.
Really. Service calls start at $125 — parts included, no separate line items for labor versus materials, no coordination fee on top. We can do this because we run the maintenance crew in-house and they're paid hourly, not commissioned on jobs. Over a year on a typical property, this is usually $200–$500 you keep that you wouldn't otherwise.
Yes. We share an anonymized real statement on the first call — actual income, actual expenses, actual fee, actual net. You see exactly how the math runs before you commit to anything.
A few of our owners run flat-fee per door. We can structure it that way if you prefer — typically lands around $135–$175/unit/month for single-family and small multifamily, depending on condition and tenant base. Most owners end up choosing the percentage model after seeing the math, but the option is there.
We'll walk through your property's specifics, run the math, and give you an honest fee quote — including a real (anonymized) statement so you can see how the model works before you commit to anything.
Get in touch →