Property management cost calculator
The monthly percentage is only part of the bill. Add the leasing fee, the renewal fee, and the maintenance markup, and the real number is usually higher than landlords expect. Enter your numbers to see the full year.
Start with the monthly management fee
Most residential managers charge 8% to 12% of the rent they collect.
- On a $2,400 unit at 10%, that is $240 a month, or $2,880 a year, per unit.
Add the leasing fee, spread over how long tenants stay
Placing a new tenant costs 50% to 100% of one month rent.
- If a unit turns every two years, half that fee lands in any given year.
Add the renewal fee and the maintenance markup
Renewals run $150 to $300 each.
- Most managers also add 10% to 15% on top of every contractor invoice, which is the line landlords most often miss.
Compare it to running the units yourself
Software handles the rent, the lease, the applications, and the books for a flat monthly price that does not scale with your rent.
- The difference is what you are paying for someone else to do the work.
Where these fee ranges come from
Every default in this calculator is the midpoint of a published range, not an estimate we made up. The ranges come from 2026 fee surveys by All Property Management (a Buildium company), TrueDoor Property Management, and SUM Property Management. Fees vary by market, property type, and how hard your manager negotiates. Los Angeles, San Jose, and the Bay Area generally sit at the top of the range, and smaller California markets sit lower. Ask any manager for their full fee schedule in writing before you sign, including the vacancy and early-termination terms.
Self-manage without the spreadsheet shuffle
Leases, rent, applications, repairs, and books in one back office. Rent goes straight to your bank account, and there are no tenant-paid fees.