How Much Do Property Managers Charge? Fees by State and City

How much do property managers charge?

Across the 19 states Ziprent operates in, residential property managers quote 5%–14% of collected rent, clustering around 9.5%. That percentage is only part of the bill: tenant placement, lease renewals, account setup and a markup on maintenance invoices are usually charged on top. What the percentage costs you depends entirely on the rent, which is why a single national number is close to useless.

5%–14%
TYPICAL QUOTED RANGE
9.5%
MIDPOINT ACROSS 19 STATES
$2,095
FLAT-FEE BREAK-EVEN RENT

Why a percentage is the wrong unit

A percentage fee is a share of your rent, so it rises every time the rent does, without the manager doing anything new. At 9.5%, a rental has to clear $2,095 a month before a flat $199 becomes the cheaper of the two on management alone. Below that line the percentage wins on headline price; above it the flat fee wins, and the gap widens with every increase.

What managers charge, state by state

State Typical fee Average apartment rent At that fee Cheaper on management
Alabama 10% $1,333 $133/mo 10% of rent
Arizona 9% $1,572 $141/mo 9% of rent
California 7.5% $2,685 $201/mo Flat $199
Colorado 8.5% $1,850 $157/mo 8.5% of rent
Connecticut 10% $2,201 $220/mo Flat $199
Florida 9% $1,989 $179/mo 9% of rent
Georgia 10% $1,650 $165/mo 10% of rent
Kansas 10% $1,339 $134/mo 10% of rent
Louisiana 10% $1,260 $126/mo 10% of rent
Massachusetts 10% $2,865 $286/mo Flat $199
Nebraska 10% $1,374 $137/mo 10% of rent
Nevada 8.5% $1,568 $133/mo 8.5% of rent
North Carolina 9% $1,571 $141/mo 9% of rent
Oregon 10% $1,756 $176/mo 10% of rent
Tennessee 9% $1,555 $140/mo 9% of rent
Texas 9% $1,453 $131/mo 9% of rent
Utah 11% $1,663 $183/mo 11% of rent
Virginia 10% $2,017 $202/mo Flat $199
Washington 9.5% $2,062 $196/mo About even

Statewide figures cover all bedroom types and are average rents as published by the source. A three-bedroom single-family home — the kind most owners hand to a manager — rents above the statewide figure in most of these markets, which moves more of this table into the flat-fee column than the statewide numbers suggest. The city page for each market gives the three-bedroom figure. 9 of the 19 state fee figures above are published averages; the rest are the midpoint of the quoted range.

The fees underneath the headline percentage

Fee Typical range
Monthly management 5%–14% of collected rent
Tenant placement 50%–100% of one month’s rent
Lease renewal $195–$500, or 25%–50% of one month’s rent
Account setup $100–$400 per unit
Maintenance markup 10%–15% on vendor invoices
Also common vacancy fees, inspection fees, eviction fees, advertising fees

What Ziprent charges

Plan Price What it covers
Management $199 / month Per property. $100 a month for each additional property.
Tenant placement $1,500 per lease Charged only when a lease is signed.
Lease renewal $250 per renewal Not charged on ZipGuarantee.
ZipGuarantee $250 / month Management plus unlimited tenant placement and lease renewals.

The same number in every market. A percentage does not work that way: on the state figures above, the same service costs $126 a month in Louisiana and $286 in Massachusetts, purely because the rent differs.

Common questions about property management fees

How much do property managers charge per month?

Most quote 5% to 14% of collected rent, clustering around 9.5% across the 19 states in the table above. On a $2,000 rental that is roughly $190 a month. Flat-fee managers charge a set amount instead — Ziprent charges $199 a month per property regardless of rent, and $100 a month for each additional property.

Is a flat fee cheaper than a percentage?

Above $2,095 a month in rent, yes. At 9.5%, a percentage costs more than a flat $199 once rent clears that line. Below it the percentage is cheaper on headline management price, though a flat fee still removes maintenance markups and setup charges, and stops the bill rising with the rent.

What else do property managers charge for?

Tenant placement at 50%–100% of one month’s rent, lease renewals at $195–$500, account setup at $100–$400, and a 10%–15% markup on maintenance invoices. Vacancy, inspection, advertising and eviction fees are also common. The quoted percentage rarely covers any of these.

Do property managers need a license?

In most states, yes. Collecting rent or leasing property for someone else for compensation is usually real-estate brokerage activity requiring a broker license. Each state page in this series cites the governing statute for that state.

Fee breakdowns by market

State-by-state and city-by-city fee breakdowns publish through October 2026. Each carries that market’s average asking rent, the local fee range, the full charge stack, and the registration or licensing rules that apply to landlords there.

In the meantime, Ziprent pricing is the same in every market we serve, and every city we cover is listed by state.

Sources

Average rent figures in the table are apartment averages published by RentCafe, retrieved August 2026. Management fee ranges are compiled from the published rate cards and quoted pricing of residential property managers operating in each state; where a state’s managers do not publish a single prevailing rate, the figure shown is the midpoint of the quoted range. Licensing and landlord-registration requirements are cited to the governing statute on each state page.

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