South King County Property Management Fees: 9 Markets Compared
What property management costs across South King County
Across the 9 South King County markets below, managers quote 8%–12% of collected rent. Average asking rents run from $1,650 to $3,230, and that spread is the whole story: at 9.5% the point where a flat $199 becomes cheaper than a percentage is $2,095 a month, and 2 of these 9 markets sit above it.
$2,095
FLAT-FEE BREAK-EVEN RENT
9.5%
TYPICAL MANAGEMENT FEE
$199/mo
ZIPRENT FLAT FEE
Every market, and which model is cheaper there
| Market | Average asking rent | At 9.5% that is | Cheaper on management |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Valley | $3,230 | $307/mo | Flat $199 |
| Renton | $2,395 | $228/mo | Flat $199 |
| Auburn | $1,895 | $180/mo | 9.5% of rent |
| Des Moines | $1,872 | $178/mo | 9.5% of rent |
| Burien | $1,825 | $173/mo | 9.5% of rent |
| Federal Way | $1,800 | $171/mo | 9.5% of rent |
| Kent | $1,799 | $171/mo | 9.5% of rent |
| SeaTac | $1,754 | $167/mo | 9.5% of rent |
| Tukwila | $1,650 | $157/mo | 9.5% of rent |
Those are all-bedroom figures. A three-bedroom single-family home — the kind most owners hand to a manager — typically rents above the figure shown, which moves more of this table into the flat-fee column than the all-bedroom figures suggest.
What each city requires of landlords
Washington caps annual rent increases statewide under RCW 59.18.700 at 7% plus CPI or 10%, whichever is less, with no increase in the first 12 months and 90 days’ written notice required under RCW 59.18.140. The Department of Commerce set the 2026 maximum at 9.683%. That applies everywhere below. Fee structures across the region are close to identical too — the local rules are not, and they are where the avoidable costs sit.
Auburn
Auburn runs a separate Rental Housing Business License under Auburn City Code Chapter 5.22, on top of the ordinary business license. The state Business Licensing Service prices the rental license by unit count — $32 for one unit, $81 for 2-4, $161 for 5-24 and $536 for 25 or more — against $112 for a general Auburn business license. Short-term residential rentals take the general license instead of the rental one.
Burien
Burien runs a Rental Housing Inspection Program under BMC Ch. 5.62: every landlord of a covered rental unit must hold a Burien rental housing business license – $323 for 1-10 units, $809 for 11-50 and $971 for 51+ in 2026 — and at least 20% of covered units must pass inspection every three years. Operating without the license or certificate of inspection carries a penalty of $100 per day for the first 10 days and $250 per day thereafter.
Des Moines
Des Moines Municipal Code 5.04.020 requires a city business license from anyone based in the city, and from out-of-city operators generating $4,000 or more a year within city limits — which captures landlords. The city’s separate short-term rental rules (DMMC Chapter 5.72, adopted by Ordinance 1829) define a short-term rental as one night to thirty consecutive nights and demand an STR permit, a signed Good Neighbor Agreement and a local representative reachable 24/7 who can respond within 30 minutes; leases of 30 days or more are outside that permit.
Federal Way
Federal Way Revised Code 12.05.010(3)(a) counts “owning, renting, leasing, maintaining, or having the right to use” real property in the city as engaging in business, so residential landlords must carry a Federal Way business registration. The state lists the city endorsement at $81 to open and $81 to renew for businesses with 0-10 employees, registrations run on the calendar year and go delinquent on February 1, and FWRC 12.05.060(7) adds a late penalty of 5 percent or $5, whichever is higher, capped at 25 percent or $25.
Kent
Kent runs a Rental Housing Inspection Program under KCC 10.02 and RCW 59.18.125. Owners of properties with two or more units must register with the city by November 1 each year; registration itself is free, but submitting inspection results to the city’s online system costs $15 per address. The city randomly selects 20% of the units at each registered property and inspects on a three-year cycle by area: Northeast Hill in 2026, West Hill/Valley in 2027, South/East Hill in 2028. Failed units must be repaired within 30 days or the owner risks penalty fees and business license revocation.
Maple Valley
Maple Valley Municipal Code Chapter 5.35 requires every business operating inside the city to hold a city business license, issued through the state Business Licensing Service under location code 1720. The endorsement is one of the cheapest in King County — $10 to open and $10 to renew — and firms based outside the city that gross under $4,000 a year within Maple Valley pay $0.
Renton
Renton requires every landlord to register each rental property with the city annually under RMC 4-5-125 (Ord. 5913, 2019, amended by Ord. 6052, 2021). Registration is currently free of charge and due each January, and a residential rental checklist must be filed for each property. Where a certificate of inspection is required, it must be dated within 30 days of registration and signed by a qualified inspector — a landlord is expressly barred from acting as the inspector for their own unit.
SeaTac
SeaTac’s Rental Housing Protections chapter, SMC Chapter 4.05 (Ordinance 23-1009, adopted April 11, 2023 and effective May 17, 2023), caps late fees at 2% of monthly rent per month and allows no other late-payment fee (SMC 4.05.060(A)). SMC 4.05.070(B) requires 120 days’ notice for a rent increase greater than 3% and 180 days for one greater than 10%, and SMC 4.05.050(A)(5) holds the combined security deposit, nonrefundable move-in fees and last month’s rent to one month’s rent. A violation exposes the landlord to double the tenant’s economic and noneconomic damages or three times the monthly rent, plus attorney fees (SMC 4.05.110).
Tukwila
Tukwila requires every rental unit in the city, including single-family houses, condos and ADUs, to be licensed and inspected. The 2026 annual rental business license is $93 for up to 4 units, $241 for 5-20 units, $302 for 21-50 units and $375 for 51 or more, renewable by January 31 with $15-per-month late fees from March 1. City inspections cost $88 per unit for the first four units and $41 per unit up to 12, and are required before initial occupancy and then roughly every four years by geographic zone.
The fees underneath the headline percentage
These are the regional norms — the ranges below are drawn from published schedules covering this market, and individual firms vary within them. The percentage is what gets quoted; the rest is what gets invoiced.
| Fee | What it costs here |
|---|---|
| Monthly management | 8%–12% of collected rent |
| Tenant placement | 50%-100% of one month’s rent; Washington firms typically charge 80% of one month’s rent |
| Lease renewal | $195-$500 flat, or 25%-50% of one month’s rent; Washington average $199 or 33% of one month’s rent |
| Account setup | $200-$400 per unit at many Puget Sound firms; a typical setup fee of $185 per contract |
| Maintenance markup | 10%-15% on vendor invoices, often undisclosed; Washington firms commonly add about 10% to repair costs |
| Also commonly charged | vacancy fee; annual inspection fee; eviction fee; eviction coordination fee; account setup/onboarding fee; early termination fee |
Ziprent’s pricing across South King County
| 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 placement and renewals. |
The same number applies in every market in the table. A percentage does not: the identical service costs $157 a month in the cheapest market above and $307 in the most expensive, purely because the rent differs.
South King County fee questions
How much do property managers charge in South King County?
Between 8% and 12% of collected rent, averaging about 9.5%. On the rents in the table that is roughly $157 to $307 a month, before placement, renewal and setup charges.
At what rent does a flat fee beat a percentage?
$2,095 a month at 9.5%. Above that, 9.5% of rent costs more than $199; below it the percentage is cheaper on headline management price, though the flat fee still removes maintenance markups, setup fees and the link between your rent and your bill.
Does Washington cap rent increases?
Washington caps annual rent increases statewide under RCW 59.18.700 at 7% plus CPI or 10%, whichever is less, with 90 days’ notice required.
Do you charge more for a second property?
Less. Management is $199 a month for the first property and $100 a month for each additional one, so a second rental in the same market is roughly half the price of the first.
Fee breakdowns for other markets
Washington · Georgia · Louisiana
Sources
Rents: Zumper, per-market pages. Local and state requirements: City of Kent, Washington Legislature, City of Renton. Fee percentages and add-on charges are drawn from published fee schedules and industry survey data for this region, given as ranges because practice varies between firms.
More on Washington
Every Washington market we cover · Property management fees by market · Ziprent pricing