Compare your property management options
Two comparisons for Columbus rental owners: flat fee against percentage management, and self-managing against hiring a manager. Both show the arithmetic at real rents, and both state where the other answer is the better one.
The short version
- RL Property Management charges $117 to $184 per unit per month, flat
- Leasing fee: $0 on all three plans
- A percentage manager typically charges 8% to 10% of rent plus about half a month per placement
- On $1,650 rent, half a month is $825 every time the unit turns
- We publish the rents at which a percentage manager costs less than we do
- Portfolio results: 20 median days on market, 72% renewal rate, 91% occupancy
- No competitor is named on any comparison page
- Every figure traces to our published fee schedule or our portfolio data
Which decision are you making?
Two questions, in the order most owners hit them. Whether to hire anyone comes first. What structure to hire on comes second.
- $825the placement fee on $1,650 rent
Flat fee vs percentage property management
Should I pay a flat monthly fee or a percentage of rent?
A worked comparison at $1,200, $1,650 and $2,100 in monthly rent, over a single year and over a full three-year tenancy. It includes the leasing fee that rarely appears in a quote, and the break-even rent below which a percentage manager is genuinely cheaper.
- $117 to $184per unit, per month, flat
Self-managing vs hiring a property manager
Should I hire a property manager, or keep doing it myself?
The eight jobs a manager does, written so you can run them yourself as a checklist: marketing, screening, rent collection, maintenance, inspections, Ohio compliance, accounting and evictions. Plus what management costs against a year of gross rent, and when self-managing is the better answer.
How do we compare ourselves to anyone else?
Four rules, applied to every comparison on this site. They exist because most comparison content in this industry is written by the company that wins it.
We never name a competitor
Every comparison describes a pricing structure, such as a manager charging 8% to 10% of collected rent plus half a month of rent per placement. Those are illustrative of common Columbus market rates. They are not a quote from, or a claim about, any specific company.
Our own numbers are exact and published
Our side of every comparison comes from our published fee schedule: $117 to $184 per unit per month, $0 to place a resident, $250 at renewal, $0 to start on an occupied unit.
We show the cases where we lose
A flat fee is not the cheaper structure at every rent, and hiring a manager is not right for every owner. Both comparisons state the conditions under which the other answer wins, with the arithmetic. A comparison that never loses is a sales page.
The arithmetic is on the page
Every table shows the inputs, the assumption behind each one, and the result, so you can substitute your own rent and re-run it. Nothing is computed behind a form.
What should you ask before you sign with any manager?
Eight questions, in writing. Convert both answers into dollars over a full tenancy rather than comparing headline rates, because the headline rate is rarely where the money is.
- 1.What is the monthly fee, and is it charged on collected rent or scheduled rent?
- 2.What is the fee to place a resident, in dollars, at my rent?
- 3.What is the lease renewal fee, and who pays it?
- 4.What is the setup fee on an occupied unit, and on a vacant one?
- 5.Is there a markup on maintenance invoices, and what is the percentage and the cap?
- 6.Who keeps late fees, application fees and any pet fee?
- 7.What is charged if I sell the property, or leave before the term ends?
- 8.What does an eviction cost start to finish, including your fee and the county fees?
Our answers to all eight are on the pricing page, including the full fee schedule and the eviction line: $273 in hard costs plus $199 to us to run the case.
Comparison questions
Is flat fee or percentage property management better?
It depends on the rent. A flat fee does not change when rent rises, so its advantage widens as rent goes up, and a percentage fee is cheaper at lower rents. RL Property Management charges $137 per unit per month on Plan Two with a $0 leasing fee. The full comparison page works the arithmetic at three rents and publishes the break-even point in both directions.
Should I hire a property manager?
Hire one when the work, the legal exposure or the distance costs more than the fee. Self-managing a single nearby unit with a stable resident is a reasonable choice. Managing several units remotely while working full time usually is not. The comparison page lists all eight jobs so you can run them as a checklist either way.
Why do you not name the competitors you compare against?
Because naming a company would make the page an argument about that company rather than about pricing structures, and because a competitor's fees change without notice while a structure does not. Our comparisons describe how percentage pricing works and use common Columbus market rates, then put exact, published figures on our own side.
How can I check these numbers myself?
Every figure on our side comes from the published fee schedule on the pricing page, and every portfolio figure carries its sample size and an as-of date of September 2026. The tables show their inputs, so you can substitute your own rent and re-run any of them on paper.
What should I ask any property manager before signing?
Get eight things in writing: the monthly fee and whether it is charged on collected or scheduled rent, the placement fee in dollars at your rent, the lease renewal fee, the setup fee on an occupied and a vacant unit, any markup on maintenance and its cap, who keeps late and application fees, what is charged if you sell or leave early, and the full cost of an eviction. Ours are all published, including the $273 eviction hard cost in Franklin County.
Do you publish the cases where hiring you is the wrong choice?
Yes. The flat fee comparison names the rents below which a percentage manager costs less over a full tenancy, and the self-managing comparison lists the conditions under which self-managing is the better decision. Both are on the pages, not in fine print.
Last verified September 2026. Reviewed by Peter Lohmann, Principal Broker and CEO.
Percentage figures used in these comparisons illustrate common Columbus market pricing structures. They are not a quote from, or a statement about, any named company. Figures for RL Property Management come from our published fee schedule.
Where to go next
- Pricing and the full fee scheduleThe numbers behind our side of every comparison.
- Owner tools and calculatorsVacancy cost, maintenance reserves, rent vs. sell.
- Columbus property managementWhat we do for the monthly fee.
- Owner FAQsThe long tail of questions owners actually ask.
- Free rent evaluationA written rent range for your address.
Compare us against your actual numbers
Tell us the address and the current rent and we will put our side in writing, including the cases where another structure would cost you less.