Owner FAQs

RL Property Management is a residential property management company and a licensed Ohio real estate brokerage, based at 750 Cross Pointe Rd STE B, Columbus, OH 43230, serving the greater Columbus metro. The principal broker is Peter Lohmann.

Since 2013.

700+ units across the Columbus, Ohio metro, all single-family homes and small multifamily properties.

Yes. RL Property Management is a licensed real estate brokerage in the State of Ohio, regulated by the Ohio Department of Commerce, Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing. Brokerage license number 2015001208, which you can verify yourself through the Ohio eLicense lookup rather than taking our word for it.

Single-family homes and small multifamily properties, in buildings that do not require on-site staff. Properties need to be rent-ready or close to it. If a property needs a full renovation first, we refer contractors and revisit management once the work is finished.

No. We do not manage HOAs or condominium associations. If you own a rental unit that sits inside an association and the community allows rentals, we manage the unit itself.

Portfolio investors, out-of-state owners, first-time landlords and accidental landlords who ended up with a rental they did not plan on. Portfolio owners are the core of the business.

Yes. Members of the executive team own single-family and small multifamily rentals in Central Ohio, so the operating decisions are made by people who also receive owner statements.

Yes. 550+ Google reviews at a 4.3 average rating, as of 2026-09-09.

Yes. Management agreements, leases and renewals are signed electronically.

Every applicant goes through a custom rental application and a third-party background check covering credit history, criminal history, rental history including prior evictions and landlord references, and verified income. The same criteria are applied to every applicant, inside fair housing law.

[SOURCE NEEDED: published minimum applicant criteria, specifically the income-to-rent multiple and the eviction lookback period. The live site lists figures that need re-verification before republishing.] What we can state now: applicants are graded against a written rubric by someone other than the leasing agent who collected the file, and the scoring sheet carries no photo or other identifying information, so the decision is made on the data.

Listings syndicate to every major rental portal plus our own site, with self-guided and agent-led showings available. We do not advertise on classifieds sites that cannot verify a listing.

Median days on market across the portfolio is 20 days, defined as median days from the date a unit is listed to the date a lease is signed, across all units leased in the trailing 12 months. Median time to turn a vacant unit and get it back on the market is 12 days.

No. A guaranteed lease date is a guarantee to cut rent or lower the screening bar when the date gets close, and both cost more than a few extra vacant days. Be careful with any manager who offers one.

Yes, because we are still marketing, showing and maintaining it. If a property has been listed longer than 60 days, we proactively credit management fees back to your account.

Yes. A custom lease reviewed by legal counsel. It can carry property-specific rules: no smoking, pet terms, guest limits, association rules, and a utility table naming who pays for what.

[SOURCE NEEDED: standard security deposit amount and the credit conditions that change it, not currently in facts.ts.] What is fixed: the deposit is held and returned under Ohio landlord-tenant law, and normal wear and tear is never deducted from it.

Yes. Smoking is not permitted in any unit we manage.

Yes. Utilities stay active while a unit is vacant so repairs can be done, the unit shows properly, and the pipes do not freeze in a Columbus January.

Some Columbus-area jurisdictions prohibit source-of-income discrimination, which means an applicant cannot be declined solely because their income comes from a housing voucher. In those jurisdictions we accept voucher holders and screen them through the normal process. Columbus adopted that protection in March 2021, effective the following July, and several suburbs have their own version.

The lease renewal rate across the portfolio is 72%, as of September 2026. A renewal costs the owner $250 and avoids a turn entirely, which is the cheapest month in the whole business.

Rent increases by 20% on a month-to-month tenancy. Month-to-month costs the owner more in turn risk, so it is priced to encourage a renewal.

In-house work is $84 per hour plus a $15 trip charge per visit, with materials at cost and no minimum charge (2026 rate). Third-party vendor work is billed at vendor cost plus a 15% project management fee on vendor costs up to $3,000, capped at $450 per project.

Labor is billed at 2 times the standard rate on weekday evenings and Saturdays, and 3 times on Sundays.

Vendor work on a turn uses a tiered project fee instead of the standard one: 15% on turns up to $15,000, 10% from $15,001 to $25,000, and 7.5% above that.

In-house technicians cover general handyman work and minor plumbing, electrical and appliance repairs. Specialty work goes to vetted vendors: roofing, HVAC, and major plumbing or electrical projects.

No, if your plan allows it we will use your preferred vendor. They need to be licensed, insured and willing to work on our scheduling and invoicing terms.

That is the one thing the plans differ on. Plan One: $1,500 per item. Plan Two: $750 per item. Plan Three: $350 per item. Above your limit we call you first, except for a genuine emergency where waiting would make the damage worse.

Anything actively causing damage or making the unit unsafe: water coming in, no heat in winter, a gas smell, a lockout that leaves someone outside overnight, a failed smoke detector. Those are dispatched immediately, including nights and weekends through a 24/7 call center.

Median time to close a repair across the portfolio is 6 days, as of September 2026. Routine requests are triaged by urgency, so a leaking faucet moves ahead of a sticking closet door.

Quarterly. Each inspection covers smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, appliances, resident compliance with the lease, visible liabilities and overall condition, with photos on the report.

We manage rent-ready or nearly rent-ready properties, so a full renovation is not something we take on. We will refer local contractors and start management once the work is done.

Three buckets: routine maintenance at our hourly rate with materials at cost, specialty vendor work at vendor rates plus the project fee, and capital expense such as a roof, HVAC system, water heater, windows or driveway. Owners who used to do their own repairs are usually surprised by the first bucket, because their own labor was free.

25 communities across the Columbus metro, in Franklin, Delaware, Fairfield, Licking, Union, Madison and Pickaway counties, including Columbus, Dublin, Upper Arlington, Westerville, Worthington, Gahanna, Hilliard, Powell, New Albany, Bexley, Grove City, Reynoldsburg, Grandview Heights, Pickerington and Delaware.

Ask. If it is in Columbus, Franklin County or the surrounding counties we will tell you honestly whether we can serve it well. A manager who is an hour from your property is not a manager, and we would rather say no than say yes badly.