Property management in Blacklick, Ohio
RL Property Management manages single-family and small multifamily rentals in Blacklick for a flat $117 to $184 per unit per month, with a $0 leasing fee. Blacklick is unincorporated Franklin County, not a city.
Blacklick, at a glance
- Flat $117 to $184 per unit per month, not a percentage of rent
- $0 leasing fee every time a Blacklick unit turns
- Blacklick is not an incorporated city: it is unincorporated Jefferson Township, Franklin County
- The 43004 ZIP is a postal designation, and its eastern reach crosses into Licking County
- Franklin County parcels: eviction filed at 375 S. High St., Columbus
- Blacklick and Blacklick Estates are two different places in two different townships
Is Blacklick a city, and why does the answer matter to a landlord?
No, Blacklick is not a city. It is an unincorporated community in southern Jefferson Township, Franklin County, and a postal designation attached to the 43004 ZIP code. There is no Blacklick council, no Blacklick building department and no Blacklick rental registration, because there is no Blacklick municipal government to create one. Almost every property management page written about this market treats Blacklick as a suburb like Gahanna or Westerville. It is not, and the difference lands on you.
Here is what actually changes. Zoning on genuinely unincorporated township land comes from Ohio Revised Code chapter 519, and is administered by the township rather than a city planning department. Local services come from Jefferson Township and Franklin County. And the eastern reach of the 43004 postal area crosses into Licking County, which moves both the eviction court and the county auditor.
Then the part that catches out careful owners. Jefferson Township contains incorporated territory as well as unincorporated territory, so a 43004 mailing address does not tell you whether your parcel sits under township jurisdiction or inside a municipality's corporate limits. Two houses on the same road can answer to different authorities. Do not take the envelope as evidence. Pull the parcel.
Blacklick is not Blacklick Estates
These are two separate places on opposite sides of Franklin County, and confusing them will corrupt any research you do. Blacklick is the unincorporated community in southern Jefferson Township on the northeast side, with the 43004 ZIP. Blacklick Estates is a census-designated place on the southeast side, partly in Madison Township and partly in Truro Township.
This matters commercially. A rent comparison or market report labelled "Blacklick" may be describing either one, and an owner who prices a Jefferson Township house off Blacklick Estates data will list too low and never know why it let in four days. When we price a Blacklick property we work from the parcel and from comparable listings on the same side of the county, not from a place name.
Which court hears an eviction in Blacklick?
It follows the county, not the postal address and not whether the parcel is incorporated. A Franklin County parcel is filed at Franklin County Municipal Court, 375 S. High St., Columbus, where the eviction division sits in Courtroom 11B, whether the property is in unincorporated Jefferson Township or inside a neighbouring city. A parcel on the Licking County side of the 43004 area goes to Licking County Municipal Court instead. Ohio Revised Code 1901.02 fixes each municipal court to its territory, and being unincorporated does not create a township court.
Before any court sees the case, Ohio requires a three-day notice to leave the premises under R.C. 1923.04, with specific statutory language. Wrong wording, dismissed case, and you restart roughly three weeks later with the arrears larger than they were.
In Franklin County the hard cost of an eviction is $273: $123 to the county for the eviction complaint and $150 to the eviction attorney for the filing and up to two appearances. We charge $199 to run the process, so a typical total is $472 before any setout. If a setout is required, add $80 to the county and $250 to us. A Licking County parcel files in Newark instead: Licking County Municipal Court in Newark charges $110 for a forcible entry and detainer, which includes regular mail and bailiff service for up to two defendants, with a further $50 if a writ of restitution is needed. The full sequence, and the 3.5% of our cases that end up disputed, is set out on the evictions page.
The filing you owe regardless
Ohio Revised Code 5323.02 requires every rental owner to file owner details and the permanent parcel number with the auditor of the county the property sits in, within 60 days of purchase and of any change. No fee. Miss it and the auditor can place a special assessment of $50 to $150 under R.C. 5323.99, and the Franklin County Auditor states $150 per tax year. Owners here sometimes assume that because there is no city to register with, there is nothing to register. The county filing is a state requirement and applies to unincorporated land exactly as it applies inside a city.
Who provides utilities in Blacklick, and who pays them?
Electricity is distributed by AEP Ohio and natural gas by Columbia Gas of Ohio. Water and sanitary sewer is the question to ask per parcel, and it is sharper here than in an incorporated suburb, because unincorporated land is where private wells and household sewage treatment systems survive.
| Service | Provider | Who customarily pays |
|---|---|---|
| Water and sewer | Varies by parcel, we confirm it during onboarding | Resident, in their own name, where the service is metered and billed |
| Electricity | AEP Ohio | Resident |
| Natural gas | Columbia Gas of Ohio | Resident |
Why an owner should care rather than skim: a house on a septic system is a different asset from a house on public sewer. It carries a servicing obligation, it constrains how many people can reasonably occupy the property, and a failure is a five-figure event rather than a call to the utility. Where a property is on City of Columbus water, Columbus states that the owner is ultimately responsible for all charges even with a tenant billing agreement in place.
What kind of rental property is there in Blacklick?
The 43004 area is dominated by subdivision-era detached single-family houses, with newer building toward the Licking County line and older, larger-lot property nearer the original settlement along Blacklick Creek. We are not giving you a median year built, and the reason is worth stating: the US Census publishes place-level tables for incorporated places and census-designated places, and Blacklick is neither. For comparison, the median Reynoldsburg structure immediately south was built in 1984, per US Census ACS 2024 5-year estimates.
The missing place-level data is itself the reason to be careful. Automated valuation tools lean on place tables, and where one does not exist they substitute the nearest, which here may be Blacklick Estates on the other side of the county. Owners get a number that looks authoritative, is precise to the dollar, and describes a different housing market entirely.
Where in the Blacklick area we work
The Waggoner Road and Havens Corners Road corridors, Blacklick Creek, the Broad Street and Taylor Road approaches from Reynoldsburg, and the newer development running east toward the Licking County line. The area is served primarily by Gahanna-Jefferson Public Schools, with a portion in Licking Heights Local Schools. The district line does not follow the ZIP, so getting it right in the listing prevents a fortnight of applications that withdraw at the credit check.
What does a Blacklick rental earn, and what does management cost?
We are not publishing a Blacklick rent median, because our managed sample there is below the five-unit threshold we set before we will call a number a market median. Across our whole portfolio the median is $1,708 for a three bedroom and $1,300 for a two bedroom. The nearest market where we do publish our own figure is Reynoldsburg, at $1,567 for a three bedroom. Neither is a substitute for pricing your specific address.
$1,500 per-item repair approval limit
$750 per-item repair approval limit
$350 per-item repair approval limit
The fee is a fixed dollar amount per unit per month, so it does not rise when your rent rises. On a house renting at $1,567, a manager charging 10% takes about $1,884 a year and roughly $784 again at every turn. Our lowest plan is $1,404 a year and the placement is $0. If a property has been listed longer than 60 days we credit management fees back to your account without you having to ask.
Percentage figures describe common Columbus market rates. They are not a quote from any named company. Photography is not included in the $0 leasing fee and is billed separately at $250 to $450.
Blacklick property management questions
Blacklick property management questions
Is Blacklick, Ohio a city?
No. Blacklick is an unincorporated community in southern Jefferson Township, Franklin County, and a postal designation attached to the 43004 ZIP code. There is no City of Blacklick and no Blacklick building department. The rules come from the township, the county and the State of Ohio rather than from a municipality, unless your parcel has been annexed into a neighbouring city.
Which court hears an eviction in Blacklick, Ohio?
It follows the county, not the postal address. A Franklin County parcel, whether in unincorporated Jefferson Township or inside a neighbouring municipality, is filed at Franklin County Municipal Court, 375 S. High St., Columbus, OH 43215, eviction division, Courtroom 11B. A parcel on the Licking County side goes to Licking County Municipal Court. Being unincorporated does not create a separate court.
What is the difference between Blacklick and Blacklick Estates?
They are two different places. Blacklick is the unincorporated community in southern Jefferson Township on the northeast side of Franklin County, with the 43004 ZIP. Blacklick Estates is a census-designated place on the southeast side of the county, partly in Madison Township and partly in Truro Township. Different school districts, different township governments, and routinely mixed up in listings and in market data. If you are reading a rent comparison or a crime statistic for "Blacklick", check which one it is about.
Do I have to register my Blacklick rental property with anyone?
Yes, with the county auditor. Ohio Revised Code 5323.02 requires every rental owner to file owner details and the permanent parcel number with the auditor of the county the property sits in, within 60 days of acquiring it and of any change. There is no fee. For Blacklick that is the Franklin County Auditor, or the Licking County Auditor for a parcel across the line. Failing to file draws a special assessment of $50 to $150 under R.C. 5323.99, and the Franklin County Auditor states $150 per tax year. Being unincorporated does not exempt you.
Who regulates zoning and building work on an unincorporated Blacklick parcel?
For genuinely unincorporated township land, zoning authority comes from Ohio Revised Code chapter 519, which is the chapter that gives townships zoning power, and it is administered by the township rather than by a city planning department. If your parcel has been annexed into a neighbouring municipality, that city governs instead, which is exactly why the parcel number matters more than the mailing address.
What does a rental in Blacklick, Ohio rent for?
We do not publish a Blacklick rent median, because our managed sample there is below the five-unit threshold we set before calling a number a market median. Across our whole portfolio the median is $1,708 for a 3 bedroom and $1,300 for a 2 bedroom, and the nearest market where we do publish our own figure is Reynoldsburg at $1,567 for a 3 bedroom.
How much does property management cost in Blacklick?
A flat $117 to $184 per unit per month depending on plan, with a $0 leasing fee and $250 on a lease renewal. The three plans differ only in the per-item repair approval limit: $1,500, $750 and $350. We do not charge more to manage a property in an unincorporated area.
Rent is due on the 1st and late fees are assessed after the 5th. Owner funds go out on the 10th. Another forty answers sit on the owner FAQs page.
Last verified September 2026. Reviewed by Peter Lohmann, Principal Broker and CEO.
Nearby markets and what to read next
- Reynoldsburg property managementDirectly south, and split across three counties.
- Gahanna property managementNorth, wholly inside Franklin County.
- New Albany property managementNorth, newer stock and recorded deed restrictions.
- Columbus property managementThe anchor market, west along Broad Street.
- Pricing and the full fee scheduleEvery charge that can appear on an owner statement.
Find out what your Blacklick rental should earn
Tell us the address and we will pull the parcel, tell you which jurisdiction it actually sits in, and price it against comparable listings live right now. No charge, and no obligation to hire us.