What is self-managing actually costing you?
Self-managing is not free, it is just unbilled. The cost shows up in your hours, in the days a unit sits empty, and in what you pay for repairs without a vendor relationship. This adds it up.
The comparison
| Your time, per year | $4,320 |
|---|---|
| Vacancy, per year | $1,650 |
| Total cost of self-managing | $5,970 |
| Plan Two management, per year $137 per unit per month, no leasing fee | $1,644 |
On these numbers, self-managing costs $5,970 a year and management costs $1,644.
This deliberately leaves out what you overpay for repairs without a vendor relationship, and the cost of a mistake under Ohio landlord-tenant law. Both are real and both are hard to estimate honestly, so they are not counted here.
How the arithmetic works
Three lines, all of which you can check by hand:
- Your time. Hours a month, times what an hour of your time is worth, times twelve.
- Vacancy. Monthly rent divided by 30 gives a daily rate. Multiply by the days a unit sits empty in a year.
- Management. The flat monthly fee times twelve, times your unit count. There is no leasing fee to add, which is the line most comparisons miss.
Median rent across the units we manage is $1,300 for a two bedroom and $1,708 for a three bedroom, if you want a sanity check on your own number.
Common questions
How much time does managing your own rental take?
It varies with the property and the resident, which is why this page asks you for your own number rather than publishing an industry average. Most averages circulating online have no traceable source. Track your hours for one month and use that.
What does self-managing actually cost?
Three things: the hours you spend, the vacancy you carry while finding a resident, and the premium you pay for repairs without a vendor relationship. On a $1,650 rent, 6 hours a month valued at $60 an hour is $4,320 a year before a single day of vacancy.
How much does a property manager cost in Columbus?
RL Property Management charges a flat $117 to $184 per unit per month with no leasing fee. On the middle plan that is $1,644 a year per unit.
Is a property manager worth it for one rental?
It depends on what your time is worth and how close you live to the property. The arithmetic on this page is the honest way to answer it. Some owners should keep self-managing, and we will tell you so.
Does vacancy cost more than management fees?
Often, yes. A single month of vacancy on a $1,650 rent costs $1,650, which is most of a year of flat-fee management. Speed of leasing is usually where management pays for itself.
Last verified September 2026. Reviewed by Peter Lohmann, Principal Broker and CEO.
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