How a Columbus rental gets marketed and leased
Marketing a rental means pricing it to the comps, photographing it well, syndicating the listing everywhere, and showing it quickly. RL Property Management charges $0 to lease a unit, and median time on market is 20 days.
The short version
- $0 leasing fee on all three plans, every time the unit turns
- Median 20 days on market across the portfolio
- Median 12 days to turn a unit between residents
- 72% lease renewal rate, so units turn less often
- 91% portfolio occupancy
- Average rent under management $1,653
- Photography is billed separately at $250 to $450, not included
- $250 lease renewal fee, charged on the renewal date
What does vacancy actually cost?
A vacant month costs a full month of rent, and you still pay the mortgage, the taxes, the insurance and the utilities that month. On the $1,653 average rent under our management, thirty extra days vacant costs more than a year of flat management on Plan One.
This is why leasing fees deserve scrutiny in both directions. A manager who charges half a month of rent to lease a unit is paid more when your unit turns. A manager who charges $0 is not. Neither arrangement makes a unit lease faster on its own, but only one of them is neutral about whether your resident renews.
How do you market a rental property?
Six steps, in this order. Owners who self-manage usually get five of them right and lose two weeks on the sixth.
- Step 1
Price it against what actually leased
Asking rent is set from recent leased comparables, not from active listings. Active listings are asking prices, and an overpriced unit can sit for weeks without ever telling you it is overpriced. A unit priced 5 percent high does not lease 5 percent slower, it stalls.
- Step 2
Get it rent ready before it goes live
The turn happens first, not during marketing. Photographing a half-finished unit costs you the first and best week of exposure. Median turn time across our portfolio is 12 days.
- Step 3
Photograph it properly
Photos are the listing. Professional photography runs $250 to $450 depending on property size, billed at vendor cost plus our standard markup. It is not covered by the $0 leasing fee. Existing photos keep being used at no charge while they still represent the property, and the photos are yours to keep.
- Step 4
Syndicate to every major portal
The listing goes out to the major rental portals at once rather than to one site at a time, so the whole demand pool sees it in the same week. The first ten days of a listing produce most of the qualified inquiry.
- Step 5
Show it without making people wait
Self-guided and agent-led showings both run. A prospect who has to wait four days for a Saturday open house has already toured three other units. Speed of showing is the single most controllable input to days on market.
- Step 6
Screen, then sign
Every applicant runs through the same written standard: credit, criminal, income, rental history and eviction record. Lease preparation is on a custom lease reviewed by legal counsel, and it is included in the leasing fee.
Is photography included?
No. Photography is billed separately at $250 to $450. It is the one part of leasing that is not covered by the $0 fee, and we would rather say so on this page than surprise you on a statement.
Property photography
$250 to $450. New vacant units and units that have had major cosmetic work. Billed at vendor cost plus our standard markup, by property size. Existing photos keep being used at no charge while they still represent the property, and the photos are yours to keep. Effective October 1, 2026.
Why is my rental not renting?
Almost always one of four things, and the inquiry data tells you which.
- Few views, few inquiries. The listing is not reaching people or the photos are not earning a click. Fix the photos and the syndication first.
- Views but no inquiries. Price is above what the photos and the description justify. This is a pricing problem, and it will not resolve on its own.
- Inquiries but no showings. Response time or showing availability. A prospect who cannot tour within about 48 hours is touring something else.
- Showings but no applications. The unit does not match the listing. Condition, smell, a dated kitchen, a parking or laundry issue that photos hid.
Past 60 days on the market, we credit management fees back to your account while we work the problem.
Marketing and leasing questions
How much does it cost to lease a rental property in Columbus?
RL Property Management charges $0 to place a resident, on every plan. Most Columbus managers charge roughly half a month of rent, which on the $1,653 average rent under our management is a few hundred to over eight hundred dollars each time the unit turns. Photography is the one leasing cost we bill separately, at $250 to $450.
How long does it take to rent a house in Columbus?
Median days on market across our portfolio is 20. That is measured 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. Individual units vary widely with price, condition, season and location. A unit that has sat past 60 days is almost always a pricing or condition problem, not a marketing problem.
Is photography included in the leasing fee?
No. Photography is billed separately at $250 to $450, by property size, at vendor cost plus our standard markup. It applies to new vacant units and units that have had major cosmetic work, effective October 1, 2026. If your existing photos still represent the property we keep using them at no charge, and the photos are yours to keep.
What happens if my property does not lease?
If a property has been listed for rent longer than 60 days, we proactively credit management fees back to your account. Before that point you get a recommendation, usually a price change or a condition fix, with the showing and inquiry data behind it.
Who sets the asking rent?
You do. We bring the recommendation, built from recent leased comparables in the same submarket, plus what our own units at that price point are doing. You approve the number before the listing goes live.
Do you charge a leasing fee again when the resident renews?
No. A renewal is $250, charged to the owner on the date the lease renews. Because we charge nothing to place a new resident, we have no financial reason to prefer a turn over a renewal. Our renewal rate is 72%.
When do you need possession of the unit?
At least 14 days before an executed lease starts. If a unit is not handed over by then, the fee for failure to provide possession is 3 months of rent, because a resident with a signed lease and nowhere to move is a real liability, not a scheduling inconvenience.
Where do you advertise a vacant unit?
The listing syndicates to more than fifty rental sites, including Zillow, Realtor.com, Trulia, Zumper and HotPads, which is where nearly every prospective resident actually starts looking. It also goes on our own site with photographs and a self-scheduled showing link.
Last verified September 2026. Reviewed by Peter Lohmann, Principal Broker and CEO.
Where to go next
- Tenant screeningWhat happens to an application once it comes in.
- PricingThe $0 leasing fee in the context of the whole fee schedule.
- All servicesThe other seven jobs a manager does.
- Free rent evaluationWhat your unit should ask, from leased comparables.
- Our scorecardDays on market, turn time and renewal rate, with definitions.
Find out what your unit should rent for
A rent evaluation gives you the number, the comparables behind it, and what it would take to get there. It costs nothing and it does not obligate you to anything.