Owner tools and calculators
Five free tools for Columbus rental owners: vacancy cost, maintenance reserves, rent vs. sell, the cost of self-managing, and the 2026 market report. No sign-up and no email gate. Each one shows its arithmetic.
The short version
- Nothing here is gated. No email, no account, no sales call
- Vacancy: a $1,708 3 bed costs $57 for every day it sits empty
- Reserves: $350 to $1,500 per unit, by plan
- A typical turn and lease-up cycle runs 32 days: 12 to turn plus 20 on market
- Every figure is drawn from the 700+ units we manage, and the source is named
- Portfolio occupancy 91%, renewal rate 72%
- Each page works with JavaScript disabled and prints cleanly
- Use them against any manager, including us
Which tool answers your question?
Each one is built around a single question an owner actually asks. Pick the question, not the tool.
- $57 a daymedian 3 bed
Vacancy cost calculator
What is an empty unit costing me per day?
Daily cost is monthly rent divided by 30. At the $1,708 portfolio median for a 3 bed that is $57 a day. The page also prices the decision owners get wrong most often: whether to hold out for a higher rent.
- $350 to $1,500held per unit
Maintenance reserve calculator
How much should I hold per unit for repairs?
RLPM requires $350 to $1,500 per unit depending on the plan. The page works the number out at our published labor rates and separates the working float from the capital budget, which are different things.
- Hold or sellside by side
Rent vs. sell calculator
Should I keep this house as a rental, or sell it?
For owners deciding whether a house they no longer live in should become a rental. It compares the proceeds of a sale against the cash flow and appreciation of holding it.
- Your timepriced in dollars
Self-management calculator
What is self-managing actually costing me?
Prices out the work you are already doing, against a flat management fee, so the comparison is in dollars rather than in feelings about how much time it takes.
- 2026market data
2026 Columbus rental market report
What is the Columbus rental market actually doing?
Rent levels, demand and what is changing across Central Ohio, with the data behind it. The wider market context for every number on the calculators.
Why are these worked examples instead of interactive widgets?
Because you can check a worked example and you cannot check a widget. Each page states the formula in plain language, shows two or three fully worked cases at real Columbus rents, and gives you a table to run against your own property. If you disagree with an assumption, you can see exactly which one it is.
There is a practical reason as well. Every page on this site runs with zero JavaScript, so it loads instantly, prints cleanly, works on a bad connection, and stays readable to a screen reader. A calculator that fails silently when a script does not load is worse than a table.
Nothing here is gated. If a number on one of these pages helps you decide to keep self-managing, that is a fine outcome. The pages are worth reading whether or not you ever call us.
Where do the numbers come from?
Three sources, and each page names which one it is using.
Our portfolio
Rent medians and operating results across the 700+ units we manage, as of September 2026. Sample sizes are published alongside the medians.
Our fee schedule
Labor rates, vendor fees, reserve amounts and management pricing, taken from the RL Property Management Client Handbook. All of it is published on the pricing page.
Your own inputs
Carrying costs, turn costs and component replacement quotes are specific to your property. Each page says which lines you have to supply rather than estimating them for you.
Where a figure would need a source we do not have, the page says so in plain text rather than estimating. That is the rule for every page on this site.
Questions about these tools
Are these calculators free?
Yes, and none of them are gated. There is no email wall, no account and no sales call attached to any of them. Every figure comes from our published fee schedule or from the 700+ units RL Property Management manages, and the source is named on each page.
Why are these worked examples instead of interactive widgets?
Because a page that teaches the formula is more useful than a box that hides it. You can follow the arithmetic, check it against your own property, and disagree with an assumption. An interactive widget gives you an answer with no way to audit it, and it stops working the moment a script fails to load.
Which tool should I start with?
The vacancy cost calculator, in almost every case. Vacancy is the largest controllable cost in a rental and the one owners consistently under-price. At the $1,708 portfolio median for a 3 bed, every vacant day costs $57, and a typical turn and lease-up cycle of 32 days costs more than most owners spend on repairs in a year.
Do the numbers apply outside Columbus?
The formulas do. The rent medians, day counts and fee figures are ours, drawn from Central Ohio, so an owner in another market should substitute local rents and their own manager's published rates. The structure of each calculation holds anywhere.
Can I use these to evaluate a different property manager?
Yes, and that is the intended use. Take the fee questions from the comparison pages and the rate structure from the reserve calculator to any manager you are considering, ours included, and ask them to fill in their own numbers in writing.
How often are the numbers updated?
Every figure carries a verified date and comes from a single fact bank, so the pages cannot disagree with each other. The current portfolio figures are as of September 2026. Pricing is verified against the RL Property Management Client Handbook.
Last verified September 2026. Reviewed by Peter Lohmann, Principal Broker and CEO.
Where to go next
- Flat fee vs percentage managementThe full comparison, with the arithmetic.
- Self-managing vs a property managerThe whole job list, either way.
- Pricing and the full fee scheduleEvery charge that can appear on a statement.
- Free rent evaluationA written rent range for your address.
- 2026 Columbus market reportThe wider market data behind these numbers.
Run the tools, then get the number for your property
A free written rent evaluation gives you a rent range and the comparables behind it, which is the input every calculator on this page needs.