"Collects the rent" is the short answer, and it leaves out most of the job. Here's what full-service management covers when it's done properly. Use it as a checklist against any manager you interview, including us.
1. Leasing
Pricing from real comparable leases. Photos that show the home accurately. A listing on the sites renters actually use. Prompt showings. Written screening criteria applied the same way to every applicant. A Maryland lease with the required addenda. A move-in report with photos.
2. Money
Online rent collection. Late notices sent on time, with late fees within Maryland's limit. Deposits in escrow. A monthly statement you can understand, an owner draw on a fixed day, and a year-end 1099 and ledger for your CPA.
3. Care of the property
A system for maintenance requests that tenants actually use. Triage: an emergency gets handled tonight and a cosmetic issue gets scheduled. Repair approvals above your limit. Photos before and after. Semi-annual inspections that catch the slow problems, like a dripping supply line or a clogged gutter, before they become big ones.
4. Compliance
Rental licenses and renewals. Lead certificates for older homes. Smoke and CO alarms. Fair housing in every ad and every decision. Notices served correctly. When an eviction is unavoidable, a process run by an attorney, never by shortcuts.
What a good manager never does
- Mixes your money or tenant deposits with their own.
- Marks up repairs without telling you.
- Sends work to an affiliated company without disclosing it. We disclose ours in writing: 5 Star Pros DMV.
- Steers applicants or uses criteria that violate fair housing law.
- Goes quiet. One named person should answer your call.
See how we structure all of it in full-service management.