Compare Property Management Before You Switch.
The monthly management fee is rarely the whole cost. Before you sign with anyone — including us — add up every line in the fee schedule and compare the total against what you are paying now.
Six places management cost hides
Two companies can quote the same monthly percentage and cost you very different amounts over a year. These are the lines to ask about.
Monthly management fee
Usually a percentage of collected rent, commonly quoted between 5% and 10% in Los Angeles County. A percentage fee rises automatically every time the rent does.
Leasing or tenant-placement fee
Charged when a unit is filled. Often half a month’s rent to a full month’s rent, sometimes a flat amount. On a building with regular turnover this can be the largest single line.
Lease renewal fee
Charged when an existing resident signs again. Typically a few hundred dollars per renewal, per unit.
Maintenance markup
A percentage added to vendor invoices, or a coordination fee per work order. It is often disclosed only in the agreement, not in the sales conversation.
Setup or onboarding fee
A one-time charge to take the property on, sometimes waived, sometimes several hundred dollars per property.
Other charges
Advertising, inspections, notice service, eviction coordination, bill-pay, reserve requirements, statement or technology fees, and after-hours call handling.
UnitSimple vs. traditional percentage-based management
Traditional terms vary by company, so the right-hand column describes what is common in Los Angeles County rather than any one company’s agreement.
Maintenance coordinated with licensed and qualified contractors. No UnitSimple maintenance markup.
Estimate the difference on your own property
Percentage-based fees scale with your rent. Flat per-unit pricing does not. Enter your numbers to see where your property lands.
Your property
Defaults to 8%. Check your management agreement for the exact figure, and whether it applies to collected rent or scheduled rent.
Estimated monthly management fees
- Current percentage-based fee
- $1,920/mo
- UnitSimple fee
- $1,000/mo
- Monthly difference
- $920
On 10 units at these rents, flat per-unit pricing is the lower monthly management fee.
This estimate compares monthly management fees only and does not include possible leasing, renewal, setup, maintenance, advertising, legal, third-party or other charges.
How UnitSimple sits against other management models
Different companies solve different problems. Where a provider publishes its pricing, it is quoted below; where it does not, only the business model is described.
UnitSimple
Pricing publishedFlat per-unit fee, founder-led, local to Los Angeles County.
- $100 per unit per month, full service
- Ordinary leasing included
- $0 UnitSimple markup on maintenance
Ziprent
Pricing publishedFlat-fee, technology-forward management operating across a number of metros, with leasing priced separately from management.
- $1,500 tenant placement
- $150 per month per-unit management
- $100 per month for each additional property
- $250 lease renewal
- ZipGuarantee add-on at $250 per month
Doorstead
Pricing not publishedManagement paired with a guaranteed-rent offer, where the company commits to a rent figure and a start date.
- Leasing priced at 50% of one month’s rent, with a $1,000 minimum
- Monthly management pricing is not published on the public site
Belong
Pricing not publishedSingle-family and condo focused, bundling management with rent-advance and resident-experience products.
- Pricing not published in a form we could verify — flagged for manual review
Evernest
Pricing not publishedMulti-market single-family and small-multifamily operator, built by acquisition, with tiered management plans.
- Pricing not published in a form we could verify — flagged for manual review
PMI Los Angeles
Pricing not publishedFranchise office of a national property-management brand, with percentage-based residential plans.
- Pricing not published in a form we could verify — flagged for manual review
Pricing last reviewed: August 2026. Pricing and services can change. Verify current terms directly with each provider.
Figures are quoted only where we could read them on the provider’s own public pages. Where a provider does not publish pricing, we say so rather than estimate it. Services differ between these companies, so price alone is not a like-for-like comparison.
Comparing management, answered
Straight answers, including where flat pricing is not the cheaper option.
Get a free management cost comparison.
Tell us your unit count, your rents, and what you pay now. We will tell you what UnitSimple would cost — and if the numbers do not favor switching, we will tell you that too.