Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
PM cost minus self-manage cost
-$356
Annual cost of hiring a manager
$2,885
Annual cost of your own time
$3,240
Breakeven hourly rate
$40.06
Annual management fee
$2,052
Amortized annual leasing fee
$713
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How to use this
- 1Enter monthly rent ($).
- 2Enter management fee (%).
- 3Enter leasing fee (per new lease) (% of one month rent).
- 4Enter average years per tenant.
- 5Enter hours you'd spend self-managing (hrs/mo).
- 6Enter your time value ($/hr).
- 7Enter annual repair spend a manager marks up 10% ($).
- 8Read your pm cost minus self-manage cost on the right — it updates as you type.
- 9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
Landlords compare the management percentage to their free time, but the real comparison is dollars against dollars. A manager typically charges 8-10% of collected rent plus a leasing fee equal to half or a full month's rent on turnover, plus sometimes a maintenance markup. Self-managing costs your hours at whatever your time is worth, plus the mistakes a first-time landlord makes on screening, notices, and vendor pricing. This tool totals the manager's annual cost against your own opportunity cost of the hours you'd spend on calls, showings, and coordinating repairs, then tells you the breakeven hourly rate where self-managing stops being worth it.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Monthly rent: 1900 $
- Management fee: 9 %
- Leasing fee (per new lease): 75 % of one month rent
- Average years per tenant: 2
- Hours you'd spend self-managing: 6 hrs/mo
- Your time value: 45 $/hr
- Annual repair spend a manager marks up 10%: 1200 $
Results
- PM cost minus self-manage cost: -$356
- Annual cost of hiring a manager: $2,885
- Annual cost of your own time: $3,240
- Breakeven hourly rate: $40.06
- Annual management fee: $2,052
- Amortized annual leasing fee: $713
What each field means
Inputs
- Monthly rent ($)
- The monthly rent used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1900 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Management fee (%)
- The management fee used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 9 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–20 %.
- Leasing fee (per new lease) (% of one month rent)
- The leasing fee (per new lease) used in the calculation, measured in % of one month rent. Starts at 75 % of one month rent so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–150 % of one month rent.
- Average years per tenant
- The average years per tenant used in the calculation. Starts at 2 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0.5–10.
- Hours you'd spend self-managing (hrs/mo)
- The hours you'd spend self-managing used in the calculation, measured in hrs/mo. Starts at 6 hrs/mo so you have a working example on load.
- Your time value ($/hr)
- The your time value used in the calculation, measured in $/hr. Starts at 45 $/hr so you have a working example on load.
- Annual repair spend a manager marks up 10% ($)
- The annual repair spend a manager marks up 10% used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 1200 $ so you have a working example on load.
Results
- PM cost minus self-manage cost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annual cost of hiring a manager
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annual cost of your own time
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Breakeven hourly rate
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Annual management fee
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Amortized annual leasing fee
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
Is 9% a typical management fee?
Most single-family managers charge 8-10% of collected rent, with a floor around $80-100/month for low-rent units. Multifamily and larger portfolios often negotiate down to 4-6% because of scale. Always confirm whether the fee is on gross rent or collected rent — collected rent means you don't pay during a vacancy.
What does a manager do that I might mess up?
Fair housing compliance during screening, proper notice service for late rent and lease violations, security deposit itemization deadlines, and getting competitive vendor pricing. A single fair-housing complaint or a botched eviction notice can cost far more than a year of management fees.
Does the breakeven hourly rate include emergencies?
No, this is steady-state monthly time. Add a buffer for the occasional multi-hour emergency call, tenant dispute, or turnover crunch — those are lumpy, not evenly distributed across the year, and they tend to land at the worst times.
When does self-managing clearly win?
When you have one or two properties nearby, some landlord experience, and your hourly value is genuinely low or you enjoy the work. It also wins if you can't find a manager with a good local vendor network, since a bad manager's markup and slow repairs cost more than doing it yourself.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Property Management Fee vs Self-Managing Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pm-fee-vs-self-manage
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pm-fee-vs-self-manage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Property Management Fee vs Self-Managing Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Property Management Fee vs Self-Managing Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/pm-fee-vs-self-manage) (2026).