Starting a property management company comes down to five steps: get the license your state requires, form the entity and get insured, set up a trust account and management software, decide your fee model, and land your first doors. You can launch lean for $5,000 to $15,000. The fee model is usually 8–12% of collected rent plus a leasing fee, and revenue ramps one door at a time.
We run our own service companies on the website and lead-capture stack we sell. We'll be straight about which steps are the legal gate, and the one part — getting found by owners — where we help. Skip ahead to that if you're already licensed.
Most states require a real estate broker's license or a dedicated property manager license to manage rentals for others. Operating without it can void your management agreements and bring penalties. Check your state real estate commission before anything else; this is the step you can't skip.
Form an LLC, carry errors-and-omissions plus general liability insurance, and set up a separate trust (escrow) account for owner funds and security deposits — commingling those is one of the fastest ways to lose your license. Get a real estate attorney to review your management agreement template.
Property management software handles rent collection, owner statements, maintenance requests, and tenant screening — typically $1 to $3 per unit per month or a small flat fee starting out. It's the backbone once you have more than a handful of doors.
Standard is an 8–12% monthly management fee on collected rent, plus a leasing fee of half to a full month's rent when you place a tenant. Some add renewal, setup, and maintenance markup. Price for the service level you'll actually deliver, not the lowest number to win the door.
Single-family doors, average rent $1,800, 9% management fee:
We help with getting found — not licensing. Hold off on paid marketing if:
Owners hand over a major asset, so they compare carefully — they search "property management [city]," read your fees, and judge whether you look organized and trustworthy. The company that ranks and answers their questions wins the account. We build that site, plus 24/7 AI lead capture that answers "what's your fee for a single-family home?" after hours and grabs the owner's details.
Plans: $249/mo site plus AI lead capture, $597/mo adds the monthly SEO content engine and attribution, from $1,750/mo adds a custom CRM and reputation automation — month-to-month, you own it all. Browse start-a-business guides, see local SEO cost, whether it's worth it, or the AI receptionist.
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In most states, yes — usually a real estate broker's or dedicated property manager license. Operating without it can void contracts and bring penalties. Check your state's real estate commission first.
Lean, $5,000–$15,000: licensing, LLC, E&O and liability insurance, software, trust account setup, and a website. The bigger investment is the time to land your first owners.
Agent referrals, a complete Google Business Profile, and a site that ranks for "property management [city]" and answers fee and service questions. Owners compare carefully, so being easy to find and trust wins the first doors.
Send your company name and city — we'll confirm your market is open and build a working demo within 48 hours. Free, no card, no commitment.
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