What does property management really cost?
The management percentage is the easy part. The fees stacked around it are where two companies quoting the same rate end up thousands apart.
Ask three South Florida property managers what they charge and you will get three percentages that sound similar and three annual costs that are not. The percentage is only the part everyone advertises.
What CIMCO charges
A flat 8% management fee. The same rate for every owner, whether you hold one home or twenty. It covers tenant sourcing and screening, leasing, rent collection, maintenance coordination with 24/7 emergency response, and monthly owner reporting. The rental analysis is free.
Full breakdown on the pricing pageWe publish it because owners comparing managers deserve to compare like with like, and because a quote that only appears after a sales call is usually a quote that varies by how the call went.
The fees that sit around the percentage
These are the line items that turn a headline rate into an actual annual cost. Not every company charges all of them, and that is precisely the point — you have to ask.
| Fee | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Management fee | The recurring percentage | The number everyone advertises |
| Leasing / tenant placement | Charged when a new tenant is placed | Often quoted as a share of one month's rent; the biggest single variable |
| Lease renewal | Charged when an existing tenant re-signs | Recurs every year the tenant stays |
| Vacancy fee | Charged while the property sits empty | Bills you when the manager is earning you nothing |
| Maintenance markup | A percentage added on top of contractor invoices | Invisible unless you ask; compounds across the year |
| Setup / onboarding | One-off fee to take the property on | Sometimes waived if you ask |
| Inspection fee | Per routine inspection | Check whether inspections are included or extra |
| Eviction handling | Coordinating the legal process | Separate from the attorney's own fees either way |
Five questions that expose the real number
- "What is the total I'd pay in a year where the tenant stays, and in a year where they leave and you place a new one?" Two numbers. Make them give you both.
- "Do you mark up maintenance invoices, and by how much?" A percentage on every repair changes the annual figure more than a point on the management fee.
- "Do you charge while the property is vacant?" A vacancy fee removes the manager's incentive to fill it quickly.
- "Is the leasing fee charged again on renewal?" If yes, a long-staying tenant costs you money every year.
- "What is the notice period to leave, and what does it cost?" Read the exit clause before the entry clause.
Cheapest is not the same as least expensive
The largest costs in a rental are not management fees — they are vacancy and turnover. One month empty costs you a full month's rent. Across a year, that is worth far more than the difference between an 8% and a 10% management fee on the same property.
Which means the question worth asking is not "what percentage do you charge" but "how quickly do you fill a vacancy, and how often do your tenants renew." Ours renew 8 times out of 10, and our average from signed lease to first rent collected is 15 days.
Should you self-manage instead?
Self-managing genuinely makes sense for some owners: one property, nearby, flexible schedule, comfortable with the paperwork and the awkward phone calls. The 8% stays in your pocket.
It stops making sense when you are out of the area, hold several properties, have a full-time job that can't absorb a 2am plumbing call, or are facing anything with a legal deadline attached — a notice period or a deposit claim. Those deadlines are unforgiving, and missing one costs considerably more than a year of management.
If you want to know what your property should rent for before deciding either way, the rental analysis is free — we compare it to what is actually leasing nearby in Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and the rest of Broward.
Pricing questions owners ask.
How much does CIMCO Management charge?
A flat 8% management fee for full-service residential property management — the same rate for every owner. It covers tenant sourcing and screening, leasing, rent collection, maintenance coordination with 24/7 emergency response, and monthly owner reporting. The rental analysis is free.
What fees do property managers charge besides the monthly percentage?
Common additional charges include tenant placement or leasing fees, lease renewal fees, vacancy fees, markups on maintenance invoices, onboarding fees, inspection fees, and eviction coordination. Not every company charges all of them, so ask for the total cost across a full year.
Is it cheaper to manage a Florida rental property myself?
It can be, if you own one nearby property and have time for showings, screening, maintenance calls and legal deadlines. It usually is not if you are out of the area, hold several properties, or face a notice or deposit deadline — vacancy and turnover cost far more than management fees.
What should I ask before signing with a property manager?
Ask for the total annual cost in two scenarios — a year where the tenant stays, and a year where they leave and a new one is placed. Then ask whether maintenance invoices are marked up, whether renewals carry a fee, whether anything is billed during vacancy, and what the exit notice period costs.
More owner guides.
The Florida eviction process, step by step
The 3-day and 7-day notices, the statutory wording you cannot paraphrase, and the errors that send landlords back to square one.
Read the guide → Florida lawFlorida security deposit law: the 30-day rule
Miss one deadline in § 83.49 and you forfeit the right to claim against the deposit entirely. The timeline, and where owners lose it.
Read the guide →Rather hand this to someone else?
CIMCO manages 500+ homes across South Florida for a flat 8% fee. We handle the notices, the paperwork, and the deadlines — you get the monthly statement.