Property Management Typical Fee Rate Structure
Some San Francisco property management companies will not provide detailed property management fee information until you walk through the door, but we are so confident that you will be impressed with our property management, marketing and leasing styles and protocals, we are willing to share our general fee and rate structures on our web site.
Lightner Property Group has been serving San Francisco investors and real property owners, for more than 25 years. Our fees for property management services are based upon our extensive experience, education and training, industry resources, understanding of the real cost to properly manage residential and commercial real estate, our proven track record for success and the Lightner Property Group overhead (including staff and infrastructure).
The Lightner Property Group’s highly trained, highly educated staff is the A Team of property managers and property management support staff. We do not cut corners hiring temporary, part-time employees or shave cost by hiring minimum wage staff. Our staff is comprised of highly trained, certified and award-winning professionals.
For example, if you hire us to rent your property and pay us a real estate leasing commission, only licensed persons will show your property, sell the benefits of your unit and building and close the transaction using proven sales techniques. Additionally, a licensed person will document your lease using our state of the art, established and reliable lease documents and addenda.
Generally, property management fees are based on a percentage of collected income for both residential and commercial property. Learn how to evaluate a property manager.
Our guidelines for property management initial set-up charges are listed below. Please contact Lightner Property Group to arrange for a full management proposal for the regular or asset management of your real estate holdings. If you are still actively involved in the day to day management of your real estate assets contact us for a leasing or consulting proposal.
| Property Type | Estimated Typical Fees |
| Residential Property & Vendor Set-up Charge | 02-10 units = $ 750 11-20 units = $1000 21-30 units = $1500 31-40 units = $2500 41-50 units = $3500 051-075 units = $4,500 076-100 units = $5,000 101-150 units = $6,500 151-300 units = $7,000 301-500 units = $10,000 $25 per vendor (includes insurance verification) |
| Commercial Property & Vendor Set-up Charge | $25 to $100 per tenant $25 per vendor (includes insurance verification) |
(Set-up fees may be waived or discounted for certain longer-term and or larger contracts.)
Our property management fees range from four to seven percent of gross collected rental income per month, for residential properties, and three to five percent of gross collected income per month for commercial properties. The smaller the property the larger the percentage fee. As property size and income increases, the percentage fee decreases.
All real estate fees are negotiable. We are always open to a full discussion regarding our pricing structure.
Guidelines for Property Management Monthly Minimums:
| Property | Monthly Minimum |
| Minimum Monthly First Building | $300 |
| Minimum Monthly Second Building | $185 |
| Minimum Monthly per Residential Unit | $75-$100 per unit or percentage of collected rent, whichever is greater |
| Minimum Monthly per Commercial Unit or Suite: | $100 per tenant |
| Minimum Monthly per Commercial Square Foot: | $.10 per square foot |
| Commercial or Industrial Property | Typically 3-5% |
| Residential Property: 2-4 Unit Property | $125 per unit or Typically 6% |
| Residential Property: 5-15 Unit Property | $110 per unit or Typically 5.5% |
| Residential Property: 16-99 Unit Property | $95 per unit or Typically 5.25% |
| Residential Property: 100 or More Unit Property | $85 per unit or Typically 5% |
| Single Family Home | $250 or Typically 10% |
Last Updated May 2010
Additional Services:
In addition, we charge for additional services requiring a staff or documentation response such as resident sub-leasing, turnover events, returned checks and other occupant-driven events.
Leasing Services:
- Leasing services are provided and charged for when there is no on-site manager;
- Pricing for Leasing Services; and
- No leasing fee is charged when there is an on site manager. A fee to reimburse the company for marketing and advertising support services, as well as the costs related to professional lease documentation and review are charged. However, these charges are always less than the cost of a leasing commission, thereby saving the owner money.
Please Note: Our staff and general administrative rates increase each year on January 1st, as our basic costs increase due to inflation. We do not increase our basic percentage fees from year to year.