Finding a tenant
- Setting a rent based on local data (our city pages show Zillow's typical asking rent)
- Photos, listings and showings
- Screening applicants: credit, income, rental history, following fair housing rules
- Writing and signing the lease, collecting the deposit and first month's rent
Running the rental
- Collecting rent and following up on late payments
- Taking repair requests, sending vendors, approving small jobs within a limit you set
- Move-in and move-out inspections, routine checks
- Monthly owner statements, year-end summaries for your taxes
- Notices, renewals and, if it comes to it, the eviction process
What you still decide
You set the spending limit for repairs, approve big projects, decide on rent changes within the law, and keep ownership decisions. A good manager reports to you clearly and asks before spending above your limit.
Full management or leasing only?
Full management covers everything above for a monthly fee. Leasing only (tenant placement) finds and signs the tenant for a one-time fee, then you manage. See what each costs in California.
Common questions
What services are included in property management?
Full management usually includes marketing the home, tenant screening, leases, rent collection, maintenance coordination, inspections, monthly statements and handling notices. Leasing-only service stops once a tenant has moved in.
What are property managers not allowed to do?
They must follow fair housing law, cannot keep deposits or rents outside the rules for trust funds, cannot enter without proper notice, and in California generally must hold a real estate broker license (or work under one) to manage rentals for others.
Sources
Written by The Property Management Directory team. Last checked October 2026.