Sarasota Property Management Fees: What's Included

Understanding property management fees before you sign a management agreement is essential. At Rentwise Florida, we believe every fee should be disclosed upfront — no surprises, no hidden costs, no fine print. This page breaks down exactly what we charge, what each fee covers, and how our pricing compares to the Sarasota market average.

Rentwise Florida Fee Summary

What the 7% Monthly Fee Covers

The monthly management fee is the core of your relationship with Rentwise Florida. For 7% of collected rent (with a $125/month minimum), you receive:

• Tenant communication and management — we are the single point of contact for your tenant, handling all requests, questions, and issues
• Online rent collection — tenants pay through our Buildium portal via ACH, credit, or debit card
• Monthly financial reporting — detailed income and expense statements delivered to your investor portal
• Lease enforcement — monitoring lease compliance, handling violations, and managing renewals
• Real-time investor portal access — view your property's financial performance 24/7 from any device
• Delinquency management — rent follow-up, late notices, and collection coordination
• Compliance monitoring — ensuring your property stays compliant with Florida landlord-tenant law

The fee is only charged on collected rent. If your property is vacant, we charge nothing — which means our incentives are aligned with yours: we want your property occupied with a qualified tenant as fast as possible.

Tenant Placement: What the One-Month Fee Covers

When we place a new tenant, we charge a one-time fee equal to one month's rent. This covers the full marketing, screening, and leasing process:

• Professional listing photography
• MLS listing and syndication to 40+ rental platforms (Zillow, Trulia, Apartments.com, Realtor.com, and more)
• Comprehensive tenant screening — credit, criminal background, income verification (3x rent), eviction history, rental references
• Property showings and prospect communication
• Digital lease creation and e-signature execution
• Security deposit collection and statutory handling
• Move-in condition documentation

Maintenance Coordination Fee

When a maintenance issue arises, Rentwise Florida sources the right vendor, schedules the work, oversees quality, and handles payment. We charge 10% of the vendor invoice for this coordination. All vendor costs are passed through at actual cost — there are no hidden markups, preferred-vendor kickbacks, or inflated invoices. You always see the original vendor receipt.

For context: coordinating a $300 plumbing repair costs you $30 in coordination fees. We handle the sourcing, scheduling, tenant access, quality check, and invoice processing. Most owners find this far more cost-effective than managing vendor relationships themselves.

What Is NOT Included

For full transparency, here is what is not covered by management fees:

• Capital improvements — major renovations, appliance replacements, or upgrades (always owner-approved before work begins)
• Legal fees — if an eviction requires attorney involvement, legal costs are the owner's responsibility
• Insurance premiums — property insurance, flood insurance, and liability coverage
• HOA dues and assessments — paid by the owner directly or deducted from rental income with authorization
• Property taxes — Sarasota and Manatee County property taxes are the owner's responsibility

How Rentwise Compares to Sarasota Averages

The typical Sarasota property management company charges 8–12% of monthly rent for management, and many add fees that Rentwise Florida does not charge:

• Setup / onboarding fees: Many companies charge $200–$500 to set up your account. Rentwise charges $0.
• Vacancy fees: Some managers charge a reduced fee even when your unit is empty. Rentwise charges nothing while vacant.
• Advertising fees: Some charge separately for listing your property. Rentwise includes all marketing in the placement fee.
• Technology fees: Some charge monthly for portal access. Rentwise includes full investor portal access at no extra cost.

At 7% with $0 setup and no vacancy fees, Rentwise Florida is consistently below the Sarasota market average while delivering enterprise-grade technology and broker-led service. See our full pricing page for more detail.

Cost Example: Managing a $2,000/Month Rental

Here is what a typical year of property management looks like for a $2,000/month single-family rental in Sarasota with one tenant placement:

• Monthly management: $2,000 × 7% = $140/month × 12 months = $1,680/year
• Tenant placement: $2,000 (one-time, assuming one placement per year) = $2,000
• Lease renewal: $500 (if the tenant renews instead of turning over) = $500
• Maintenance coordination: $4,000 in vendor work × 10% = $400

Total annual cost: approximately $4,080–$4,580 depending on whether the tenant renews or turns over. Compare that to the cost of even one bad tenant ($5,000–$15,000 in unpaid rent, damage, legal fees, and vacancy) and professional management pays for itself.

Why Transparent Pricing Matters

Florida has no law that requires property managers to present fees in a standardized format. That means it is on you, the owner, to ask the right questions and compare proposals carefully. At Rentwise Florida, we publish our complete fee schedule on our website before any commitment. Every fee is disclosed in the management agreement. There are no escalation clauses, no surprise charges, and no penalties for termination.

Our 7% fee model is performance-aligned: when your rent increases, we earn slightly more — which means we are always motivated to optimize your rental rate and keep your property occupied. That is a fundamentally different incentive structure than a flat-fee manager who earns the same whether your rent is $1,500 or $2,500.

Questions about fees? Schedule a free consultation or call (941) 231-6414.