Finding the Perfect Balance: Your Control, Your Property, and Our Fees Answered

Handing over the keys to your rental property shouldn’t mean handing over your peace of mind. One of the most common concerns we hear from property owners is about balance: How do I protect my investment and retain control, without getting dragged into the daily headaches of property management?

At Talley Properties, our goal is to give you oversight without micromanagement. Whether you want to be completely hands-off or stay closely informed, our systems are built around your preferences. Here are straightforward answers to your biggest questions regarding tenant selection, maintenance decisions, and how our management fees actually work.

How much control do I retain over tenant selection?

To properly protect both our owners and our company, Talley Properties does not allow owners to personally select or reject individual tenants. While this might sound restrictive at first, it is actually one of the most important ways we protect your investment.

All applicants are evaluated using uniform, written screening criteria applied consistently to every applicant, every time. This approach removes subjectivity and ensures strict compliance with Fair Housing. By keeping tenant placement completely objective and based on documented qualifications rather than personal preference, we dramatically reduce your legal risk and liability.

What if an applicant has an unusual situation?

While we do not offer a “pick and choose” approach to tenant selection, there are times when an application presents non-standard circumstances. Sometimes an applicant falls slightly outside normal screening guidelines but may still represent a highly reasonable and reliable tenancy.

In those specific situations, we review the application carefully and come to you. We explain the exact circumstances and potential risks and discuss whether the applicant might still be a viable option. Final placement decisions in these gray areas are made thoughtfully, documented properly, and handled in a way that maintains total legal compliance. Our rigorous tenant screening process ensures you are always informed and protected, allowing you to feel confident that the right decisions are being made for the performance of your property.

How much control do I have over property repairs and maintenance?

Maintenance decisions are entirely based on your personal preferences and are handled according to pre-established parameters we set with you upfront.

Depending on your comfort level, you can choose to have routine repairs approved automatically up to a certain dollar amount, keeping your tenants happy and your property in great shape without bothering you with minor fixes. Alternatively, you can request that we review specific types of work with you before dispatching any vendor. Of course, in true emergency situations involving active leaks or safety hazards, we step in immediately to protect the property and the tenant.

You can adjust these preferences at any time. We will always provide our professional recommendations based on market conditions and the long-term performance of your home, but we will never make unilateral decisions outside the framework you have approved. Owners who want to stay closely involved can do so, while owners who prefer a truly passive experience can step back and relax.

How do your property management fees work?

Just as we believe in giving you clear choices regarding property maintenance, we also believe in total transparency about the cost of our services. We believe management fees should be straightforward, market-based, and directly tied to the actual work performed. Your costs will never be buried in fine print or padded with unexpected surprises.

What is your monthly management fee, and what does it cover?

Our primary fee is a percentage of the rent we collect on your behalf. In most cases, this falls within the 7% to 10% range, depending on the type of property and the size of your portfolio. Single-family homes, small multifamily buildings, and larger portfolios are priced differently, and owners with multiple properties often benefit from lower per-unit rates.

This straightforward monthly fee covers the essential day-to-day management of the property, including rent collection, tenant communication, repair coordination, financial reporting, and ongoing oversight.

Is there a separate fee for tenant placement?

Yes, when a property becomes vacant, a one-time tenant placement fee applies. This covers the extensive work of marketing the home, showing it, screening applicants, and legally executing the lease. This is typically structured as a flat fee or as approximately half of one month’s rent, which is perfectly consistent with our local market.

Do you charge a fee for coordinating maintenance?

When maintenance or repairs are needed, we step in to coordinate qualified third-party vendors, manage the scheduling, and oversee the completion of the work. Like most professional management firms in this market, we charge a maintenance coordination fee—typically 10% of the repair cost—to cover the time and close oversight involved. Because you set your maintenance parameters in advance, you are always informed, and we guarantee that we never perform unnecessary work.

What does the lease renewal fee cover?

When a lease is up for renewal, we never just rubber-stamp the paperwork. A renewal fee applies because of the extensive work required behind the scenes. We perform a full rental market analysis to ensure your pricing is exactly in line with current conditions. We carefully review the tenant’s payment history, maintenance issues, and overall performance. Finally, we discuss a rent recommendation with you before finalizing anything and executing the legal renewal documents.

Our ultimate goal is to maximize your rent responsibly while keeping good tenants in place. The National Association of Residential Property Managers consistently notes that proactive lease renewals are one of the most effective ways to reduce turnover costs and protect your long-term profits.

Are there any hidden fees?

No games, and no hidden fees. We are always upfront about our pricing, clearly explain why our fees exist, and are happy to walk you through them in advance. Good management isn’t free, but poorly structured management is far more expensive in the long run.