Self-Manage vs Hire Calculator

Put a dollar value on your own hours, vacancy, and pricing drift, then compare it with 8 percent management and a typical fee-layered company.

This calculator puts a dollar value on your own hours and compares self-managing against two fee structures: VPMG's published pricing and a typical fee-layered company. The defaults for hours, vacancy, and underpricing come from our DIY cost study; change any of them to match your situation. Nothing is sent to a server.

Your rental and your time

Monthly rent ($)

What your time is worth ($ / hour)Your take-home rate, or what you would pay someone to do it.

Steady hours per month self-managingRent posting and bookkeeping, tenant communication, maintenance coordination, admin. Typical range is 4 to 8.

Hours per tenant turnoverListing, showings, screening, lease, move-in, move-out. Typical range is 20 to 40.

Average tenancy length (years)How often a turnover happens.

Extra vacant days per turnover when self-managingOwners marketing on their own side usually take longer to lease. One extra week on a $2,000 home is about $460.

Rent left on the table ($ / month)Self-managed rents drift below market. Typical range is $50 to $150. Enter 0 if you price to comps every year.

Annual repair and maintenance spend ($)Used to price maintenance markups.

Marginal income tax bracket (%)Management fees are deductible on Schedule E, so the after-tax cost is lower.

Fee-layered company (edit to match a quote you have)

Monthly management (% of rent)Typical range here is 8 to 10 percent.

Placement fee (% of one month)Typical range is 50 to 100 percent.

Setup fee ($, one time, amortized over the tenancy)Typical range is $250 to $500.

Renewal fee ($ / year after year one)Typical range is $150 to $300.

Maintenance markup (% on invoices)Typical range is 5 to 20 percent.

Inspection fees ($ / year)Typical range is $75 to $200 per visit.

Self-managing costs you$0per year: time, extra vacancy, underpricing

VPMG costs$0per year, placement fee amortized

Fee-layered company costs$0per year, all fees amortized

VPMG after tax deduction$0at your bracket

Hours you get back0per year

Break-even hourly value$0below this, DIY is cheaper than VPMG

VPMG pricing used: 8 percent of rent collected with a $199 monthly minimum, a one-time placement fee of 50 percent of the first month's rent at each new tenancy, and no setup, renewal, vacancy, inspection, or maintenance markup fees, per our pricing page. Self-managing cost = hours × hourly value + extra vacancy × daily rent + underpricing × 12. Management costs assume the company leases at market with no extra vacancy. Placement and setup fees are spread over your average tenancy length. Copy share link

What the numbers include and leave out

Time. Self-managing a single home typically takes 4 to 8 hours a month, with a turnover spiking to 20 to 40 hours. At even $40 an hour, six steady hours a month plus one annual turnover lands past $4,000 a year. If you enjoy the work and your hours are genuinely free, set the hourly value low and the calculator will tell you honestly that DIY wins.

Vacancy. One extra week of vacancy on a $2,000 home costs roughly $460 in lost rent, more than two months of an 8 percent fee. One extra month costs $2,000, about a full year of the fee. Professional listings syndicate to a dozen-plus sites within hours and get shown evenings and weekends; that is where the gap comes from. See is hiring a manager worth it.

Underpricing. Rents drift below market quietly when a tenant stays for years and you skip an increase. Even a $75 a month correction is $900 a year, and under the HB 1217 cap the gap is slower to close. See how to increase rental ROI.

Left out on purpose. Legal exposure. A missed 30-day deposit deadline can cost twice the deposit; a defective eviction notice can get a case dismissed and restart the clock; a fair housing complaint carries damages and attorney fees. Those are real costs with no reliable annual average, so they are not in the number. Also left out: the value of not being the one who answers a burst-pipe call at 2 a.m.

Tax. Management fees are deductible on Schedule E. For an owner in the 24 percent bracket a $1,920 annual fee costs closer to $1,460 after tax. The after-tax result uses the bracket you enter. Lost rent from vacancy and underpricing also reduces taxable income, so the after-tax comparison narrows on both sides; the calculator shows the deduction on the fee side only, which is the conservative view for hiring. See property management fees explained.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours a month does self-managing a rental take?

Typically 4 to 8 hours for a single home in a steady month: rent posting and bookkeeping, tenant communication, maintenance coordination, and staying current on Washington law. A turnover adds 20 to 40 hours for listing, showings, screening, the lease, and the move-in and move-out inspections.

What does VPMG charge?

8 percent of rent collected with a $199 monthly minimum, which only affects homes renting below about $2,490, plus a one-time placement fee of 50 percent of the first month's rent when a new tenant is placed. No setup, renewal, vacancy, inspection, or maintenance markup fees, and no management fee in a month with no rent collected.

Why does the calculator amortize the placement fee?

Because it is charged once per tenancy, not every year. A 50 percent placement fee on a tenant who stays two years costs a quarter of a month per year; on a three-year tenant it is one sixth. Comparing fee structures on a single year with a turnover overstates the placement fee and understates renewal fees and markups.

Is the management fee tax deductible?

Yes, on Schedule E, along with the placement fee. For an owner in the 24 percent bracket a $1,920 annual fee costs closer to $1,460 after tax. Ask a tax professional about your own situation.