⚠️ Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions regarding rental properties, leases, or tenant screening.
When you rent out your house, which is the right time to hire a property management company in Florida? Is it after a certain number of units or after you have made a certain amount of money, or should you go ahead and hire a management company right from the start?
There are different approaches that are both effective.
Should You Manage the Property Yourself First?
If you have the ability, it’s always a good idea to learn the business from the ground up. It can’t hurt if you really want to learn all the details about the business to do it a little bit yourself. This is how you can build a system and understand how to run your properties.
There are also investors who attract a lot of self-sufficient tenants that stay for a long time, making their properties really easy to manage.
Before you hire a manager, make sure your home is ready for tenants. For a full checklist, see Things to Do Before Renting Out Your House In Florida.
When You Should Hire a Property Manager
There are three different situations where I would recommend not becoming a property manager yourself and hiring someone to do the work for you.
1. You Are Not Interested in Being a Landlord
The first situation is if you are not interested in becoming a property manager. You may not be interested in leasing properties or learning the business in that level of detail. You may just want to be an asset manager and manage from a higher level.
This can also happen if you do it for a period of time, but then you outgrow that interest. It is permissible to hire someone when that happens, whether it is on one property or on five properties.
A Critical Note on Your Finances
Here is an important piece of advice: Even if you start with self-management, you need to build the management fee into your numbers. When you buy a rental property, build in whatever the cost is (I use 10% in my area) as if you were paying someone else to do it.
If you manage it yourself, you pay yourself that money. If you lose interest or something changes in your life, you are financially able to outsource. If you don’t pay yourself a management fee, you are basically working for free.
2. You Are a Long-Distance Investor
Another situation where managing the property yourself probably doesn’t make sense is if you’re long-distance. If you’re buying a property that’s in Miami, Florida, but you are in California, it’s going to be very difficult, if not impossible, to manage it yourself.
Hybrid Management and Local Experts
There are situations where you might have a hybrid where you hire a leasing agent to manage the property. Having a team member on the ground is a big advantage to you in the long distance.
Having someone on the ground who knows the market is even more beneficial. They are the experts. My first call to a third party is to my property manager to ask them what this property will rent for or what the trend is in this neighborhood.
3. You Need Specific Expertise or Time
The third situation where it makes sense to go ahead and hire a property management company is when you have a real estate strategy or need some expertise or some extra time.
The one I’m thinking about specifically is Airbnb. We also have college student rentals; they have a lot of turnover, and the leasing process takes a little bit longer. There are a few more maintenance calls with apartments than with single-family houses.
Conclusion
Renting out your house in Florida with property management is not just about how many properties you own—it’s about your goals, your time, and your lifestyle. The right time to bring in a property management company depends on your personal situation.
If you don’t want the headache of tenants, repairs, and calls at odd hours, then a property manager is the smart choice. If you live far away and can’t handle local issues quickly, they become even more valuable. And if you’re running short-term rentals or other high-turnover properties, then you need systems and expertise that a management company already has.
Hiring a property manager isn’t just an expense—it’s an investment in stability, freedom, and long-term income.
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