If you own a rental along the Grand Strand and you’re thinking about handing off the day-to-day, one question comes up before all the others: what will it actually cost you? It’s a fair question, and one that’s surprisingly hard to get a straight answer to. A lot of companies say their pricing is “competitive” and “transparent” and then never show you a number. This guide lays out how Myrtle Beach property management fees really work — what you’ll typically pay, what’s included, and how to compare quotes so you’re not caught off guard later.
We manage long-term annual rentals across Horry and Georgetown counties, and we believe you should be able to see the math before you ever sign anything. So let’s walk through it.
The monthly management fee
This is the core of what you’ll pay. For long-term rentals, most managers charge a percentage of the rent they collect each month — the range across the industry runs roughly 8% to 12%, with a national average right around 8.5%. On a Myrtle Beach-area home renting near the local median of about $1,725 a month, an 8–10% fee works out to roughly $140–$175 a month.
One detail worth asking about: is the fee charged on rent collected or rent due? A “percentage of collected rent” model means that if the tenant doesn’t pay, the manager doesn’t get paid either — which keeps everyone rowing in the same direction. That’s how we do it. Our fee is 10% monthly management fee, and you can see it spelled out before you sign.
The tenant placement (leasing) fee
The second common charge is a one-time fee each time a new tenant is placed. This covers marketing the property, showings, screening applicants, running background and credit checks, and preparing the lease. Industry-wide, placement fees usually run from 50% up to 100% of the first month’s rent.
Because this fee recurs every time there’s a turnover, it’s one of the biggest reasons tenant retention matters so much to your bottom line. A manager who places a solid tenant and keeps them for years saves you this cost over and over. Our placement fee is equal to one month’s rent, and our renewal fee is half a month’s rent.
The smaller fees to ask about
Beyond those two, there are several line items that vary a lot from company to company. This is usually where “hidden” costs hide, so it’s worth asking about each one directly:
- Setup / onboarding fee: a one-time charge to bring your property into their system, typically $200–$500 industry-wide.
- Lease renewal fee: charged when an existing tenant re-signs, often $200–$500 or a smaller percentage of rent.
- Maintenance markup: some managers add 10–15% on top of a contractor’s invoice for coordinating repairs. Ask whether they mark up maintenance at all.
- Vacancy fee: a charge (often $50–$150/month) while the unit sits empty. Not everyone charges this.
- Inspection and eviction-coordination fees: usually a few hundred dollars when they apply.
None of these are automatically red flags — running a property costs money, and someone has to do the work. What matters is that they’re disclosed up front and explained in plain language. If a company can’t or won’t give you a full list, that tells you something.
What “transparent pricing” should actually look like
Here’s a useful rule of thumb: when all the fees are added together, first-year costs across the industry often land somewhere around 12–15% of gross rent once placement and setup are included. That’s not a scare number — it’s just the honest all-in figure that a simple “8% headline” can hide.
A transparent manager should be able to hand you a one-page breakdown showing the monthly fee, the placement fee, and every other charge that could ever appear on your statement. You shouldn’t have to reverse-engineer it from a contract. If you’re comparing three or four Myrtle Beach companies, ask each of them for that one page and lay them side by side — you’ll learn a lot fast.
The takeaway
Property management pricing isn’t complicated once it’s laid out: a monthly management fee (usually 8–12% of collected rent), a tenant placement fee when someone new moves in, and a handful of smaller fees that should be disclosed before you sign. The right question isn’t just “what’s your percentage?” — it’s “can I see everything I’d ever be charged, in writing?” A good local manager will say yes without blinking.
Keep in mind that fee structures differ by company and can change over time, so always confirm the current specifics directly with any manager you’re considering — including us.
If you’d like to see exactly what managing your property would cost — with real numbers for your specific home, no vague “competitive rates” — request a free property evaluation. We’ll pick up the phone, walk you through the math, and you can decide from there. No pressure, no surprises.