Understanding Why Property Managers Charge Maintenance Fees in Southern Maryland

Property managers in Southern Maryland, in St. Mary's, Calvert, and Charles Counties, charge for maintenance because they are responsible for coordinating and overseeing all repairs and upkeep on a rental property, which includes finding contractors, managing the repair process, and ensuring timely completion, essentially acting as a middleman between the property owner and repair services, for which they typically add a markup to cover their time and expertise; this means they don't directly pay for repairs themselves, but rather charge a fee for managing the maintenance process.

Key points about property manager maintenance charges:

Coordination and oversight:

The primary role of a property manager regarding maintenance is to coordinate repairs, not necessarily perform them; this includes finding qualified contractors, getting quotes, scheduling work, and following up to ensure the job is completed properly.

Markup on repair costs:

To cover their time and effort, property managers usually add a percentage markup to the cost of repairs billed to the property owner.

Emergency repairs:

Property managers are responsible for handling emergency repairs, which often come with additional fees due to the urgency of the situation.

Preventative maintenance:

Some property managers may also include proactive maintenance tasks like inspections and preventative repairs within their management fees.

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