Last updated: July 30, 2026. Public competitor pricing below was verified against each company’s published pricing page on this date; always confirm current terms directly with each company.
The Quick Answer
In Contra Costa County, property management commonly costs 6% to 12% of monthly rent, or a flat monthly fee, depending on the company and service level. Leasing (tenant placement) fees often range from 50% to 100% of one month’s rent, and many companies also charge setup fees, renewal fees, inspection fees, maintenance coordination fees, or percentage markups on repair invoices. Statewide fee guides such as TurboTenant and TenantCloud put California in the same range.
The best way to compare companies is not the headline percentage. It is the total annual cost: monthly management plus leasing, renewal, setup, inspection, and maintenance charges, applied to your actual rent.
The Fees That Make Up the Real Cost
Most management proposals draw from the same menu. Knowing the menu makes comparison easy:
| Fee type | What it covers | Common range |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly management | Rent collection, resident communication, maintenance intake, accounting | 6% to 12% of rent, or a flat monthly fee |
| Leasing / tenant placement | Marketing, showings, screening, lease prep, move-in | 50% to 100% of one month’s rent, or a minimum dollar amount |
| Lease renewal | Renewal negotiation and paperwork | Flat fee or a percentage of the lease total |
| Setup / onboarding | Opening your account and file | $0 to several hundred dollars |
| Maintenance markup or coordination | Handling vendor work | 0% to 15%+ on invoices, or a flat per-work-order fee |
| Inspection / condition assessment | Periodic property visits and reports | Included, or charged per visit |
| Cancellation | Ending the agreement early | Varies; ask before signing |
Two questions matter on every line: is the fee charged on rent due or rent collected, and is there a minimum that applies when your rent is below a certain amount?
Why the Lowest Percentage May Not Be the Cheapest Year
A 5% management fee looks cheaper than 8%. Whether it is cheaper depends entirely on what sits around it. Here is an illustrative first year on a $3,000/month rental with a new tenant placed:
| Pricing item | Low-headline example | Croskey Core Peace of Mind |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly management | 5% = $150/mo | 8% = $240/mo |
| Annual management | $1,800 | $2,880 |
| Leasing fee | 50% = $1,500 | 50% = $1,500 (capped at $1,750) |
| Renewal fee | $500 | $225 flat |
| Maintenance handling | 10% markup on every invoice | $49 flat per completed routine work order, no percentage markup |
| Visible first-year cost before maintenance | $3,800 | $4,605 |
The low-headline column looks cheaper on visible fees, and for some owners it genuinely is. But a percentage markup on maintenance invoices scales with every repair, minimum fees can raise the effective rate on lower rents, and service scope differs: oversight, reporting, inspections, and compliance work are not identical between companies. The point is not that one model is always better. The point is to compare the full scope at your rent number, not the headline percentage.
Verified Public Pricing in Contra Costa County (July 2026)
These figures come from each company’s public pricing page, checked July 30, 2026. They are summarized neutrally for comparison; plans change, so confirm details with each company.
| Company | Public monthly fee | Public leasing fee | Notes from their pricing page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contra Costa Property Management | Gold Package: 5% (tenant-placement-only plan has no monthly fee) | 50% of one month’s rent | No cancellation fee listed in their pricing table |
| PMI Contra Costa | Platinum: 6.9% of rent, $175/mo minimum. Diamond: 10.9%, $245/mo minimum | Platinum: 6% of first-year rent, $1,795 minimum. Diamond: 11%, $3,790 minimum | Lease-only: greater of 8% of total rent or $2,250; renewal 1.3% of lease total; condos +1%; 9% maintenance supervision fee |
| Croskey Real Estate | Core: 8% of rent collected, $195/mo minimum. Property Intelligence: 8% + $59/mo. Complete Property Stewardship: 12%, $275/mo minimum | Core: 50% of one month, $1,300 min / $1,750 max. Intelligence: $1,100 flat. Stewardship: $750 flat | Renewal $225 on Core (included above that); no percentage markup on vendor invoices; routine coordination $49 per completed work order |
Every number for Croskey comes from the live pricing page, which also has a calculator that applies these formulas to your exact rent.
What to Ask Before You Choose a Manager
Take this list to every company you interview:
- Is the monthly fee based on rent due or rent collected?
- Is there a minimum monthly fee, and what does it mean at my rent?
- What is the leasing fee, and does it have a minimum or a cap?
- Is there a lease renewal fee?
- Are maintenance invoices marked up, or is coordination a flat fee?
- Are inspections included or charged per visit?
- Is there a setup or onboarding fee?
- Is there a cancellation fee or required term?
- Is eviction coordination included or extra?
- What happens to fees when the property is vacant?
- How often do I get statements and property updates?
- Are lease compliance, notices, and legal coordination included?
A professional company will answer all twelve in writing without hesitation. Treat reluctance as information.
Contra Costa Pricing Factors
Fees and service needs are not uniform across the county. What your property costs to manage depends on:
- Location and property type. A newer Brentwood single-family home, an older Antioch property, and a Concord condo with HOA rules require different levels of attention. Some companies also surcharge condos and apartments.
- Rent amount. Minimum fees matter most on lower rents; percentage fees matter most on higher rents.
- Age and condition. Older systems generate more work orders, which is where markup structures quietly compound.
- Turnover risk and vacancy. Leasing fees are the largest single event cost; a company that keeps residents longer can be cheaper at a higher percentage.
- California compliance. Rent caps and just-cause rules under AB 1482, local ordinances, and security deposit law (AB 12) all add real work that should be included, not improvised.
Croskey Real Estate serves East Contra Costa: Pittsburg, Antioch, Brentwood, Oakley, Bay Point, and Concord.
How to Calculate the Real Annual Cost
Use one formula on every proposal:
Annual cost = (monthly fee x 12) + leasing fee + renewal fee + setup fee + inspection fees + maintenance markups or coordination fees
Worked example on a $3,000/month rental with a typical percentage-based proposal: 8% monthly management is $240/month, or $2,880/year. Add a 50% leasing fee ($1,500), a $300 renewal fee, a $200 setup fee, and a 10% markup on $2,000 of annual repairs ($200), and the real first-year cost is $5,080, not “8%.”
Run the same math on every company you are considering, at your actual rent, and the comparison becomes obvious in a way that percentage headlines never are.
When Professional Management Is Worth It
Management is worth paying for when the net outcome beats self-managing: pricing the rental correctly, marketing and showing it, screening applicants, preparing a compliant lease, collecting rent, coordinating maintenance, handling deposits and notices correctly, and keeping you out of avoidable legal trouble. The right manager should be judged by net outcome, not lowest fee: fewer vacant weeks, longer tenancies, fewer surprises, and clean accounting routinely outweigh a one-point difference in the management percentage.
Want to compare against your actual property? See our full pricing and run the calculator at your rent number, get a free rental analysis for your address, or if you are still deciding whether to rent the home out at all, start with the rent vs. sell calculator.
(925) 336-3282 | info@croskeyrealestate.com
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