32 Questions to Ask a Property Manager in Detroit
32 questions to ask a Detroit property manager before you sign, grouped by topic, with what a good answer sounds like and a printable comparison checklist.
The most important questions to ask a property manager are how they charge (on rent collected or scheduled, plus every other fee), how they screen tenants, who does the maintenance, how they handle Detroit's city inspections and Section 8, how and when you get your money and statements, and how you can leave the contract. A good manager answers all of them specifically and in writing. A vague answer is an answer too.
Below are 32 questions grouped into eight topics, each with what a good answer sounds like. At the end there's a checklist table you can print or copy into a spreadsheet and fill in for each company you interview. If you're still building a shortlist, start with our guide to how to choose a property management company in Detroit.
Fees: what will this actually cost me?
Headline percentages hide a lot. These questions get you to a total annual cost. Our Detroit property management cost guide shows how to put two quotes side by side.
1. Is your management fee charged on rent collected or rent scheduled? Good answer: "Collected. If the unit is vacant or the tenant doesn't pay, we don't earn a management fee that month." That's the only model where the manager shares your downside.
2. What's your leasing (tenant placement) fee, and what does it cover? Good answer: a specific number (half a month, a full month, or a flat fee) and a list of what it includes: marketing, showings, screening, lease signing, and a move-in inspection with photos.
3. Do you charge for lease renewals, setup, inspections, or vacancy? Good answer: a complete list, in writing, with dollar amounts. "No hidden fees" isn't an answer. A fee schedule is.
4. Do you mark up maintenance invoices? By how much? Good answer: a clear yes or no, and the exact percentage if yes. A markup isn't a deal-breaker if it's disclosed and the work is good. A markup you find on your first statement is.
5. What's my all-in cost for a typical year? Good answer: they'll walk you through it with your rent, a typical repair budget, and one turnover. If they can't or won't, do it yourself before you sign.
Leasing and screening: who will live in my house?
6. What are your written screening criteria? Good answer: they send you the actual document. It should cover income, rental history, eviction history, and background, and it should be applied the same way to every applicant.
7. How do you verify income and rental history? Good answer: pay stubs, benefit letters, or voucher paperwork for income, plus calls to prior landlords (not just the current one, who may want the tenant gone).
8. How do you set the rent? Good answer: comparable homes they've leased recently on or near your block, adjusted for condition. Not a Zillow estimate. Be wary of a rent number far above other managers' quotes.
9. How long does it take you to fill a vacancy, on average? Good answer: a specific number of days from their own records, plus how it changes by season. Detroit metro rental vacancy ran 9.4% in 2025 per the U.S. Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey, so a manager should have a real plan for marketing.
10. How long does your average tenant stay, and what's your renewal rate? Good answer: they track it and can tell you. Turnover is one of the biggest costs in a rental, so a manager focused on retention saves you money.
Maintenance: who shows up, and what does it cost?
11. Who does your maintenance: in-house crews, outside vendors, or both? Good answer: a clear description of their crews or vendor network, how vendors are vetted and insured, and who's accountable when a repair fails.
12. What happens when a tenant calls at 10 p.m. with no heat? Good answer: a 24/7 emergency line, a response window in hours, and a crew that actually goes. In a city of older homes, winter emergencies are routine.
13. What's the dollar limit for repairs before you call me? Good answer: a specific approval threshold written into the agreement, with an exception only for true emergencies.
14. Do I get photos and itemized invoices on every repair? Good answer: yes, before and after, attached to your statement or visible in an owner portal.
15. How do you handle turnovers between tenants? Good answer: a move-out inspection with photos, a scoped make-ready list, a timeline, and a plan to re-lease quickly. Ask how they handle security deposit deductions under Michigan's rules (see our security deposit guide).
Detroit compliance: will my rental stay legal?
16. Do you handle Detroit rental registration and the Certificate of Compliance? Good answer: yes, including registering the property, scheduling the city inspection, meeting the inspector, and doing the repairs. In Detroit, you can't lawfully collect rent without a valid certificate. Our rental registration guide covers the process.
17. Is compliance included in the management fee or billed separately? Good answer: a direct answer either way. The city's own inspection fees are always the owner's cost, but the coordination may or may not be.
18. How many Detroit city inspections did you handle in the past year, and how often do homes pass the first time? Good answer: a real number and an honest pass rate, plus the items that most often fail on older homes (paint, windows, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors).
19. How do you track certificate expiration and renewals? Good answer: a system that flags renewals months ahead, not a reliance on the city's reminder notices.
Section 8: can you manage voucher tenants?
20. Do you work with Housing Choice Voucher tenants? Good answer: yes, with specifics on which housing agencies they work with in Detroit. Michigan added source-of-income protections in April 2025, so a blanket "no Section 8" policy can create legal risk for many landlords. Our Section 8 landlord guide covers the rules.
21. Who handles the RFTA, voucher inspections, and annual recertifications? Good answer: they do, start to finish, and they know the timelines for each agency.
22. How do you set and raise voucher rent? Good answer: they check the payment standard for your ZIP code and bedroom count, support the rent with comparables for the rent reasonableness review, and request increases when the lease anniversary allows. Ask for an example. Our Bentler case study shows a unit we took from $800 to $950, now 100% voucher-paid.
Communication and reporting: will I know what's going on?
23. Can I see a sample owner statement? Good answer: they send you a real one, with personal details removed. Look for income, line-item expenses, and repair detail.
24. When do statements and owner payouts arrive each month? Good answer: specific dates, every month, and a portal where you can see your ledger anytime.
25. Who is my point of contact, and how fast do you respond? Good answer: a named person or team and a response standard, such as one business day for owner emails.
26. How often do you inspect the property? Good answer: a set schedule (for example, periodic drive-bys plus interior inspections a couple of times a year), with photos you can see.
Contract terms and exit: how do I get out if it isn't working?
27. How long is the contract, and what's the termination clause? Good answer: a reasonable notice period and no large penalty for leaving. A manager who's confident in their work doesn't need to trap you.
28. If I leave, what happens to my tenants, leases, deposits, and records? Good answer: they transfer everything (leases, ledgers, deposits, keys, and vendor history) to you or your next manager within a set timeframe.
29. Who chooses the eviction attorney, and what does an eviction cost me? Good answer: a clear process, an estimate of court costs and attorney fees, and an explanation of how they try to avoid evictions in the first place. See our guide to the Michigan eviction process.
Owner money and trust accounts: where is my money?
30. Are you a licensed Michigan real estate broker, and what's the license number? Good answer: a license number you can verify yourself through the "Verify a License" tool on Michigan's LARA website. Michigan law treats managing rentals for others for a fee as real estate brokerage (MCL 339.2501).
31. Where are rent and security deposits held? Good answer: in a trust or escrow account kept separate from the company's own money. Michigan's broker rules require money held for others to go into such an account, with records of every deposit and disbursement (Mich. Admin. Code R 339.22313).
32. How often are those accounts reconciled, and can I see my ledger anytime? Good answer: monthly reconciliation and live access to your own ledger through an owner portal.
Printable checklist: compare your property managers
Copy this table into a doc or spreadsheet, add a column for each company, and fill it in during each call. A blank or vague answer is worth noting too.
| # | Question | What to write down | Company A | Company B |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fee on rent collected or scheduled? | Collected / scheduled | ||
| 2 | Leasing fee and what it covers | Amount, inclusions | ||
| 3 | Renewal, setup, inspection, vacancy fees | Each fee in dollars | ||
| 4 | Maintenance markup | Yes/no, percentage | ||
| 5 | Typical all-in annual cost | Dollar estimate | ||
| 6 | Written screening criteria | Received? | ||
| 7 | Income and history verification | Method | ||
| 8 | How rent is set | Comps or estimate | ||
| 9 | Average days to fill a vacancy | Days | ||
| 10 | Average tenant stay / renewal rate | Months / percent | ||
| 11 | Maintenance model | In-house / vendors | ||
| 12 | After-hours emergency process | Response time | ||
| 13 | Repair approval limit | Dollar amount | ||
| 14 | Photos and itemized invoices | Yes/no | ||
| 15 | Turnover process | Timeline | ||
| 16 | Handles registration and certificate | Yes/no | ||
| 17 | Compliance included or extra | Included / fee | ||
| 18 | Detroit inspections per year, pass rate | Number, percent | ||
| 19 | Certificate renewal tracking | System | ||
| 20 | Works with voucher tenants | Agencies | ||
| 21 | Handles RFTA, inspections, recerts | Yes/no | ||
| 22 | How voucher rent is set and raised | Example given? | ||
| 23 | Sample owner statement | Received? | ||
| 24 | Statement and payout dates | Dates | ||
| 25 | Point of contact, response time | Name, hours | ||
| 26 | Property inspection schedule | Frequency | ||
| 27 | Contract length, termination terms | Notice, fee | ||
| 28 | Handoff if you leave | Timeframe | ||
| 29 | Eviction process and cost | Estimate | ||
| 30 | Broker license number | Verified on LARA? | ||
| 31 | Where rent and deposits are held | Trust account? | ||
| 32 | Reconciliation and ledger access | Frequency, portal |
How should you score the answers?
Don't just count yes answers. Weight them:
- Deal-breakers: an unverifiable license (30), vague answers on where your money is held (31), or no plan for Detroit city compliance (16). Any one of these should end the conversation.
- High weight: fee basis and total cost (1 to 5), screening (6 and 7), maintenance model (11 and 12), and reporting (23 and 24). These drive most of your results.
- Tie-breakers: retention data (10), inspection schedule (26), and contract flexibility (27).
Then ask for proof. A manager who says they keep tenants should be able to show you one. Our Fleetwood case study shows a Harper Woods condo where one tenant stayed nearly five years on about $13 a month in repairs. If you want a refresher on what full-service management covers before your calls, read what a property manager does.
How Great Lakes PMG answers these questions
Great Lakes PMG is a licensed Michigan real estate brokerage, founded in 2006 and based in northwest Detroit, and we run our own maintenance and renovation crews. Our management fee is 10% of the rent we actually collect, and placing a new tenant is one month's rent. City compliance, Section 8 paperwork, and monthly owner statements are part of our Detroit property management.
We're happy to answer every question on this list on a call, including the uncomfortable ones. Bring the checklist.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask a property manager before hiring them?
Ask how they charge (rent collected or scheduled, plus every other fee), how they screen tenants, who does maintenance, how they handle Detroit city inspections and Section 8, where your money is held, when you get statements, and how you can end the contract.
What is a good answer to "how do you charge?"
A percentage of rent collected, not scheduled, with every other fee listed in writing. That way you don't pay a management fee on a vacant or non-paying month, and nothing surprises you on your first statement.
How do I verify a property manager's license in Michigan?
Use the "Verify a License" tool on Michigan's LARA website. It shows whether a real estate broker license is active and lists any disciplinary actions. Michigan law generally requires third-party property managers to be licensed brokers or work under one.
What questions should I ask about maintenance?
Ask who does the work, how fast they respond to emergencies, the dollar limit before they call you, whether invoices are marked up, and whether you'll get photos and itemized invoices for every repair.
What questions are specific to Detroit?
Ask whether they handle rental registration, the city inspection, and the Certificate of Compliance, whether that's included in the fee, how they track renewals, and how they work with Housing Choice Voucher tenants and the RFTA process.
How many property managers should I interview?
Two or three finalists is usually enough. Ask each one the same questions, fill in the checklist, and call at least two of their current owner clients before you decide.