Frequently Asked Questions — GPS Renting Property Management

Question 1

How much does property management cost in Seattle with GPS Renting?

Accepted Answer

GPS Renting charges a flat 10% of collected monthly rent, with no tenant placement fee, plus a one-time $295 onboarding fee. For a home renting at $3,000/month, that's $300/month — and you pay nothing when the property is vacant, because we only collect our fee on rent we actually collect. Optional Owner Benefit Package tiers add preventive maintenance and owner protections: Gold (+$49/month, with a reduced lease-renewal fee) and Platinum (+$99/month, with the renewal fee waived) — both tiers also carry the Tenant Placement, Eviction Management, and Pet Screening guarantees. By comparison, the traditional Seattle model charges 8–10% plus a tenant placement fee of 50–100% of the first month's rent — often $1,500–$3,500 extra per turnover.

Question 2

What's included in the 10% management fee?

Accepted Answer

Everything required to run your rental: marketing and leasing on 30+ listing sites, tenant screening, lease preparation and signing, rent collection, monthly owner statements, maintenance coordination with our 24/7 team, a property inspection during the first lease term, utility and move-in coordination, and Washington landlord-tenant law compliance. There is no separate tenant placement fee on the Silver plan; the only one-time charge is a $295 onboarding fee.

Question 3

How do property inspections work?

Accepted Answer

A property inspection during the first lease term is included in your management fee. After that, additional inspections are available any time on request and are billed to the owner at cost — you choose the cadence that fits your property and budget.

Question 4

Do you charge a tenant placement or leasing fee?

Accepted Answer

No. On our Silver (10%) plan, tenant placement is included. Most Seattle property managers charge a separate placement fee of 50–100% of one month's rent every time a new tenant moves in; we removed that fee so our incentive is keeping your property occupied with a great long-term tenant, not churning tenants.

Question 5

What happens if my tenant doesn't pay rent?

Accepted Answer

You don't pay us either. Our written guarantee: if your tenant doesn't pay rent, we don't collect our management fee for that period — we are only paid when you are paid. On Gold and Platinum plans we go further: if a tenant we screened and placed defaults, we find a new tenant at no cost and manage the property fee-free for a full year once a new paying tenant is in place. Our team handles the notice and resolution process in compliance with Washington law.

Question 6

When do I receive my rental proceeds?

Accepted Answer

Owner payments are sent between the 8th and 10th of each month, with email confirmation, and you can view financial statements anytime in your owner portal. Our written guarantee: if we don't send your monthly proceeds within 10 business days of receiving rent, we waive that month's management fee.

Question 7

How quickly do you respond to owners and tenants?

Accepted Answer

Most owner messages are answered within one business day. Our written guarantee: a response within 2 business days — if we miss it, you receive a $25 credit toward that month's management fee.

Question 8

How do you screen tenants?

Accepted Answer

Every application goes through credit, income, criminal background, and rental history screening, as permitted by Washington and Seattle law. Our full written screening criteria are published with every application, and the same criteria are applied consistently to every applicant in full compliance with fair housing laws.

Question 9

How long does it take to lease my property?

Accepted Answer

Our average time to lease is under 14 days. We market on Zillow, HotPads, and 30+ listing sites, use professional photography, and offer self-guided and agent-led showings through ShowMojo to fill vacancies fast.

Question 10

What areas do you serve?

Accepted Answer

The Greater Seattle / Puget Sound region, including Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Bothell, Kenmore, Lynnwood, Everett, Renton, Kent, Issaquah, Sammamish, Shoreline, Edmonds, Mill Creek, and Woodinville — 26 cities in total. We are expanding to Central Florida (Winter Park / Orlando area).

Question 11

Do you work with out-of-state and international property owners?

Accepted Answer

Yes — this is one of our specialties. Hundreds of our owners live outside Washington, including overseas. We provide year-end 1099s, cash flow statements, coordination with local accountants for tax returns, and a fully online owner experience. 我们提供中文服务 — our bilingual team serves Mandarin-speaking owners in their preferred language.

Question 12

Do you have Mandarin-speaking staff? / 你们有中文服务吗？

Accepted Answer

Yes. 有的。GPS Renting's team includes native Mandarin speakers, and we support Chinese-speaking property owners through WeChat, email, and phone, in addition to publishing Mandarin-language landlord education content on YouTube and Xiaohongshu (小红书). WeChat: gpsfangchan.

Question 13

How does maintenance work?

Accepted Answer

Our 24/7 maintenance team receives tenant requests through the online portal. Our in-house crew handles most routine repairs; for larger jobs we collect at least three bids from trusted local contractors so you get the best price. Repairs over $500 require your approval before work begins.

Question 14

Are you licensed and accredited?

Accepted Answer

Yes. GPS Renting operates under a Washington State managing broker license, and GPS Renting LLC has been BBB accredited since 2025. Our leadership team includes licensed real estate brokers, and founder Nick He brings prior experience at Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, and SAP.

Question 15

What makes GPS Renting different from other Seattle property managers?

Accepted Answer

Four things. First, pricing: a flat 10% with no placement fee, versus the industry-standard 8–10% plus large placement fees. Second, written guarantees: 9 specific service commitments with defined fee waivers and credits — not marketing promises, but contractual accountability. Third, technology: we run AI-native operations on modern platforms, which is why we can offer transparent pricing profitably. Fourth, purpose: through our Every Home Helps a Child commitment, a portion of company profits supports orphanages around the world. Our motto is "Professional. Honest. Kind."

Question 16

Should I allow pets in my rental property?

Accepted Answer

We recommend it, and we make it safe to say yes. Pet-friendly listings reach a significantly larger tenant pool, and every pet goes through our rigorous pet screening process. On Gold and Platinum plans, our Pet Screening Guarantee backs that process: if a pet we approved causes damage beyond the security and pet deposits, we waive up to 3 months of management fees toward the repairs.

Question 17

Do you accept Section 8 / housing choice vouchers?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Washington law prohibits discrimination based on a renter's source of income, and we process voucher applications under the same published screening criteria as every other application, with a defined policy for the additional paperwork and inspection steps vouchers involve.

Question 18

Can you take over a property that already has tenants in place?

Accepted Answer

Yes — this is common. We have a defined onboarding process for properties with existing residents: we review the current lease, introduce ourselves to your tenants, move payments and maintenance requests onto our portal, and continue the tenancy without disruption.

Question 19

Can I cancel my management agreement?

Accepted Answer

New clients have a 60-day satisfaction window: you can cancel any time within your first 60 days of service (if a tenant has already been placed, you reimburse a placement fee of one month's rent). After that window, the 10% plan runs through the current lease term — because we charge no tenant placement fee, our costs are recovered across the lease, so early cancellation carries a penalty of the remaining lease's management fees. If you prefer notice-based flexibility, our traditional plan (management fee plus a tenant placement fee) can be cancelled with written notice.

GPS RENTING FAQ

Seattle Property Management Questions, Answered

Everything you need to know before hiring a property manager

Ready to Elevate Your Property's Performance?