Frequently Asked Questions
GPS Renting
Property Management
Find clear answers to common questions about our property management services, rental process, owner support, tenant policies, pricing, maintenance, and more.
How much does property management cost in Seattle with GPS Renting?
GPS Renting’s performance-based management tiers start at 10% of collected monthly rent, with no tenant placement fee, plus a one-time $295 initial property setup fee. Professional listing photography is optional at $295 when existing photos are not suitable and the owner approves new photography. For a home renting at $3,000 per month, the percentage-based fee is $300 per month while rent is being collected. During vacancy, the 10% fee is paused and only the tier minimum applies: $35 per month for Silver, $49 per month for Gold, or $99 per month for Platinum. Gold costs an additional $49 per month and has a $245 lease-renewal fee. Platinum costs an additional $99 per month and waives the lease-renewal fee. Gold and Platinum include the Tenant Placement, Eviction Management, and Pet Screening guarantees plus legal notice processing. Platinum also includes annual furnace and HVAC service and an annual interior plumbing check. All three performance-based tiers require an initial one-year management agreement. GPS Renting also offers a traditional 8% management model with separate tenant-placement fees for owners who prefer it.
What's included in the 10% management fee?
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, one property inspection during the resident’s first lease term, utility and move-in coordination, and Washington landlord-tenant law compliance. There is no separate tenant placement fee on the Silver, Gold, or Platinum Management Tier. The required one-time initial property setup fee is $295. If the existing listing photos are not suitable, professional listing photography is available for an optional $295 with owner approval.
How do property inspections work?
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.
Do you charge a tenant placement or leasing fee?
GPS Renting does not charge a tenant placement or leasing fee on the performance-based Silver, Gold, or Platinum Management Tier. Most Seattle property managers charge a separate placement fee whenever a new tenant moves in; GPS Renting removed that fee from its performance-based tiers so our incentive is to place qualified residents and support stable tenancies. A separate traditional management model is also available and does charge a tenant placement fee: 50% of one month’s rent for single-family homes, or 100% for gated condominiums where showings must be conducted in person.
What happens if my tenant doesn't pay rent?
You don’t pay us the percentage-based management fee for that period. Under our Rent Payment Guarantee, if your tenant doesn’t pay rent, we don’t collect the percentage-based management fee—we are paid when you are paid. On the Gold and Platinum Management Tiers, 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. Gold and Platinum also include legal notice processing, and our team handles the notice and resolution process in compliance with Washington law.
When do I receive my rental proceeds?
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.
How quickly do you respond to owners and tenants?
Our written guarantee is a response within 2 business days. If we miss it, you receive a $25 credit toward that month’s management fee.
How do you screen tenants?
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.
How long does it take to lease my property?
Our average time to lease is under 14 days. We market on Zillow, HotPads, and 30+ listing sites and offer self-guided and agent-led showings through ShowMojo. We use suitable existing listing photographs or, when needed and approved by the owner, optional professional listing photography to help market the property effectively.
What areas do you serve?
GPS Renting serves 32 cities across the Greater Seattle and Puget Sound region, including Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Bothell, Kenmore, Lynnwood, Everett, Renton, Kent, Issaquah, Sammamish, Shoreline, Edmonds, Mill Creek, and Woodinville. GPS Renting is also expanding to Central Florida, including the Winter Park and Orlando area.
Do you work with out-of-state and international property owners?
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.
Do you have Mandarin-speaking staff? / 你们有中文服务吗？
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.
How does maintenance work?
Our 24/7 maintenance team receives resident requests through the online portal. Our in-house crew handles many routine repairs; for larger jobs, we obtain bids from trusted local contractors when appropriate. Owner approval is required before non-emergency repair work costing more than $500 begins. Emergency repairs are handled case by case based on urgency, safety, legal requirements, and the need to prevent further property damage.
Are you licensed and accredited?
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.
What makes GPS Renting different from other Seattle property managers?
Four things. First, pricing: our performance-based Silver, Gold, and Platinum Management Tiers charge 10% of collected monthly rent with no tenant placement fee, compared with the traditional industry model of 8–10% plus a separate placement fee. GPS Renting also offers a separate traditional 8% model for owners who prefer it. 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 helps us deliver transparent and accountable property management. 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.”
Should I allow pets in my rental property?
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 Management Tiers, 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.
Do you accept Section 8 / housing choice vouchers?
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.
Can you take over a property that already has tenants in place?
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.
Can I cancel my management agreement?
New clients have a 60-day satisfaction window and may cancel during their first 60 days of service. If GPS Renting has already placed a tenant, the owner reimburses an amount equal to one month’s rent, as specified in the management agreement. After the 60-day window, the performance-based Silver, Gold, and Platinum Management Tiers are subject to the initial one-year management agreement and continue through the applicable lease term. Early cancellation is subject to the remaining management fees and other terms stated in the management agreement. Owners who prefer notice-based flexibility may select the traditional management model, which may be cancelled with 30 days’ written notice, subject to its agreement terms.
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