Costs
Property management fees in Ottawa: what owners actually pay
5 min read · Updated 2026
Most Ottawa owners comparing management companies get quoted a single percentage and assume that is the cost. It rarely is. Here is how the fee structure actually breaks down, and what to ask before you sign anything.
The monthly management fee
This is the recurring fee, charged as a percentage of collected rent. It covers the day-to-day: rent collection, tenant communication, maintenance coordination, and monthly statements.
Good Tree charges 8% of monthly rent as our default, configurable per owner and per property. Larger portfolios and multi-unit buildings often land lower.
- Ask whether the fee is on collected rent or scheduled rent — collected aligns the manager with you.
- Ask what happens during a vacancy. If the fee is on scheduled rent, you pay while the unit sits empty.
- Ask if statements and portal access are included or billed separately.
The tenant placement fee
A one-time fee charged when a new tenant is placed. It pays for listing, photos, marketing, showings, screening, lease drafting, and move-in.
Good Tree charges 50% of one month's rent, once, only when a qualified tenant signs. If the placement fails, you should not be paying twice within the same year — ask about a replacement guarantee.
Onboarding and setup costs
Some companies charge a setup fee to take a property on: inspection, document migration, portal setup. Good Tree charges nothing for onboarding.
The add-ons that surprise owners
None of these are unreasonable on their own. The problem is discovering them after the fact. Ask for a full fee schedule in writing and compare the all-in annual cost, not just the headline percentage.
- Maintenance markups — a percentage added on top of every vendor invoice.
- Lease renewal fees charged annually for a signature.
- Inspection fees billed per visit rather than included.
- Statement, mail, or technology fees.
- Eviction or Landlord and Tenant Board filing coordination charged hourly.
How to compare two quotes properly
Take a real unit. Assume one turnover in the next 24 months. Add: monthly fee x 24, one placement fee, any renewal fee, any maintenance markup on a realistic repair budget, plus setup. That total is your real cost of management. A 6% quote with markups and add-ons routinely costs more than a clean 8%.
Have Good Tree run it instead
Full-service management across Ottawa and the National Capital Region — 8% monthly, 50% placement, no onboarding fees.