Field guide
How to Be a Property Manager
The legal rules and the operational playbook, in one place — for short-term, mid-term, and long-term rentals. Every claim is cited to a primary source. No filler.
General information, not legal advice. Laws change and vary by city and county — verify current rules and consult a local attorney before acting.
Start Here
The Complete Guide to Being a Property Manager
What a property manager actually does, licensing, business setup, the federal legal baseline, the owner-manager business side, and how to be good at the job.
Short-Term vs Mid-Term vs Long-Term Rentals
The one comparison that matters — income, effort, risk, and regulation — plus what actually changes operationally between the three strategies.
Running the Property
Marketing & Listings
Listing quality, channel strategy by rental type, vacancy economics, fair-housing-compliant advertising, and showings.
Pricing & Revenue
Rent comps and renewal math for long-term; dynamic pricing, minimum stays, and RevPAR for short-term; furnished premiums for mid-term.
Screening & Fair Housing
Compliant tenant checks: FCRA adverse-action mechanics, criminal-history guidance, assistance animals, source-of-income rules, and vouchers.
Turnovers, Cleaning & Maintenance
Turnover systems, cleaner redundancy, preventive maintenance, after-hours emergencies, safety devices, and vendor management.
Money & Legal
Money & Risk
Trust accounts and banking, bookkeeping and reserves, insurance for owners and managers, and 1099-vs-employee classification.
Rental Taxes
Schedule E, depreciation, the STR tax twists, 1099 obligations, and state-by-state occupancy taxes.
Deposits, Leases & Evictions
Lease essentials, required disclosures, deposit rules by state, habitability, retaliation, ending tenancies, and the eviction process.
By State
Property Management in California
DRE licensing, AB 12 deposit caps, AB 1482 rent caps and just cause, entry rules, and the state-level short-term rental posture.
Property Management in Texas
TREC licensing, deposit rules, statutory late-fee caps, the fast eviction process, and hotel occupancy taxes.
Property Management in Florida
DBPR/FREC licensing, Chapter 83 deposit clocks, eviction timelines, STR state preemption, and tourist development taxes.
Property Management in New York
DOS licensing, HSTPA deposit and late-fee rules, strong habitability protections, and the state-level rental landscape.
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