What property management actually costs in Brooklyn

If you own a rental building in NYC, the honest answer to "how much does property management cost" is: it depends on the building. A well-run 4-unit brownstone in Bed-Stuy and a 40-unit rent-stabilized apartment building in Crown Heights are very different assignments, and a responsible manager prices them differently.

That's why we don't publish a one-size-fits-all number. Instead, this page explains how our pricing works, what's included, and how to get an exact quote for your building — so there are no surprises when you see your agreement.

How our pricing is structured

Every building is different, so your price is built around yours — and it's finalized during a free consultation, not pulled from a rate card. What never changes is the philosophy: one clear monthly fee, and no extra charges tacked on later.

Your monthly management fee is structured one of two ways — whichever fits your building best:

  • A flat fee per apartment. A simple, predictable monthly amount for each unit we manage. Easy to budget, no matter how rents move.
  • A percentage of the rent roll. A set percentage of the rent your building brings in, so our fee scales with your building's performance.

We'll walk you through both during your consultation and recommend the structure that makes the most sense for your building. Either way, you'll know your exact number before you sign — and that number is what you pay every month. No hidden markups, no mystery line items, no surprise charges.

And it stays the same no matter how much comes up. We get paid the same whether your building has a quiet month or a busy one — so we have no incentive to run up repairs, and we never mark up vendor work. Our job is to solve problems, not profit from them.

Schedule a property consultation →

What's included in the management fee

Your monthly fee isn't just "someone to call." It's a full operating team behind your building. Included:

  • Rent collection & financial reporting. Reliable collection and clear monthly statements through your secure AppFolio owner portal, so you always know how your building is performing.
  • Maintenance & vendor management. Repairs triaged by urgency, trusted preferred vendors, and immediate emergency response — coordinated through our maintenance operation.
  • Compliance. HPD registration and violation resolution, rent-stabilization filings and DHCR paperwork, Fair Housing adherence, and heat and hot-water requirements. This is where boutique expertise pays for itself.
  • Inspections & property oversight. Regular walk-throughs so small problems get caught before they become expensive ones.
  • Owner communication. Same-day responses whenever possible — from the principals who actually run your properties, not a call center.

See everything we cover on our full-service property management page.

Why we don't post a flat rate online

A single published rate looks tidy, but it hides the things that actually drive cost — and which fee structure will serve you best. When we scope your building, we look at:

  • Unit count and building size — a 2-unit and a 60-unit building require very different work.
  • Rent-stabilized vs. free-market mix — stabilized units carry extra filing, registration, and compliance obligations. This is our specialty, and we price it honestly rather than pretending it's the same as a market-rate walk-up.
  • Subsidized and voucher tenancies — programs like Section 8 and NYC subsidies come with inspections and paperwork we handle for you.
  • Building condition — deferred maintenance and open HPD violations mean more upfront work in your first months.
  • Occupancy and turnover — how often units turn affects leasing activity.

A property consultation lets us give you a real number instead of a guess.

What you're actually paying for

The fee is easy to focus on. The value is what most owners underestimate until they've switched. A good manager protects you from the costs that don't show up on a fee schedule:

  • Faster lease-ups. We routinely lease apartments in under seven days, drawing on the brokerage engine we grew out of. Every week a unit sits empty is rent you never get back — often far more than the management fee.
  • Better tenants. Our screening covers credit, income verification, rental history, and background review. One eviction avoided can dwarf a year of fees.
  • Fewer violations. Missed HPD deadlines and heat complaints turn into fines and legal exposure. Staying compliant is cheaper than fixing non-compliance.
  • Your time back. No more midnight leak calls, chasing late rent, or decoding DHCR notices.

We break the math down further in our guide to how much property management costs in NYC and our self-managing vs. hiring a manager comparison.

No hidden fees — that's the whole point

We built Yak Management because owners kept telling us their prior managers were slow, unresponsive, and impossible to get a straight answer from. Vague, marked-up invoices were part of that pattern. So we do the opposite:

  • Your agreement states exactly what's included.
  • You see every vendor invoice in your owner portal.
  • We don't bury administrative surcharges in your statement.

If you want the finer points, our pricing FAQs cover the questions owners ask most.

Get an exact quote for your building

The fastest way to know what management will cost you — and what your building should be earning — is a free, no-obligation consultation. We'll review your property, walk you through the two fee structures, and give you a clear price you can hold us to.

No pressure, no obligation — just a straight answer about what it costs to hand your building to a team that treats it like their own.