Put the monthly rate beside its calculation

Ask what the percentage applies to. Is it collected income, scheduled rent or something else? Identify any minimum charge, partial-month treatment and other conditions rather than filling gaps with assumptions.

Oahu Living’s monthly management rate is 10% of monthly gross income collected on Oʻahu and 13% on the Big Island. If monthly gross income collected is $3,000, those percentages produce a $300 or $390 monthly management fee, respectively.

That is management-fee arithmetic only. It does not include other charges or property expenses and is not an estimate of your take-home income. An asking-rent estimate also does not establish future collections, occupancy or expenses. Refer to the Oʻahu pricing or Big Island pricing page and the property-specific agreement.

A similar percentage can describe different work

Hypothetical comparison: Two proposals show the same monthly percentage. One calculates the fee on collected income; the other uses scheduled rent. One lists owner-paid photography separately; the other leaves photography unstated. The percentage alone cannot tell you which arrangement costs less or better fits the property. Record the fee basis and ask what the unstated item includes before comparing totals. This is an illustration, not a description of another company’s proposal.

Separate the service fee from ownership costs

Repairs, cleaning, photography and other property expenses do not disappear when you hire a manager. Oahu Living coordinates property photography, rental marketing and showings; photography costs are owner-paid. Larger projects and additional services may carry separate charges under the agreed scope.

GET filing is included at no additional service fee. The tax owed is separate. That distinction is more useful than a broad claim that “taxes are included.” Ask about any tax-related work outside the confirmed service rather than assuming every filing or prior-period issue is covered.

Also distinguish money held for property needs from a fee earned by the manager. Review account-funding arrangements and how additional funds are requested. A proposal with a lower headline percentage is not necessarily less expensive overall; equally, a higher fee is not evidence of better service.

Match the scope to how you want to stay involved

Consider the work you want delegated and the decisions you want to retain. A furnished home, a condo with building-access procedures and a property with extensive grounds may present different coordination needs.

For maintenance, ask when the manager can authorize work and when an owner decision is needed. Oahu Living contacts the owner when a single repair or replacement is expected to exceed the pre-approved limit in the management agreement, with exceptions for emergencies, habitability and work required by law.

For reporting, Oahu Living provides monthly itemized income and expense statements, an annual owner statement, Form 1099 and owner-portal access to property financial activity. Ask how to raise a transaction question; do not assume every provider uses the same report format or communication process.

Resolve open questions before choosing

Read the agreement’s ending provisions as carefully as its service list. If you are changing managers, review the existing and proposed arrangements before settling on a handover date. Obtain appropriate legal advice if you need an interpretation of disputed terms.

Then identify your essential requirements, compare the documented scope and request written clarification of unresolved points. A useful final check is whether you can explain the same services, fee-triggering events and exclusions for each proposal. Treat unsupported performance claims as questions to investigate—not substitutes for clear terms.

Copyable proposal worksheet

For each question below, record: Proposal A: ____; Proposal B: ____; document/page reference: ____; question still open: ____. Use the same property and service period.

• Monthly fee: rate, collected or scheduled income basis, minimum and taxes on fees.
• Leasing and renewal: event, calculation and whether both can apply in the same year.
• Vendors: invoice cost, any markup, coordination charge or related-party relationship, and who approves work.
• Handover: records, funds, keys, open work, responsible person and effective date.
• Termination: notice, any charge, continuing obligations and timing for records and funds.

Hypothetical annual comparison

This invented example compares fee structures, not actual providers or Oahu Living pricing. Assume the same $3,000 monthly rent, 12 months scheduled ($36,000), 11 months collected ($33,000), one leasing event and no renewal. Property expenses and taxes are excluded equally.

Proposal A: 10% of collected rent ($3,300) plus a $1,000 leasing fee = $4,300. Proposal B: 9% of scheduled rent ($3,240) plus a $1,200 leasing fee = $4,440. Under these assumptions A is $140 lower, despite the higher percentage. Change the collection or fee assumptions and the result may change. This does not predict occupancy, service quality or net income.