Rental Agencies
You can hire a real estate management firm or a real estate agency to advertise and show your apartment and screen prospective tenants, but it will not be cost effective unless you're working a full-time job. Look under Real Estate Management and Real Estate Rental Services in your yellow pages. A management company can also handle month-to-month maintenance issues. The service is particularly helpful if you are unable to maintain the property yourself or spend time away from your building.
Anytime you ask anyone to help you with your property — whether agency, management firm, or skilled professional — ask for credentials. You want to hire only those firms and individuals that are reputable and insured.
The agent who finds a tenant for your unit generally is paid a commission of a month's rent or the security deposit. Then if the firm also manages your property — and that would be standard with a management company — you also pay either a flat fee per month or 10 percent of the total rent the property grosses.
