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South Florida Property Management FAQs

Straight answers for South Florida property owners and investors, from a licensed brokerage that manages residential and commercial properties across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. Have a question that is not here? Contact us for a free rental analysis.

Should you hire a property manager?

Is hiring a property manager worth it?

Yes for most investors who own more than one unit, live away from the property, or do not want day to day involvement. A good manager usually offsets its fee through lower vacancy, better tenant screening, better maintenance pricing, and fewer costly legal mistakes, so many owners net more even after paying management. At Luxury Property Care we manage like owners, because we are investors ourselves.

Should I self manage or hire a property manager?

Self managing can make sense if you own one unit within a short drive and enjoy handling repairs, tenant calls, and Florida’s legal notices yourself. Hire a manager once the property is out of your area, you own multiple units, or the time and legal risk outweigh the fee.

What does a property manager actually do?

A full service manager markets the unit, screens tenants, prepares the lease, collects rent, coordinates maintenance and vendors, handles inspections, enforces the lease including evictions, keeps you compliant with Florida law, and reports on performance. Luxury Property Care handles all of this for residential and commercial properties across South Florida.

Choosing a property manager

What questions should I ask before hiring a property management company?

Ask about years of experience with your property type, whether they are licensed, how they screen tenants, how they handle maintenance and after hours emergencies, their full fee schedule in writing, how and how often they pay owners and report, average response time, and references from current owners. If any fee or process is not in writing, treat that as a red flag.

What are the signs of a bad property manager?

Warning signs include slow or missing communication, surprise or undisclosed fees, weak tenant screening, deferred maintenance, outdated systems such as paper checks and mailed reports, and no clear owner reporting. If tenant complaints are rising and you cannot reach anyone, it is time to reassess.

Are you a licensed property management company?

Yes. Luxury Property Care is a licensed Florida real estate brokerage, and our founders are licensed real estate brokers with over 20 years of investment and management experience. In Florida, any company managing property for others for compensation must hold an active broker license. The vendors we dispatch carry their own insurance.

Fees and pricing

How much does a property manager cost in South Florida?

Luxury Property Care charges 8% to 10% of collected rent for full service management, with the exact rate depending on your portfolio size and property type. There are no renewal fees, vacancy fees, onboarding fees, or termination fees.

What extra or hidden fees should I watch for?

With Luxury Property Care, none. We do not charge renewal fees, vacancy fees, onboarding or setup fees, or termination fees. The only charges are the monthly management fee and a one time leasing fee, both disclosed up front in writing. Across the wider industry, watch for add ons that can push a company’s true first year cost to 18% to 20% of annual rent.

Do I still pay the management fee when my property is vacant?

No. Our management fee is a percentage of collected rent, so if the unit is vacant and no rent comes in, there is no management fee, and we never charge a separate vacancy fee.

What is a leasing fee, and how does yours work?

A leasing fee is a one time charge to market the property, show it, screen applicants, and prepare the lease, and it applies only when a new tenant is placed. Ours is one month’s rent to advertise on the MLS, and half of that goes to the cooperating broker. If we find the tenant directly, we pass the savings to you and charge only half a month. If your existing tenant renews, there is no leasing fee at all.

Switching property managers

How do I switch property management companies?

It is simple with us. We contact your current management company, collect all the documents and records we need, and notify your tenant that Luxury Property Care is now managing the property. There is no onboarding charge, and since we do not lock clients into termination fees, the whole move is low friction with no gap in coverage.

Do you charge a termination fee?

No. Luxury Property Care does not charge a termination fee. We would rather keep clients who are happy with our service than lock in owners who want to leave, and we think that alignment makes us both better off.

Out of state and absentee owners

Can you manage my property if I live out of state or overseas?

Yes. We work with many absentee and out of state owners and run everything on the ground in South Florida, from leasing and maintenance to inspections, compliance, and rent collection, with full transparency through your owner portal.

How and how often do I get paid?

You are paid by ACH direct deposit, and you have full transparency through an online owner portal with income, expenses, statements, and documents available anytime.

Can you act as my registered agent in Florida?

No, Luxury Property Care does not act as a registered agent. If your rental is held in a Florida LLC, you will need to appoint a registered agent with a physical Florida address separately, and we are glad to point you in the right direction.

Florida law and compliance

Do I need a license to rent out my property in Florida?

As the owner, you do not need a license to rent your own property. But anyone managing property for others for compensation must hold an active Florida real estate broker license, which is one reason to use a licensed brokerage like Luxury Property Care rather than an unlicensed manager.

How does the eviction process work in Florida, and how long does it take?

Florida evictions start with a written statutory notice, three days for nonpayment or seven to fifteen days for other violations, then a court filing if unresolved. A straightforward nonpayment case usually takes about four to six weeks, with filing and service costs commonly running 300 to 1,000 dollars or more. We handle the process end to end and keep it fully compliant.

Can a landlord change the locks or shut off utilities to remove a tenant?

No. Self help evictions such as changing locks or cutting utilities are illegal in Florida and expose the owner to serious liability. The only lawful path is the formal court eviction process, which we manage for you.

Do you hold a CAM license, and do you manage HOAs?

We hold a Florida CAM (community association manager) license, but we focus on managing owners’ individual properties and do not provide HOA or condo association management.

South Florida specifics

Do I need landlord insurance in South Florida, and what about hurricanes?

Landlord insurance is strongly recommended and lenders usually require it. Hurricane and wind coverage carries a separate deductible, often 2% to 10%, and flood is almost always excluded and bought separately. Good news for 2026: South Florida premiums are actually decreasing, roughly 11% to 14% across Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. If you would like, we will also arrange protective measures such as boarding up the property ahead of a storm.

Can I rent my Miami or South Florida condo on Airbnb?

Often not without restrictions. Even where the city and county allow short term rentals, your building’s condo declaration and HOA rules override everything, and many Miami buildings prohibit rentals under 30 days. Luxury Property Care manages long term annual rentals and helps owners confirm what their building actually allows.

How we operate

How quickly do you respond to owners and tenants?

We respond the same day, and we are available 24 hours a day for emergencies. Our phone system pushes emergency voice messages to every member of our team, so urgent issues never wait.

How often do you inspect the property?

We inspect at every opportunity. In practice that means checking the property on every visit, usually whenever we send a vendor out. When a tenant is in place we avoid unnecessary disturbance, but any time we are at the property for any reason, we inspect it.

How do you handle repairs and approvals?

We always get your written approval before any repair. The only exception is a genuine emergency, like a water leak in the middle of the night, where we have to act immediately to preserve the property and prevent further damage, and we notify you right away.

How do you set the right rent and how long will it take to lease?

We check the MLS for recent comparable rentals and price to maximize your income while keeping time on market low, and we provide a free rental analysis before you commit. When a property is priced correctly, we typically get it rented in under 30 days.

Probate and inherited properties

Can you manage or rent out a house that is in probate?

Yes. With proper legal authority, typically from the personal representative or a court order, an estate property can be professionally managed and even leased during probate so it produces income instead of draining the estate. We also serve as a court-appointed receiver when the case calls for it. See our probate and inherited property services.

What if the estate cannot afford the property’s upkeep during probate?

Under a written agreement, and with court approval where applicable, we can advance the property’s necessary expenses, such as insurance, utilities, and repairs, and be reimbursed later from rental income or from the sale proceeds at closing. Heirs pay nothing out of pocket while the property stays protected.

Do heirs have to sell an inherited house right away?

No. There is no legal deadline, and selling fast to a cash buyer usually means accepting well below market value. The estate can hold, rent, and sell at full value when the time is right. Our guide to selling an inherited house in Florida walks through the options.

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