Answers without the runaround.

Never. Maintenance is coordinated and billed at actual contractor cost on every tier. You receive the original contractor invoice — not a summary with a management fee layered on top. Adding a 10–15% "project management fee" on top of contractor costs is one of the primary ways traditional percentage-based PMs silently increase their revenue. We refuse to do it.

No. The monthly management fee applies only while the property is occupied. During vacancy, you pay $0 in management fees. This is not an introductory offer or a limited-time policy — it's a permanent feature of every tier. Our incentive to fill your property is identical to yours.

The placement fee (also called leasing fee) is a one-time fee charged when we successfully place a new tenant. It covers the full leasing cycle: marketing, showings, screening, application processing, and lease execution. It's charged per tenancy — not annually, and not on renewals. On the Preferred tier it's 35% of one month's rent. On Executive and the HCV Specialist plan, it's $0.

Three core differences:

1. Fee structure: We charge a flat monthly fee instead of a percentage of rent. A traditional manager charging 10% on a $2,400/mo rental costs $2,880/yr in management fees alone. Our Preferred tier costs $1,668/yr — $1,212 less.

2. Vacancy: Traditional managers often charge a reduced monthly fee (or sometimes full fee) even when the unit is vacant. We charge $0 during vacancy on all tiers.

3. Maintenance: Many percentage managers add 10–15% to contractor invoices as a "project management" surcharge. We charge $0 markup on all maintenance.

The flat structure also means our monthly fee doesn't grow when market rents rise — we're not incentivized to push rent up just to increase our own revenue.

Rent is collected online through the Owner Portal (Innago). Tenants pay electronically. Owner disbursements are processed by ACH — typically by the 15th of each month following rent collection. You receive a monthly itemized statement with every disbursement. For Section 8 / HCV properties, we reconcile both the housing authority (HAP) payment and the tenant portion.

Maintenance requests above your pre-agreed approval threshold are submitted to you for authorization before we dispatch. For routine or emergency repairs below that threshold, we act and then notify you. All maintenance history, invoices, and status are visible in the Owner Portal. You see the actual contractor invoice — no markups, no surprises.

We handle the full notice sequencing (pay-or-quit, cure-or-quit, etc.) per Texas PC §92, document everything, and coordinate with a licensed Texas eviction attorney when legal proceedings are required. Legal fees (court costs, attorney fees) are an owner cost — we don't markup those either. We walk you through the process, handle the documentation and scheduling, and stay involved through the judgment and writ of possession. We do not draft eviction petitions ourselves — that requires licensed legal counsel per Texas law.

Yes. Owners who purchase through Texas Homes Rebates (EXL's new-construction buyer rebate platform) can transition directly to ManageWithEXL PM — same broker, no gap, no double onboarding. We handle new-construction rentals routinely: punch-list tracking, builder warranty coordination, and first-tenant placement. Contact us to discuss a combined purchase-and-manage package.

Yes — we built a dedicated HCV Specialist tier specifically for it. At 8% of rent flat with $0 placement fee, we handle the HUD initial inspection, Housing Quality Standards (HQS) annual inspections, HAP contract execution, and monthly housing authority reconciliation. Dallas Housing Authority (DHA) and HANO processes are ones we navigate regularly. When managed correctly, HAP-backed rent is extremely reliable — the housing authority portion doesn't bounce.

We schedule the initial HUD / HANO Housing Quality Standards inspection, coordinate any required repairs to achieve a passing inspection, and execute the HAP contract with the housing authority. We handle all documentation. Annual recertification inspections are also coordinated through us. The tenant pays their portion directly through the portal; the housing authority pays their portion (HAP) directly to EXL as PM, which is then disbursed to you.

Yes. Management is month-to-month after the initial 90-day onboarding period. Either party may cancel with 30 days written notice. There are no early-termination penalties. If a tenant placement is already in progress when you cancel, you will not be charged a leasing fee for that placement. All owner funds, security deposits, and property records are transferred to you within 10 business days of cancellation.

Yes. The Owner Portal gives you real-time access to rent ledgers, maintenance history (with original invoices), inspection reports, lease documents, and monthly statements. You're notified for maintenance above your approval threshold and for any tenant issues requiring your input. Nothing significant happens to your property without you knowing.

Your PM agreement is with EXL Realty Group (Texas Real Estate Broker License #9015220), a licensed Texas brokerage. All property management activities are conducted under the broker license — giving you the full legal protections of a brokerage relationship. ManageWithEXL is a service offering of EXL Realty Group, not an unlicensed PM operation.

As a division of EXL Realty Group, we can handle the sale directly — same broker, same relationship, no handoff to a stranger. If you prefer to list through ListWithEXL (our flat-fee MLS platform) or use a full-service agent through EXL, both options are available. Contact us to discuss the transition.

Start with a free rental analysis — submit your property address and contact info through our contact form or call (469) 829-7863. We'll review your property, pull current DFW rental comps, and send you a detailed rental estimate with a custom PM proposal within one business day. If you want to move forward, you sign a PM agreement digitally (under 10 minutes) and we take it from there.

We serve the entire Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, including Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Garland, Mesquite, Irving, Grand Prairie, Arlington, Frisco, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, Denton, Lewisville, Carrollton, and surrounding DFW suburbs.

No. We work with out-of-state and international owners regularly. Our digital onboarding, online owner portal (via Innago), and direct deposit rent disbursement are designed for remote owners. You can review and approve everything from anywhere.

Tenants submit maintenance requests through the tenant portal. We triage the request, coordinate with qualified licensed contractors from our vendor network, obtain your approval for any work above $300, and follow through to completion. You receive the actual contractor invoice — no markup added.

Never. We pass through the exact contractor invoice. We do not charge a coordination fee, project management fee, or any percentage of the repair cost. You pay what the contractor charges.

We run a comprehensive background check covering credit score, national criminal history, sex offender registry, prior eviction history, rental history verification, and income verification (minimum 3x monthly rent). Every applicant result is shared with you and you have final approval before any lease is executed.

We follow a documented delinquency workflow: reminder notice at day 1, formal late notice per the lease terms, and a Pay or Quit notice at day 4 (Texas law allows this). If the tenant does not cure, we initiate the eviction filing process. We do not give arbitrary extensions that expose you to liability. Note: we handle the management side of eviction proceedings; an attorney files the actual petition (required under Texas law).