Owner guide · Hiring a manager
What a property manager does for you, and what it costs.
The benefits of hiring a manager for an Ontario rental, the trade-offs, and when you might manage it yourself.
By Pickdex
General information, not legal, tax or insurance advice. Rules and policies change, and your own lease and insurance policy decide what applies to you. Sources checked Oct 14, 2026.
What you’re paying for
A property manager takes on the landlord work you’d otherwise do yourself: advertising and showing the unit, screening tenants, collecting rent, arranging repairs and inspections, and keeping records. Some companies offer only part of this, such as tenant placement, so check the scope as well as the price.
Use our fees guide to understand recurring charges, additional costs and what to request in a written quote for your property.
The benefits
Your time back. Tenant calls, showings, contractor visits and paperwork go to someone whose job it is.
Someone close by. Ottawa’s landlord by-law requires landlords to respond to urgent tenant requests within 24 hours. A manager makes that realistic if you travel, live elsewhere or can’t take calls at work, and it can cover the property checks your insurer may require while a unit is empty.
Keeping up with the rules. Ontario landlords work within the Residential Tenancies Act. For example, the rent increase guideline is 2.1% for 2026 and 1.9% for 2027; increases need at least 90 days’ written notice in the proper form and are generally allowed once every 12 months; and new buildings, additions and most new basement apartments first occupied for residential purposes after November 15, 2018 are exempt from rent control. A manager who handles many tenancies tracks these details.
Contractors and records. Managers usually have trades they call regularly and keep a paper trail of requests, repairs and rent. That record helps at tax time: the Canada Revenue Agency lets you deduct amounts paid to manage your property and fees paid to agents for collecting rent or finding tenants.
The trade-offs
Cost. A management fee comes out of every month’s rent, and some agreements add placement, renewal, inspection or repair markup charges. Ask for a written scenario for your property and compare like with like.
Less direct control. You’ll agree approval limits for repairs, response standards and how you’re consulted. Get them in writing.
Quality varies, and a listing doesn’t measure it. We don’t rate companies; ask for references and read the agreement, including how you can end it and get your records and keys back.
Hearings may cost extra. At the Landlord and Tenant Board, you can represent yourself or use a lawyer or paralegal licensed by the Law Society of Ontario. Unlicensed people can act only under narrow exemptions, such as someone employed only by the landlord, or an unpaid friend or neighbour (up to three matters a year) or family member. Ask who would handle a hearing for you and what it would cost.
When you might manage it yourself
If you live nearby, have one or two units, can answer urgent requests within a day and are comfortable with Ontario’s rules and forms, self-managing can work well. A middle option is to handle day-to-day management yourself and pay for tenant placement when a unit turns over.
Questions to ask yourself
- Can I respond to urgent requests within 24 hours, including when I travel?
- Who checks the property when it’s empty, if my insurer requires it?
- Am I comfortable with rent increase notices, the standard lease and Landlord and Tenant Board forms?
- Is my time worth more than the fee for a property of this size?
Found an error? Request a correction. Read how we source information.