Would You Use a Remote Property Manager to Save Money?

Question

I’ve been managing multiple self-storage facilities remotely, and one of the biggest game-changers for me has been hiring a remote property management team based in the Philippines. It’s saved me a ton on overhead, and honestly, the efficiency and professionalism have exceeded my expectations.

Now I’m working on building a company that helps other property owners connect with highly trained remote managers who can handle leasing, tenant communication, rent collection, maintenance scheduling—you name it.

If you could cut management costs by 50–70% while keeping things running smoothly, would you consider going remote?
What would your concerns be with that kind of setup?

Just trying to gauge interest and get real feedback as I build this out. Appreciate any thoughts!

Drew Sygit · Answer

Already a TON of companies doing this for the last 15 years.

Just Google, "property management virtual assistants"

Ben Andaya · Answer

@Ryan Rominger @Payton Haight Great questions—and yes, we’ve extended this setup beyond self-storage. Our remote property managers currently handle several residential houses and commercial buildings as well. The key to making it work effectively is addressing the “boots on the ground” concern up front.

What’s worked well for us is a combination of two things: first, having a reliable, on-call local person who can handle general tasks, maintenance visits, or lockouts; and second, building high-trust relationships with vendors who know the properties and can respond quickly when needed. It takes some groundwork, but once in place, it runs smoothly.

My own setup is designed to offload all the time-consuming tasks—communications, scheduling, follow-ups, documentation, etc.—to the remote property managers so I can focus on higher-value work. That includes closing leads and showing properties, which I personally prefer to do anyway. It gives me the chance to get a feel for the prospective tenant or buyer and establish a relationship right away.Happy to chat more if you want to explore how this could fit with your rentals.

Trey Maclin · Answer

Truthfully: it has its ups and downs. I think the best setups see some positions outsourced as they are not integral to "being local", which passes some savings off to the owner, but when it comes to the intimacy of SF or MF management (don't know much about storage), I prefer to have some boots on the ground for direct oversight. An entirely remote team CAN be good, or it can be as difficult to manage as any remote employee. Ups and downs.

Ethan Haigler · Answer

What company do you guys recommend for this opportunity

Dan Marl · Answer

This sounds interesting.  What is the name of the company you use in the Philippines? I googled and many shows up.  One of them is rentmarble.com

Matt Jones · Answer

Hi Ban, This is really interesting, and it sounds like you've had a great experience with it! The idea of outsourcing property management remotely is definitely a smart move for cutting costs without sacrificing quality.

For property owners looking to save on overhead and keep things running smoothly, this could be a huge game-changer. Things like leasing, tenant communication, rent collection, and maintenance are all essential tasks, and having a dedicated remote team to handle them can definitely make life easier.

That said, I can see how some owners might be a bit hesitant. Concerns could pop up around communication or cultural differences, though it sounds like your team is really on top of things. And there’s always the question of data security when handling sensitive tenant information remotely. Some might also worry about the level of oversight compared to an on-site manager.

But overall, the idea of cutting management costs by 50-70% while keeping everything running smoothly is pretty appealing. I think a lot of people would be open to this kind of setup if they feel confident in the support and safeguards. Excited to see where your company goes with this!

Ryan Rominger · Answer

That’s a solid setup—appreciate you sharing. I manage properties locally and can definitely see the appeal of cutting costs like that. My main concern would be oversight on maintenance issues and how responsive remote teams are when things go sideways. Also curious how they handle more sensitive tenant situations—stuff that’s harder to navigate without being on-site. But yeah, if the systems are tight, I could see this working for a lot of owners.

Payton Haight · Answer

Hi Ben, this is very interesting. Have you implemented this remote management for anything besides self-storage facilities? Thinking about doing this for a long-term rental (LTR), my concern would be having actually 'boots on the ground' to keep an eye on the properties.

Typical property management fees for an LTR are 8-10%, which isn't nothing, but I am not sure the potential savings there would be enough for me. This may be a more appealing option for my mid-term or short-term rentals however. How does the team show properties and handle the 'boots on the ground' items associated with management?

Would You Use a Remote Property Manager to Save Money?

Most Popular Reply