"Tenant Benefit Packages" for $30/mo - Any upside for owners ?

[Tricia O'Brien]

Hello,

I have a rental in  Indiana, and   some of the large property management companies there are requiring tenants to pay an extra $30 per month, in addition to the rent, for a "tenant benefits package." The property manager keeps the entire monthly fee.

 I was wondering if anyone has used a PM that does this, and were there any problems with it? 

Did it provide any benefits to the owner?  Any downside for the owner?

My main concern is this:  if I get a tenant with a 1 year lease and then I cancel the PM contract after 6 or 8 or 10 months and start to self manage or move to a different PM company, do the tenants get upset about losing the tenant benefits package which  is part of their lease?  

The PMs who use this claim the tenants really  like  the benefits  package because it offers things like $0 security deposit programs through rhino.com, and  reporting of rent payment history to credit bureaus to improve their credit score. It also offers  a rewards program where tenants  can win restaurant gift cards for paying on time, tenant portal to pay their utilities and rent, tenant portal to report maintenance requests etc.

Has anyone heard feedback from tenants either positive or negative about these mandatory programs ?

Any replies would be appreciated!