We have local competitors that play the game of low monthly management costs, but gouge for maintenance to make it back.

Everyone is your competitor (HomeVestors is not like this - we have a team based approach).I could go on and on....No need to do much to sell the system on this board.

But if there are a lot of rental units and not as many renters, then I think it'd be wise to not make it more difficult than your competitors are making it.

They will bicker about whose spot has more sunshine, other tenants or neighboring kids will steal their tomatoes, someone will swipe the cute little solar spinning flower from one of the gardens, some tenants won't take care of their plots and they'll look like hell, some will use chemicals the other tenants will complain about, someone will steal the hoses.  

The building I'm in now just switched from the keypads to giving all tenants these electronic key fobs, which we need to swipe to get in. 

Each lazy pot head collecting government rent vouchers is one less competitor and one more customer.Hope this helps and good luck with your real estate ventures!

So 150-97= $53 in extra cash flow.After the one year promos, I'll either negotiate with the service provider or just go to the other competitor and get their promo bundle.

I see this happen a lot with our competitors, their sales people are very good and require 12 month terms and once the client gets into it they find out the product stinks, yet they are stuck on a 12 month contract and it costs too much to exit.  

Originally posted by @Kurt Gardner:@Nick StoddardKeep it as simple as possible.OP specified he isn't renting C-D class properties, A & B properties garner their higher rents because of amenities, keeping it simple means you're posting on here all the time wondering why you can't rent it, these properties attract better quality tenants who take care of the properties better also you can and must put in some features to warrant the higher rents.Nick keep the ^^^^ in mind, you dumb down your rentals due to listening to people giving advice from perspectives of properties different than yours and you'll end up shooting yourself in the foot when you have trouble renting it due to your competitors properties offering more the money.Many landlords are cash flow investors, not equity investors, their properties are lower quality, lower quality tenants, lower expectations, lower rents, they step over dollar bills to pick up pennies, having a penny pinching mentality, don't fall into that trap.

If you see a lower advertised rate either from your provider or a competitor, or if you just feel like you're paying too much, call and ask them to match the rate or lower you bill.