HomeRelay vs hiring a property manager: your own property operation.
A full-service manager sells human delegation across a broad scope. HomeRelay gives a self-managing landlord a private operating record, an Assistant for factual maintenance history, a set of Operating rules that holds the authority line, and software that coordinates maintenance.
Property-management services and fees vary by contract. Compare the actual proposal in front of you, including scope, vendor policy, extra fees, data access, and cancellation terms.
First decide what you are buying.
Choose a property manager when you want to delegate a wider job to a person or team. Choose HomeRelay when you want to keep ownership and judgment while taking the repetitive maintenance coordination off your phone.
Your record stays useful after today's ticket closes.
Confirmed repairs, warranty dates, and reference notes live in your Property Notebook. You can correct them, see their version history, and export your account data. Separately, the Assistant can answer factual questions from HomeRelay's ticket and expense history; it does not read every Notebook note. Today leads; history informs; your operating rules decide.
Side-by-side.
| What you control | HomeRelay | Full-service management |
|---|---|---|
| Operating record | Your private Property Notebook, with corrections and history | Record access and portability depend on the provider and contract |
| Today's ticket | AI triage starts from today's evidence | Intake and triage process depends on the provider |
| Past repairs | Exact-unit history can inform your review, never dictate it | How history is recorded and used depends on the provider |
| Maintenance authority | Your saved per-trade operating rules control vendor contact and spend | Approval thresholds and delegated authority come from your agreement |
| Vendor relationships | Bring your roster; HomeRelay does not sell leads | Network choice, exclusivity, and markups vary by provider |
| Operating scope | Maintenance coordination plus supporting landlord tools | May include leasing, rent, inspections, and tenant management; verify the proposal |
| HomeRelay price | $69/mo for 1 to 5 units; $99/mo for 6 to 10 | Use the written quote and fee schedule from the manager you are considering |
Put your quote beside the software.
The scenario below shows the arithmetic, not an industry average. Replace the rent and management percentage with the numbers from your own proposal.
HomeRelay / one unit
- $69/month × 60 months = $4,140
- Annual prepay over five years = $3,450
Example management proposal
- $1,800 rent × 10% × 60 months = $10,800
- Leasing, repair, renewal, setup, and termination fees = use your quote
This is not an apples-to-apples replacement claim: a manager may perform work HomeRelay deliberately does not. It is a way to price the maintenance operating layer separately.
The honest fit test.
HomeRelay fits when:
- You want to keep the landlord decisions and vendor relationships.
- You want software to triage, coordinate, remember, and surface exceptions.
- You already have a rent workflow and do not want to replace it.
A property manager may fit better when:
- You want a person or team to own a broader day-to-day management scope.
- You want leasing, screening, inspections, or local management services in one contract.
- You do not want to retain maintenance decisions, even at explicit handoffs.
Read the boundary before choosing: what HomeRelay deliberately doesn't do →
The public demo needs no account or credit card.