Performance Asset Management charges 8% of collected rent for residential property management in Milwaukee, capped at $250 per month. The fee is waived entirely while a unit is vacant. There are no trip charges, vacancy fees, or cancellation fees.
Everything PAM does is covered by four straightforward fees. The full details are below. Investors typically summarize it this way:
Property management firms typically publish a “starting at” fee on their pricing page and hide the rest of the cost structure in a service agreement buried in legal jargon. PAM does the opposite. Every fee we charge is published on this page, in full, with the rationale behind it.
The fee structure is built around one principle: PAM only makes money when our investors do. Every line item below ties to a specific service delivered, with caps and waivers that prevent the fee creep that defines the industry.
of first month's rent — one time
Maximum $1,500
of collected rent each month
Never exceeding $250/month
flat fee per renewal
per work order
No hidden line items. Here is every fee PAM may charge, what it covers, and exactly what you pay.
8% of collected rent, never exceeding $250/month
Rent collection, resident communication, lease enforcement, owner reporting, portal access.
100% of one month's rent, max $1,500
Advertising on 50+ platforms, showings, screening, lease setup, move-in inspection.
$300 flat
Lease negotiation, market rent review, updated documentation for renewing residents.
$10 per work order
24/7 coordination, technology platform access, vendor dispatch per request.
$1,000 plus legal costs
Filing, court appearances, and legal coordination. PAM-placed evictions are covered by the Eviction Guarantee.
$50 / pet / month
Supports pet management liability and additional wear-and-tear risk.
$25 after the 5th (up to $100/month)
Enforces on-time payment culture; covers collection administration.
These fees are paid by the resident. They offset the operational cost of pet management and late-rent enforcement, which would otherwise come from the investor's returns.
Held per state statutes
Held in trust and returned/applied per Wisconsin law at lease end.
$500
Liquidity for urgent repairs or short-term income gaps.
$1,000
Same purpose, scaled for multi-unit properties.
The operating reserve is the only refundable deposit. It exists so that an unexpected $400 repair on a Friday evening can be dispatched on Saturday morning without waiting for funds to clear.
The property management industry runs on hidden fees. PAM was built specifically to eliminate them. These are charges competitors routinely collect — that PAM has chosen not to charge.
This is where PAM's pricing diverges most sharply from competitors. Each fee below is commonly charged elsewhere in the industry. None of them appear on PAM invoices.
Industry: $250–$500
Not charged.
Industry: $25–$100/mo
Not charged. PAM only earns the management fee when rent is collected.
Industry: $75–$150 each
Not charged. Two interior plus exterior inspections per year are included.
Industry: $5–$15/mo
Not charged. Portal access is included.
Industry: $300–$1,500
Not charged. Investors can cancel anytime with one day's notice.
Industry: $1–$5/txn
Not charged.
Industry: $25–$50/yr
Not charged. Annual statements are included.
Industry: $50–$150/listing
Not charged. Marketing is bundled into the placement fee.
Industry: $100–$200
Not charged.
For a typical Wisconsin investor, these fees can add hundreds to thousands of dollars annually. PAM doesn't charge any of them.
Property management rates for residential rentals in the United States are commonly cited at 8 to 12% of monthly rent, with some firms quoting a flat monthly amount instead. Those are industry ranges, and the percentage is rarely the whole cost; confirm the full schedule with any provider you're comparing.
A leasing fee is charged when a resident is placed and is commonly 50% to 100% of one month's rent. Property management cost per month then rises with the add-ons: a setup or onboarding fee, per-inspection charges, trip charges for site visits, a markup on vendor labor and materials, a vacancy fee charged while the unit sits empty, and a termination fee to leave the contract. Each one is small on its own. Together they're why the headline percentage and the annual cost rarely match.
PAM sits at the low end of the percentage range, and the only add-on on a PAM statement is $10 per work order. 8% of collected rent, capped at $250 a month, waived while vacant. Placement is 100% of the first month's rent, capped at $1,500, charged only after a qualified resident is placed and paying. Renewal is $300 flat, only when a renewal happens. Maintenance coordination is $10 per work order with vendor costs passed through at cost. The nine fees in the table above, which many firms charge, don't appear on a PAM statement.
What percentage do property managers take? PAM takes 8% of what's collected. A percentage of collected rent is the structure that ties the manager's income to the owner's: if rent doesn't arrive, the fee doesn't either, and a vacant month costs PAM its fee as well as the owner their income. That's the whole reason it's a percentage rather than a flat retainer that gets paid whether the unit performs or not.
The cap changes the shape of it. At $1,500 rent the fee is $120. At $2,500 it's $200. At about $3,125 it reaches $250, and above that rent the fee is effectively a flat $250 no matter how far rent climbs, which is why flat fee property management is an accurate description of PAM above that line. A $3,800 single-family home pays $250 instead of $304, and stays at $250 through every future rent increase. Uncapped percentages grow every time rent does; this one stops.
Many property management companies generate revenue from turnover — more move-ins and move-outs means more fees. PAM's model is the inverse: our incentive is to keep great residents in place, minimize vacancy, and maximize your net operating income.
Fees are calculated on collected rent. If rent isn't collected, PAM doesn't get paid.
There are no management fees during vacancy. You pay when the property is producing income.
If a PAM-placed resident leaves within the first 12 months, we absorb the replacement cost.
Contracts can be terminated with one day's notice and zero fees. We earn your business every month.
Two principles drive the structure:
Caps protect investors from fee creep on appreciating properties. Many management fees are uncapped percentages, which means the monthly cost grows automatically every time rent goes up. PAM's $250 monthly cap means an investor with a $1,800 rental pays the same fee as an investor with a $3,500 rental. The work doesn't double when rent doubles, and neither does the fee.
Vacancy fee waivers align our incentives with yours. Many property managers charge the same fee whether the unit is occupied or empty. That rewards keeping the relationship going whether or not the unit is leased. PAM doesn't get paid during vacancy. When your unit sits empty, our fee stops, and we have the same urgency you do to fill it.
The result is a fee structure where PAM's compensation moves with investor success. Higher renewal rates, faster leasing, and lower turnover all benefit both sides of the engagement. Our published investor-aligned management model and our six stackable guarantees reinforce the same principle.
Every lease renewal eliminates a vacancy gap and a re-leasing cost. PAM's resident retention approach turns that compounding into measurable year-over-year income growth.
Illustrative — renewal-driven compounding effect
PAM's lease renewal rate
National industry-average renewal rate
No hidden fees. Ever.
No. Every fee PAM charges appears in the tables above. If a competitor's contract mentions a fee that doesn't appear here, that's a fee PAM doesn't charge. If you encounter an unexpected charge after signing on, send it to Jim Miller directly. Our pricing transparency is the foundation of the model. We don't tolerate exceptions.
PAM charges a flat 8% of collected rent, capped at $250 per month. The cap means the fee never grows beyond $250 regardless of how high rent climbs. Fees are waived during vacancy. PAM doesn't earn the management fee until rent is collected.
The monthly management fee is waived for any month the property is not collecting rent. PAM doesn't earn the fee until rent is collected. This is the Results Guarantee in operational form.
Yes, with one day's notice. No termination fee. No lock-in. This is the Exit Guarantee in operational form. See PAM's Guarantees
The headline percentage (8%) is in the same range as many competitors. The difference is in everything else. Competitors typically charge setup fees, vacancy fees, portal fees, ACH fees, advertising fees, and inspection fees on top of the percentage. The total annual cost of management with a typical competitor can run 1.5 to 2 times PAM's total annual cost on the same property. Compare the full-cycle cost.
No. PAM's Results Guarantee means we do all the placement work (marketing, showings, screening, lease prep, move-in inspection) before we collect anything. The placement fee comes out of the first month's rent only after a qualified resident moves in.
PAM charges 8% of collected rent, capped at $250 a month and waived while the unit is vacant, plus a placement fee of 100% of the first month's rent capped at $1,500, a $300 flat renewal fee, and $10 per maintenance work order. Other Milwaukee-area firms mostly quote on request.
Commonly cited national ranges put residential management at 8 to 12% of monthly rent, with leasing fees of 50% to 100% of one month's rent. Those are industry ranges, so confirm the full schedule with any provider. PAM's fee is 8% of collected rent, capped at $250 a month, with no setup, vacancy, trip, or termination fees.
Not at PAM. Every fee is on this page: 8% management capped at $250, placement capped at $1,500, $300 renewal, $10 per work order, and $1,000 plus legal costs if PAM has to evict a resident it didn't place. PAM doesn't charge setup, vacancy, routine inspection, portal, ACH, advertising, annual statement, lease termination coordination, or contract termination fees. If a charge isn't in the tables above, PAM doesn't charge it.
No. The 8% management fee is calculated on collected rent and waived entirely for any month the unit is vacant, and there's no separate vacancy fee. Under the Results Guarantee you don't pay management fees until a qualified resident is placed and paying. The placement fee is charged only once that happens.
IRR factors in purchase price, rental income, expenses, appreciation, and exit strategy to show your true long-term performance beyond monthly cash flow.
Year-by-year income, expenses, and NOI across your full hold period.
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Rated 4.7★ across 1,207 Google reviews from Milwaukee and surrounding counties.
“Just had my first interaction with PAM. I have confidence that they will manage the property responsibly and reliably. Rudy was very polite, professional and thorough.”
Morgan Evans
Google Review
“After being with PAM for over 3 years, their maintenance workers are fantastic. Gino and his partner as well as John and his partner have provided supreme service. These guys go over and beyond to make sure everything is repaired and cleaned up. Very professional and they understand the tenants' needs.”
Cookie Cook-Jackson
Local Guide · Google Review
“PAM came in as new management on a vacant property and did a great job taking over, turning it and getting it leased up. My leasing agent Shelly was fantastic — responsive, diligent and very committed. I felt like we were in great hands!”
Robert Isaacs
Google Review
If you'd like a side-by-side comparison of what your current property manager charges versus what PAM would charge on your specific portfolio, schedule a call with Jim Miller. Fifteen minutes is enough to run the numbers and show you the gap.