Every rental owner reaches the same question sooner or later: keep managing it yourself, or hire a property manager? There’s no single right answer. This guide lays out what the job really involves in Montana, what it costs either way, and how to tell which fits your situation.
What the job involves
- Pricing and marketing: researching rent, photographing the home, writing a fair-housing-compliant listing and running showings.
- Screening and leasing: applications, credit and background checks, income and landlord verification, FCRA notices, and a lease that fits Montana law.
- Rent and money: collecting rent, following up on late payments, tracking expenses, holding the security deposit and keeping tax records.
- Maintenance: routine upkeep, seasonal work (snow, gutters, irrigation, furnace service), repairs and after-hours emergencies.
- Compliance: notices, entry rules, deposit deadlines and fair housing.
- Turnovers: move-out inspection, deposit accounting, make-ready work and re-leasing.
The Montana rules a self-managing landlord must follow
- Security deposits: return within 10 days if nothing is owed, or send an itemized list and the balance within 30 days (MCA 70-25-202).
- Entry: at least 24 hours’ notice and reasonable times, except in an emergency (MCA 70-24-312).
- Termination notices: 3 days for nonpayment of rent; 14 days for most other violations; 3 days for an unauthorized pet or occupants; 5 days if substantially the same violation recurs within 6 months (MCA 70-24-422).
- Fair housing: the federal Fair Housing Act, the Montana Human Rights Act (MCA 49-2-305) and, in Bozeman, the city’s nondiscrimination ordinance.
Licensing: Montana’s 2023 property manager law (MCA 37-56) generally requires a license to manage rentals for others, but owners managing their own property are exempt, as are some family members and people leasing four or fewer residential units. See our Montana licensing guide.
Self-managing works best when
- You live nearby and can respond to an emergency at 2 a.m.
- You own one or two homes and have reliable vendors.
- You enjoy the work and have time for showings and turnovers.
- You’re comfortable with screening rules, notices and deposit deadlines.
Hiring a manager makes sense when
- You live out of the area or travel often.
- You’re adding homes and the hours are adding up.
- You want consistent, documented screening and a lease written for Montana.
- You’d rather not take resident calls after hours.
- A turnover or an eviction has already cost you more than a management fee would have.
Compare the real cost
Self-managing isn’t free. Put a value on your time for showings, calls and turnovers, and add listing costs, screening fees, a lease form, accounting software and the cost of mistakes, such as a missed deposit deadline that forfeits your right to withhold. Then compare that with a manager’s written fees.
What our plans cost
Mountain Village Property Management offers three plans. Every fee is in writing in your agreement before you sign.
| Essentials | Signature | Summit | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly management | 4.9% of rent + $69/mo | 6.9% of rent + $69/mo | 8.9% of rent + $69/mo |
| Leasing fee | 50% of one month’s rent | 50% of one month’s rent | 50% of one month’s rent |
| Lease renewal | 25% of one month’s rent | 25% of one month’s rent | 25% of one month’s rent |
| Set-up fee | $299 one-time | None | None |
| Maintenance coordination | $99 per work order | Included | Included |
| 24/7 emergency line for residents | $29/mo add-on | Included | Included |
Our management percentage pauses while a home is vacant; the $69 monthly admin fee continues. Third-party costs may include a coordination markup of up to 7.5% (3% on recurring bills), as set out in the agreement. Compare every plan detail and add-on price.
If you hire, hire well
- Confirm the license.
- Read the full fee exhibit, not just the headline percentage.
- Ask for the written screening criteria.
- Ask how after-hours emergencies are handled, and on which plans.
- Ask what the owner portal and monthly statement show.
- Read the termination terms.
For a complete interview list, see how to choose a Bozeman property management company.
Frequently asked questions
Can I hire a manager just to find a tenant?
Some companies offer leasing-only service. With full management, the same team that screens the resident also handles the tenancy, which keeps the records in one place.
Will a property manager let me approve repairs?
A good agreement sets an approval limit. Routine repairs under the limit go ahead, and larger jobs come to you first, except in a true emergency.
What happens to my current lease if I hire a manager?
The lease stays in force. The manager takes over rent collection, the security deposit records and communication with the resident.
Talk to a local Bozeman team
We manage long-term rentals in Bozeman, Belgrade, Livingston, Gallatin Gateway, Manhattan and Three Forks from our office on W Babcock St in Bozeman. We’re rated 5.0 on Google (16 reviews). Request a free rental analysis and we’ll walk you through what your home could rent for and which plan fits.