Charlotte Property Management FAQ

We manage single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and small multi-family rentals across the Charlotte metro. Owners with scattered-site portfolios are welcome. Neighborhoods we’re active in include South End, NoDa, Ballantyne, Dilworth, Plaza Midwood, University City, Matthews, Mint Hill, and Huntersville. We also work in surrounding counties — Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Rowan, and Union in North Carolina, plus York and Lancaster across the South Carolina line. If your property is in the Charlotte market, we can manage it.

Yes. Queen City Management Services is led by a licensed NC/SC Broker-in-Charge, we carry real-estate agents licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina, we hold the liability insurance required for a property management firm in this region, and we run separate trust accounting for owner funds. We’re NARPM members and operate under NC License 272964.

The first step is a free consultation. We’ll walk the property, pull a rental market analysis, and give you a straight answer on what your unit should rent for, how long it’ll take, and what tier of service fits. If you decide to move forward, we execute the management agreement (DocuSign), complete the intake inspection, and activate your owner portal the same day. Most owners go from “let’s explore it” to “our property is listed” in under a week.

Management fees are a percentage of gross monthly rent collected — which means we only collect when you collect. If your unit sits vacant, we don’t get paid. That’s how the incentive stays aligned. Exact percentage depends on service tier (Essential, Professional, Investor) and property specifics. We review pricing on the consultation call, not before — because the right number depends on the right tier.

Yes, and they’re transparent. A one-time leasing fee applies when we place a new tenant (50–100% of first month’s rent, disclosed before you sign). A renewal fee applies when we renegotiate and sign a lease renewal with a sitting tenant. A small maintenance reserve is held in your owner account ($300–$500 typical) so we can dispatch on low-dollar repairs without waiting on an email thread. Every fee is spelled out in the management agreement before you sign.

Distributions go out via ACH twice a month — the 10th and the 20th — once tenant rent has cleared our trust account. Owners who prefer a single monthly distribution can elect that in their preferences. Nothing gets held past schedule without a documented reason (security deposit processing, outstanding repair, etc.) and you’ll see any hold on your statement.

Every owner has a 24/7 online portal. You see every transaction, every invoice, every lease document, and every maintenance record the moment it posts. We issue itemized monthly statements and, at year-end, your 1099 plus an annual summary sized for your CPA. If you’re out of state or out of country, the portal is your single source of truth.

Your unit is listed on our website, pushed to Charlotte MLS syndication, and marketed through professional photos. Every applicant runs through the same screening criteria — credit, background, 3x gross income to rent, and verified rental history — so the placement process stays legally compliant and genuinely predictive. We walk owners through every qualified applicant before anyone signs.

Yes, within the limits of Fair Housing law. Pet policies are owner-discretion — we use a third-party pet-screening platform and we’re compliant with Emotional Support Animal and Service Animal rules (those are not pets and cannot be refused regardless of a no-pet policy). Housing vouchers (Section 8 and similar) are considered case-by-case with owner approval. We don’t force either decision on you.

Rent is due on the 1st and late after the 5th. If a resident doesn’t pay, we issue legal notices on the published schedule and — if we have to — file eviction through local attorneys we’ve worked with for years. Owners on the Professional or Investor tier with SureVestor enrollment have up to 12 weeks of lost-rent coverage, up to $5,000 in eviction-cost coverage, and up to $35,000 in malicious damage protection. Without that, every day a non-paying tenant stays is a day you eat the loss.

Residents submit through their portal. We triage — not every “it’s broken” call is an emergency, and a surprising number of issues resolve with a 60-second troubleshoot. If a dispatch is needed, we send a vetted vendor from our approved list. Any repair above your approval threshold (typically $300, set in your agreement) gets a written quote sent to you before work begins. You see the invoice, the scope, and the completion photo in your portal when it closes out.

Handymen, licensed general contractors, plumbers, electricians, painters, HVAC, window and door installers, flooring — the full trade stack. We don’t farm work out to whoever is cheapest this week. Our vendor list is the result of years of weeding out no-shows, bad work, and overbilling. That’s usually where an owner switching from another PM sees the biggest difference.

Quarterly for Professional and Investor tier owners; every 6–12 months as a minimum across all tiers. Each inspection is photo-documented and delivered as a written report. If something needs attention, you know before it becomes a $4,000 problem.

You’ll need to be 18 or older, submit a government-issued ID, provide two months of recent paystubs or three months of bank statements, and share rental and employment history. Every adult who will live in the unit must apply separately. We run credit, background, income verification, and rental history on each applicant. Plan on consenting to all of those at submission.

Yes — a non-refundable application fee is required from each adult applicant to cover the cost of screening services. The amount is disclosed on the application before you submit.

Typically 1–3 business days from a completed, fully-documented submission. If we’re waiting on a pay stub, an employer callback, or a landlord reference, that clock pauses. The faster and more complete your submission, the faster the decision.

Applications are evaluated in the order they’re received. The first fully-qualified applicant group that completes screening, signs the lease, and pays the required move-in funds gets the unit. We don’t operate by bidding, and we follow Fair Housing law on every decision.

Voucher programs are considered case-by-case, subject to owner approval and applicable law. If you’re applying with a voucher, disclose it on the application so we can route it correctly.

Before you receive keys, your lease must be fully executed, your security deposit must be paid, and your first month’s rent (or prorated rent if your move-in is mid-month) must be paid. If the property has a pet policy and you have a pet, pet-related fees apply. All move-in funds are paid by certified funds or through the resident portal — no cash.

Yes. Every QCMS lease requires renter’s insurance with a minimum of $100,000 in liability coverage. You’ll upload the policy or proof of coverage to the portal before move-in. If you don’t carry it, you’re exposed and so is your deposit.

You receive a digital move-in condition form. Walk the unit, document everything — scuffs, stains, existing damage, non-working fixtures — with photos. Submit within the window noted on the form. That document is what protects your security deposit at move-out.

Through the resident portal. Include photos or a short video when you can — it helps us dispatch the right trade the first time. Every request is tracked from submission to completion.

Life-safety issues and property-damage events that can’t wait. Fire, gas leak (call 911 first, then us), active flooding inside the unit, total heat loss in freezing conditions, total AC loss in dangerous summer heat, a security issue that leaves the unit not lockable. A dripping faucet is not an emergency. If you’re unsure, submit through the portal and mark it urgent — we’ll route it correctly.

The landlord pays to keep the unit habitable and to address normal wear-and-tear. Damage caused by resident misuse, neglect, or the actions of guests is charged to the resident. Every repair gets documented with scope and cost so there’s no ambiguity at move-out.

If you’re on a fixed-term lease, written notice is due 60–90 days before your lease end date (check your specific lease). If you’re on a month-to-month, 30 days written notice is the standard. Late notice can extend your financial obligation — get it in early.

North Carolina law requires landlords to return security deposits within 30 days if no deductions are taken, and within 60 days if deductions apply. You’ll receive an itemized statement of any deductions with supporting documentation.