Property Management FAQ — Stockton, Modesto & the Central Valley

SUM runs the day-to-day of your rental so you don't have to. We handle everything that comes with owning a rental — marketing your vacancy, screening applicants, collecting rent, coordinating repairs, managing tenant relations, monthly accounting, and handling evictions if it ever comes to that.

You stay in the loop through your 24/7 owner portal; we handle the day-to-day so you don't have to.

Getting started takes about a day. Book a free 20-minute intro call or call/text us at (209) 299-2100. We'll learn about your property, walk you through our process, and give you a free rental market analysis.

If it's a good fit, we'll send over a management agreement — typically signed the same day — and take it from there.

Yes — we handle transitions all the time. Once you give notice to your current manager, we coordinate directly with them to collect keys, existing leases, tenant records, and security deposits.

Most owners switch because of hidden fees, slow communication, or poor maintenance — our flat 7%, no hidden fees, and 24/7 portal fix all three. We've done this dozens of times.

SUM serves Stockton, Modesto, Tracy, Lathrop, Manteca, Lodi, Turlock, Merced, and neighboring Central Valley cities, with our office in Stockton at 1440 N Hunter St.

See your city: Stockton, Modesto, Tracy, Lathrop, Manteca, Lodi, Turlock, Merced. Not sure if we cover your area? Just call and ask.

We manage residential rentals only — single-family homes, condos, townhomes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, and small apartment buildings.

We don't manage commercial, HOA, or vacation/short-term rentals; residential is all we do, which is why we do it well. Owners with multiple properties get portfolio pricing.

Yes. SUM operates under a California DRE–licensed broker (License #01004922) — required to manage rentals for others in California.

We've managed Central Valley rentals since 2015, oversee 300+ properties, and are landlord-owned and operated — so we manage your property the way we manage our own.

Full-service residential property management in the Central Valley typically runs 8–12% of monthly rent. SUM charges a flat 7% of rent we actually collect — below the local norm — with no setup, vacancy, inspection, or renewal fees.

Tenant placement is a one-time 50% of one month's rent, and owners with multiple properties can go as low as 4%.

Industry benchmark: AllPropertyManagement.com, 2025.

It's our simple, three-number fee structure:

• check_circle7% monthly management fee — charged only on rent actually collected, not market rate.
• check_circle50% one-time tenant placement fee — half of one month's rent, paid once when we place a qualified tenant.
• check_circle$0 in hidden fees — no setup fee, no inspection fee, no renewal fee, no surprise charges.

None. We don't charge to onboard your property, set up your account, or take over from a previous manager. The only fees you'll ever pay are the 7% monthly management fee and the 50% placement fee when we find you a tenant.

A one-time 50% of one month's rent, charged only when we place a qualified tenant — the low end of the 50–100% industry standard.

It covers marketing on 30+ sites, professional photos, showings, full screening, and lease prep. Most vacancies fill in 2–3 weeks.

Yes. Owners with 3 or more properties managed by SUM qualify for portfolio pricing — effective rates as low as about 4%. The more units you bring, the better the rate. Contact us to talk through your portfolio.

No. Renewing with an existing tenant is covered by your standard 7% management fee — no renewal fee. You'd only pay a placement fee if we're finding a brand-new tenant.

For most landlords, yes — when the time saved, faster leasing, and fewer costly mistakes outweigh the fee.

SUM fills vacancies in 2–3 weeks, screens with data plus human review, fixes things through vetted contractors and in-house handymen, and keeps you compliant with California rules — all at a flat 7% with no hidden fees. It's especially worth it for busy or out-of-state owners.

Usually 2–3 weeks from listing in a normal Central Valley market. We list on 30+ platforms — Zillow, Apartments.com, Redfin, Trulia, and more — and use professional photography to generate maximum interest fast, because every week vacant is lost income.

Every adult applicant goes through our full screening process:

• check_circleCredit report via Experian
• check_circleIncome verification (typically 3× monthly rent)
• check_circleRental history and landlord references
• check_circleEviction history check
• check_circleCriminal background report

We combine AI-powered data checks with human judgment. No algorithm auto-approves anyone — our team reviews every file.

We handle tenant selection based on objective screening criteria and present our recommendation to you. You have final say, but we'll advise you to follow fair housing laws — accepting or rejecting tenants on subjective grounds (outside the screening criteria) can expose owners to liability. We keep the process clean and defensible.

It depends on location, size, condition, and amenities — but for context, the average Stockton apartment rents for about $1,674 as of June 2026 (studios ~$1,346, 1-beds ~$1,462, 2-beds ~$1,775, 3-beds ~$1,947).

SUM gives you a free, data-backed rental analysis for your exact address so you price competitively and minimize vacancy.

Source: RentCafe, June 2026 (figures update monthly).

Tenants submit requests online through their portal. We triage by urgency, dispatch from our network of vetted contractors and in-house handymen — whose rates are typically lower than third-party contractors — and send you before-and-after photos when the job is done. You can see every work order in your owner portal.

We set a repair threshold with you when we onboard your property — typically $300–$500. Anything below that, we handle without interrupting you. Anything above, we reach out for authorization first (except genuine emergencies like water leaks or HVAC failure in extreme heat, where we act immediately and notify you).

We handle emergencies 24/7. For urgent issues — major leaks, no heat, electrical or safety hazards — tenants reach us any hour and we dispatch the right in-house or licensed pro immediately to protect your property. You're notified through the portal.

Yes, as long as they're licensed, insured, and reliable. We're happy to work with vendors you've already vetted — we just need their license and insurance information on file so we're all protected.

Owner disbursements are sent by the 10th of each month, following the tenant's rent collection. Funds go directly to your bank account via ACH, along with your monthly statement so you can see exactly what came in and what went out.

You receive a monthly Profit & Loss statement prepared to accounting standards, an annual financial summary, and a 1099 at year-end. All historical statements are accessible 24/7 in your owner portal.

Yes. Your owner portal gives you real-time access to rent status, work orders, financial statements, inspection reports, and lease documents — any time, from any device.

Yes — we manage for many out-of-state and out-of-area owners. Your 24/7 owner portal gives real-time access to financials, work orders, statements, and documents from anywhere, and we handle everything on the ground: leasing, rent collection, repairs, inspections, and compliance. You collect the income; we handle the day-to-day.

We keep your rental compliant by using California-compliant leases and staying current on the rules — including statewide AB 1482 rent-cap and just-cause requirements, security-deposit handling, and habitability standards — and coordinating with qualified legal counsel when a situation calls for it. As a CA DRE–licensed broker, compliance is built into our process.

This is general information about our service, not legal advice — for your specific situation, consult a qualified California attorney.

We send automated late notices starting on day 1 after the grace period. If rent isn't received, we escalate to a 3-Day Notice to Pay or Quit — the first legal step toward eviction. We keep you informed at every stage and move quickly so you're not left waiting on a non-paying tenant.

Yes. We coordinate the full eviction process with our attorney network — from the initial 3-Day Notice all the way through the Unlawful Detainer filing and, if necessary, the lockout. We handle the paperwork, the court filings, and the coordination so you don't have to deal with it directly.

This describes our service and is not legal advice; consult a qualified California attorney about a specific case.

A typical uncontested Unlawful Detainer in California runs $1,000–$2,000 in attorney and court fees. If the tenant contests, costs can climb depending on how many hearings are needed. We'll give you a realistic estimate before you authorize us to proceed — and our upfront screening is designed to make evictions rare.

We document damage through move-in and move-out inspections with timestamped photos. If damages exceed the security deposit, we can pursue collections on your behalf or through small claims court. Good documentation is your best protection — that's why we take it seriously on every tenancy.

It's one of California's stronger rental markets. Stockton has led the region in population gains and rent growth, and San Joaquin County is positioned to lead Central Valley multifamily performance on steady demand and improving occupancy.

Add relative affordability vs. the Bay Area, and quality units lease quickly. We've managed local rentals since 2015 and can help you assess a specific property's income potential.

Source: Northmarq, 2025.