Property Management
How to Choose a Property Manager in Anne Arundel County
Herb Chisholm
Choose a property manager who works under a Maryland broker license you can look up, already leases homes like yours in your part of Anne Arundel County, and puts every fee in writing before you sign. Then ask to see how they screen tenants and where they hold security deposits. A good manager answers all of it without hesitating.
Key takeaways
Look up the license first.
A company you hire to manage your rental in Maryland needs a real estate license and a licensed broker behind it.
Hire local.
A manager already leasing homes near yours prices from real leases instead of a county average.
Ask where the deposit sits.
Maryland requires a federally insured account used only for security deposits.
Know the recent rule changes.
Deposits on new leases are capped at one month's rent. Late fees are capped at 5 percent of only the unpaid rent.
Compare at least three managers.
Score each one with the scorecard near the end of this guide.
This guide is for owners of a house or townhome who want a manager they can keep for years. We manage rentals ourselves, so read it knowing we are one of your choices. That is also why most sections end with a way to check a claim yourself, including ours.
What should you look for in a property manager?
Look for a verified broker license, rentals near your home, written fees, a written screening standard, insured deposit handling, and one named contact with fair exit terms. A manager has to pass all six, in this order.
1
A license you can verify, held under a named Maryland broker.
2
Current rentals near your home instead of somewhere across the county.
3
A written fee schedule that lists every charge.
4
One written screening standard applied to every applicant.
5
Security deposits held in a separate insured account.
6
One named person you will deal with and a clear way to end the agreement.
Price comes up in every conversation and it should. It just belongs after these six, because a cheap manager who leaves your home empty for two extra months costs more than a good one.
Do you need full service management or leasing only?
Choose full service if you want someone else handling rent, repairs, and tenant calls for the whole lease. Choose leasing only if you live nearby and are comfortable managing the tenant yourself once a manager finds and screens them.
Full service
Best for
Owners who live far away or want their time back
The manager handles
Pricing and marketing the rental
Screening and the signed lease
Collecting rent each month
Repairs and emergency calls
Notices, renewals, and court filings
Move out inspection and deposit return
Leasing only
Best for
Owners nearby who want help finding the right tenant
The manager handles
Pricing and marketing the rental
Screening and the signed lease
You handle
Collecting rent each month
Repairs and emergency calls
Notices, renewals, and court filings
Move out inspection and deposit return
Many Anne Arundel County managers offer both, and so do we. Our fees for each option are listed on our property management page.
How do you check a Maryland property manager’s license?
Search the company’s broker by name on the Maryland Real Estate Commission license lookup and confirm the license is active. It takes about two minutes.
In Maryland, leasing a home or collecting rent for someone else in exchange for pay counts as real estate brokerage. That puts a licensed manager under the Maryland Real Estate Commission and its rules for handling client money.
$50,000
Up to, per claim
The license also protects you. Maryland's Real Estate Guaranty Fund can repay an owner up to $50,000 per claim for theft or fraud by a licensed broker or the broker's staff. Hire someone unlicensed and that protection is gone.
Check it yourself
Our broker is Herbert Chisholm, license #68470. Search the last name Chisholm on the state lookup and look us up the same way you would anyone else.
What questions should you ask a property manager?
Ask whose license they work under, who you will deal with, how they screen and price, where deposits sit, and how you can leave. All ten questions are below with good answers and red flags. A good manager answers with specifics and paperwork. A weak one answers with reassurance.
1
Whose broker license do you work under?
Good answer
A broker's name and license number
Red flag
They change the subject
2
Who will I deal with day to day?
Good answer
One named person and a typical reply time
Red flag
“Whoever is on call”
3
How many homes near mine are you leasing now?
Good answer
Specific neighborhoods and recent rents
Red flag
“We cover the whole state”
4
How do you screen applicants?
Good answer
One written standard for income, rental history, credit, and background
Red flag
“We go with our gut”
5
How do you set the rent?
Good answer
Recent leases on similar homes nearby
Red flag
A number far above anything nearby
6
Where are security deposits held?
Good answer
A separate insured account used only for deposits
Red flag
“In our main account”
7
What is my repair approval limit?
Good answer
A dollar limit you choose and written emergency rules
Red flag
“We just take care of it”
8
What happens when rent is late?
Good answer
The notice they send and the timeline Maryland requires
Red flag
“We give tenants some slack”
9
Can I see a sample owner statement?
Good answer
They show you one on the spot
Red flag
“It depends”
10
How do I end the agreement?
Good answer
A clear notice period and a modest exit fee if any
Red flag
A multiyear lock in with a large penalty
Fee questions deserve their own list, and we keep that one in our guide to what property management costs in Anne Arundel County.
Which Maryland rules should your property manager already follow?
Your manager should already use one month deposits, the 5 percent late fee limit, the Tenants’ Bill of Rights, the 10 day rent notice, and Maryland’s lead rules. Several changed in 2024 and 2025, and an outdated lease or notice can cost an owner real money.
Security deposit limit
2024 law
One month's rent for leases signed since October 1, 2024
Ask your manager
“Are your lease forms updated?”
Where deposits are held
A federally insured account used only for deposits, returned within 45 days of move out with deductions listed
Ask your manager
“Where is my tenant's deposit today?”
Wrongly kept deposits
A tenant can recover up to three times the amount withheld plus attorney fees
Ask your manager
“How do you document move in and move out?”
Tenants' Bill of Rights
2024 law
Must be attached to every new lease, and the state updates it each year
Ask your manager
“Which version is in your lease packet?”
Late fees
2025 law
Capped at 5 percent and figured on only the unpaid rent since October 2025
Ask your manager
“What does your late fee clause say?”
Unpaid rent
Written notice giving the tenant 10 days to pay before a landlord files in District Court
Ask your manager
“Who sends that notice and when?”
Homes built before 1978
Registered with the Maryland Department of the Environment and inspected for lead before each new tenant
Ask your manager
“Who handles registration and the turnover inspection?”
Housing vouchers
Refusing an applicant because they pay with a voucher is illegal in Maryland
Ask your manager
“Do voucher holders get the same written standard?”
Two more rules are local. The City of Annapolis requires its own rental operating license with a yearly inspection. Anne Arundel County eviction rules in effect since July 2026 require written notice before a lockout and a sheriff’s deputy present when locks change. The law names property managers directly and the rules are new, so ask each manager how they are handling them.
Our overview of Maryland’s renter law changes covers the 2024 changes in more detail. This is general information current as of October 2026 and not legal advice.
Check it yourself
Ask any manager for a blank copy of their lease packet. If the Tenants' Bill of Rights is missing or the deposit clause still allows two months, the paperwork is out of date.
Why does a local property manager matter in Anne Arundel County?
Rent and tenant demand change from one part of the county to the next, and only a manager leasing homes nearby sees those changes as they happen. Annapolis carries the deepest rental demand. Severna Park draws long term tenants for its schools. Odenton moves with the Fort Meade calendar.
A countywide average can miss your home’s real rent in either direction. Price too high and the home sits empty. Price too low and you give away money every month of the lease. We have priced rentals in this county since 1995, and pricing street by street is most of what that experience is worth. If your home is in an HOA, also ask whether the manager has leased there and knows its rental rules.
Check it yourself
Ask each manager for their closest current rental to your home. Then ask what it leased for, how many days it took, and how long tenants usually stay.
What fees should a property manager put in writing?
Every fee belongs in writing before you sign. That means the monthly fee and the leasing fee plus any charge for renewals, repairs, inspections, or leaving early.
8 to 12%
Of the rent collected
Most full service managers in Anne Arundel County charge 8 to 12 percent of the rent they collect plus a leasing fee when they place a new tenant.
Our full cost breakdown walks through every common charge and what to ask about each one.
Check it yourself
Compare every quote line by line instead of by the headline percentage. The difference usually hides in the leasing fee and in markups on repairs.
What should the management agreement say before you sign?
The agreement should spell out the fees, the term, how either side can end it, your repair approval limit, where deposits are held, and what the manager hands back if you leave. It should also cover these four points.
How often you get statements and what they show.
Who approves repairs above your limit and how emergencies are handled after hours.
What insurance the manager carries and what they expect you to carry.
How quickly leases, ledgers, keys, and deposits get handed over if the agreement ends.
Check it yourself
Ask for a blank copy of the agreement before your second meeting. A manager who will not share it before you commit is telling you something.
What are the red flags when hiring a property manager?
Walk away from any manager who cannot name their broker or will not put fees in writing. Either one is reason enough on its own.
Deposits go into the same account the company pays its bills from.
Screening is described as a feeling instead of a written standard.
The rent they promise is far above what nearby homes lease for. A high number can be a sales tactic that gets cut after the home sits.
The agreement locks you in for years or charges a large fee to leave.
Nobody can tell you who answers the phone when a pipe bursts at night.
Their lease forms predate Maryland's 2024 changes.
How do you compare property managers side by side?
Score each manager from 1 to 5 on every row below. Double the first four rows before you add each column. Those four are the hardest to fix after you sign.
Score 1 to 5 | Manager A | Manager B | Manager C |
|---|---|---|---|
License verified |
|
|
|
Rentals near your home |
|
|
|
Every fee in writing |
|
|
|
Written screening standard |
|
|
|
Deposits in a separate account |
|
|
|
One named contact |
|
|
|
Fair exit terms |
|
|
|
Two owner references called |
|
|
|
Total |
|
|
|
Print this page or copy the table into your notes before each interview. Two calls to current owners will tell you more than any review site.
How does Accurate Realty answer these questions?
Here are the answers we already publish for anyone to check. Bring the rest to your free rental analysis and hold us to the same test.
Whose license?
Maryland broker license #68470 under Herb Chisholm, licensed since 1983
How long have you been in business?
Since 1995, and we manage more than 70 homes today
Who will I deal with?
Philip Chisholm, who runs our day to day operations
How do you screen?
Employment and income verification, landlord references, credit checks, and Maryland criminal and civil background checks
How do you market a rental?
The MLS plus the major rental listing sites
Who handles repairs?
Requests are handled around the clock through vetted contractors
What about older homes?
We handle lead paint compliance and registration with the Maryland Department of the Environment
What do you charge?
Our pricing is published on our property management page
What is your track record?
BBB A+ since 2011, and Herb is a RE/MAX Hall of Fame inductee
A free rental analysis gives you a market backed rent figure for your home and a clear picture of what management would cost. Request one on our property management page or call (410) 518-6084.
Owners in Annapolis or Glen Burnie can also see how we work in Annapolis and Glen Burnie.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth hiring a property manager in Anne Arundel County?
For most owners who live more than a short drive away or own more than one rental, yes. A good manager can pay for itself when it shortens vacancies and keeps leases and deposits compliant with Maryland law.
How much does a property manager cost in Maryland?
Most full service managers charge 8 to 12 percent of collected rent plus a leasing fee each time they place a tenant. Renewal fees, repair markups, and exit fees vary by company.
Does a property manager need a license in Maryland?
Yes. Leasing a home or collecting rent for someone else for pay is real estate brokerage under Maryland law. A company you hire needs a real estate license and must work under a licensed broker.
What changed in Maryland rental law for landlords?
The Renters’ Rights and Stabilization Act of 2024 capped security deposits on new leases at one month’s rent and requires the Maryland Tenants’ Bill of Rights with every new lease. A 2025 law changed the 5 percent late fee cap so it applies only to the unpaid rent.
How many property managers should I interview?
Interview at least three. Score them on the same questions and call two current owners for each finalist before you sign anything.
Can I switch property managers in the middle of a lease?
Usually yes. The lease is between you and your tenant, so it stays in place when the manager changes. Check your agreement’s notice period and have the old manager transfer leases, ledgers, keys, and deposits to the new one.
Herb Chisholm
Founder and Broker, Accurate Realty and Management
Herb Chisholm founded Accurate Realty and Management in 1995 after two decades with RE/MAX, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008. He has been licensed to sell real estate in Maryland since 1983, and over 40+ years has helped more than 1,000 families buy, sell, and rent homes across Anne Arundel County. His team currently manages over 70 residential properties.
Contact our team →