How to Manage Rental Properties Remotely: A Complete Guide for Long-Distance Landlords

By PropsManager Team · Property Management · Aug 05, 2024

I bought my first out-of-state rental in 2016. A three-bedroom ranch in Memphis, 800 miles from where I sit right now. Within the first six months, I had a burst pipe, a tenant who stopped paying rent, and a landscaper who charged me $400 to mow a lawn that hadn't been touched in three weeks.

That first year nearly broke me. Not financially—though it hurt—but mentally. I was trying to manage everything through phone calls and prayer, and neither was working particularly well.

Fast forward to today, and I manage seven properties across three states without losing sleep. The difference? Systems. The right technology. And a handful of people I trust with my life—or at least with my $1,200/month cash flow.

If you're thinking about buying rental property in another market, or you've already taken the plunge and feel like you're drowning, this guide is everything I wish someone had told me before I wired that first earnest money deposit.

Why More Landlords Are Going Remote

The math often makes it inevitable. You live in San Francisco where a duplex costs $1.4 million, but that same money buys you eight cash-flowing units in Cleveland. According to the National Association of Realtors, roughly 35% of investment property purchases in 2023 were made by buyers who lived in a different metro area than the property. That number's been climbing every year.

Remote work accelerated this trend too. People relocated during 2020-2021 but kept properties in their old cities. Others moved to lower-cost areas and started investing the savings back into rental markets with better cap rates.

Whatever your reason, remote landlording is completely doable. But it demands a different playbook than managing a property down the street.

Building Your "Boots on the Ground" Team

This is the single most important piece of your remote management puzzle. You cannot do this alone. Period. I don't care how many cameras you install or how good your property management software is—eventually, someone needs to physically be at that property.

The Key Players You Need

A reliable handyman or general contractor. This is your MVP. Find someone who can handle the small-to-medium stuff: a leaking faucet, a broken garbage disposal, patching drywall after a tenant moves out. My guy in Memphis charges $45/hour and responds to texts within two hours. He's worth every penny. Finding someone like this takes time—ask other local landlords, check reviews, and start with small jobs to test reliability before handing over the keys to the kingdom.

A licensed property inspector. Once a year minimum—ideally twice—you need someone walking through that property with a checklist and a camera. Annual inspections run $150-$300 depending on the market, and they'll catch the $200 problem before it becomes the $5,000 problem. I learned this the hard way when a slow leak under a bathroom vanity turned into a mold remediation project that cost me $3,800.

A leasing agent or property manager for turnovers. Even if you self-manage day-to-day, having a local agent who can show the unit, run applications, and handle move-in walkthroughs is invaluable. Many agents will do this for a flat fee of one month's rent or a half-month's rent, which is far cheaper than a full property management contract at 8-10% monthly.

A neighbor or nearby contact. Don't underestimate the friendly neighbor. I pay the lady next door to one of my duplexes $50/month to keep an eye on things—she texts me if she notices anything unusual, grabs packages off the porch, and once called me when she saw water pooling in the driveway from a sprinkler line break. Best $600/year I spend.

How to Find Trustworthy People From Afar

Start with local real estate investor groups. BiggerPockets forums, Facebook groups for your target market, local REIA chapters—these are goldmines. Ask who they use. Get three references for every vendor, and actually call those references.

When you first start working with someone, give them a small test project. Don't hand a new handyman a $3,000 renovation on day one. Have them fix a toilet flapper. See how they communicate, how fast they respond, and whether the invoice matches what they quoted.

Going Digital: Eliminate Paper From Your Life

If you're managing remotely and still dealing with paper checks, physical lease agreements, or filing cabinets full of receipts, you're making your life exponentially harder than it needs to be.

Electronic Leases and Signatures

Every lease should be signed digitally. There's zero reason to mail documents back and forth in 2024. Platforms like PropsManager let you send lease agreements, collect e-signatures, and store everything in the cloud where you can access it from anywhere. No more "the check is in the mail" or "I'll sign it this weekend."

Online Rent Collection

This isn't optional for remote landlords—it's mandatory. When rent is collected online, you know instantly whether it's been paid. No waiting for a check to arrive. No wondering if it got lost. No trips to the bank.

Set up automatic payments whenever possible. In my experience, tenants who are on autopay are late less than 3% of the time, compared to roughly 15-20% for tenants who pay manually each month. That alone should convince you.

With PropsManager's rent collection tools, tenants can pay via ACH or card, and you get real-time notifications when payments hit. Late fees can be applied automatically too, which removes that awkward "hey, rent was due three days ago" conversation.

Digital Maintenance Requests

Here's where remote management either works beautifully or falls apart completely. You need a system where tenants can submit maintenance requests with photos and descriptions, and you can assign those requests to your vendors directly.

No more playing phone tag. No more "I told you about the leak two weeks ago" when you have no record of it. A maintenance tracking system creates a paper trail that protects both you and your tenant.

Smart Home Technology That Pays for Itself

I'm not talking about turning your rental into a Silicon Valley showcase. I'm talking about a few targeted pieces of tech that solve specific remote management headaches.

Smart Locks: Your Best Friend

A smart lock costs $150-$250 and it will change your life as a remote landlord. Here's why:

• Tenant lockouts? Generate a temporary code from your phone instead of paying a locksmith $85.
• Contractor access? Create a one-time code that expires after four hours. No more hiding keys under doormats or coordinating key handoffs.
• Turnover day? Change the code instantly instead of rekeying locks at $75-$125 per unit.
• Unauthorized occupants? Check the access log to see who's coming and going.

I put August or Schlage smart locks on every property I own. The ROI is immediate.

Leak Sensors and Smart Thermostats

A $30 leak sensor under every sink and behind every toilet can send an alert to your phone the moment water is detected. Considering that water damage is the #1 insurance claim for rental properties—averaging $11,000 per incident according to the Insurance Information Institute—this is a no-brainer.

Smart thermostats like the Ecobee or Nest serve double duty: tenants get a nice amenity (which justifies higher rent), and you can monitor the temperature remotely. If a tenant goes on vacation in January and the heat fails, you'll know before the pipes freeze—not after. In cold-weather markets, this alone can save you thousands.

Exterior Cameras

Note: exterior only. Interior cameras in a rental are a legal minefield and a terrible idea. But a Ring or Arlo camera covering the driveway and front entrance? Perfectly fine in most jurisdictions with proper disclosure.

I use mine primarily to verify that landscaping and snow removal contractors actually showed up when they said they did. It's saved me from paying invoices for work that wasn't done more times than I'd like to admit.

Building Your Remote Vendor Network

Your vendor list is your lifeline. Treat it like the most important document in your business, because it is.

The Essential Vendor Checklist

Tips for Managing Vendors Remotely

Always get written quotes before authorizing work. I set a threshold: anything under $300, my handyman can just handle it and invoice me. Anything over $300 requires a photo of the issue, a written estimate, and my approval. This prevents surprise $2,000 invoices.

Pay promptly. When you're remote, your vendors are doing you a massive favor by being your eyes and hands. Pay them within 48 hours of receiving their invoice. Fast payment builds loyalty, and loyalty is what gets your emergency call answered at 9 PM on a Saturday.

Use a platform that tracks everything. Loose text messages and email chains are a disaster for record-keeping. PropsManager lets you track maintenance requests, vendor assignments, and payment history all in one place. When tax season rolls around, you'll thank yourself.

Communication Systems That Actually Work

Remote management lives and dies by communication. With your tenants, with your vendors, and with your local contacts.

Set Expectations Early

Your lease should spell out exactly how tenants should submit maintenance requests (through your platform, not via text at midnight), what constitutes an emergency, and what your response time commitments are. I promise: 24-hour acknowledgment for non-emergencies, 2-hour response for emergencies. And I keep that promise.

Regular Check-Ins

I send a brief quarterly email to each tenant. Nothing heavy—just asking if everything's working well, reminding them of seasonal stuff (change your furnace filter, don't pour grease down the drain), and generally letting them know I haven't forgotten about the property. Tenants who feel ignored become tenants who stop caring about your property.

Document Everything

This is critical for remote landlords. Every conversation that involves a decision—approved repair, rent adjustment, lease violation—should be documented in writing. If it's not written down, it didn't happen. Tools like PropsManager help centralize all tenant communications so nothing slips through the cracks. Good documentation has saved me from two potential legal disputes already.

Financial Management From a Distance

Keeping your books clean is harder when you're remote because expenses come from multiple sources: vendors invoicing you directly, tenants paying online, insurance bills, property tax assessments, HOA fees.

Separate Bank Accounts

Every property—or at minimum every LLC—should have its own bank account. Commingling funds is the fastest way to lose your liability protection and turn tax season into a nightmare. I use a separate checking account for each property with a debit card that my handyman can use for small hardware store runs (with a $200 daily limit).

Track Your Numbers Monthly

Don't wait until December to figure out if your property is profitable. Track income, expenses, and net operating income monthly. Look at your numbers. If expenses are creeping up, you'll catch it early. If vacancy is higher than expected, you can adjust your marketing strategy.

Curious what tools can help streamline this? Check out PropsManager's pricing page to see how the platform handles financial tracking alongside tenant and maintenance management.

Common Pitfalls of Remote Property Management

I've made most of these mistakes so you don't have to.

Over-relying on one person. Your handyman quits, moves, or gets injured. Now what? Always have a backup for your key vendors. I keep at least two contacts for every critical trade.

Skipping inspections to save money. A $250 inspection that catches a roof leak early saves you $8,000 in water damage repairs. I inspected one property in person after skipping inspections for 18 months and found the tenant had disconnected the dryer vent and was pumping moisture directly into the crawl space. Mold everywhere. Don't skip inspections.

Not visiting enough. Even with great systems, you should visit your properties at least once a year. Walk the property, meet your tenant face-to-face, check on your vendors' work, and drive the neighborhood to see if anything's changed. I combine these visits with a weekend trip and write off the travel expenses.

Underpricing because you're afraid of vacancy. Remote landlords sometimes set rent below market because they dread dealing with turnover from afar. Don't do this. Price your units correctly. A good tenant management system makes turnover manageable even from 1,000 miles away. Read more about pricing strategy in our guide on how to set the right rent price for your market.

A Step-by-Step Remote Management Checklist

Here's the system I follow for every property, distilled into a repeatable process:

1. Before purchase: Identify and vet at least three local vendors and one leasing contact
2. At closing: Install smart locks, leak sensors, and exterior camera
3. Tenant placement: Use digital lease signing and set up online rent payments
4. Monthly: Review financials, check payment status, and follow up on open maintenance items
5. Quarterly: Send tenant check-in email, review vendor performance
6. Semi-annually: Schedule professional property inspection
7. Annually: Visit property in person, review rent rates against market comps, assess capital expenditure needs

Following this cadence means nothing gets forgotten and small issues get caught before they snowball into expensive problems. If you want to see how property management software can automate most of these steps, request a demo and we'll walk you through it.

For more on keeping your properties in top shape from afar, check out our posts on summer maintenance tips for rental properties and the future of property management automation.

Explore More PropsManager Resources

Looking for the right property management software? Check out our in-depth guides:

• Compare Property Management Software — See how PropsManager stacks up against Buildium, AppFolio, Rent Manager, and Propertyware.
• Software for Small Landlords — Built for landlords managing 1–50 units without the enterprise price tag.
• AI-Powered Property Management — Discover how automation can save you 5–10 hours per week.
• Solutions for Property Managers — Scale from 50 to 500+ units without scaling your costs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I manage rental properties remotely without a property manager?

Absolutely. Thousands of landlords self-manage remotely using a combination of technology, local vendor networks, and clear systems. The key is having reliable boots on the ground—a trusted handyman, a leasing agent for turnovers, and a good property management platform like PropsManager to keep everything organized. Full-service property managers typically charge 8-10% of monthly rent, so self-managing can save you $1,200-$2,400 per year on a $1,500/month rental.

What technology do I need for remote property management?

At minimum: a smart lock ($150-$250), leak sensors under sinks and near water heaters ($25-$35 each), a smart thermostat ($120-$250), and property management software for rent collection, maintenance tracking, and communication. An exterior camera ($100-$200) is strongly recommended too. Total upfront investment is typically $400-$800 per unit, and it pays for itself within the first year by preventing costly emergencies and eliminating locksmith calls.

How often should I visit my out-of-state rental property?

At least once per year is the general rule. Twice a year is better if you can swing it. During visits, walk every room, check the roof and exterior, inspect HVAC systems, verify that your vendors have been doing quality work, and meet your tenants face-to-face. Many remote landlords combine property visits with personal travel to make the trip tax-deductible while keeping tabs on their investment.

What's the biggest risk of managing rentals from a distance?

Deferred maintenance. When you're not driving past your property regularly, small problems go unnoticed and become big, expensive problems. A minor roof leak becomes ceiling damage and mold. A slow plumbing drip becomes a rotted subfloor. The solution is a combination of proactive inspections (at least semi-annually), responsive tenants who report issues promptly, and a maintenance tracking system that ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

How do I handle emergencies when I'm hundreds of miles away?

Build an emergency protocol before you need one. Your lease should define what constitutes an emergency (flooding, fire, gas leak, no heat in winter) and provide tenants with a 24/7 contact—ideally, your primary handyman or a local emergency repair service. Set a pre-authorized spending limit so they can act immediately without waiting for your approval. For example, I authorize my handyman to spend up to $500 on emergency repairs and just document it. Speed matters more than saving $50 when there's water pouring through a ceiling.

Take Control of Your Remote Properties

Managing rental properties from another city or state isn't just possible—it can actually be better than local management when you have the right systems in place. You're forced to build processes, document everything, and rely on technology instead of winging it with a quick drive-by.

The landlords who struggle with remote management are the ones who try to do it the same way they'd manage a property down the street. That doesn't work. You need digital systems, trusted local contacts, smart technology, and a platform that ties it all together.

PropsManager was built for exactly this scenario. From online rent collection and digital lease management to maintenance tracking and tenant communication, it gives you full visibility into your properties from anywhere with an internet connection. Check out our plans or schedule a demo to see how it works for your portfolio.

Your properties are an investment. Manage them like one—no matter where you live.