Last Updated: January 26, 2026
Updated to reflect what’s currently working for property management lead generation in today’s market.
Key Takeaways
- Sustainable property management growth starts with knowing your client lifetime value, which turns lead generation into a controllable numbers game instead of a risky expense.
- The most effective lead strategies depend on your stage of growth, with early-stage firms relying on referrals and networking while larger companies focus on scalable channels like content, SEO, and video.
- Long-term winners prioritize owned channels such as SEO, YouTube, podcasts, and content marketing over expensive, inefficient paid ads that attract tenant traffic.
- Conversion matters as much as lead flow, with online reputation, a high-quality website, and fast response times dramatically increasing close rates.
- The strategies that work best in 2026 are practical, proven across markets, and designed to build predictable owner-lead pipelines rather than one-off wins.
You’re looking to grow your property management company.
You’ve come to the right place.
This guide is the most complete list of strategies that property management companies are using in 2026 to actually generate rental property owner leads (not tenant calls that waste your time and money).
It’s built from firsthand experience working with more than 500 property management companies over the last 11 years.
By the end of this article, I promise that you’ll know:
- Which lead generation strategies work best at different stages of growth
- How to avoid the most common mistakes that property management companies make in their marketing
- And how to build a predictable strategy for generating rental owner leads in your market
This isn’t a list of “things you can try.” It’s a practical breakdown of strategies we’ve seen work in multiple markets to attract rental owners.
Calculate The Lifetime Value of a Customer
Before going into how to acquire more property management clients, I want to make sure you understand one important principle.
If your cost of acquiring a client is less than the lifetime customer value, you can scale your business predictably.
This is the foundation of every sustainable marketing plan.
Let’s break it down using an example.
(You should adjust these for your company’s actual numbers):
Assumptions:
Management Fee = 10% of monthly rent
Average Monthly Rent = $2000 per month
Length of time an owner remains with your company = 5 years (60 months)
Leasing Fee = 50% of first month’s rent
Annual Lease Renewal Fee = $100/year
Tenant Turnover = Average Tenant Remains 2 years
Maintenance Markups = Average of 2% of annual rent
Step 1: Calculate Management Fees
At $2,000 per month in rent, a 10% management fee equals $200 per month.
Over 60 months, that results in:
-
$12,000 in management fees ($200 × 60)
Step 2: Calculate Leasing & Renewal Fees
Over a 5-year period:
-
Leasing fees collected twice: $2,000
((50% × $2,000) × 2) -
Lease renewal fees collected for the remaining 3 years: $300
($100 × 3)
Step 3: Calculate Maintenance Markups
Annual rent is $24,000.
A 2% maintenance markup equals $480 per year, or:
-
$2,400 over 5 years
Step 4: Calculate Total Lifetime Revenue
When you add everything together, the total lifetime revenue from a single owner client is:
-
$16,700
($12,000 management + $2,000 leasing + $300 renewals + $2,400 maintenance)
Step 5: Calculate Profitability
Next, factor in profitability. If you know that you typically have a 30% net profit margin, that would leave you with $5,010 ($16,700 * 30%) in profit from the average client.
This means you have a considerable budget available for acquiring a client.
Using the figures above, if your average cost of acquiring a client is $500, you’ll be making a 10X return on investment ($5,010/$500) per client you bring on.
Once you understand your client lifetime value, lead generation stops feeling risky. It becomes a numbers game you can control.
You’ve got a business to build so I won’t waste your time.
Let’s break down the strategies property management companies use to generate owner leads consistently.
Strategies for Property Managers to Generate Rental Owner Leads
How you produce your leads will vary depending on what stage your business is at.
Property managers that have 300 doors will have more resources at their disposal to spend on marketing than someone who is aiming to grow to their first 50 doors.
So what are you supposed to do if you’re just getting started?
Or if you’ve reached a plateau, what strategies can you implement to help you push past that mark?
Business Development Ideas for Beginners
(For companies who are trying to get to their first 100 doors)
If you haven’t reached 100 doors yet don’t worry. You can quickly achieve that mark by implementing the following strategies. These methods will require more of a hands-on approach but won’t cost you much money to begin.
Don’t feel like reading? Watch the video below where we break down these strategies.
1) Realtor Referral Program
Establishing relationships with local realtors can be one of the fastest ways to acquire owner clients. Offer them a referral fee for every client they send you.
A realtor referral program can work even if you offer real estate sales. You’ll simply need to sign a non-compete agreement stating that if the client decides to sell their property, you’ll give the sale back to the realtor. This keeps incentives aligned and builds long term partnerships.
Watch the video below for ideas on how to grow your realtor referral program
2) Client Referrals
Getting referrals from your existing clients is the best type of lead you can possibly get.
To keep your clients motivated, offer an incentive for existing clients to refer you more customers. Consider offering a free month of management services for every new door they refer you.
The key to getting this to work is:
- Ask consistently
- Make it easy for them to refer people to your business
- Offer a clear incentive
3) Friends & Family Referrals
If you’re just getting started, make sure you let all your friends and family know about your business. Offer them a referral fee for every door they refer to you.
While it may not be necessary to offer a referral fee, it will keep them motivated to continue sending your referrals in the future.
To let them know, go on every social media profile you have and make a post announcing the opening of your property management business. Post this once per week for 3 months in a row.
4) LinkedIn
LinkedIn can be a goldmine for finding new leads. Use LinkedIn’s detailed search options and search for titles such as “Real Estate Investor”. You can then reach out to each person and talk to them about your services.
5) Attend Local Real Estate Investor Meetups
Using Meetup.com search for real estate investor meetups in your city. Attend the meetup and network with the real estate investors in attendance.
Once you do this, take it a step further. Reach out to the person in charge of the meetup and ask them if they would be open to allowing you to speak at one of their future meetups.
6) Host Local Real Estate Investor Meetups
Another option is to host your own real estate investor meetup. Go to meetup.com and create your own event.
Provide an information session for real estate investors. Make sure your info session is full of valuable material they can use to become better real estate investors. At the end of the meetup, let them know about your services and the benefits of working with your company.
7) Cold Call FRBO leads Off Craigslist
Check Craigslist for owners who are listing their properties for rent. Call those people and offer them your services.
While cold calling may seem tough, once you get the hang of it, it can become an amazing source of leads for your company.
8) Facebook Groups
Search for Real Estate Investor groups specific to your city. Become an active member and answer questions whenever you can provide value.
Make sure your personal Facebook profile clearly displays your company’s name. Over time, people will click through to your personal profile from the Facebook group and see that you run a property management company.
9) LinkedIn Groups
This is the exact same idea as Facebook Groups, except using LinkedIn. Use LinkedIn’s search tool to find real estate investor groups specific to your city and start contributing!
Make sure your LinkedIn profile is completely filled out and demonstrates your skills.
10) Guest Blogging
Writing articles for websites where your target market hangs out online is a great way to build your authority. By getting featured on popular real estate websites in your city you can really build up your reputation, which will result in tons of leads for your property management company.
11) Get Interviewed on a Podcast
Being a guest on a popular podcast relevant to your target market can have a huge impact on your business. Being a guest on a popular podcast will immediately increase the level of trust people have in your abilities and will allow you to display your expertise in property management.
12) Browse the Local Newspaper
Find rentals listed in the local newspaper and reach out to the owners. Let them know about your services. If they’re still using the newspaper to list their rentals there’s a good chance they can use some help!
13) Affiliate with Local Businesses
Real estate investors need to deal with quite a few local businesses regarding their investments. A few examples would be accountants, repairmen, and landscapers. Reach out to these local businesses and offer them a referral fee for every door they send your way.
14) Join Real Estate Investor Clubs
This one is self-explanatory. By joining real estate investor clubs you have direct access to your target market. Through networking with members you can let them know about your services.
15) Direct Mailing
Request a copy of your county assessor’s database. From here, find owners who’s mailing address is different from the property address and send them a personalized letter offering your services.
16) Real Estate Investor Forums
Answering questions and participating in conversations on real estate investor forums can be a great way to find new leads. The trick is to find forums where your ideal clients hang out and then be as helpful as possible.
17) Business Network International (BNI)
Join your local BNI and start networking with other professionals. There’s a reason they say ‘your network is your net worth’.
18)Your Tenants’ Previous Landlord
When you contact your new applicant’s previous landlord make sure you let them know about your services. One of their previous landlords may just be an owner-landlord who’s tired of dealing with their tenants.
19) Property management companies
If you’re just starting out, you should reach out to established property management companies in your city. Often they’ll have a number of properties they turn away. To get yourself started, you can form a referral partnership with them.
20) Pay Per Lead Services
Pay per lead services can be a useful way to generate lead flow quickly, especially if you need opportunities coming in right away. These platforms collect inquiries from property owners and sell those leads to multiple property management companies in the same market.
Some common pay per lead services in the property management space include:
The biggest downside to pay per lead services is the amount of time and effort required to convert these leads. In most cases, the person submitting the request does not know who your company is. They are filling out a form on a third party website and are immediately contacted by several property management companies who all purchased the same lead.
This creates a highly competitive environment where speed matters, follow up needs to be aggressive, and many conversations do not turn into signed clients. While these leads can convert, they often require more sales effort and persistence compared to leads generated through your own website, SEO, or content.
Pay per lead services tend to work best as a short term or supplemental strategy rather than a primary long term growth channel. They can help fill gaps in lead flow, but they rarely build brand awareness or long term trust on their own.
Strategies for Companies Looking to Grow At Scale
(Already Managing 100+ Doors)
Once you are managing one hundred or more doors, growth requires a different approach. What worked to get you here often is not enough to take you to the next level.
At this stage, marketing decisions need to be made with scale in mind. That means focusing on strategies that are proven, measurable, and capable of delivering consistent owner leads without relying solely on referrals or one off efforts.
The following strategies are best suited for property management companies that already have traction and are now focused on growing in a more intentional and scalable way.
Don’t feel like reading? You can watch the video below where we go in depth on strategies you can use generate owner leads
1) Start a Podcast
Starting a podcast for real estate investors and landlords is a great way for property managers to promote their company. Podcasts are growing increasingly popular and don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
2) Content Marketing
Creating valuable content for your property management website can be a huge source of leads for your company. Start writing or filming (if you prefer video) blog posts that solve the main pain points your ideal clients have.
The key to content creation is consistency and promotion. Make sure you’re consistently producing high-quality content and promoting it on social media every time a new article is produced.
3) Facebook Advertising
Facebook has a ton of valuable data on their users. As a consumer, it can be a bit scary. As a business owner, it’s a powerful marketing channel. Start running Facebook Ads to landlords and real estate investors in your local market.
4) Google Ads (PPC)
Running Google Ads to ensure your company appears at the top of search results for terms like “property management + your city” can generate leads. However, in today’s market, this is generally the most expensive way to grow a property management company.
The main challenge is cost and inefficiency.
In most markets, cost per click for property management keywords is very high, often ranging anywhere from $15 to $30+ per click depending on competition. On top of that, there’s a fundamental problem with search intent.
When someone searches for a “property management company,” there are three different types of people searching:
-
Property owners (your ideal client)
-
Tenants looking for rentals or maintenance help
-
Vendors trying to get in touch with management companies
There are far more tenants than property owners, which means a large portion of clicks come from people who will never become clients. Even with negative keywords and careful campaign structure, tenant clicks are unavoidable and can burn through ad budgets very quickly.
As a result, many property management companies find that while Google Ads can work, it often comes with:
-
High monthly ad spend
-
Significant waste from non-owner clicks
-
A higher cost per acquired client compared to other channels
Because of this, we generally don’t recommend Google Ads to most companies.
If you’re interested in learning more, check out the video below where we go in depth on this topic.
5) Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engine optimization requires a significant amount of work and patience. Results do not happen quickly, and in many cases it can take several months to see meaningful progress. In large metro areas, especially for brand new property management companies, it can take a year or longer before SEO reaches its full impact.
That said, SEO has consistently delivered the highest return on investment of any marketing strategy in every market we have worked in.
Once your website begins ranking well, SEO can generate a steady flow of high quality owner leads without the ongoing cost of paying for every click. Over time, this creates a powerful compounding effect where leads continue to come in month after month while your cost per lead continues to decrease.
Because of the time required to see results, SEO is usually not the best place to focus if you are just getting started or need leads immediately. In those cases, faster moving channels can help bridge the gap.
However, if you are an established property management company with a longer term view, investing in SEO is one of the smartest decisions you can make. While it takes time to build, it often becomes the most reliable and profitable lead source for your business over the long run.
Search engine optimization requires a ton of work and can take a long time to come to full effect. However, over the long run, this will be the best source of leads for your company.
If you’d like to learn more about how to get your property management company high in Google, watch the video below.
6) Put a Wrap on Your Car
Car wraps can be a great way to increase your brand awareness. Make sure you have an eye-catching design that quickly explains exactly what your company does.
7) Email Marketing
Creating precisely crafted emails for people who opt-in to your email list is a popular way to bring on additional property management leads. In order to do this successfully, you need to create an effective lead magnet that entices owners to leave you their name and email address.
Want Help With Your Property Management Company’s Marketing?
8) YouTube Videos
YouTube can be one of the most powerful long term lead generation channels for a property management company. It functions as both a search engine and a trust building platform, allowing potential clients to see and hear from you before ever reaching out.
YouTube is currently the second largest search engine in the world, and many real estate investors actively use it to research topics like hiring a property manager, understanding local rental laws, and deciding who they trust to manage their properties.
The key is to create videos specifically for real estate investors in your city. Focus on answering common owner questions, explaining your local market, and sharing your perspective as a local expert. This positions your company as the obvious choice when someone is ready to hire a property manager.
Each video should clearly direct viewers on what to do next. Make sure your company name, website, and contact information are mentioned verbally and shown on screen so interested viewers can easily reach out.
Over time, a consistent YouTube strategy builds authority, trust, and inbound leads that are often higher quality than leads from paid advertising.
If you want to learn more about how to grow a YouTube channel watch this video:
9) YouTube Ads
If you want immediate exposure for your videos, you can pay to have your videos show up as ads before relevant videos on YouTube. For example, you can run YouTube ads to people who have an interest in real estate investing.
10) Facebook Messenger Bots
Facebook messenger bots are growing increasingly popular. Messenger bots allow you to automate conversations with people who visit your website and your Facebook page. Having a bot set up will allow you to build custom marketing campaigns inside of Facebook messenger, similar to email marketing campaigns.
11) Buy An Existing Company
Buying an existing property management company is one of the quickest ways to grow your business. You can contact business brokers to find out if there are any property management companies
12) Host Webinars For Local Landlords
Hosting webinars can be a great way to generate new leads. Make sure your webinar is targeted at real estate investors/landlords in your local area and provides information they would find useful. The more useful the content in your webinar, the easier it will be for them to realize that using your services is the best choice they can make.
13) TV Commercials
Most TV stations offer local advertising opportunities. While there are definitely cheaper ways to develop leads, tv commercials can also have a huge impact on your brand awareness.
14) Billboard Advertisements
Another traditional form of marketing is billboard advertising. Taking out a billboard in your local area can be a great way to build brand awareness.
15) Advertisements in local magazines
If your city has a local real estate magazine this could be a great place to advertise your property management company. You know that the majority of people reading the magazine are serious about real estate investing and could use the services of a property manager.
15) Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)
This is the process of optimizing content so AI search engines choose your company as the answer, not just a ranked link.
Think:
- SEO = helping you rank on search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.)
- AEO = helping you rank on answer engines (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude, Google AI Overviews, etc.)
If you want to learn more about AEO, watch this video:
How to Increase Your Conversion Rate
Now you know what strategies to implement to generate leads for your property management company.
But how do you convert those leads into clients?
While it’s impossible to close 100% of your leads, there are certain factors that will significantly improve your conversion rate.
To close a sale people need to feel like they know you, like you, and trust you.
There are two important components that will help you accomplish this.
These apply no matter how many properties you currently manage. Whether you have 10 properties or 1,000 properties under management these are important factors.
1) Improve your Online Reputation
Your online reputation plays a major role in whether a property owner decides to contact your company. If your review profile is weak or inconsistent, only a small percentage of people who discover your business will actually reach out.
For most owners, Google reviews are the first credibility check. Even if someone hears about your company through a referral, your website, or a video, they will almost always look at your reviews before calling. A strong review profile can significantly increase the percentage of owners who take the next step and contact your company.
This is not something to address later. Improving your online reputation should be a priority from the first day you start your business and should continue as your company grows.
Based on our review of over two hundred property management companies, we consistently see a meaningful increase in inbound calls once a company reaches an average star rating of 4.3 or higher. Below this threshold, many owners hesitate. Above it, trust increases quickly.
Here’s a video that goes through 7 strategies you can use to improve your online reviews:
2) Property Management Website
Regardless of whether the lead finds out about your company online or offline, I can guarantee they will look up your company online. Your website will be one of their first impressions of your business.
This applies no matter how many properties you have under management.
Don’t underestimate the power of a website with a great user experience. In fact, a client of ours recently experienced a 144% increase in leads solely by redesigning their company website.
Check out this article for tips on how you can improve conversions from your website.
Want Help With Your Property Management Company’s Website?
Additional Tips To Close a Sale
Speed Matters
The amount of time you take to respond to an inquiry is extremely important. The longer you take to respond to a lead, the less likely you are to close them. You should be contacting leads within 5 minutes of them reaching out to your company. According to a study by Lead Connect, 78% of consumers buy from the company that responds to their inquiry first.
Following Up With Leads
If the lead doesn’t respond the first time you reach out don’t give up! Make sure you’re following up with your leads. The optimal number of phone call attempts is six times before you stop trying to get in contact with them. 95% of all converted leads are reached by the sixth call.
Conclusion
Now that you know what strategies you can use to generate leads for your property management company and how to increase your conversion rate on those leads it’s time to take action.
Choose which strategy you want to focus on and take action. Don’t over think it! Too much thinking leads to analysis by paralysis.
If you’d like help figuring out which strategy is right for your company, or need support implementing the tips found in this guide, don’t hesitate to contact us. We would love the opportunity to work with you. We offer a FREE 30-minute strategy session call that could easily help you double your company’s growth.
About the Author
Stephen Fox is the co-founder of Upkeep Media, a digital marketing agency that specializes exclusively in marketing for property management companies. Since 2015, he has helped property managers generate more owner leads through SEO, YouTube marketing, website optimization, and online reputation management. A former CPA who began his career at Ernst & Young, Stephen brings a data-driven, ROI-focused approach to marketing strategy. He is an active member of NARPM and has advised and worked directly with over 500 property management companies, while consulting with thousands more across the U.S. and Canada to build predictable, scalable lead generation systems.
