Five companies in this Novato comparison publish monthly management rates; two require a fee proposal because the reviewed pages supply no comparable monthly amount. The published percentages run from 6% to 10% before minimums and extras. Compare the same property and tenancy, then add placement, renewal and other charges before choosing a manager.
What Novato Managers Publish in 2026
The figures below come from our Novato property management company comparison. They are company-specific terms from official pages, not a citywide average. Where the reviewed sources supply no comparable amount, the table identifies that limit rather than treating the charge as zero.
| Company | Management fee | Tenant placement | Lease renewal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utopia Management | typical 8%-10% of monthly rent | Not published as a comparable amount | Not published |
| North Bay Property Services | Published Novato cards: 7% of rent collected; 8% premium. General Marin FAQ instead says 6%-8%; confirm the applicable rate. | Published leasing-only: 6% of lease income, one-year minimum; not 6% of one month. Confirm placement charges under ongoing management. | No amount found on the reviewed city, services or linked FAQ pages; annual rent-increase evaluation is not a renewal price |
| PRANDI Property Management | 7%-8% of monthly rent for leasing and management | 6% of one year of lease income for leasing-only or leasing and management; not 6% of one month | No amount found on reviewed pricing, owner resources, FAQ or service pages |
| Tamalpais Property Management | 7% of monthly gross rental income; minimum $300 SFH/townhome, $250 condo, $175 per multi-unit unit per month | 6% of first-year gross rental income for all lease lengths; $2,000 minimum stated for one-time rental service. Payable after tenant approval, signed lease and deposit collection. | Renewals listed in full-service scope; no separate amount found, not a verified zero-dollar fee |
| Foundation Homes Property Management | 6% of gross monthly rent, $300 minimum; Gold and invite-only Platinum cards both show 6% | Published standard: 6% of total lease contract value, $3,000 minimum. Silver/Gold table shows 6%; invite-only Platinum shows 8%, with its basis/minimum to confirm. | Published Annual Renewal Protection: 50% of one month rent annually; $5,000 cap stated. FAQ qualifies cap for rents over $10,500/month; confirm threshold and plan. |
| Nagy Property Services | Ongoing monthly service confirmed; no rate found on reviewed service, maintenance, bill-paying, home, About or contact pages | Placement-only service confirmed; no amount found on the six reviewed pages | No amount found on the six reviewed pages; request current terms |
| MCPM, Inc. | No comparable rate found on reviewed services, owner-statements, home, About, team or contact pages; request proposal | Marketing, screening and lease negotiation stated; no amount found on reviewed pages | Tenant retention and renewal work described; no separate amount found on reviewed pages |
Monthly Management Fees
Foundation Homes lists 6% of gross monthly rent with a $300 minimum. North Bay Property Services lists 7% of rent collected for its management service and 8% for premium service. PRANDI lists 7% to 8% of monthly rent. Tamalpais lists 7% of monthly gross rental income, subject to a $300 monthly minimum for single-family homes and townhomes, $250 for condominiums, and $175 per unit for multi-unit properties. Utopia lists a typical 8% to 10% of monthly rent.
No comparable monthly amount was found on the reviewed Nagy Property Services and MCPM pages. Their rates, calculation bases and minimums need a current written proposal.
Nagy’s residential services page confirms ongoing management and placement-only options. Its maintenance and bill-paying pages explain vendor coordination and handling owner expenses. Those pages, the home page, owner biography and contact page supplied no management, placement, renewal, setup or inspection amount, or maintenance markup, when checked September 29, 2026. Paying a bill on an owner’s behalf does not mean absorbing that expense. Request the current fee schedule and approval limits.
Leasing, Renewal, and Setup Fees
Foundation Homes’ Novato FAQ links to its fee breakdown: 6% of total lease contract value for placement, minimum $3,000, plus Annual Renewal Protection at 50% of one month’s rent. The article states a $5,000 renewal cap; its FAQ qualifies that cap for rents over $10,500 per month. Confirm the threshold in the agreement. Its renewal-year example adds $175 annual administration and $175 legislative review. The plan table shows 6% placement for Silver/Gold but 8% for invite-only Platinum; confirm Platinum’s calculation base and minimum. Sources checked September 29, 2026.
PRANDI’s three-column schedule separates document preparation from leasing-only and leasing with management. The $800 to $1,000 document package is not a managed-property setup fee. Both leasing columns charge 6% of one year’s lease income; only ongoing management adds the 7% to 8% monthly charge. Move-in evaluation appears in both leasing plans, while regular property evaluations appear only in management. Its maintenance page says vendor bills are not marked up and discounts pass through. Owners still pay the repair bills; capital-project oversight is offered on request without a displayed price. Sources checked September 29, 2026.
North Bay lists leasing-only service at 6% of the lease with a one-year minimum, not 6% of one month’s rent. Its $500 document-preparation service applies when the owner has already found a qualified tenant; it is not labelled onboarding. Confirm the placement charge under ongoing management separately. The public Utopia Novato page does not provide a comparable placement, renewal or onboarding amount.
Tamalpais’ full-management and one-time rental schedules both use 6% of first-year gross rental income, including for month-to-month and multi-year leases. The $2,000 minimum is stated in the one-time rental section. The commission becomes payable after tenant approval, an executed lease and collection of the deposit. Renewals are listed in full-management services without a separate price; this does not establish a zero-dollar renewal charge. No separate setup, inspection or maintenance-markup amount was found on the services, home or company-history pages checked September 29, 2026.
Maintenance and Project Terms
MCPM’s management services include lease negotiation, tenant retention, maintenance and capital planning for commercial and multifamily owners. Its public owner-statements page describes contributions for repairs, renovations and reserves without specifying a balance. No comparable management, placement, renewal, setup, inspection or coordination amount was found across those pages, home, About, team and contact pages checked September 29, 2026. Obtain the fee schedule and capital-work authority for the actual building.
North Bay’s services schedule charges 10% of the total job cost for major maintenance beyond normal management, including fire or flood work. This is not a stated markup on every routine repair. Its Novato cards show 7% and 8% of rent collected, while the general Marin FAQ says 6% to 8%; ask which rate applies. Both cards list inspections, and premium expressly adds one annual inspection. Sources checked September 29, 2026.
Foundation’s fee article says routine repairs carry no supervision markup, although the owner still pays the vendor. Capital work, large invoices, remediation and after-hours emergencies can carry a separate supervision fee whose amount is not displayed. The annual habitability inspection is included for new 12-month management agreements and covered renewals. Silver leasing-only separately lists $1,295+ for the annual report and $1,295 to $1,995 for move-in/out inspections; those figures should not be added to managed plans by assumption. Platinum adds a second Q4 inspection; Gold lists an optional $99 monthly Provestor upgrade, subject to current eligibility and terms. Checkmarks describe scope, not an assurance that every listed service is free. Tamalpais describes vendor coordination without a comparable markup or approval amount on the reviewed pages.
California Rules That Affect Management Costs
For a covered rental, Civil Code section 1947.12 limits increases in a 12-month period to 5% plus the applicable cost-of-living change, or 10%, whichever is lower. The statute places Marin County in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward CPI area and also lists exemptions. Civil Code section 1946.2 governs just cause and no-fault termination obligations for covered rentals.
Civil Code section 1950.5 generally caps security at one month’s rent, provides a limited small-landlord exception, and requires deposit accounting within 21 calendar days after move-out. It also requires photographs in the circumstances described by the statute. Ask the manager who owns the notice and records process, and confirm the statute applies to the property before acting.
Sources: California Civil Code section 1947.12; California Civil Code section 1946.2; California Civil Code section 1950.5. Checked September 26, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice.
Compare Proposals on the Same Property
Give every manager the same facts: property type, proposed rent, occupancy, lease end date, recent repairs, and whether a tenant is already in place. Request management, placement, renewal, onboarding, inspection, maintenance, and cancellation terms in writing. For a local management proposal, see our Novato property management services. A comparison works only when each proposal answers the same questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Nagy Property Services publish a fee schedule?
Nagy offers ongoing management and placement-only service, but no management, placement, renewal, setup or inspection amount was found across its six reviewed public pages on September 29, 2026. Its maintenance and bill-paying pages explain services without a service charge or markup. Request current rates, extra-visit charges and maintenance approval terms; owner expenses remain separate from the management fee.
How much does property management cost in Novato?
Five published monthly schedules range from 6% to 10% before minimums and extras. Foundation Homes lists 6% with a $300 minimum; North Bay city cards show 7% or 8%; PRANDI lists 7% to 8%; Tamalpais lists 7% with property-specific minimums; Utopia lists a typical 8% to 10%. North Bay also gives a 6% to 8% Marin FAQ range; confirm the selected plan. No comparable monthly amount was found on the reviewed Nagy and MCPM pages.
Which Novato managers publish their fees?
North Bay, PRANDI, Tamalpais and Foundation Homes publish monthly and leasing figures. Utopia publishes a typical monthly range. Foundation also lists annual renewal protection and other charges. These are five published monthly schedules, not five all-inclusive quotes. Nagy and MCPM require a fee proposal because the reviewed public pages did not provide comparable amounts.
What tenant placement fees are published in Novato?
North Bay leasing-only costs 6% of the lease with a one-year minimum. PRANDI uses 6% of one year of lease income. Tamalpais uses 6% of first-year gross rent, with a $2,000 minimum stated for one-time rental service. Foundation lists 6% of total lease contract value, minimum $3,000; its invite-only Platinum table shows 8%, with basis and minimum to confirm. These are not percentages of one month. Utopia has no comparable Novato placement amount on the reviewed page.
What annual renewal and inspection charges does Foundation Homes publish?
Annual Renewal Protection costs 50% of one month rent per year. The article states a $5,000 cap, while its FAQ specifies rents over $10,500 per month; confirm that threshold. The annual habitability inspection is included for new 12-month management agreements and covered renewals. Silver leasing-only instead lists $1,295+ for the annual report and $1,295-$1,995 for move-in/out inspections. The renewal-year example also lists $175 administration and $175 legislative review. Confirm selected-plan applicability rather than counting inspections twice.
How much can I raise rent on a covered Novato rental?
Civil Code section 1947.12 limits an increase over a 12-month period to 5% plus the applicable cost-of-living change, or 10%, whichever is lower. The statute identifies Marin County in the San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward CPI area and contains exemptions. Confirm coverage and timing before serving a notice.
When does California just cause apply to a Novato rental?
For covered rentals, Civil Code section 1946.2 requires just cause after a tenant has continuously and lawfully occupied the home for 12 months, subject to statutory exceptions. A covered no-fault termination requires relocation assistance or a final-month rent waiver. Read the current statute before serving notice.
