Choosing  the right property management company comes down to one question: who can find you a quality tenant the fastest? Everything else—technology platforms, pricing models, or guarantees—only drive value if they achieve that goal.

At Doorstead, we've built our entire platform around two outcomes: placing high-quality tenants in a median of 21 days and maintaining a sub 1% delinquency rate when you choose to manage those tenants on our platform. Learn more about how our services maximize value for our customers and review how we compare to the alternatives below.

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How can you protect your rental income?

Every day your property sits vacant costs you money that you will never earn back. Every delinquent tenant creates stress and lost income. We prioritize everything we do around a straightforward formula at Doorstead:

Faster placement + better tenants = higher, more reliable income

This is why we focus on measurable results:

• 21 median days to lease — based on our properties rented via our proprietary Autopilot pricing engine, which leases significantly faster than industry averages of 30-45 days
• 1% delinquency rate — compared to industry averages of 4-8%
• Multi-stage screening with robust ID verification — we take a preventative approach rather than a reactive approach to problem tenants 

Our screening process includes credit checks (650+ minimum), income verification (3x rent), employment verification, background checks, advanced fraud detection, and prior landlord references. The rigor of our operational processes are  how we beat industry standards in every market. 

For more details on how our placement model works, please reference our guides below:

• Pricing and listing
• Screening

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How does Doorstead compare to other property managers?

Is hiring a property manager better than DIY self-management?

Their model: Managing your own rental property—handling tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and legal compliance yourself.

Pricing: No management fees, but significant time investment and potential for costly mistakes. You'll still pay for tenant screening services ($30-50 per applicant), listing sites, and any legal consultation needed.

How you find tenants: DIY landlords typically list on Zillow, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace. Screening quality depends entirely on your knowledge and diligence. Marketing reach and tenant pool are limited compared to professional syndicators.

Where Doorstead differs:

Self-management works well if you can manage the time commitment of a part-time job, live near your property, understand landlord-tenant law, and can handle tenant conflicts without emotional involvement. Typically, you’re still paying for a software solution to help screen applicants, collect rent, and manage maintenance requests. The hidden costs add up quickly:

Time investment: Responding to tenant calls at 10 PM. Coordinating contractors for emergency repairs. Screening applicants, running background checks, verifying employment. Chasing late rent payments. For a single property, owners report spending 20-40 hours per year on management tasks—more if issues arise.

Legal risk: Fair Housing violations, improper eviction procedures, security deposit disputes, and lease agreement errors can result in thousands in legal fees or settlements. Professional property managers carry insurance and expertise that protect you from these risks.

Marketing limitations: Professional managers syndicate listings across 50+ rental sites simultaneously and leverage SEO-optimized content. DIY landlords typically manage 3-5 sites manually, resulting in slower placements. Every extra day vacant costs you rent.

Screening quality: Our multi-stage screening process—including fraud detection, income verification, and prior landlord references—produces a 1% delinquency rate. DIY landlords using basic credit checks often see 5-8% delinquency because they miss the red flags that experience catches.

Emotional distance: It's harder to enforce lease terms, raise rent appropriately, or handle difficult tenants when you're personally involved. Professional management provides the buffer that protects both the relationship and your financial interests.

Doorstead's 5% fee translates to roughly $125-150/month on a typical $2,500-3,000 rental. For that, you get expertise, legal protection, marketing reach, proven screening, and peace of mind. Most self-managing landlords undervalue their own time—if you bill yourself at even $25/hour, you're breaking even on time alone, before accounting for better tenant quality and faster placements.

Quick verdict: The choice between Doorstead and self-management comes down to the value of time and risk. While DIY landlords save on the 5% management fee, they often experience 5–8% delinquency rates and spend 20–40 hours annually on manual tasks. Doorstead’s data-driven screening reduces delinquency to 1%, making it the more profitable choice for owners who want passive income without the legal and operational risks of DIY.

Doorstead vs. Belong: Is a rent guarantee worth the higher fee?

Their model: Belong positions itself as "property management made loveable"—a tenant-focused company with guaranteed rent payments for owners. They emphasize creating a positive rental experience and use a combination of in-house maintenance technicians ("Belong Pros") and a network of maintenance professionals. They do not have a Tenant Placement only offering, meaning you’re locked into a 12 month property management contract from the get-go.

Pricing: ~8% monthly management fee + ~60% of first month's rent as placement fee.

How they find tenants: Belong emphasizes personal interviews conducted by "resident specialists" combined with standard credit checks, background checks, income verification, and reference checks.

The guarantee question: Belong's Guaranteed Rent sounds valuable—until you ask why you need it. A guarantee is insurance against tenant non-payment. But if your screening process works, non-payment is rare.

At Doorstead, we used to offer a similar Rent Guarantee. We discontinued it because our data showed it only activated for under 2% of owners. Our screening was doing its job—99% of tenants paid on time—so the guarantee was collecting premium fees for protection that almost no one needed.

Belong doesn't publish their delinquency rate. If their screening matched ours, their guarantee would rarely pay out either—which raises the question of what you're actually paying for with that 8% fee. If their delinquency rate is higher, that's exactly why they need the guarantee as a selling point.

Where Doorstead differs:

Belong charges ~8% management (vs. our 5%) and ~60% placement (vs. our 50%). For a $3,000/month rental, that's an extra $90/month plus $300 more upfront. Over a year, you're paying roughly $1,380 more with Belong.

What do you get for that premium? Their guarantee—which, on Doorstead, you would never use 99% of the time. Our approach: invest in listing and screening practices that make guarantees an economically worse proposition, allowing us to pass those savings to our owners.

Quick verdict:

The primary difference between Doorstead and Belong is cost and strategy.  Belong charges around 8% and sells peace of mind through insurance (their Rent Guarantee).  Doorstead charges 5% and delivers peace of mind through outcomes, preventing non-payment through rigorous screening that achieves a 1% delinquency rate. Unlike Belong's year-long commitment, Doorstead lets you start with just tenant placement and opt into ongoing management later if you choose. Ultimately, Belong appeals to owners willing to pay a premium for the psychological comfort of a guarantee, while Doorstead suits those who prefer lower fees and high-quality results over insurance.

Doorstead vs. Mynd: Which is better for single-property owners?

Their model: Mynd is a technology-forward property management company built for portfolio investors. They manage 20,000+ homes across 40+ markets and use flat-rate pricing that scales with portfolio size.

Pricing: Flat monthly fee varies by market and portfolio size (often ~$109–$199+ per home/month), plus a leasing fee of 50% of one month’s rent; renewal fees vary by market (commonly $299 flat or 25% of one month’s rent with a $399–$1,000 range).

How they find tenants: Mynd advertises "top-tier tenant screening" and claims a <2% delinquency rate. They handle approximately 50% of service requests with in-house technicians or virtually. 

Where Doorstead differs:

Mynd is optimized for investors with larger portfolios (4+ properties) who want a single dashboard across multiple markets. Their pricing rewards scale—the more properties you have, the better the per-property economics.

For single-property owners, this creates practical friction: you're navigating tools designed to manage dozens of units when you need to understand why your property hasn't leased yet or why your maintenance costs are trending up. The reporting is built for scale; the insights aren’t guided to developing your single property into an investment asset.

The pricing structure reflects this too. Mynd's flat-rate model rewards portfolio owners who can spread costs across multiple properties. Volume discounts apply too. Owners with 10 properties might pay $179/month total ($17.90 per property), while a single homeowner pays $199, which at typical rent levels becomes 7-10% of monthly rent, higher than percentage-based competitors.

Quick verdict: While Mynd is optimized for large-scale portfolio investors with 4+ properties, Doorstead is designed for individual homeowners who want a personalized, full-service experience. Mynd uses a flat-fee model that favors scale, but for single-property owners, Doorstead’s 5% management fee is often more cost-effective and provides more focused decision support.

Doorstead vs. Ziprent: Automated screening vs. expert decision support

Their model: Ziprent competes primarily on price with a simple flat-fee structure. They emphasize automation and technology to keep costs low, including automated application processing that can vet an applicant in 15 minutes.

Pricing: 

• $150/month flat fee ($100/month for additional properties) + $1,500 tenant placement fee + $250 lease renewal fee. Month-to-month contracts with no lock-in. 
• They also offer "ZipGuarantee" for $250/month. Despite its name, ZipGuarantee isn't actually a rent guarantee—it does not guarantee monthly tenant payments. It's a $250/month subscription bundle that includes unlimited tenant placement, lease renewals, yearly inspections, and late rent notice servicing. If your rent is $2000/mo, you’re paying a 12.5% property management fee, higher than most property management companies for services included in their most basic packages. The program also locks you in with a $1,500 cancellation fee in the first six months. If you're considering ZipGuarantee because the name sounds like financial protection, understand you're paying premium rates for service bundling, not payment security.

How they find tenants: Ziprent uses automated screening that pulls from payroll providers, banking data, credit reports, and background checks. Notably, they've eliminated traditional landlord reference checks entirely, arguing they're unreliable and prone to fraud. Their proprietary "ZipScore" system evaluates applicants.

Where Doorstead differs:

Ziprent's flat-fee model can be cost-effective for higher-rent properties. For a $3,000/month rental, their $150 fee equals 5%, comparable to Doorstead. But at lower rents, especially in high growth metro areas in the majority of the country, the math shifts: at $2,000/month, $150 equals 7.5%.

The bigger difference is in the service model itself. Ziprent is built for speed and efficiency through automation. But that automation may prioritize throughput over guidance. Owners receive automated risk scores and make final tenant decisions independently, which works well if you're experienced and confident evaluating applicants.

Ziprent is also self-service oriented—owners make final tenant decisions based on automated reports. Doorstead provides more decision support, with US-based employees staffed on every team, throughout the process while still giving you final decision-making control. When an application has mixed signals—good income but recent credit issues, strong employment but a concerning reference—we help you understand what matters and recommend a path forward.  If you're comfortable being more hands-on and want the lowest possible cost, Ziprent works. If you want more support, Doorstead delivers better value.

Quick verdict: Ziprent uses a high-automation, flat-fee model ($150/mo) that is ideal for experienced DIY landlords  with higher-rent properties ($2,500+) who want to make their own tenant decisions. In contrast, Doorstead provides expert-guided decision support and human oversight while maintaining a competitive 5% fee with a US-based team, making it the better choice for owners who want a hands-off, full-service management experience.

Doorstead vs. Nomad: Managing rental delinquency and late payments.

Their model: Nomad is a digital property management platform that combines self-service tools with a rent guarantee. Their pitch: get the financial protection of a guarantee at a fraction of traditional property management costs. Owners remain in control of their properties while Nomad handles rent collection and provides financial backstops.

Pricing: Nomad advertises a 4% monthly fee, but that rate only applies if you pay 12 months of fees upfront. If you pay monthly, their actual rate is 6%. They also charge a $99 one-time onboarding fee and variable tenant placement costs (0%-50% of first month's rent depending on showings package). 

How they find tenants: Nomad runs a 10-point screening including credit, criminal background (where permitted), employment verification, income confirmation, and identity checks. Owners make final tenant decisions. They claim a <1% eviction rate and their guarantee covers up to 3 months of non-payment. According to the Denver Post, 10-20% of their tenants miss payment deadlines but most set up payment plans.

The guarantee comparison:

Like Belong, Nomad leads with their rent guarantee. But here's revealing data: according to the Denver Post, 10-20% of Nomad's tenants miss payment deadlines. Most set up payment plans, but that's still 10-20x higher than Doorstead's sub 1% delinquency rate.

This explains why Nomad needs a guarantee as their core selling point—their screening produces meaningfully more late payments than ours. At 4-6%, their fee is lower than Belong's 8%, making the "insurance premium" more reasonable, but you're paying for insurance you need more often. 

Where Doorstead differs:

At 4% (prepaid) or 6% (monthly), Nomad's pricing is competitive. But consider what drives those rates: their 10-20% late payment frequency means the guarantee isn't just marketing—it's a necessary service feature. At Doorstead, our 5% fee includes full-service management without needing financial backstops because our screening produces a sub 1% delinquency rate.

The structural difference: Nomad's model assumes some owners will need maintenance approval authority and direct oversight. Doorstead handles day-to-day operations fully, only escalating major decisions. If you want that middle ground—more control than traditional management but less work than DIY—Nomad serves that niche. If you want true hands-off management with reliable outcomes, Doorstead delivers better peace of mind.

You can also test our screening quality first: start with tenant placement only (50% of first month), see our 1% delinquency rate in action, then upgrade to full management if satisfied.

Quick verdict: Doorstead and Nomad differ significantly in tenant stability. Nomad’s model results in a 10–20% late payment rate, which necessitates their core rent guarantee product. Doorstead achieves a 1% delinquency rate through better screening, eliminating the need for expensive guarantees and providing owners with more reliable, consistent income without the high 'insurance' premiums. Doorstead also offers full-service management, while Nomad is suited for DIY-oriented landlords who want financial protection without full-service management, and are comfortable handling day-to-day property operations themselves.

Are local property managers better than national tech platforms?

Their model: Traditional property management companies operate in a single market with local offices and staff. They typically offer full-service management with personal, hands-on service and deep neighborhood knowledge.

Pricing: Generally 8-10% monthly management fee + 50-100% of first month's rent for tenant placement. Some charge additional fees for lease renewals, inspections, and maintenance coordination.

How they find tenants: Marketing reach varies significantly. Smaller managers may list on MLS and Zillow but lack the syndication reach of national platforms. Screening processes depend on the individual company's standards and can range from thorough to minimal.

Where Doorstead differs:

Local property managers excel at personal relationships and neighborhood expertise. If you value face-to-face meetings and having someone who knows your specific block, this matters. But that local touch comes at a cost: 8-10% fees versus Doorstead's 5%, and often limited technology infrastructure.

The bigger limitation is scalability and consistency. A local manager in Sacramento can't help if you rent a property in Austin. Their marketing reach is typically confined to regional listing sites. And despite being local, they don't necessarily know more about tenant screening, pricing strategy, or maintenance best practices than we do—their processes reflect individual company habits, often built on top of spreadsheets, rather than data-driven learnings across thousands of properties.

Doorstead is expanding our operations nationally with consistent processes, technology, and performance metrics across all of our markets. Our 21-day median placement and 1% delinquency rates reflect platform-wide learnings, not individual market variations. You get the same high-quality service whether your property is in San Francisco or Charlotte.

Technology is another differentiator. Many local managers still rely on phone calls and email rather than owner portals with real-time updates. Doorstead's self-service platform gives you 24/7 access to financials, maintenance status, and lease documents—while still providing personal support when you need it. For an increasing number of tenants, a digital-first approach is a bonus, according to Zillow's 2025 Rental Consumer Housing Trends Report.

Quick verdict: Traditional local property managers offer personal, face-to-face relationships but typically charge 8–10% management fees and lack modern technology. Doorstead provides a tech-forward platform with consistent 5% pricing across multiple states, offering the same high-quality data-driven results whether your property is in San Francisco or Charlotte.

Why we moved away from the Rent Guarantee

Doorstead pioneered the Rent Guarantee in property management. But as our platform matured, we found the guarantee only came into play for under 2% of our owners, because our placement speed and tenant quality made it largely unnecessary. Moreover, rent guarantee programs typically require owners to cede significant amounts of control, from pricing to tenant selection, so that the guarantees can confidently be underwritten.

Rather than continue charging premium fees for coverage that barely gets used, we lowered our rates and invested in what actually matters: finding great tenants faster. The same proprietary technology that powered our Guarantee—autopilot pricing and multi-stage screening—now delivers results at more affordable price points and offers our owners more control.

When competitors advertise guarantees, ask what percentage of their customers actually use them. If the answer is low, you're paying for insurance against something that rarely happens. Our approach: build a system where bad outcomes are rare in the first place.

Who should choose Doorstead

Doorstead is the right fit if you:

• Own 1-3 properties and want personalized service (not portfolio-scale tools)
• Value tenant quality and are willing to pay for rigorous screening
• Want fast placement without sacrificing thoroughness
• Are a first-time landlord 
• Want to test before you commit—start with tenant placement, upgrade to full management if you like what you see
• Prefer full-service management without paying premium fees for guarantees you'll rarely use
• Want a tech-forward platform with self-service tools and support when you need it

The bottom line

Every property management company will tell you they find great tenants. The question is whether their model, pricing, and process actually deliver that result.

At Doorstead, we've built everything around two numbers: 21 median days to lease and 1% delinquency. Those metrics reflect thousands of placements across our platform—not marketing claims, but actual outcomes.

If fast placement and tenant quality are what matter most to you, we'd love to show you what Doorstead can do.