HOA Management Fees, Explained — and Ours: a Flat 5% of Dues
Management pricing in Greater Boston is usually a maze of per-unit rates, monthly minimums, hourly extras, and invoice markups. Here's how that maze works — and the one-line alternative we publish instead.
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The LandscapeHow management companies usually charge
There's nothing wrong with asking what HOA management costs — but you'll rarely find a straight answer published anywhere. That's because most pricing is built from parts:
- Per-unit monthly rates — commonly in the $25–$50 per unit per month range for condo associations in the Boston area, depending on services and building complexity.
- Monthly minimums — full-service firms often set floors of $1,000–$2,500+ per month, which is why a 6-unit building either gets declined or pays a per-unit price several times the going rate.
- À-la-carte fees — 6(d) certificates, meeting attendance beyond a quota, after-hours calls, document requests, and "administrative" line items that appear after you've signed.
- Repair markups — a percentage (often 10–20%) added on top of vendor invoices, which quietly rewards the manager for your building having problems.
None of this is sinister — it's just how the traditional cost structure pencils. Staffing a portfolio the old way is expensive, so small buildings get priced out and fee schedules get complicated.
Our Model5% of dues. Published. No minimum.
We charge a flat 5% of your association's total dues — the number is on this page, and it's the whole number. No minimum for small buildings, no setup or onboarding fee, no per-certificate charges — and vendor billing your board can actually see, at bulk rates negotiated across our whole portfolio.
| Building size | Illustrative annual dues | Our annual fee (5%) | Per unit / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 units | $11,700 | $585 | ~$16 |
| 6 units | $21,600 | $1,080 | $15 |
| 12 units | $54,000 | $2,700 | ~$19 |
| 24 units | $115,000 | $5,750 | ~$20 |
| 50 units | $300,000 | $15,000 | $25 |
Dues figures are illustrative — your fee is simply 5% of whatever your association actually collects. If your dues change, the fee follows automatically. Bigger than 50 units? The same 5% applies at any size.
The Fine Print, UnfinedWhat's never extra — and what's genuinely outside scope
Never an extra charge
Accounting & bookkeeping · annual budget · reserve planning & percent-funded tracking · annual meeting (organized, noticed, minuted) · property assessments & maintenance planning · dues collection & arrears follow-up · 6(d) certificates · insurance renewal coordination · vendor sourcing & supervision · owner portal for every unit · ordinary after-hours emergency coordination.
Genuinely outside the 5% (and always quoted first)
The vendor work itself — repairs, snow removal, landscaping, cleaning — is the association's cost, billed transparently at our negotiated portfolio rates.
Tenant placement for a rented unit is a standard rental brokerage engagement through BMN Boston, at the standard fee, only if an owner asks for it.
Major capital projects (a full roof replacement, structural work) where the board wants dedicated owner's-representative project management beyond normal vendor supervision — scoped and agreed in writing before anything starts.
The HowWhy we can charge this and others can't
Our management stack is software-first: automated bookkeeping and reconciliation, a per-association owner portal that answers the questions that otherwise become phone calls, digitized document vaults, and reserve models that update themselves. The routine work that consumes a traditional manager's billable day mostly runs itself here — so the 5% covers the part that actually needs a human: judgment, vendors, meetings, and your board's trust.
Add the vendor network — we buy landscaping, snow, plumbing, and HVAC service in bulk across buildings, at rates a single small association can't get — and the total cost of ownership for a BMN-managed association is routinely lower than self-managing with retail vendor pricing. See everything that's included →
Single PropertiesIndividual units & single-family homes
Not an association? We also manage individual condo units and single-family houses across Greater Boston, with the same transparent approach:
- Rental properties — 5% of the monthly rent. Tenant relations, maintenance coordination, vendors, and owner reporting included.
- Owner-occupied properties — quoted per property. The fee depends on the property's size and type; tell us about yours and we'll send an exact number within one business day.
Send an inquiry or call 617-955-2224 for your quote.
Quick AnswersPricing FAQ
What does HOA management typically cost per unit in the Boston area?
Commonly $25–$50 per unit per month at full-service firms, before minimums and extras. The catch for small buildings is the monthly minimum — often $1,000–$2,500 — which can push a 6-unit building's effective rate far higher. Our 5%-of-dues model has no minimum, so small buildings pay proportionally small fees.
Why a percentage of dues instead of a per-unit rate?
Because dues already scale with what a building actually takes to run. A percentage keeps our fee proportional to the association's real size and workload, stays fair for tiny buildings, and means you can compute our fee yourself from numbers you already know.
Is there an onboarding or setup fee?
No. Onboarding — collecting records, rebuilding books, setting up the portal, taking over the vendor calendar — is part of earning the 5%.
Are 6(d) certificates extra?
No — 6(d) certificates are included, and we turn them around promptly. Many firms charge $150–$300 per certificate; we think charging your own association to confirm its own records is silly.
What about after-hours emergencies?
Coordinating an emergency — a burst pipe at midnight, a dead boiler in January — is part of the job, not a billable event. The plumber's invoice is the association's cost (at our negotiated rates); our time is covered by the 5%.
Do the vendor discounts really reach the association?
Yes — the bulk rates we negotiate are what your association is billed, and your board can see every invoice. In the rare case a project warrants an added coordination charge, it's disclosed and agreed with the board before work starts.
What happens to the fee if our dues change?
It adjusts automatically — 5% of the new dues. If we recommend a dues increase in your budget, we'll show you exactly what it does to our fee too, in the same spreadsheet.
What does it cost to manage a single rental unit or house?
5% of the monthly rent for rental properties. For owner-occupied properties the fee is quoted based on the size and type of the property — send an inquiry or call 617-955-2224 and we'll give you your exact number.
How long is the contract? What if we want to leave?
We keep terms short and exits simple — no multi-year lock-ins, no termination penalties. If we're not earning the 5%, you shouldn't be paying it. Your records and books are yours and leave with you, organized.
Want your building's exact number?
Send us your unit count and dues — we'll reply within one business day with the 5% math, what's included, and where our vendor pricing beats what you're paying now.
