If you've searched "property management companies in Des Moines" recently, you already know the problem: there are a lot of results, most of them look similar at first glance, and almost none of them make it easy to do a real apples-to-apples comparison.
This guide fixes that. It gives you a clear framework for evaluating Des Moines property management companies — what to look at, what questions to ask, and what answers should give you pause. It also explains where Caddie Property Management stands on each dimension, because transparency is how we'd want to be evaluated.
By the end, you'll know exactly how to make this decision with confidence.
Why the Wrong Choice Is Expensive
A property management company has direct control over the two biggest variables in your rental's performance: tenant quality and vacancy rate. A company that places a poorly screened tenant, responds slowly to leads, or handles lease renewals carelessly can cost you $5,000–$15,000 in a single bad tenancy — far more than a year of management fees.
The goal of this comparison isn't to find the cheapest option. It's to find the company whose systems, communication, and incentive structure most closely align with your interests as a property owner.
1. Fee Structure: Total Annual Cost, Not Just the Headline Rate
The first thing most landlords look at is the monthly management fee. It's also the most misleading number to compare in isolation.
A 10% monthly fee sounds cheaper than a flat $99/month — until you account for leasing fees, renewal fees, maintenance markups, and onboarding costs. The company charging 10% may also charge 100% of first month's rent as a leasing fee, $300 for renewals, a 15–20% markup on every maintenance invoice, and a $250 setup fee. The company charging $99/month flat may charge none of those.
How to compare correctly:
Ask every company to give you the total cost of a 12-month tenancy on a $1,400/month rental, including:
- Monthly management fee (12 months)
- Leasing fee for one tenant placement
- Lease renewal fee
- Maintenance markup (if any)
- Setup or onboarding fee
- Cancellation fee
Add those numbers up. That's your true annual cost. Compare that number, not the headline rate.
What Caddie charges:
- Monthly management: $99/month flat
- Leasing fee: 75% of one month's rent ($1,050 on a $1,400 rental)
- Lease renewal: $300
- Maintenance markup: none — you're billed at vendor cost
- Setup fee: none
- Cancellation fee: none
Total first-year cost on a $1,400/month rental: $2,238. No hidden line items.
2. Tenant Screening: The Most Important Thing They Do
Every property management company says they screen tenants. What matters is what that actually means in practice.
Weak screening — collecting an application and running a basic credit check — is a common industry minimum. Thorough screening involves credit history analysis (not just a score), income verification against actual documentation, prior rental history confirmed by direct landlord calls, background check, eviction history, and identity verification.
Questions to ask:
- What specific criteria do you use to approve or decline an applicant?
- Do you call prior landlords directly?
- What's the minimum income-to-rent ratio you require?
- How do you handle applicants with a prior eviction filing?
- Is your screening process documented and applied consistently to every applicant?
The last question matters for fair housing compliance. A screening process that isn't applied consistently creates legal exposure for you as the property owner.
What Caddie does: Every applicant goes through credit, income verification (pay stubs or bank statements), prior landlord references, eviction history, and background check. Criteria are documented and applied uniformly. We require verifiable gross income of at least 2.5–3x monthly rent.
3. Communication: The Failure Mode Most Landlords Don't Anticipate
Poor communication is the most common complaint landlords have about property managers — and it's the hardest thing to assess before you sign a contract.
The pattern is consistent: the company is responsive during the sales process, then becomes harder to reach once you're a client. Emails go unanswered for days. Maintenance updates are sporadic. You find out about a problem after it's already been resolved — or after it's already become expensive.
How to test communication before you sign:
- Call the company's main number at 10am on a Tuesday. How long until someone answers or calls back?
- Email a question and measure the response time.
- Ask specifically: what is your process for notifying owners about maintenance issues? What's the threshold for owner approval before you dispatch a vendor?
- Ask for a sample owner statement. Does it clearly explain every line item?
What Caddie provides: Owners have real-time access to their property's performance through an owner portal — rent collection status, maintenance history, financial statements, and documents, available 24/7. Maintenance issues above a defined threshold require owner notification before work is authorized. Monthly statements are clear and itemized.
4. Vacancy Reduction: Speed and Systems
Every day a property sits vacant costs you money. A property management company's track record on vacancy should be one of your primary evaluation criteria — not an afterthought.
Questions to ask:
- What is your average days-to-lease on vacant properties?
- Where do you list properties, and do you list everywhere simultaneously on day one?
- Do you use professional photography?
- What is your showing process — do you offer self-scheduling for prospective tenants?
- How do you handle lease renewals, and when do you start the renewal conversation?
A company that lists on one or two platforms, uses phone photos, and doesn't have a structured renewal process is going to cost you vacancy days that a more systematized operation wouldn't.
What Caddie does: Properties are listed on all major platforms simultaneously on day one with professional photography. Showing scheduling is streamlined. Renewal outreach begins 90 days before lease expiration, not 30. Every component of vacancy reduction is a system, not a reaction.
5. Maintenance: Markup Transparency and Vendor Quality
Maintenance handling is where property management companies' incentives most frequently diverge from owners' interests.
Many companies mark up vendor invoices 10–20%. A $400 plumbing repair becomes a $480 invoice. A $1,200 HVAC repair becomes $1,440. Over the course of a year with normal maintenance activity, that markup can add $500–$1,500 in costs you never see itemized.
Questions to ask:
- Do you mark up maintenance invoices? By what percentage?
- Can I see the original vendor invoice alongside your invoice?
- How do you select and vet your vendors?
- What's your emergency maintenance process — who responds at 11pm when heat fails?
- What is the owner approval threshold for repairs?
What Caddie charges: No markup on maintenance invoices — ever. You see the vendor's actual charge. We have an established network of vetted Des Moines area contractors and a clear emergency response process for habitability-critical issues.
6. Legal Compliance: Iowa-Specific Knowledge
Iowa landlord-tenant law has specific requirements around security deposits, notice periods, eviction procedures, fair housing, and habitability. A property management company that isn't current on Iowa Code Chapter 562A and its recent updates — including the January 2025 Iowa Supreme Court decision on eviction notices — is a liability, not a protection.
Questions to ask:
- When did you last update your lease agreements, and do they reflect current Iowa law?
- How do you handle the security deposit accounting process — specifically the 30-day return requirement?
- What is your eviction process, and do you work with Iowa-licensed attorneys?
- How do you train your team on fair housing compliance?
What Caddie does: Our leases are current with Iowa law. Security deposit accounting follows the exact statutory process. We are familiar with Iowa's notice requirements, habitability standards, and the 2025 Supreme Court changes to eviction procedure.
7. The Contract: Exit Terms and Alignment
Before you sign any property management agreement, read the cancellation clause carefully.
Some contracts lock you in for 12 months with a cancellation fee equal to several months of management fees. That's not inherently wrong — management companies invest real resources in onboarding — but you should know what you're agreeing to before something goes wrong and you want to leave.
Questions to ask:
- What is your contract term?
- What is the cancellation fee, and when does it apply?
- What happens to my tenant relationship and lease if I leave your management?
- Do you manage the property during the transition if I switch to self-management?
What Caddie charges: No cancellation fee. If the relationship isn't working, you're not trapped.
The Comparison Checklist
Use this when evaluating any Des Moines property management company:
| Evaluation Area | Questions to Ask | Caddie's Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Total annual cost | Full 12-month cost on your specific rental | $2,238 on a $1,400 rental |
| Screening depth | Credit, income, references, eviction, background | All five, applied consistently |
| Communication | Response time, owner portal, maintenance notification | Same-day, owner portal, clear thresholds |
| Vacancy systems | Photography, platform reach, renewal process | Professional photos, all platforms day one, 90-day renewal outreach |
| Maintenance | Markup policy, vendor quality, emergency process | No markup, vetted vendors, emergency protocol |
| Iowa law knowledge | Lease currency, deposit process, eviction | Current with 2025 changes |
| Contract terms | Cancellation fee, transition process | No cancellation fee |
The Right Question Isn't "Who's the Cheapest"
It's "who's going to protect my investment, minimize my vacancy, and keep me out of legal trouble while I don't have to think about it every day."
The cheapest property manager in Des Moines is almost never the best value. The best value is the company whose systems prevent the problems that cost you real money — bad tenants, extended vacancies, deferred maintenance, and compliance failures.
If you'd like to talk through your specific property and what management looks like for your situation, Caddie is happy to have that conversation. No pitch, no pressure — just the information you need to make a good decision.
This guide reflects Caddie Property Management's current service offerings and fee structure as of 2026. Other Des Moines property management companies' practices are described in general industry terms. Always verify specifics directly with any company you're evaluating.
