Joe DownsCEO & Co-Founder, Belrose Storage Group. Founder, Storage Moguls.

Self manage, hire, or hybrid clear rules of thumb

1 May 2026 · 1 min

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Property management should be built into your underwriting from the start, not added later. For portfolios under 60 units with under 90 minutes of weekly service time, skip the full-time manager and use a hybrid model instead: hire a local contact, write down exactly what they do, and stay involved yourself. Cutting management costs backfires when tenant problems, deferred maintenance, and vacancy losses cost more than the salary you saved.

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It's not an afterthought. It's an operating expense that belongs in the underwriting, same as any other. And if you're in between 30 to 90 minutes, under 60 spaces, full-time hire doesn't pencil, you need to look at the hybrid. Identify a local contact, put the scope in writing, and stay close to the business side yourself. The one thing I'd push back on— don't make this decision based on cost alone. The right operator at the right scale with the right coverage structure is worth more than what you'd save going lean. The wrong setup costs you more in tenant experience, in deferred maintenance, and occupancy misses during seasonal peaks than the hire ever would make.