How owners get paid: reading your monthly statement

Your monthly statement is the whole relationship on one page. Here is how to read it, and what a good one should make obvious.

The lines that matter

• Rent collected: what actually arrived, not what was scheduled.
• Management fee: calculated on the collected number. Check that it is.
• Maintenance and repairs: each item named, with the vendor invoice available.
• Reserves: anything held back, and why.
• Owner disbursement: what hit your bank account, and when.

When money moves

Rent arrives early in the month, vendor payments and the fee clear, and your disbursement follows on a fixed schedule you should know by heart. Consistency is the tell. A disbursement date that wanders is a bookkeeping operation under strain.

Questions a statement should answer instantly

What did I earn, what did I spend, and why? If any of the three requires a phone call, the statement failed. You should never have to audit your own manager to trust the number at the bottom.

Common questions

When should I get paid each month?

On a fixed date you know in advance. Rent arrives early in the month, expenses clear, and your deposit follows on schedule. A payment date that drifts around is a warning sign.

What should I check on my statement each month?

Three things: the fee is calculated on collected rent, every repair has a named vendor and a reasonable cost, and the math from rent to your deposit adds up. Thirty seconds, most months.

What is a maintenance reserve?

A small buffer, often a few hundred dollars, the manager keeps on hand so minor repairs happen immediately without waiting for your approval or transfer. It appears on the statement, replenished as used.