1836 Property Management vs. Flat Fee Landlord: Austin Comparison

This is a factual head-to-head between two property management companies serving Austin and Central Texas. 1836 Property Management is a Central-Texas-exclusive flat-rate firm established in 2007 with 19 years of Austin-area history, 750+ Google reviews at 4.8 stars, and Austin Business Journal #1 Best Place to Work recognition (2025 micro category). Flat Fee Landlord is a flat-fee specialist with locally-staffed Austin teams plus 8 other markets. Both companies use flat-fee pricing models — making this an unusually direct structural comparison. 1836 PM facts verified directly against 1836propertymanagement.com pricing page on 2026-05-27.

At a Glance

Dimension	1836 Property Management	Flat Fee Landlord
Pricing model	Flat fee — rent-bracketed (Silver $124 / Gold $154 / Platinum $204 / Luxury $210 by rent level)	Flat fee — service-tiered ($139 Basic / $179 Preferred / $349 Concierge, annual billing) regardless of rent
Markets covered	Austin / Central Texas only (26 catchments: Austin, Bastrop, Cedar Park, Round Rock, Georgetown, et al.)	9 metros: TX (Houston, DFW, Austin, San Antonio) + the DMV (NoVA, DC, MD, Richmond, Fredericksburg)
Leasing fee	100% / 75% / 50% / 75% of one month’s rent for one-year lease (varies by tier)	One full month’s rent (TP_ONLY); bundle benefit when paired with PM
Placement guarantee	Rented in 30 Days Promise (all packages); specific remedy not detailed on public page	21-day placement promise on TP + PM bundle: waive first 2 months management fees if no qualified application
Tenant placement guarantee	180 Day Great Tenant Promise (all packages); specific terms not detailed	9 months (Preferred) / 12 months (Concierge) — bundle benefit on TP + PM purchased together
Eviction	Eviction Assurance / Flat Fee Eviction Administration as ADDITIONAL services (not included in standard fee)	Bundle benefit on Preferred + Concierge (annual billing, tenants we placed); pass-through costs
Years in market	19 years (established 2007)	FFL operates with locally-staffed Austin teams under designated broker Mo Hashem (TREC #686637)
Adjacent services	Commercial PM, Condo/HOA management, International Investor advisory, REI Monitor (KPI tool)	Long-term residential SFR focus; tax filing on Preferred/Concierge; multi-year lease on Concierge

Pricing Compared

1836 Property Management (per their published pricing page, fetched 2026-05-27):

Four rent-bracketed flat-rate tiers:

• Silver: Properties with average monthly rent UP TO $1,749. Monthly Management $124/mo. Leasing fee 100% of one month’s rent.
• Gold: Properties $1,749-$3,000. Monthly Management $154/mo. Leasing fee 75% of one month’s rent.
• Platinum: Properties $3,000-$3,999. Monthly Management $204/mo. Leasing fee 50% of one month’s rent.
• Luxury: Properties $4,000+. Monthly Management $210/mo. Leasing fee 75% of one month’s rent.

1836 PM’s pricing notes: published rates include discounts for increased maintenance reserve limits and multi-property listings. Ask about leasing rates if property falls below $1,500/mo rent (minimums apply per plan). Eviction Assurance and Flat Fee Eviction Administration are ADDITIONAL services beyond the standard tier.

All 1836 PM packages include: Rented in 30 Days Promise, Proven Tenant Screening, 180 Day Great Tenant Promise, Aggressive Rent Collection, Prescreened/Licensed/Insured Vendors, 24/7 Live Emergency Line, Pet Damage Promise, Proprietary Local Marketing Partnerships, 120+ website syndication, Professional Property Photography, AI Inquiry Interactivity, Short-Term to Long-Term Rental Transition, Tenant Liability Insurance (paid by tenant).

Flat Fee Landlord (live source-of-truth, quote builder):

• Basic — $139/mo (annual billing). Rent collection, owner and tenant portals, maintenance coordination and lease enforcement, 24/7 emergency line, standard response time.
• Preferred — $179/mo (annual billing). Everything in Basic plus annual tax filing, home warranty administration (when home has warranty), mid-lease inspection, annual strategy review, 24-hour callback. On TP + PM bundle (annual): 9-month tenant assurance and eviction coordination (pass-through filing fees, court costs, attorney fees, vendor invoices).
• Concierge — $349/mo (annual billing). Everything in Preferred plus renewals included, tax filing included, two inspections per year, twice-per-year strategy review, multi-year lease coordination included, concierge utility billing, preventive maintenance calendar with approval authority. On TP + PM bundle (annual): 12-month tenant assurance.
• Listing & activation fee: $350 (one time, at signing, on TP + PM).
• Maintenance coordination fee: 10% added to each repair vendor invoice (all tiers).

Austin Markets Served

1836 Property Management (per their Areas We Serve page, 2026-05-27): 26 Central Texas catchments — Austin, Bastrop, Bee Caves, Buda, Cedar Park, Del Valle, Dripping Springs, Elgin, Georgetown, Hutto, Jarrell, Kyle, Lakeway, Leander, Liberty Hill, Lockhart, Manchaca, Manor, N. San Marcos, Oak Hill, Pflugerville, Round Rock, Spicewood, Taylor, The Hills, Westlake. Address: 2209 S. 1st St #104, Austin TX 78704.

Flat Fee Landlord: Austin with locally-staffed teams, plus 8 other markets — Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, San Antonio, Northern Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Richmond, Fredericksburg.

Overlap: Austin metro and Central Texas suburbs. Both companies cover the core Austin market; 1836 PM’s 26-catchment depth in Central Texas is particularly strong in suburban communities like Cedar Park, Round Rock, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Leander, and the Hill Country (Lakeway, Bee Cave, Spicewood, Westlake).

No-overlap: 1836 PM does not serve any market outside Central Texas. FFL serves all 4 TX metros plus the 5 DMV markets. For owners with multi-TX or DMV portfolios, FFL is the natural multi-market fit.

Service Scope & Guarantees

Both companies offer full-service residential property management in Austin. Where the public scope diverges:

1836 Property Management’s differentiators (per their public materials):

• 19 years of Austin-exclusive operating history (founded 2007)
• 750+ Google reviews at 4.8 stars
• Austin Business Journal #1 Best Place to Work (2025 micro category)
• 0.5% annual eviction rate on placed tenants (their published figure)
• 26 Central Texas catchment-specific service pages
• Rented in 30 Days Promise + 180 Day Great Tenant Promise + Pet Damage Promise
• Commercial PM, Condo/HOA management, International Investor advisory
• REI Monitor KPI tracking tool; 1031 Exchange Calculator
• Tenant Liability Insurance (paid by tenant) bundled at all tiers
• 120+ website listing syndication

Flat Fee Landlord’s differentiators (per plan-data):

• Published tenant assurance scope: 9 months (Preferred), 12 months (Concierge), bundle benefit on TP + PM together
• Annual tax filing included on Preferred and Concierge (1099 + Schedule E support)
• Multi-year lease coordination included on Concierge (Basic + Preferred: $450/yr beyond 12 months)
• Mid-lease inspection included on Preferred (one annual); two inspections on Concierge
• Concierge utility billing between vacancies (Concierge tier)
• Preventive maintenance calendar with approval authority (Concierge tier)
• 21-day placement promise on TP + PM bundle (waive first 2 months management fees)
• 9-market coverage under one designated broker
• Eviction coordination as published bundle benefit (Preferred + Concierge annual)

Eviction Handling

1836 Property Management lists Eviction Assurance and Flat Fee Eviction Administration as ADDITIONAL services beyond their standard tier rate — meaning eviction handling is not included in the published monthly rate. Owners evaluating 1836 PM should ask directly: what does Eviction Assurance cover, what does Flat Fee Eviction Administration cost, what pass-through costs apply, and what is the realistic Travis County or Williamson County timeline.

Flat Fee Landlord publishes eviction coordination as a Preferred + Concierge bundle benefit (annual billing, for tenants we placed): we coordinate and support the process — notices, court filings, hearing scheduling. Filing fees, court costs, attorney fees, and constable/vendor invoices pass through to the owner at cost (no markup). Basic does not include eviction coordination. PM-only customers (no FFL tenant placement engagement) can engage eviction coordination as a $750 separate engagement.

When 1836 PM Might Be the Better Fit

• You specifically want a Central Texas-exclusive specialist with deep local depth — 19 years of Austin history, 26 catchments, 750+ Google reviews.
• Your Austin rent is under ~$1,800/month — 1836 PM Silver $124/mo or Gold $154/mo can be cheaper than FFL Basic $139/mo at low rent levels.
• You own a luxury Austin property ($4,000+/mo) — 1836 PM Luxury $210/mo is cheaper than FFL Concierge $349/mo on monthly fee alone, though FFL Concierge bundles deeper service scope.
• You have commercial property management or condo/HOA management needs — 1836 PM has those adjacent divisions; FFL focuses exclusively on residential SFR + small multifamily.
• You value bundled tenant liability insurance (tenant-paid) at all 1836 PM tiers; FFL doesn’t bundle this at every tier the same way.
• You want a manager with explicit Austin BBJ Best Place to Work culture signaling — reflects internal team retention and culture investment.
• You want pricing that decreases per-dollar-of-rent as rent rises (1836 PM’s Platinum tier on a $3,500/mo property is $204/mo — that’s effectively 5.8% of rent, much lower than typical percentage rates).

When Flat Fee Landlord Might Be the Better Fit

• You also have or plan to have properties beyond Austin / Central Texas. 1836 PM doesn’t serve Houston, DFW, San Antonio, or the DMV; FFL covers all 9 markets.
• You want a published rate that doesn’t vary by rent level. FFL’s $139/$179/$349 is the same dollar fee whether your rent is $2,000 or $4,500; 1836 PM’s tiers progressively increase the fee with rent.
• You want published tier-specific tenant assurance windows with explicit bundle scope. FFL publishes 9-month (Preferred) and 12-month (Concierge) windows tied to TP + PM bundle; 1836 PM’s 180 Day Great Tenant Promise applies to all tiers but specific terms are less detailed publicly.
• You want eviction coordination included in the monthly tier rate (vs separate Eviction Assurance and Flat Fee Eviction Administration services).
• You want annual tax filing and multi-year lease coordination bundled with management. FFL Preferred and Concierge include these; 1836 PM lists them separately or doesn’t name them.
• You have a mixed-rent portfolio — one $2,000 rental and one $3,500 rental. FFL charges the same per-property tier regardless; 1836 PM would put them in different rent-brackets with different fee levels.
• Your Austin property is in the $2,200-$3,000/month range where 1836 PM Gold ($154/mo) vs FFL Preferred ($179/mo) is a close call — weigh the bundled scope difference (FFL Preferred bundles tax filing, mid-lease inspection, eviction coordination on TP+PM bundle).

How to Decide for Your Austin Property

For a low-to-mid rent Austin property under $2,000/month, 1836 PM Silver or Gold tier is competitive with or cheaper than FFL Basic on month-one math. Run the all-in 3-year comparison including leasing fees and eviction handling cost differences.

For typical Austin suburban properties ($2,400-$3,500/month, covering Cedar Park, Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander, Buda, and most Hill Country suburbs), FFL Preferred at $179/mo flat is in the same range as 1836 PM Gold ($154) or Platinum ($204) — the comparison is on bundled scope. FFL Preferred includes tax filing, mid-lease inspection, and (on TP+PM bundle) 9-month tenant assurance + eviction coordination; 1836 PM bundles different things.

For luxury Austin properties ($4,000+/month), 1836 PM Luxury at $210/mo is cheaper than FFL Concierge at $349/mo on monthly fee alone. Weigh: do you need FFL Concierge’s specific bundled features (multi-year lease coordination, concierge utility billing, preventive maintenance calendar, 12-month tenant assurance)? If yes, $349 is appropriate; if not, FFL Preferred at $179 may be a better fit even on a luxury property.

Three questions to ask both:

1. For my specific Austin property at my specific expected rent, what is the exact total monthly cost (management fee + any tech fees + maintenance markups + any pass-throughs)?
2. What is the specific tenant assurance scope and what does eviction coordination cost (including any separate per-event fees for eviction administration)?
3. If I have or plan to add properties outside Austin/Central Texas, can one of you manage them — and if not, what is the multi-relationship operational cost?

If you’d like to start with the FFL side, our quote builder gives an exact fee on your specific property in 60 seconds: get your free rental analysis here. For broader Austin context, see our Austin Property Management hub. The flat-fee-vs-percentage framework (relevant context even though both companies in this comparison are flat-fee) is covered in our flat-fee vs percentage property management comparison. To compare against TX-multi-metro alternatives, see our Specialized Property Management vs Flat Fee Landlord comparison.