Professional Property Services

What Professional Property Services does

Professional Property Services, Ltd. is a privately held, family-owned residential property management firm headquartered in Myersville, Maryland, founded in 1991 by Harry and Cindy Van Mater and operated continuously for more than 25 years. The company provides full-service leasing, tenant placement, rent collection, maintenance coordination, accounting, and eviction handling for single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, and semi-detached residences across Frederick and Washington Counties in Maryland, with an additional niche offering of MDE-certified lead paint inspections for pre-1978 rental properties subject to the Maryland Lead Risk Reduction in Housing Act. Staff hold NARPM Master Property Manager (MPM) and Residential Management Professional (RMP) designations, Maryland Real Estate Broker licenses, and HUD/MDE lead-paint credentials, with leadership including Cindy Van Mater (President/CFO), Angela Brinkley-Morris (COO/Broker), and an in-house maintenance and inspection team.

The business operates on a percentage-of-rent management fee model layered with multiple ancillary revenue streams: one-time $300 setup fees per occupied property, $75 annual administrative fees, $25 non-refundable tenant application fees, leasing fees equal to one month's rent on new placements, and recurring subscription add-ons including an $8 per unit per month Eviction Protection Program and a $50 per quarter Filter Exchange and Preventive Maintenance Program. Technology is delivered through PropertyWare (owner/tenant portals, screening, accounting, ACH direct deposit by the 15th of each month) and HERO PM (website and listing syndication), with no proprietary AI/ML or developer-facing API; tenant screening (credit, district court, criminal, rental reference) is performed in-house using bureau and court data.

Distribution is multi-channel and direct-led: marketing via the company website, MRIS MLS, Realtor.com, DoD AHRN military housing referrals, a 1,500-subscriber newsletter, NARPM member network, and a 1-4% Broker/Agent Referral Program that also purchases management accounts from peer property managers. The current owner base comprises local Frederick/Washington County property owners as well as absentee investors in the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East; tenants are sourced from MLS, rental listing aggregators, and military relocation channels. There is no institutional investment, parent company, or M&A activity disclosed; operations remain a six-person family team following Harry Van Mater's retirement as broker in summer 2021.

Name

Professional Property Services

Legal name

Professional Property Services, Ltd.

Website

https://propropertyservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Professional Property Services is a family-owned, Maryland-based residential property management firm serving single-family homes, townhomes, and duplexes for owners and investors across Frederick and Washington Counties, with specialized MDE-certified lead paint inspection services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Property Management

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Real Estate Property Managers (53131)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Senior & Assisted Living Residential Property Management (BPAJAFAE)

Keywords

• Residential property management
• Tenant screening services
• Lead paint inspection
• Rental property leasing
• Eviction protection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Myersville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Property Management Fees: Monthly management fees based on a percentage of gross collected rent. Covers all aspects of property management including tenant placement, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and accounting.
2. Leasing Fees: Percentage of first month's rent for new tenant placement. Modest lease renewal charges for retaining existing tenants.
3. Setup and Administrative Fees: One-time setup charge of $300 for occupied properties, $75 year-end administrative fee for 1099 tax forms and statements.
4. Eviction Protection Program: $8 per month per unit administrative fee covering court filing fees, appearance fees, sheriff serving fees, set-out costs for evictions.
5. Filter Exchange Program: $50 per quarter plus materials for HVAC filter changes, safety inspections, and preventive maintenance visits every 3 months.
6. Application and Holding Deposits: Non-refundable $25 application fee per adult. Good faith/holding deposit equal to one month's rent (becomes first month's rent upon approval). Security deposits held in trust.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Professional Property Services is a family-owned residential property management firm that delivers full-service leasing, tenant placement, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and accounting for single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, and semi-detached rentals in Frederick and Washington Counties, Maryland. The firm also provides Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) certified lead paint inspections and risk reduction services, and operates a Broker/Agent Referral Program for the real estate community.

Product overview

Professional Property Services offers a unified residential property management platform centered on full-service leasing and management of single-family homes and townhomes in Frederick and Washington Counties, Maryland. The core offering combines property management with specialized add-on modules including MDE-certified lead paint inspections, an optional Eviction Protection Program, and a Filter Exchange & Preventive Maintenance Program. The company also operates a Broker/Agent Referral Program for industry partners and provides comprehensive advertising solutions for property exposure. All services are delivered by licensed Maryland real estate brokers holding NARPM professional designations (MPM, RMP).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Service Residential Property Management Comprehensive leasing, management, and administration of single-family homes, townhomes, duplexes, and semi-detached residential properties in Frederick and Washington Counties, Maryland. Includes tenant screening, rent collection, maintenance coordination, financial reporting, and property inspections for property owners and investors.
• Rental Application Processing Complete application workflow including credit reporting, criminal background screening, eviction history checks, employment verification, and landlord reference verification for prospective residential tenants.
• MDE Certified Lead Paint Inspection Services Dust wipe and visual inspections for pre-1978 rental properties performed by Maryland Department of the Environment accredited inspectors, including Lead Paint Risk Reduction inspections and certificates under the Maryland Lead Risk Reduction in Housing Act.
• Eviction Protection Program Optional monthly service covering court filing fees, sheriff serving costs, set-out costs, and related eviction expenses for tenants placed by Professional Property Services.
• Filter Exchange & Preventive Maintenance Program Quarterly HVAC filter replacement, condenser unit checks, water line inspections, smoke detector testing, and general property safety inspections for occupied rental units.
• Broker/Agent Referral Program Referral fee program for licensed real estate brokers and agents, paying 1-4% of annual rent for qualified tenant referrals, owner management referrals, or completed lease-and-manage arrangements.
• Property Advertising Solutions Multi-channel marketing including FOR RENT signs with info boxes, MRIS regional MLS, Realtor.com, NARPM listings, and various rental listing websites for maximum property exposure.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% occupancy rate for company-managed properties with excellent tenant retention
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM)coreOthersActive professional membership. Staff holds MPM (Master Property Manager) and RMP (Residential Management Professional) designations through NARPM. Fewer than 100 MPMs and fewer than 275 RMPs nationwide. Company working toward CRMC (Certified Residential Management Company) designation.
• National Association of REALTORS (NAR)coreOthersMember of the National Association of REALTORS. REALTOR.org membership providing access to resources and professional standards.
• Metropolitan Regional Information System (MRIS)coreTechnology or IntegrationMultiple Listing Service providing property listings to 60,000+ REALTORS in the Mid-Atlantic region. Used for advertising available rental properties to the agent community.
• PropertyWarecoreTechnology or IntegrationProperty management software platform used for tenant/owner portals, screening services, accounting, and work order management.
• Department of Defense - Automated Housing Referral Network (AHRN)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMilitary housing referral network connecting relocating military members with available rental properties.
• Better Business Bureau (BBB)minorOthersBBB accreditation maintaining business standards and consumer trust.
• Realtor.comminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRental listing syndication to 1,000,000+ REALTORS nationwide through Realtor.com platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Greystar Real Estate Partners: Largest residential property manager globally, primarily multifamily but also expanding into build-to-rent single-family. Serves similar owner/investor needs but with institutional scale, proprietary technology, and capital that PPS cannot match.
• Asset Living: One of the largest third-party residential property managers in the US, spanning multifamily and student housing. Overlaps with PPS in providing owner management services but operates at a much larger institutional scale and asset breadth.
• FirstService Residential: Large residential property management firm primarily serving homeowner associations and condos, with broader residential offerings. Comparable as a residential property management operator but focused on community association management rather than SFR rentals.
• The John Stewart Company: Established residential property management firm serving affordable and market-rate apartments across multiple states. Comparable as a property management operator serving owners with compliance-heavy mandates, though focused on larger multifamily assets.

Direct peers

• HomeRiver Group: Residential property management platform focused on single-family rentals with national footprint. Comparable in offering full-service leasing, tenant screening, and maintenance coordination to owners, but at significantly larger scale than PPS.
• Real Property Management: National franchise system providing residential property management for single-family homes and small multifamily. Direct comparable to PPS in target asset type and full-service management model, but operates through franchisees rather than as a single family-run firm.

Emerging players

• DoorLoop: Software-enabled property management platform targeting small and mid-sized landlords and managers. Competes indirectly with PPS's PropertyWare-based offering by offering more modern owner/tenant portals, payments, and AI features to similar SMB residential portfolios.
• Mynd Management: Tech-enabled single-family rental manager serving institutional and individual investors across multiple states. Comparable in target asset class (SFR) and investor customer base, but with technology stack and scale beyond PPS.
• Buildium: Property management software used by thousands of small residential managers, comparable to PPS's use of PropertyWare. Represents both a software peer and a channel that could enable smaller competitors to challenge PPS's service model.

Regional players

• Long & Foster Real Estate: Large Mid-Atlantic residential brokerage with property management services in the DMV region, including Frederick County. Competes for the same Maryland property owner and tenant customers as PPS in overlapping geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/propropertysvcs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Professional Property Services