A property maintenance business keeps rentals, HOAs and small commercial buildings in working order: repairs, turnovers, common areas and often grounds. Customers are property managers and owners who sign monthly contracts and send work orders. Many start as handymen with a few landlord customers and grow into a crew.
- Know what you can do without a contractor license, and hire licensed trades for the rest.
- Separate the monthly plan from work orders, and price both.
- Write the response time into the contract.
- Property managers buy reliability. Show up when you said.
1. Decide what you will offer
| Work | Who asks | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly walkthroughs and small repairs | Landlords, HOAs | The plan |
| Work orders | Property managers | Billed by the hour or menu |
| Unit turnovers | Landlords | Quoted as projects |
| Grounds and gutters | HOAs, small commercial | Seasonal |
| Emergency calls | Property managers | After-hours rate |
Decide which trades you will do yourself and which you will sub out to licensed plumbers and electricians.
2. Check the license and permits
Most states let handymen and maintenance techs do small jobs without a contractor license, with limits on job size and on plumbing, electrical and gas work. Our handyman license rules by state show where the line is.
3. Register the business and set up taxes
The SBA lists the launch steps in this order: pick a location, choose a structure, choose a name, register, get federal and state tax ID numbers, apply for licenses and permits, open a business bank account, and get insurance. For a property maintenance business working out of a truck, the location is usually your home address and the area you will serve.
- Structure. A sole proprietorship is the simplest. An LLC keeps the business separate on paper. Ask an accountant which fits your state and your plans.
- Tax ID. The IRS gives out an employer identification number (EIN) online, and says you never have to pay a fee for one. Websites that charge for an EIN are not the IRS.
- Self-employment tax. The IRS lists the self-employment tax rate as 15.3%: 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare. Income tax comes on top, so set money aside from every job.
- Bank account. Open it before the first payment lands, so every dollar in and out is easy to find at tax time.
4. Pick a name customers can say and find
Your name goes on the truck, the invoices, the Google profile and the yard signs, so pick it once. The free property maintenance name generator gives 36 ideas for your town and style, each with a domain idea, and lists the checks to run before you commit: your state's business name search, a federal trademark search and the domain itself.
5. Get insured before the first job
The SBA describes general liability insurance as cover for financial loss from bodily injury, property damage, medical expenses and defending lawsuits. It says businesses with employees are required to carry workers' compensation, unemployment and disability insurance, and some states ask for more.
Claims include water damage after a repair, injuries in common areas and damage during turnovers. Property managers will ask for a certificate of insurance. Ask your agent about general liability, commercial auto, and workers' compensation once you hire.
6. Gear up and add up your startup costs
No total here on purpose. What you spend depends on what you already own, new or used, and how much work you plan to take on. Price your own list with a local supplier, then put the numbers in the startup cost table of the free business plan generator, which adds them up for you.
- A full handyman tool kit and a ladder rack
- Drain snake, multimeter and basic plumbing parts
- Paint gear for turnovers
- Lawn and leaf equipment if you do grounds
- A van or truck with stock of filters, bulbs and parts
Most start with tools they already own. Parts stock and a reliable vehicle matter more than any single tool.
7. Set your prices
Price the monthly visit from hours, parts and trips, and bill work orders on top. Our guide to pricing property maintenance has a worked 12-unit example, and the free maintenance plan pricing calculator prices the plan.
8. Find your first customers
- Property managers. Commercial outreach writes to them on Front Office.
- Small landlords. They want one call for everything.
- HOAs. Common areas every month.
- Realtors. Make-ready work before listings.
9. Get paid and keep the customer
On Front Office, maintenance plans bill the monthly contract and book its visits, and crew clock in and out of jobs. Work orders go out as invoices the moment you tap done.
10. Grow past one truck
Your first hire takes the routine visits so you can quote turnovers and win new buildings. Read how property maintenance companies run on Koira.
Sources
- SBA: Launch your business (the launch steps), checked October 8, 2026
- SBA: Get business insurance, checked October 8, 2026
- IRS: Get an employer identification number, checked October 8, 2026
- IRS: Self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare taxes), checked October 8, 2026
Last checked October 8, 2026. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and differ by state and city, so confirm with the agency named before you act.