f you manage rental properties, you may hesitate to outsource property surveys because they feel like a reliable revenue stream you already control. On the surface, that makes sense. You charge for inspections, you complete them internally, and the income appears straightforward.

What’s often less visible are the true costs behind that process — payroll, scheduling, travel, time in the field, and management overhead. When those factors are fully accounted for, many in-house inspection models deliver far thinner margins than expected, and in some cases, little to no real profit.

The Preventative Maintenance Plan is designed to help you retain survey-related income while offloading the operational burden that comes with running inspections in-house. Just as importantly, it gives you a consistent, high-quality product that your owners can clearly understand, appreciate, and trust. This page walks you through a side-by-side comparison of in-house versus outsourced inspections so you can evaluate true profitability, efficiency, and use of your time.

Calculation Details

THE COMMON MISCONCEPTION

“WE DO OUR OWN INSPECTIONS, SO WE’RE KEEPING ALL THE REVENUE”

While this is true on the surface, the real question is: What does it cost you to do them in-house?

When you account for employee time, travel, scheduling, management, operational overhead, the true cost per inspection adds up quickly—often eating away most of the margin.

As this is our core business function, we have optimized the processes and have a strong understanding of these numbers. Below we will break down the general expenses and justify the costs calculated. Using internal data, payroll, insurances, taxes, workers comp, and other overhead expenditure data points, we have broken down the average cost per survey.

EMPLOYEE EXPENSE

$42 PER INSPECTION

PAYROLL | PAYROLL SERVICE  | EMPLOYER TAXES | WORKERS COMP | INSURANCE

At first glance, a property survey might seem like a quick task — 30 to 45 minutes on site, and it’s done. Based on that, it’s tempting to assume that labor costs are minimal, especially if you’re paying an employee $18 an hour. But that assumption significantly underestimates the actual time and cost involved in consistently executing inspections at scale.

Our team of full-time technicians averages approximately 1,000 inspections per year. If you have an hourly employee at $18 an hour they would average $33,000. That translates to four or five inspections per day, four to five days a week, across 50 working weeks annually — a full workload. While the on-site portion of the inspection typically takes 30 to 45 minutes, the actual time invested per inspection averages closer to two hours. This includes travel to and from properties, unexpected delays such as traffic or wrong addresses, and daily prep and wrap-up activities at the office. It also accounts for time spent attending meetings, gassing up company vehicles twice a week, routine vehicle cleanings, as well as managing no-shows and last-minute reschedules. All of these tasks accumulate over time, contributing to significant hours paid that are not directly tied to the inspection itself.

In addition to direct wages, we incur approximately 22% in overhead costs per employee. This includes payroll processing, payroll taxes, general liability insurance, and workers’ compensation coverage. Industry benchmarks suggest overhead typically ranges from 20% to 40%, putting us on the more efficient, low-cost end of the spectrum.

When fully accounted for, the actual per-inspection employee cost comes out to $42. This is a comprehensive figure that reflects both the labor required and the broader operational infrastructure necessary to consistently deliver inspections at scale. These are real costs that often go unnoticed when property managers attempt to run inspections in-house — ultimately impacting both margins and management bandwidth.

*Our tech cost is closer to $65 per inspect. Our inspections are more detailed, take longer, and we offer additional benefits. The above calculations goal is to represent the average companies costs. 

SCHEDULING & MANAGEMENT 

$8 PER INSPECTION

POSTING NOTICES | SCHEDULING | FIELDING TENANT ISSUES | OVERSEEING SURVEYS DAILY

Scheduling and managing inspections is another operational layer that carries meaningful costs. Depending on the process and tools used to notify tenants, coordinate appointments, handle access issues, and manage rescheduling, this line item can vary significantly. In our model, one full-time manager is able to effectively oversee and coordinate approximately 6,000 inspections per year. At a salary of $50,000, this equates to a management and scheduling cost of approximately $8 per inspection. This cost covers tasks such as tenant communication, system updates, notice postings, real-time support for field staff, and ensuring the overall flow of inspections stays on track. While often overlooked in internal models, this layer of administrative effort is essential to maintaining efficiency and a positive tenant experience.

GAS & VEHICLE EXPENSE

$4 PER INSPECTION

REIMBURSEMENT RATE | VEHICLE DEPRESSION | CAR PAYMENTS

Travel-related expenses are another important consideration when calculating the true cost of in-house inspections. Depending on your geographic coverage area, unit density, and routing efficiency, mileage can vary significantly. In our operation, we average between 100 to 115 miles per week per inspector — roughly 20 miles per day, or approximately 5 miles per inspection. Using the current IRS mileage reimbursement rate of $0.70 per mile, this results in a vehicle and fuel cost of about $4 per inspection. This figure accounts for not only fuel, but also wear and tear, maintenance, and the broader vehicle-related expenses involved in running a field-based inspection program.

VALUE OF MY TIME

YOU ARE YOUR MOST VALUABLE RESOURCE ARE YOU TREATING IT AS SUCH

For Property Managers who personally handle surveys, it’s important to assess the true opportunity cost of your time. As a business owner or senior operator, your time is one of your most valuable assets. When you’re tied up conducting surveys — tasks that can be reliably outsourced at a fixed, low cost — you’re not just saving money; you may actually be losing it. If your time is conservatively valued at $50 per hour, every hour spent on tasks that could be delegated is time taken away from revenue-generating activities like acquiring new doors, strengthening owner relationships, or refining operations. Building a scalable business means focusing your energy where it creates the most impact — and surveys, while important, are rarely the best use of a property manager’s expertise.

HOW IS IT ALL CALCULATED

HERE IS HOW WE CALCULATE OUR NUMBERS

Now that you know how we established the costs, here is how we are calculating everything.

Revenue = Total Number of Units X Cost per Inspections X Inspections a Year

Expenses = (Employee Expenses ($42 & $8) + Your Time (if no employee costs) + Gas and Vehicle Expenses ($4)) X Total Number of Units X Inspections a Year

Total = Revenue – Expenses

If you use the Preventative Maintenance Plan

Total = Total Number of Units X 12 months X $10

While your expenses may differ, this is a detailed and accurate evaluation

Frequently Asked Questions