Choosing the right property management company can be overwhelming, but the TrueMatch™ Score simplifies this process. TrueMatch™ is a data-driven ranking system that evaluates property managers based on performance, cost, trust, and credibility.

TrueMatch™ not only ranks property managers using these four critical factors but also organizes them into four tiers. These tiers enable property owners to quickly assess the quality and reliability of potential management partners.

In this guide, we'll explore the TrueMatch™ Tiers, explain what each represents, and demonstrate how they can help drive revenue and ROI for property owners.

What Are the TrueMatch™ Tiers?

The TrueMatch™ Tiers categorize property management companies based on their overall TrueMatch™ Score. These scores are calculated using data-driven metrics across the four core categories:

• Performance – How efficiently a company delivers core services and drives revenue for the owner, including leasing and communication speed and quality, rent collection, and tenant retention.
• Cost – The structure, transparency, and value of its pricing structure.
• Trust – Reputation, service consistency, and client satisfaction levels.
• Credibility – Industry experience, operational maturity, and data reliability.

Together, these four categories determine where a company falls within the tiered ranking system:

1. Elite – Score of 95%+
2. Excellent – Score of 85–94%
3. Reliable – Score of 80–84%
4. Emerging – Score of 79% or lower

Each tier reflects how well a company performs across all four categories, showing its maturity, dependability, and ability to generate strong ROI for property owners.

How the Four TrueMatch™ Categories Drive ROI and Build Confidence

1. Performance: Optimizing Operational Efficiency

Performance is the backbone of strong property management and directly impacts your Return on Investment (ROI). It reflects how effectively a property management company runs daily operations.

How the Tiers Reflect Performance:

• Elite managers: Minimize vacancy, lease properties quickly, and maintain high lease renewal rates.They communicate quickly and efficiently, resolve maintenance issues promptly and proactively, and consistently adapt to market trends. They track and act on their key operational metrics, addressing low hanging fruits proactively and consistently. Their reliable service quality drives predictable returns.
• Excellent managers: Consistently deliver strong results across most metrics though they may occasionally experience slower leasing, response times, or renewal dips. They track market trends and monitor key operational metrics, but respond and act to them less proactively than elite property managers. Overall, they demonstrate reliable and dependable operational control.
• Reliable managers: Deliver steady service but often face longer vacancy periods, slower maintenance follow-up, and less predictable renewals, which can affect your ROI (return on investment). They may track basic operational metrics but respond to them reactively, leaving opportunities unaddressed. Their systems work but lack efficiency and consistency.
• Emerging managers: Still developing operational consistency. Vacancies tend to last longer, renewals are less reliable, and service quality varies, leading to less consistent results. Because their processes are still developing, they often lack visibility into key operational metrics or act on them inconsistently, influencing ROI.

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2. Cost: Value-Driven Pricing for Better ROI

Cost measures how property managers price their services in relation to the value delivered.

How the Tiers Reflect Cost:

• Elite managers: Provide transparent, structured pricing and confidently communicate the value of your investment. Their fees directly align with outcomes delivered, giving property owners with strong, predictable ROI.
• Excellent managers: Offer strong value with mostly clear pricing but may include occasional add-ons that require explanation. They demonstrate confidence in fee justification and deliver reliable ROI through efficient cost management despite minor pricing complexities.
• Reliable managers: Present competitive pricing but with less ROI justification. Their fees may be reasonable, but the value delivered doesn't always match the cost. Extra charges (e.g., for maintenance) may not always be well-documented or clearly justified.
• Emerging managers: Often experimenting with different pricing models or tiers as they try to find the right balance. Their value-to-cost relationship is still evolving, making their pricing structure difficult to predict.

3. Trust: Stability and Consistency Foster Long-Term ROI

Trust evaluates how property managers maintain reliable, transparent relationships with clients.

How the Tiers Reflect Trust:

• Elite managers: Communicate proactively, collect and act on feedback, and consistently deliver high-quality service across high volumes of properties. Reviews are overwhelmingly positive, even as they scale to manage larger portfolios.
• Excellent managers: Build strong trust through steady service and responsiveness but may show occasional lapses in communication or consistency. Reviews are mostly positive with minor concerns.
• Reliable managers: Meet expectations but rely more on reactive communication. Service is steady but basic, with reviews frequently highlighting frustrations about delays or lack of updates. The number of reviews may also be lower.
• Emerging managers: Still building reputation and trust. Their communication tends to be inconsistent, and their feedback channels aren't yet well developed, leading to limited proof of their service quality.

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4. Credibility: Operational Maturity Equals Strong ROI

Credibility measures a property manager’s maturity, systems, and ability to adapt.

How the Tiers Reflect Credibility:

• Elite managers: Highly experienced, with advanced reporting, scalable systems, and tech-forward operations. They adapt quickly to market trends and set industry benchmarks.
• Excellent managers: Show strong credibility with solid systems and reliable reporting. They manage larger portfolios effectively but may lack the cutting-edge polish of Elite.
• Reliable managers: Have adequate experience but operate with simpler systems and less robust reporting. They maintain stability but may struggle with scalability or innovation.
• Emerging managers: Still proving credibility. Limited track records and developing processes mean scalability and advanced reporting are not yet established.

TrueMatch™ Tier Breakdown

1. Elite Tier: The Pinnacle of Property Management

The Elite Tier is the top-performing category and represents companies that achieve near-perfect scores across all four TrueMatch™ categories. These property managers demonstrate:

• Elite managers boast exceptional performance across all key metrics: high lease renewal rates, efficient rent collection, and fast leasing times. These companies ensure consistent occupancy, quick property turnovers, and long-term tenant retention, all contributing to steady cash flow and maximized ROI. They track and act on their key operational metrics, addressing issues proactively and consistently.
• High Lease Renewal Rates and Efficient Rent Collection: Elite property managers ensure high tenant retention through strong relationships and effective lease renewal strategies, while timely rent collection guarantees consistent cash flow for property owners, directly enhancing ROI.
• Transparent and Fair Pricing Structures: Elite managers offer competitive and transparent pricing, with clear fee structures that ensure owners understand exactly what they're paying for, without hidden charges or surprises. This transparency helps property owners accurately calculate and maximize their ROI.
• Strong Client Reviews and Testimonials: These companies maintain excellent client feedback, with positive reviews from both property owners and tenants, reflecting their reliable and high-quality service that consistently delivers strong returns on investment.
• Operational Maturity, with Years of Experience in the Industry: Elite managers have years of industry experience, which enables them to have refined systems and proven processes that consistently generate optimal results and ROI for property owners. They meticulously track operational metrics and use this data to drive continuous improvement.
• Highly Organized Data Tracking and Reporting: These managers excel at data organization, providing accurate and timely financial reporting, which helps property owners make informed decisions and track property performance effectively. This data-driven approach ensures maximum ROI through optimized operations.
• Customer-Focused Communication and Market Awareness: Elite companies prioritize clear, proactive communication with clients, ensuring property owners are always updated. They also stay informed on market trends, which helps them adjust strategies to optimize property performance and enhance ROI.

Being in the Elite Tier is rare and reflects a company that consistently drives high ROI for property owners.

2. Excellent Tier: High-Level Performance Across the Board

The Excellent Tier represents property managers that perform strongly in nearly all areas but may not yet reach the refined, near-perfect standards of the Elite. These managers demonstrate:

• Operational Strength with Minor Gaps: Excellent companies manage leasing, renewals, and rent collection effectively, but may face slightly longer leasing times or occasional dips in renewal rates. Overall, they maintain reliable cash flow and good ROI. They track market trends and monitor key operational metrics, but respond and act to them less proactively than elite property managers.
• Transparent and Competitive Pricing: Pricing is generally clear and fair, and these managers are comfortable discussing their fee structures. However, they may include additional service charges that require clarification, which can impact the overall ROI calculation.
• Positive but Mixed Reviews: Most client feedback is positive, emphasizing reliability and responsiveness, though occasional reviews highlight small inconsistencies in service quality or communication lapses that may slightly affect property performance and ROI.
• Industry Experience with Room to Grow: Excellent managers usually have years of experience and structured systems, but they may not yet be as tech-forward or scalable as Elite-tier companies. Reporting is accurate but not as detailed or proactive, potentially limiting some ROI optimization opportunities.
• Consistent but Not Cutting-Edge Communication: They keep owners informed and respond promptly, but may not always demonstrate the same proactive updates or market trend insights seen in Elite companies, which can affect strategic ROI maximization.

The Excellent Tier reflects companies that deliver strong ROI and operational dependability, with only small refinements separating them from the top tier.

3. Reliable Tier: Steady, Trustworthy Performance

The Reliable Tier includes property managers who offer dependable service but often operate with basic systems and limited scalability. These managers demonstrate:

• Solid but Slower Operations: Reliable managers lease units and collect rent consistently, but properties may sit vacant longer, renewals are less predictable, and maintenance responses may lag. They may track basic operational metrics but respond to them reactively, leaving ROI opportunities unaddressed.
• Standard Pricing with Less Clarity: Pricing is typically competitive, but fee breakdowns may lack transparency. Owners can encounter unexplained costs or less structured billing processes, which can create uncertainty in ROI projections.
• Moderate or Inconsistent Client Feedback: Reviews often describe them as steady and approachable but highlight service inefficiencies such as delayed communication or inconsistent follow-through, which can impact long-term ROI.
• Experience without Sophistication: Reliable managers usually have enough years in business to establish credibility but lack advanced reporting tools or data-driven insights. They focus more on maintaining the status quo than innovating, limiting potential ROI growth.
• Reactive Communication: They respond to client requests, but proactive updates are rare. Owners may feel informed but not guided, potentially missing opportunities to enhance property ROI.

The Reliable Tier reflects companies that provide dependable but unrefined service. They keep operations running but don't always maximize property performance or revenue potential, resulting in adequate but not optimized ROI.

4. Emerging Tier: New and Growing Companies

The Emerging Tier is made up of newer property management companies still building their systems, reputation, and track record. These managers demonstrate:

• Developing Operations: Leasing and renewals can be inconsistent, with longer vacancy periods and slower processes as systems are still being established. Because their processes are still developing, they often lack visibility into key operational metrics or act on them inconsistently, influencing ROI outcomes.
• Unstructured Pricing Models: Pricing may be less standardized or inconsistent, with fees that are not always clearly aligned to value delivered, making ROI calculations challenging for property owners.
• Limited Client Feedback: With fewer reviews, owners have less evidence of reliability. Testimonials may highlight good intentions and personalized service but also mention growing pains that can impact ROI predictability.
• Early-Stage Credibility: Emerging companies are learning to manage larger or more diverse portfolios. They may lack the advanced reporting or scalability of established firms, which can limit their ability to optimize ROI.
• Learning in Communication: Communication tends to vary—sometimes highly personal, other times inconsistent—since processes for client updates are still being developed, potentially affecting informed decision-making for ROI improvement.

The Emerging Tier reflects companies at the start of their growth journey. They may offer enthusiastic, personalized service but carry higher risk until their systems mature and reputations are built, resulting in less consistent ROI outcomes.

Why TrueMatch™ Tiers Matter

For property management companies, the TrueMatch™ Tiers are more than just rankings — they're a way to prove credibility, attract clients, and benchmark growth. By understanding where you stand in the tier system, you can:

• Showcase your company's strengths in performance, cost, trust, and credibility.
• Identify specific areas where you can improve to move up a tier and stand out from competitors.
• Build greater trust with property owners by demonstrating objective, data-driven validation of your services.
• Position your company as a leader in the market by highlighting your TrueMatch™ Score in marketing and client conversations.

Want to see where your company stands? Get your TrueMatch™ Score today and take the next step toward strengthening your reputation, building client confidence, and unlocking new growth opportunities.