If you’ve ever reviewed a vacation rental statement and thought, “This doesn’t feel like the income I expected,” you’re not alone. For many owners, property management fees aren’t just high—they’re complicated. Percentages are applied inconsistently, extra charges show up after the fact, and pass-through costs quietly become profit centers.

In a previous CRSJ Insider article, we broke down what Topsail Island property management rates typically look like and where hidden fees tend to live. This article goes a step further. Here, we’ll show exactly how CRSJ Rentals’ fees work, how owners save in real dollars, and why transparency—not surprise charges—is better for long-term revenue and peace of mind.

The CRSJ Owner-First Fee Model

At CRSJ Rentals, the philosophy is simple: it’s your money, so you should keep it.

Our management fee is:

Calculated only on the nightly rate minus any guest discounts
Not applied to guest-paid cleaning fees or other pass-through costs
Free from vendor markups, booking fees, onboarding fees, or surprise add-ons

Rental income flows directly to the owner. We invoice our management fee separately and clearly. No co-mingling. No mystery math.

Owner-first doesn’t mean hands-on. It means honest.

What’s Included—Without Extra Fees

Many owners are surprised to learn how often “full-service” doesn’t actually mean full-service. At CRSJ, your management fee already includes:

Cleaning and turnover coordination
Preventative maintenance oversight
Consumables (toiletries, paper goods, coffee, starter supplies)
Dynamic pricing and occupancy optimization
Guest communication and issue resolution

There are no linen fees, no consumable charges, and no per-booking add-ons. If it’s required to deliver a professional guest experience, it’s already covered.

Think hotel-grade care—minus the line-item invoice for every towel.

What Owners Actually Take Home: A Real-World Comparison

Rather than comparing a single booking, it’s more useful to look at a full-year scenario—because that’s where fees quietly compound.

Below is a comparison using the same gross revenue for both models. This keeps the focus exactly where it belongs: fees, not assumptions.

Owner Take-Home Comparison: CRSJ vs Traditional Topsail Property Management

Table shows identical gross revenue, booking volume, and cleaning fees—highlighting how management structure alone impacts owner income.

Metric	CRSJ	Traditional	Notes
Gross Revenue	$175,000	$175,000
Cleaning Fee (Pass Through)	$34,000	$34,000	$400 × 85 bookings
Management Fee	$21,150	$35,000	CRSJ: 15% of nightly rate Traditional: 20% of gross
Onboarding Fee	$0	$1,500
Consumables	$0	$4,250	Included
Linens	$0	$6,375	Included
Booking Fee	$0	$4,250	$50 × 85 bookings
Vendor Markups	$0	$1,000
Owner Take-Home	$119,850	$88,625
Owner Take-Home %	68.5%	50.6%

Key takeaway: Even with the same revenue, owners working with CRSJ take home over $31,000 more per year in this example.

Assumptions based on 85 annual bookings and typical Topsail Island pricing. Actual results may vary by property, season, and market conditions.

Why These Fees Add Up Faster Than Owners Expect

Traditional models often look reasonable on paper—until you zoom out.

With strong occupancy (80%+), it’s common to see 85–90 bookings per year on Topsail Island. When fees are charged per booking, those costs multiply quickly:

$50 booking fee × 85 stays = $4,250
$50 consumables fee × 85 stays = $4,250
$75 linen fee × 85 stays = $6,375

That’s nearly $15,000 per year—before management percentage, onboarding fees, or vendor markups even enter the picture.

At CRSJ, those costs don’t exist. Cleaning fees are pass-through. Consumables are included. Linens are included. What you see is what you pay.

The quietest fees are often the most expensive.

Why CRSJ Can Often Outperform on Revenue, Too

While the table above intentionally uses the same revenue for comparison, many owners ask an important follow-up question: Can CRSJ actually earn more, not just charge less?

In many cases, yes—and here’s why:

Technology-forward systems for pricing, guest communication, and scheduling
No brick-and-mortar storefront overhead, which keeps operations lean
Efficient workflows that scale without sacrificing quality
Data-driven pricing strategies focused on occupancy and ADR balance

Those efficiencies don’t just reduce costs—they improve performance. And instead of keeping that margin internally, we pass it back to the owner through lower fees and stronger execution.

If you’d like a deeper look at how we optimize pricing and occupancy, we cover that in detail here:

👉 How CRSJ Optimizes Vacation Rental Revenue on Topsail Island

A Fee Model Built for Long-Term Partnerships

Our standard management fee is 15%, and after your first year, it drops to 14% automatically.

Why? Because long-term partnerships matter. As systems stabilize and efficiencies compound, we believe owners should share in that value.

On a $175,000 revenue property, that 1% reduction alone can mean thousands saved over time—without sacrificing service or support.

No Surprises. Ever.

Curt and Renee, co-founders of CRSJ Rentals, a Topsail Island property management company focused on long-term owner partnerships

To be clear, CRSJ does not charge:

Booking fees
Onboarding fees
Linen fees
Consumable fees
Vendor markups
Extra management percentages on cleaning or pass-through costs

What you pay is exactly what we agree to—nothing more.

Conclusion

Property management should simplify ownership, not quietly erode returns. With CRSJ Rentals, owners see their income clearly, keep more of what they earn, and avoid the surprise fees that add up year after year.

Same revenue. Fewer deductions. Better alignment.

That’s what transparent Topsail property management should look like.

Whether you’re curious about our owner-first approach, want to know how your property could perform, or just have a quick question—send us a message. We’re happy to help.

How CRSJ Fees Work: Transparent, No Hidden Costs for Topsail Property Owners