# Six Ways an NRI Can Run a Flat in India, Compared

By Saurabh Garg, founder·7 min read·Published 2026-08-13
**Short answer:** An NRI has six ways to run a flat in India: a relative, a local broker, a marketplace platform (NoBroker), a tenancy-cycle firm (Housewise), a retainer firm (PropTech Solutions) or a concierge that bills at actuals (66 MG Road). The relative is free and costs the most when it goes wrong. Rank the options by which risk you are buying down, not by the headline fee.

# Six Ways an NRI Can Run a Flat in India

Most owners abroad compare property managers. That is the second question. The first is which of six arrangements you want, because they fail in different ways and the cheapest one on paper has the worst failure mode.

**Disclosure: 66 MG Road wrote this page and is one of the six options.** Sources are linked at the end.

## 1. A relative or family friend

Cost: nothing on paper. What you get: somebody with a key who answers the phone.

How it fails: the relationship absorbs the complaint. When the tenant is three months late, or the plumber charged twice, you cannot escalate to a cousin without a family cost. There is no statement, no receipt trail, and no exit. Our own page on this is blunt about the pattern: [property manager vs a relative](/guides/property-manager-vs-relative-managing-india-flat).

Choose it if the flat is empty, the relative lives in the same building, and the job is a monthly look. Even then, write down what they are agreeing to do.

## 2. A local broker

Cost: a month's rent to place a tenant, and nothing stated after that. What you get: a tenant, fast, and somebody who knows the building.

How it fails: the broker is paid on the transaction, so the incentive ends on the day the tenant signs. Repairs, dues and renewals sit outside the fee, which is where markup lives. Detail is at [property management company vs a broker](/guides/property-management-company-vs-broker-nri).

Choose it if you need one tenant placed and you have somebody else handling the twelve months after.

## 3. A marketplace platform

NoBroker is the example. Its NRI arm sits on India's largest no-brokerage marketplace, and its launch blog states a fee of "8 per cent of the monthly rent" and a guarantee that pays you "even if the tenant vacates and the house sits empty for a month or two."

How it fails: you are a ticket. The named manager rotates, and vendor billing is not detailed on its pages.

Choose it if speed to fill and vacancy protection are the risks you want covered. Nothing else on this list matches its pipeline. Alternatives are at [NoBroker alternatives](/guides/nobroker-alternative-for-nri-landlords).

## 4. A tenancy-cycle firm

Housewise is the example. Its published pricing is "1.25 times a month's rent + GST" for end-to-end management, with "Rs. 5,000 + GST" upfront, and "0.5 times a month's rent + GST" on renewal with the same tenant. No ongoing percentage of collected rent is stated. It claims 5,500-plus NRIs and 99% renewal.

How it fails: the fee is tied to tenancy events, so a quiet year is cheap and a busy year is not. Repair billing and proof of work are not stated on its pages.

Choose it if your tenant stays for years and you do not want a monthly cut.

## 5. A retainer firm

PropTech Solutions is the example: "we don't work on a commission basis but on a retainer (yearly fee) basis," with managers listed across Bangalore, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata and NCR.

How it fails: the retainer amount is not published, so you cannot compare until you are in a sales conversation, and the fee does not flex when the property does nothing.

Choose it if the percentage-of-rent conflict is what bothers you and you want one annual number.

## 6. A concierge that bills at actuals

That is us. One property, one named contact, a vetted manager running tenants, rent, repairs, legal and tax. No commission on rent. Vendor work at actuals with receipts. Every rupee a line item. Dated photo and video proof. Owner approval above a spend floor. Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Gurgaon, with owner hubs in Singapore and Dubai. Published at [/pricing](/pricing): tenancy from one month's rent, full management from 5% of rent, minimum Rs 2,500 per property per month, and a Property Health Check at Rs 20,000 that needs no keys and no Power of Attorney.

How it fails: we are young. No decade of operations, no thousands of clients, no testimonial wall, no marketplace reach, and no rental guarantee. On tenant-pipeline speed a marketplace beats us. On a four-year tenancy a per-cycle fee costs you less than our monthly one.

## The table

| Option | What you pay | Named accountability | Proof of work | Worst failure |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Relative | Nothing stated | Family, not contract | None | You cannot complain |
| Local broker | One month's rent to place | Person, no contract after | None | Incentive ends at signing |
| Marketplace | 8% of rent, per launch blog | Rotating manager | Photo and video inspections stated | You are a ticket |
| Tenancy-cycle firm | 1.25x rent + GST, 0.5x renewal | Company | Not stated | Repair billing unstated |
| Retainer firm | Yearly retainer, amount unpublished | Company | Not stated | Cannot compare price upfront |
| Concierge at actuals | From 5% of rent, min Rs 2,500/month | One named manager | Dated photo and video, receipts | Short track record, no guarantee |

Details reflect each company's public pages as read on 13 August 2026.

## Pick by the risk, not the fee

Ask which of these you would lose sleep over, then buy that one down:

- A vacant flat. Marketplace.

- A tenant who stays and a fee you pay once. Tenancy-cycle firm.

- A rent-linked fee you resent. Retainer firm.

- A repair bill you cannot audit. Concierge at actuals.

- A plot nobody has looked at in two years. A paid inspection before any of the above.

## FAQ

**Is a relative cheaper than a property manager?**
On the invoice, yes, because there is no invoice. The cost shows up as a tenant who pays late with no consequence, repairs with no receipts, and a complaint you cannot make without a family argument. Write down the arrangement if you use one.

**What does property management cost in India for an NRI?**
Published numbers in 2026: NoBroker's launch blog states 8% of monthly rent, Housewise states 1.25 times a month's rent plus GST with 0.5 times on renewal, and 66 MG Road publishes full management from 5% of rent with a Rs 2,500 monthly minimum. PropTech Solutions charges a yearly retainer without publishing the amount. CURA publishes no price.

**Which option works for a vacant flat with no tenant?**
None of the rent-linked ones, because there is no rent to take a percentage of. What a vacant asset needs is somebody who goes and looks, on a schedule, with dated photos. That is a monitoring service, not a management fee.

**Do I have to give Power of Attorney to any of these?**
Not to start. A paid inspection and a written risk report need no keys, no Power of Attorney and no money custody. Custody becomes a question when somebody has to collect rent and pay vendors for you.

**How do I compare firms that publish no price?**
Ask for a sample monthly statement with vendor receipts, and a written answer on what spend moves without your approval. A firm that will not publish a price but will show you a real statement has told you more than a rate card does.

---

**Not sure which option your flat needs?** Start with a Property Health Check at Rs 20,000: site visit, encumbrance and khata check, tax dues, occupancy and a written risk report. No keys, no Power of Attorney, no money custody. [See pricing](/pricing).

*Saurabh Garg, founder, 66 MG Road*

## Sources

- NoBroker property management launch blog (8% fee and rental guarantee): [https://www.nobroker.in/blog/nobroker-launches-property-management-services/](https://www.nobroker.in/blog/nobroker-launches-property-management-services/)

- NoBroker NRI services: [https://www.nobroker.in/nri/](https://www.nobroker.in/nri/)

- Housewise home page (pricing, cities, 5,500+ NRIs, 99% renewal): [https://housewise.in/](https://housewise.in/)

- PropTech Solutions (retainer model, cities): [https://proptechsolutions.in/](https://proptechsolutions.in/)

- CURA About page: [https://www.mycuraservices.com/aboutus.html](https://www.mycuraservices.com/aboutus.html)

- 66 MG Road pricing: [https://66mgroad.com/pricing](https://66mgroad.com/pricing)

Information on this page is as on 2026-08-13. Rules, rates, deadlines and government portals change without notice, so verify against the official source before you act. This page is for information only. It is not tax or legal advice, and it is not a substitute for a qualified adviser who knows your position.

## Compare and cost

- [The NRI Property Management Companies in India: A Comparison You Can Check](/guides/best-nri-property-management-companies-india)
- [What NRI Property Management Costs in India: The Four Models and What Hides in Each](/guides/nri-property-management-cost-india)
- [NoBroker NRI Services Review: What the Pages Promise and What They Leave Out](/guides/nobroker-nri-services-review)

---

Source: [https://66mgroad.com/guides/nri-property-management-alternatives-india](https://66mgroad.com/guides/nri-property-management-alternatives-india) · 66 MG Road. Full LLM brief: https://66mgroad.com/llms.txt