Owner Distribution (PM Disbursement)
The monthly payment from a property manager to a rental property owner, representing collected rent minus management fees, maintenance, and other expenses.
Definition
The owner distribution, often called a PM disbursement, is the monthly or semi monthly payment the property manager sends to the owner after collecting rent and deducting their management fee, approved maintenance costs, any leasing or renewal fees, and sometimes a reserve or hold back for future expenses. The distribution arrives via ACH or wire, usually between the 8th and 15th of the month depending on the PM. Most PMs also issue a monthly statement showing the line items that made up the distribution. Matching those line items against the bank deposit, identifying missing months, and categorizing each transaction correctly into Schedule E expense buckets is one of the most tedious and error prone tasks in rental investing. This is the exact pain point DoorVault was built for: forward the PM statement email to your Knox inbox and every line item is automatically extracted, matched to the bank deposit, categorized, and filed to the correct property.
Formula
Example
Collected rent $1,450. PM fee 8% = $116. Maintenance for the month $85. No leasing fee. Reserve hold back $0. Owner distribution = 1,450 - 116 - 85 = $1,249 sent via ACH on the 12th.
Frequently asked
When should I receive my owner distribution?
Typically between the 8th and 15th of the month, after the PM has collected rent and paid vendors. Exact timing varies by PM.
Why is my distribution lower than expected?
Usually maintenance costs, leasing fees, reserves, or vacancy. The PM statement breaks down exactly what was deducted. Reconcile every line item monthly.
How do I track owner distributions across multiple properties?
This is where DoorVault shines. Forward the PM statement email and Knox extracts every line item, matches it to the bank deposit, and files it to the correct property automatically.
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