Property Manager

About the Opportunity

Horning is hiring a Property Manager to run The Forest, a 168-unit boutique apartment community at 2012 Baltimore Road in Rockville, MD. This is a market-rate community in Montgomery County, small enough that you will know your residents and your building, and large enough to carry a real profit and loss. You will own it end to end.

This is a full ownership role, not a caretaker role. You are accountable for net operating income, occupancy, renewals, and resident retention. You will build the budget and defend it, price and close renewals within Montgomery County rent stabilization limits, drive leasing and marketing performance, and lead the on-site team, including the Leasing Manager and the maintenance staff.

The Forest was built in 1972. A boutique property of this age in a competitive Rockville submarket means capital planning, turn quality, and curb appeal are not background tasks. They are how you hold occupancy and rent growth against newer product down the road, and at this scale the difference shows up quickly in the numbers.

You will report to the Regional Property Manager. If you have run a boutique community well, know your way around a Montgomery County renewal, and want a property you can genuinely own rather than administer, we want to meet you.

What You’ll Do

• Manage the day-to-day operations of a 168-unit community, including the full resident lifecycle, retention, and property marketing.
• Own and manage property performance against established KPIs, including physical and economic occupancy, leasing conversion, renewal retention, delinquency, bad debt, turnover, rent growth, NOI, and controllable expenses.
• Lead the annual budgeting process and monthly reforecasting, and deliver accurate, timely monthly financial statements and owner reporting.
• Drive leasing velocity and occupancy: monitor traffic, guest cards, applications, and conversion in Yardi, and hold every advertising source accountable for results.
• Own the renewal program end to end, pricing renewals within Montgomery County rent stabilization limits and driving retention as the primary lever on revenue.
• Set and adjust market rents in partnership with the Regional Property Manager based on submarket conditions, concessions, and competitor performance.
• Directly supervise the on-site team, including the Leasing Manager and leasing staff, with a dotted line to the Maintenance Supervisor on technical work. At Horning the Property Manager is the manager of record for all on-site roles.
• Lead hiring, performance management, development, and progressive corrective action in partnership with HR and the Regional Property Manager, and conduct semi-annual reviews and ongoing coaching.
• Develop and execute a proactive collections strategy, including delinquency monitoring, resident outreach, payment arrangements, legal filings, eviction coordination, bad-debt reduction, and compliance with company collection procedures.
• Own the notice-to-vacate and move-out workflow, including move-out inspections and collection paperwork per policy.
• Oversee unit turnovers and work orders with the Maintenance Supervisor, holding turn quality and cycle time so units deliver lease-ready and on schedule.
• Manage vendors and capital projects from scope through completion in partnership with the Regional Maintenance Manager and ownership.
• Walk the property regularly and hold the standard on curb appeal, common areas, and building condition at a community that competes against newer product.
• Maintain compliance with Montgomery County rental licensing and inspection requirements, Maryland landlord and tenant law, Fair Housing, Section 504, ADA, and Horning policy.
• Respond to escalated resident concerns personally and close them out.
• Report proactively to the Regional Property Manager and ownership on performance, risks, and opportunities.

What You’ll Bring

• Five or more years of multifamily property management experience, including at least two years as a Property Manager with full profit and loss responsibility.
• Demonstrated ownership of property financial performance, including NOI, annual budgeting, reforecasting, and expense control.
• A track record of driving occupancy, renewals, and retention at a conventional market-rate community.
• Proven experience leading an on-site team, including hiring, coaching, and performance management.
• Working knowledge of Maryland landlord and tenant law, Fair Housing, Section 504, and ADA requirements.
• Familiarity with Montgomery County rent stabilization and rental licensing requirements, or the ability to come up to speed quickly.
• Proficiency with property management software; Yardi Voyager a strong plus. Comfort with Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, with the ability to run leasing, financials, and maintenance priorities at the same time.
• High school diploma or GED required.
• Valid driver’s license, reliable transportation, and the ability to travel between properties in the DC metro area as needed.

Certifications

• Preferred: Certified Apartment Manager (CAM), Certified Property Manager (CPM), or Accredited Residential Manager (ARM).
• Preferred: National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP).

Horning supports certification attainment for managers who need to close a gap after hire.