Once JMZ places a tenant we've approved, we guarantee the owner's rent payment every month for 12 months — even if that tenant stops paying.
That's the core of the Guaranteed Rent Program. It isn't a guarantee that your home will lease by a certain date; it's a guarantee that once it's leased, your rental income is protected from tenant non-payment for a full year.
Most property management companies collect rent on the tenant's behalf but pass the risk of non-payment straight through to the owner — if the tenant stops paying, the owner stops getting paid, full stop, while the eviction process plays out. This program is built to work the opposite way: JMZ absorbs that risk once a tenant it has approved is in place.
The Guaranteed Rent Program is a 12-month rent guarantee that begins once JMZ places a tenant and JMZ has agreed, in its sole discretion, that the tenant is acceptable. From that point forward, if the tenant fails to pay rent, JMZ pays the owner the guaranteed rent amount each month for the remainder of that 12-month period while JMZ separately pursues collection and, if necessary, eviction.
In plain terms: once JMZ signs off on a tenant it placed, a missed rent payment becomes JMZ's financial problem for that year, not yours.
JMZ evaluates the property and the local market — Novi rents differently than Warren, Brighton differently than Ypsilanti — and markets the home, including through the Mark Z. Home Selling Team's reach.
JMZ screens prospective tenants against its standard criteria.
JMZ must independently agree that the tenant is acceptable before the guarantee applies. This isn't automatic once an application is “approved enough” for a standard lease; it's a separate determination tied specifically to the guarantee.
Once JMZ places a tenant it has approved for the program, the 12-month guarantee clock starts.
In the normal case, rent flows from tenant to owner as usual and the guarantee sits in the background, unused.
If the tenant misses rent at any point during the 12-month period, JMZ pays the owner the guaranteed monthly amount out of its own funds while JMZ pursues collection and, if it comes to that, the eviction process separately.
The guarantee hinges on the tenant, not just the property, which makes JMZ's placement and approval the central qualifying events:
The tenant must be one JMZ found, screened, and placed. A tenant already in the property when it's enrolled, or a tenant the owner or a third party places independently, does not qualify — the guarantee applies only to placements JMZ itself makes.
JMZ must agree, in its sole discretion, that the tenant is acceptable for the guarantee — this is a distinct decision from ordinary tenant approval for a lease.
The property itself must be enrolled in the Guaranteed Rent Program under a signed agreement before that tenant is placed.
Standard property condition and pricing expectations still apply, since an unrealistically priced or poorly maintained property affects the quality of applicants JMZ can attract in the first place.
Because JMZ is taking on real financial exposure for a full 12 months if a tenant stops paying, the sole-discretion approval exists to make sure the guarantee is only extended on tenants JMZ genuinely believes are a sound risk — not simply the first applicant who clears a minimum screening bar.
Once a tenant approved under the program is in place, a missed payment doesn't wait on the outcome of collections or an eviction filing to affect the owner. JMZ pays the owner the guaranteed monthly rent amount directly, for up to the remainder of the 12-month guarantee period, while JMZ handles collection efforts and the eviction process separately on its own timeline and at its own cost. The owner isn't left waiting on a court date to see rental income resume.
Two things make this a program JMZ can actually stand behind rather than a marketing line:
JMZ's sole-discretion approval step exists precisely so the guarantee is extended to tenants JMZ has real confidence in — the guarantee is only sustainable because the underlying screening is rigorous, not because JMZ is willing to gamble on any applicant.
Managing 1,000+ properties across Oakland, Wayne, Macomb, Livingston, and Washtenaw counties gives JMZ a large, ongoing base of tenant-performance data to draw on when deciding which applicants are a sound risk for a 12-month payment guarantee.
The guarantee rests on the work that comes before it. Every property runs through the same six steps.
Rental Analysis
Accurate Rental Pricing
Property Marketing
Professional Showings
Tenant Screenings
12 Month+ Lease| Guaranteed Rent Program | Standard Management | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-payment risk | Absorbed by JMZ for 12 months once an approved tenant is placed | Absorbed by owner |
| Tenant approval | Subject to JMZ's additional sole-discretion sign-off | Standard screening only |
| Best for | Owners who want income certainty against tenant default, especially out-of-state or first-time landlords | Owners comfortable managing non-payment risk themselves |
| Contract | Separate agreement, separate fees/terms | Standard management agreement |
If predictable income matters more to you than flexibility — especially if you're relying on the rent to cover a mortgage and can't absorb months of a non-paying tenant during an eviction — the guarantee is the stronger fit. If you're comfortable carrying that risk yourself in exchange for the standard fee structure, standard management may suit you better.
"My rental property is currently being managed by JMZ Property Management for more than 5 years. They found amazing tenants for me over the period of time. The staff are very pleasant and easy to deal with… They care for my property as if it is their own. They make sure both the landlord and tenants are completely happy. I am extremely happy that they are managing my property. I will not hesitate to recommend them for anyone who needs their services."
The Guaranteed Rent Program is a separate agreement from JMZ's standard property management contract. It has its own terms and conditions, tenant-approval standards, and fee structure, which may differ from the management fees and costs outlined in a standard management agreement. Owners should review the specific Guaranteed Rent contract directly with JMZ before enrolling a property, rather than assuming standard management pricing and terms carry over automatically.
It guarantees that once JMZ places and approves a tenant, the owner receives rent every month for 12 months — even if that tenant stops paying. It does not guarantee a specific leasing timeline.
It starts once JMZ has placed a tenant and JMZ has determined, in its sole discretion, that the tenant is acceptable under the program.
No. JMZ's approval for the guarantee is a separate, additional determination from standard tenant screening, made at JMZ's sole discretion.
No. The guarantee only applies to a tenant that JMZ itself finds, screens, and places under the program. An existing tenant, or one placed by the owner or another party, does not qualify.
JMZ pays the owner the guaranteed monthly rent amount for the remainder of the 12-month guarantee period, while JMZ separately handles rent collection efforts and, if necessary, the eviction process.
The specific division of collection and eviction costs is set out in the Guaranteed Rent contract itself. Owners should review those terms directly with JMZ before enrolling, since they can differ from what applies under standard management.
No. The Guaranteed Rent Program is a separate contract with its own terms, conditions, and tenant-approval standards. Management fees and other costs under this program may differ from what's outlined in JMZ's standard property management agreement, so owners should review the specific terms directly with JMZ before enrolling.
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