Best Property Managers in Allied Gardens and Del Cerro (2026)

This list is for owners of rental homes, condos and small apartment buildings in Allied Gardens and Del Cerro, the neighboring 92120 communities north of Interstate 8, who are choosing a property manager or reviewing the one they have. It covers seven companies, including one based on Del Cerro Boulevard and several with dedicated pages for these neighborhoods.

For each company we list the office address, the property types it says it manages, its California Department of Real Estate (DRE) license, and any fees it prints on its own site. All of it was checked on September 22, 2026. Confirm current terms in writing.

How we chose this list

McKee Properties wrote this list, and we put ourselves first. We compete for owners in Allied Gardens and Del Cerro as well, so read our entry with that in mind. The order of the other six is our editorial judgment, not a score.

To be included, a company had to meet these tests:

• A local tie: an office in or near 92120, a dedicated Allied Gardens or Del Cerro page on its own site, or a San Diego service list that names these neighborhoods.
• Management for outside owners, described on its own website.
• An active California real estate license, checked against the DRE's public lookup on September 22, 2026.
• Services and fees we could read on the company's own website. We only list fees a company prints as its own, and we do not repeat any firm's claims about being better than its competitors.
• Operating history, where the company states it consistently.

We held back one brand that appears to have changed hands recently, with two different licensees using the same name, until the change is clear. We did not use ratings or review counts, and no company paid to be listed.

At a glance

Fees printed on company websites (September 2026)

Lofty prints fee policies but no rate. McKee, FBS, Mission Center and JD do not print a management rate.

1. McKee Properties

McKee Properties was established in San Diego in 1982, incorporated in California in 1985 as Russell B. McKee, Inc., and has been headquartered in Coronado since 1989, at 1001 B Avenue, Suite 203 (619-435-7780). It holds California DRE corporate license #00907967, and its broker is Brendan McKee (DRE #01882732). McKee Properties handles residential management, leasing and sales; the commercial division, McKee Commercial, focuses on small to mid-sized retail, office and apartment properties, typically 10,000 to 100,000 square feet. Repairs go through an in-house maintenance company, Certified Property Maintenance (CSLB license #754790), and owners and residents each have an online portal on AppFolio. The team is twelve full-time staff.

We have separate pages for Allied Gardens property management and Del Cerro property management, and you can read our history on the about page.

Best for: Owners in Allied Gardens or Del Cerro who want one firm for a rental home and a small commercial or apartment property, with repairs handled by an in-house, CSLB-licensed company.

Worth knowing: McKee does not publish its fees, so ask for a written quote. The office is in Coronado rather than 92120, and the team is twelve people, so ask who your day-to-day contact would be.

2. FBS Property Management

FBS Property Management (opens in a new tab), short for Fjellestad, Barrett & Short, has its office in Del Cerro itself, at 6398 Del Cerro Boulevard, Suite 8, San Diego 92120. Its 92120 page covers Grantville, Allied Gardens and Del Cerro, and it has published a post on Allied Gardens property management. FBS lists single homes, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, rooms for rent, small and mid-size apartment buildings and large apartment communities, and its homepage adds commercial property. It says it established its complete property management and advisory services in 1972. The site does not print a license number; the operating licensee is Fjellestad Properties Inc, DRE corporate license #01400756, which uses the FBS Property Management and Fjellestad Barrett & Short names.

Best for: Owners who want the manager's office in the neighborhood, and a firm with a long stated history in the area.

Worth knowing: FBS does not publish fees. If you check the license, search for Fjellestad Properties Inc.

3. Mission Center Properties

Mission Center Properties (opens in a new tab) is at 10405 San Diego Mission Road, Suite 111, San Diego 92108, in Mission Valley, a short drive west of Allied Gardens along the I-8 corridor. It has a dedicated Allied Gardens page, and its service list names Allied Gardens, Del Cerro and San Carlos along with the College Area and Clairemont. It says it manages all types of residential property, including houses, condos and apartment complexes. The site does not print a license number; the licensee is Mission Center Realty Inc., DRE corporate license #02086547, which uses the Mission Center Properties and Mission Center Property Management names.

Best for: Residential owners who want a manager based just west on the I-8 corridor, with a page written for Allied Gardens.

Worth knowing: Fees are not published, and two pages on the site give different figures for the team's years in real estate, so ask for a written quote and a clear account of the team's local history.

4. JD Property Management and Realty

JD Property Management and Realty (opens in a new tab) is at 7840 El Cajon Boulevard, Suite 301, in La Mesa, and its service list names both Allied Gardens and Del Cerro, as well as the College Area and Clairemont. Its owner page lists marketing, tenant screening, leasing, inspections, maintenance with 24/7 emergency vendors, billing and evictions. JD Property Management and Realty, Inc. holds DRE corporate license #01957778, which it prints on its site.

Best for: Owners who hold property in 92120 and in East County and want one manager for both.

Worth knowing: The site does not list property types, fees or a founding year, so ask for those before you compare.

5. Good Life Property Management

Good Life Property Management (opens in a new tab) has a page for Allied Gardens and San Carlos that also names Del Cerro, but its San Diego office is at 5252 Balboa Avenue, Suite 704, in Clairemont (92117), with a second office in Riverside. It manages single-family homes, condos, 2-4 unit properties and multifamily buildings of 5 to 15 units. Good Life Property Management Inc. holds DRE corporate license #01929564.

Good Life lists its fees on its website as of September 2026: 8% a month (7% for rents over $6,000 a month), 6% for multifamily, leasing at 25% of one month's rent, a $150 annual inspection, a $195 lease renewal fee, and $50 a quarter for owners outside California.

Best for: Owners of detached homes in Allied Gardens and Del Cerro who want every fee printed before they sign.

Worth knowing: There is no office in 92120 or East County; the San Diego office is in Clairemont.

6. Lofty Property Management

Lofty Property Management (opens in a new tab) has an Allied Gardens page and lists "Allied Gardens & San Carlos" in its service area. Its office is at 7710 Balboa Avenue, Suite 305, San Diego 92111, in Kearny Mesa. The homepage lists single-family homes, condos, townhomes and multifamily up to 50 units, and the Allied Gardens page adds office buildings and commercial centers. The license number on its site belongs to Premiere Real Estate Group, DRE corporate license #01426515, which has used the Lofty Property Management name since 2018. Lofty does not print a management percentage, but its homepage promises "no hidden fees, no leasing fees on renewals, and no markup on maintenance".

Best for: Owners who want a stated policy of no renewal leasing fee and no markup on maintenance.

Worth knowing: Lofty's pages give two different start years, so ask how long the current team has managed in the area. If you check the license, search for Premiere Real Estate Group.

7. Penny Realty

Penny Realty (opens in a new tab) has separate Allied Gardens and Del Cerro pages, and its office is at 4444 Mission Boulevard, Suite 140, in Pacific Beach. It lists single-family homes, condos and multifamily, with long-term, mid-term and short-term or vacation leasing. The site says the company was established in 1965. Penny Realty Inc holds DRE corporate license #00935682.

Penny Realty lists its pricing on its website as of September 2026: an 8% management fee, a 6% leasing fee, a 10% maintenance coordination fee and a $250 annual inspection. It also advertises a "90 Day Money Back Guarantee + $500", a "30 Day Rental Guarantee" and a "12 Month Lease Guarantee". Read the conditions of each guarantee before relying on it.

Best for: Owners who want published pricing and written guarantees, or flexibility between long-, mid- and short-term leasing.

Worth knowing: The office is in Pacific Beach, well west of 92120, and the 10% maintenance coordination fee should be part of any cost comparison.

What to ask any Allied Gardens or Del Cerro property manager

Ask each company the same questions, in writing.

1. What is the monthly fee, and what else do you charge: setup, leasing, lease renewal, inspections, or a markup or coordination fee on repairs?
2. How do you set the rent and market a vacant home here, and how long did your recent 92120 listings take to lease?
3. What repair amount can you approve without calling me, and who does the work: your own staff or outside vendors?
4. What does my monthly owner statement show, and when are funds sent?
5. How do you screen applicants, and how do you keep that consistent with fair housing law?
6. Allied Gardens and Del Cerro are in the City of San Diego, which has its own Residential Tenant Protections Ordinance (San Diego Municipal Code sections 98.0701 to 98.0709). How do you apply it to notices and lease endings?
7. How often do you inspect the property, and do I get photos?
8. Who is my day-to-day contact, and what does it take to end our agreement?

Frequently asked questions

Which property managers have an office in Allied Gardens or Del Cerro?

Of the companies on this list, FBS Property Management is the one based in the neighborhoods, at 6398 Del Cerro Boulevard. Mission Center Properties is nearby in Mission Valley on San Diego Mission Road, and JD Property Management and Realty is in La Mesa on El Cajon Boulevard. Good Life, Lofty and Penny Realty serve the area from offices in Clairemont, Kearny Mesa and Pacific Beach, and McKee is headquartered in Coronado.

Which of these managers publish their fees?

As of September 2026, Good Life Property Management and Penny Realty print their own management rates online, both at 8%, with other charges listed. Good Life drops to 7% on rents over $6,000 a month; Penny adds a 10% maintenance coordination fee and a $250 annual inspection. Lofty publishes policies, such as no leasing fee on renewals and no maintenance markup, without a rate. McKee, FBS, Mission Center and JD do not publish rates, so ask each for a written quote.

Does the City of San Diego's tenant protection ordinance apply here?

Yes. Allied Gardens and Del Cerro are within the City of San Diego, so as of September 2026 rentals there fall under the City's Residential Tenant Protections Ordinance, San Diego Municipal Code sections 98.0701 to 98.0709, alongside California law. Ask any manager how it handles the ordinance at your property. This is general information, not legal advice.

How do I check a property manager's license?

Search the company name or license number in the California Department of Real Estate's public license lookup. Every company here showed an active license when we checked on September 22, 2026. Several operate under trade names, so the license may show a different corporate name: FBS Property Management's is held by Fjellestad Properties Inc, Mission Center Properties' by Mission Center Realty Inc., and Lofty's by Premiere Real Estate Group.

Is it worth hiring a manager with a neighborhood office?

It can help with showings, key handovers and property checks, and FBS is the only company here with an office in 92120. But response times, who does the repairs and how clearly fees are written usually matter more over the life of an agreement.

Talk to McKee about your Allied Gardens or Del Cerro rental

If you own a rental home or small building here, see our Allied Gardens and Del Cerro property management pages, or contact us for a written quote.