My property management company doesn't charge an on-boarding fee and I don't know about others in our area.

I don't know why they would though - they typically charge 1/2 month rent and then 8 to 10% each month. 

Sounds like a sneaky way to put a minimum $100 in the PM's pocket.

Are we talking about a Lease Up Fee for placing a new Tenant ???

Never heard of it.

Done all the time.

It costs money to pay the people who do the setting up of a new client, I hope that this catches on.

My guess is either a junk fee (like the document storage fees buyers get charged out here) or a fee to setup the new client in their system.  It could be that their rental management software has a per-user licensing model and they're passing along this cost to the consumer.

I've never heard that term and I was a property manager.  I never charged an on-boarding fee, which I think would be equivalent to an administrative fee to set-up the new account.  Many other industries do this, though.

Bob Crane nailed this one!

No one works for free except real estate agents.

IN your example, should the applicant fail to qualify or execute, the PM can re-coop some of their costs OR....they are pulling the real estate broker trick and see this as revenue augmentation that broker disguise as a transaction fee. 

The renter that walks away from a property because of a $100 on-board fee most likely has other challenges.

Agents who work with renter/buyer/sellers should be doing the same thing. This is a business, not a hobby.

Don't know. We have move-in/move-out fees. We have associations that charge $100 to renters for ??? who knows what.

Is it just an application fee? I don't know that specific terminology.

New to me as well

Can't say I've heard of an onboarding fee?

Nickel-dime nonsense.   Ask them to waive it.  If they refuse, move on.

Eddie Edwards - not much into rental. However, looks like they want more money for no reason!

Large Rental communities in this area use it for "Set up" of your online prresence to pay your rent/electric..etc...the app fee for the background checks and the onboarding for basically doing nothing ...starts at $100 for one person, additional fee for each adult on the lease

I agree with Richard Weeks .  It is akin to the "tipping jar" one sees when all one did is enter it in the cash register the item you took off the shelf.  We are happy to tip for service but not for imagined service

Eddie Edwards I am not familiar with the term. Here's what I found when I Googled it:

On-boarding Fee: An on-boarding fee, or setup fee, may be charged as a one time amount to establish a new partnership with management company and set up your account. Setup fees can vary depending on how many properties or units exist in your portfolio.

Free market = choices.

When i think of onboarding i think I need a cruise. But in rentals I have not heard of it. I could definately like it with some high needs clients. 

It's a new buzzword that millennials are used to

I have never heard of this "onboarding fee" in all my 31 years of real estate.  Sorry I cannot be of any help.

I don't deal with rentals so not much help to you here.

Good luck.

A lot of great answers are here. 

I do not do property management, and never heard of this term.

A "JUNK FEE" is the best way to describe it. It sucks but is the new reality.

I never heard of it as well. 

It is a handling fee to setup the property or you in their system. I have not heard it called onboarding though. We call it initializing or setup fee.

I 've not heard of that

Eddie Edwards never heard of it.

Think of it as a Setup fee in other words just an additional charge to become a client.

Junk Fee ... and no response is a response. I know you know that. 

When I call a call from advertiser promising leads or ads, I tell them how much onboard fee is I charge them. They hang up......

it adds to the fund raiser by and for the PM company....

Haven't encountered this term. Until now. I would ask too.  Good luck. 

Never heard of this. Trying to make a quick buck?

I am not familiar with this term in real estate.

Fees have long been a revenue source and those with the gold enforce it