So I'm in the process of buying two homes out of state that have 3 apt each one of the places has a live in maintenance man who's moving out but i would like to hire him for the two properties I have this will not be his only stream of income, and the apartments will gross 1200/month I plan on taking the calls and dispatching him he's not going to collect any rent show apts or sign any leases just fix things here and there shovel snow and keep the exterior clean enough not to get fined by the city when discussing his role in front of my realtor the agent threw out a number of $100 per unit a month im thinking closer to $400 for both buildings any suggestions or ideas on a fair rate first time investor who plans on growing his portfolio rapidly. this is in the New York metro area 

why not pay him on an as needed basis? If he gets no calls, he doesn't get paid. if he gets called out, he charges you by the hour.

or hire a property management company

Ouch.  Managing from out of state 

Do you have anyone in the area to check the work the handyman is going to do?

If you are set on this I would say pay per job and have him video before and after. 

It's only a 45 min drive guys 

Originally posted by @Rahiem Bush :

It's only a 45 min drive guys 

  Lol.  From where I sit, OOS means at least a 6 hour drive.  States out west are a bit bigger.  :)

Monthly ? it all depends on what work he has to do . if you were paying a monthly fee , you would be calling him every other day . If you are paying by the hour it would be fair to you and him 

I would suggest a small monthly retainer fee, and pay hourly for the work.

I feel like u guys feel like little to nothing will happen and I'll save money not paying monthly 

Originally posted by @Rahiem Bush :

I feel like u guys feel like little to nothing will happen and I'll save money not paying monthly 

 Not at all. But why pay for someone to do nothing? When things happen, call him and then pay him for his time. You could do the "retainer fee" as someone suggested. This fee could go towards just having him "available" or could go towards actual hours he works on the property. Even an attorney's retainer is applied to hours actually used before you get billed.

Follow up to my earlier post. I'm an out of state landlord, so part of the reason for my small retainer fee. My repair guy is very versatile, prompt, NEVER needs to be micro managed. I should of mentioned that in my earlier post --- that several of my properties are out of state. If your properties are with in a few miles, maybe not such a big deal.

I appreciate the feedback I've decided to not use him as an employee and just bite the bullet as things occur and instead just save the fee I would have paid to cover any expenses as they arise really appreciate the feedback

you said New York metro  and out of state. Where are we talking. There is a lot of people on here maybe somebody could suggest someone.  

@Rahiem Bush I suggest pay him by the hour except for any larger projects such as water heater replacement or a new toilet installation. I bet you will have atleast 15-25 hours worth of work monthly. Pay him decent price ($19-25) per hour and you can easily avoid the retainer cost.
Where about is the property. I can try to help you locate some help. Good luck!

North jersey

If you find the handyman to be unreliable, consider hiring out to a franchise handyman service. Though expensive, they are reliable- and that brings peace of mind.

I pay my super a flat monthly fee of $150 to handle garbage/recycling. I also take all maintenance calls and route to him or others as needed. Those jobs are paid on a project basis. I do not suggest paying hourly. I also have a 'tenant ally'. She has a maintenance contract that gives a small rent break in return for being my eyes & ears.