September 2, 2026

What does a property manager do?

If you’re thinking of leasing out an investment property, you’re going to need a property manager. But what does a property manager actually do?

Essentially, the property manager covers the day-to-day operations of looking after your rental property and its renters . This includes:

collecting rent
maintaining the property
responding to issues

Also, if renters decide to leave the property, your property manager will manage the exit, and find new tenants.

One important aspect is staying on top of legislation. There is a very stringent set of rules landlords (formally known as rental providers these days) must comply with, and ongoing changes are common. A good property manager will be across the relevant legislation and ensure your property is compliant.

Let’s go into those services in further detail, so you get a really good understanding of what a property manager can do for you.

Your property manager collects rent

Every month your property manager will take care of rent collection. Which can be simple, and sometimes, it is. But renters may forget to pay, or simply don’t have the funds. We chase up people who have not paid your rent on time, and do our best to secure the payments as soon as possible.

Having a renter who falls behind on rent is a really unfortunate situation for all parties. Your property manager will guide you through your process and help you understand:

your rights
the rights of the tenant
how to resolve the situation

There are rules around how you as the rental provider can take action to recover unpaid rent. Your property manager brings you a thorough understanding of these rules and how to comply with them, as well as previous experience in dealing with these situations which will help you maximise your chances of recovering the rent shortfall as soon as possible.

Property managers find your tenants

It’s important to find and keep high quality renters for your rental property, so that you can have a steady stream of rental income for your investment. If the home’s empty because your previous tenants left, or it’s a new rental, you need new renters in place. Your property manager will handle the campaign and logistics to secure a new replacement on your behalf. This includes preparing the home for compliance, staging open houses, reviewing rental applications and managing the contract with the chosen renter.

Finding the right tenants is crucial

If you have problematic renters, it causes all sorts of headaches. If they complain excessively, fail to pay rent on time or cause damage to the property due to mistakes or neglect, it can be very difficult to manage. As property managers, it’s important to select the right tenants for your property to reduce your risk of these situations occurring. What we want for you is a renter who takes care of the property, pays rent on the due date and is respectful and reasonable in taking care of your investment . With decades of experience in real estate, we have established very good systems for assessing the renter applications, not only in terms of their ability to pay rent, but the likely risk they may post to you.

Because once you have a difficult renter established in your property, it can be a stressful situation. And it’s not always easy to evict them. So if you can find the right tenants, you can save yourself a world of potential trouble.

What else does a property manager do? Maintain the property

Things can and do go wrong with your rental property, and your property manager will be on hand to arrange solutions. This could include issues with electricity, plumbing, heating, cooling, access, features and basically anything that’s part of the property.

We also arrange routine inspections of the property to ensure the renter is taking appropriate care of the home and to spot any damage that may have occurred.

We manage the trades, and get it done quickly

When a repair or maintenance is required, we will find the appropriate tradesperson to get the job done, like a plumber, carpenter, tiler or electrician. It’s important to respond quickly and arrange prompt repairs to ensure the renter is living in a safe, compliant property and no further damage is being done to your investment.

With urgent repairs like blocked toilets, electricity issues, gas leaks or damage due to weather, you as the rental provider must arrange a solution within a specific timeframe, usually 24 hours. With a reliable and capable property manager on hand, your daily routine will not be interrupted rushing around to find tradies to get the job done.

We have a little black book of reliable trades across Melbourne for typical jobs so we’re able to get the right person to do a good job to quickly address and rectify the situation for your renter.

You will of course cover the cost of the trades and we will clearly outline the level of expenses, provide the supporting paperwork and keep records of all maintenance done to the property.

Keeping your home up to date can reduce your risk

As property managers, we will tell you when you should invest in the upgrade of your property. For example the decking needs to be replaced, trees need removal or trimming, or roof needs repairs. Some property owners are hesitant to invest in the upkeep of the property, but this can be a false economy. Putting off these maintenance jobs can risk the property falling into disrepair, and cause more costly damage. It also means the renters have a less than pleasant experience living in the property, risking them leaving and breaking the lease. Your property manager will help you decide what areas of the home require your investment to keep your asset protected and earning as much rental income as possible.

What does a property manager charge?

Most property managers charge a flat-rate percentage of the monthly rent to manage the property. This can vary across the industry, and can depend on the type of property, but typical rates are between 5% and 8% of the monthly rental payments. Property managers also charge additional fees when the home is vacated, to cover the time and expenses in arranging the exit and securing new tenants.

Can I just manage this myself?

Yes, you certainly can, but many homeowners quickly find that the property manager fee is worth the investment. If you are willing to race around to find trades when issues arise, and chase unpaid rent and deal with the myriad of compliance issues that can come up with renting a property, you may prefer to manage this yourself. However be prepared to drop everything to deal with situations as they arise. If something comes up and you’re on holiday or busy at work, you still need to respond quickly to avoid facing fines or penalties if you infringe the Rental Tenancies Act.