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What does a property manager do for a landlord?
A property manager is a person or agency hired by a landlord to run a rental home under a written agreement. Tasks may include finding renters, collecting rent, keeping records and arranging repairs. The agreement sets the service and fees. Hiring a manager does not remove the landlord's duties under state rental law.
Updated
Which rental tasks does the management agreement cover?
The signed agreement lists the tasks and the agent's powers. Finding a renter and collecting rent are core services. Inspections, reports on unpaid rent, repairs and bill payments need clear terms too. The owner needs to know which tasks are included. The service list should also make extra charges clear.
Victorian guidance says fees are generally negotiable and need to be written in the agreement. Letting, ongoing management and ads can have different charges. Statements show rent collected and money paid out. NSW guidance says only a licensed real estate agent can sign its management agreement. The relevant state's licence register shows the agent's status.
Who can approve repairs and handle a renter's urgent call?
Written authority sets what repairs the manager can arrange. It can set a spending limit and a contact for urgent work. Renters need to know who handles their calls. The owner's instructions still have to fit state repair law. They cannot replace legal duties with a preference for how a job is handled.
The manager can book trades and keep invoices. That does not promise that every fault has been fixed. Reports, photos and records help explain the work. A rental manager also differs from a strata manager. A shared building fault may involve the owners corporation, meaning the group of lot owners. A rental repair inside a lot may need the landlord to act.
Which recent rental law changes affect the manager's work?
The property's state decides which rental rules apply. Since 19 May 2025, NSW landlords need a listed reason to end a lease. Rent can rise only once every 12 months across all leases. The manager needs to apply those rules when sending notices and reviewing rent, even if the owner lives elsewhere.
Victoria ended no reason notices to vacate from 25 November 2025. Rent increases there need 90 days' notice. More changes start on 13 October 2026, including gas and electrical safety checks every two years. That date is still ahead at this page's review. In Queensland, the twelve-month rent rise limit follows the property, not the renter, since 6 June 2024. Rent bidding is banned there. These are separate state rules, rather than one national system.
Illustrative example5 steps
Reading the owner's payment from a rental statement
- A fictional statement records $2,800 of rent received for its reporting period.
- It lists $200 in agreed agent charges and a $350 repair invoice paid for the owner.
- Total deductions shown: $200 plus $350 = $550.
- Amount paid to the owner: $2,800 minus $550 = $2,250.
- The $2,250 transfer is the remaining cash on this statement, rather than the property's total rental income or its annual profit.
For investors
The service agreement connects daily rental work to the owner's records.
An investor needs clear rent, cost and condition records. The manager supplies records and acts within the agreed service. The owner still needs to understand major decisions and legal duties. Licence checks, clear instructions and open fee terms explain what service is being bought. They cannot remove empty weeks or make rent collection a promised return.
Common questions
Questions about property manager
Keep learning
Property is a complex world.
Property manager is one piece of it. Owning brings tenants, managers, insurance and upkeep into the plan. Next, read about landlord insurance, strata title and holding costs.
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