There’s a lot to think about when it comes to renting out your property. Some homeowners decide to manage their own properties, and others use the services of a property manager to look after their investment properties. We’re going to talk you through the following points to help you understand how property management works in Australia.
- The pros and cons of managing your own property
- Property management fees and charges
- Selling versus renting your property
- Finding tenants for your property
- Advertising units for rent
- What to look for in a renter
- Tenancy rights across Australia
Should I manage my own property? The pros and cons.
If you’re wondering whether to manage your property yourself or hire a property manager to look after your investment property, we’ve broken down some of the pros and cons of managing your own property.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| It can be financially rewarding as you’re saving on fees | You’ll be dealing with the administration that comes with renting which can be time consuming |
| You can keep an eye on the property’s condition | You may need to respond to maintenance issues |
| It’s easier for you and your tenants to build trust with each other | You may need to deal with legal issues or missed rent payments |
How much do real estate agents charge to manage a rental property?
You’ll generally pay a commission fee of somewhere between 5-15% of your weekly rental income. The figure will depend on which services it includes. A fee closer to 5% could mean the property manager is only charging management fees. Whereas a fee closer to 15% is more likely going to be an ‘all-inclusive’ fee which includes additional fees. Below, we’ll give you a breakdown of the types of fees you can expect to pay when working with a property manager to rent out your property. A property manager can charge you the following fees:
- The management fee – charged for regular activities such as rent collection and handling maintenance requests.
- The letting fee – charged for services involving securing new tenants for a rental property.
- Marketing fees – charged for the advertising activity carried out to promote the rental property.
- Lease renewal fee – the fee charged to extend the contract at the end of a lease.
- Routine inspection fees – the service fee charged for an agent inspecting the property on a regular basis.
- Annual statement fee – the fee charged to obtain your annual summary statement.
- Civil and administrative tribunal fees – fees charged in the rare occurrence that you need to attend court.
Why should I use a real estate agent to manage my rental property? Property management commission and fees explained
How do I know whether to sell or rent my home?
Buying a new home and unsure on whether to sell or rent your existing property? It’s a good idea to consider your long term financial goals. Selling is generally a smarter short-term ‘safe option’ and will lower your mortgage debt. However, the income you can earn from a rental property can be substantial over time, and you can end up with a much higher net worth. Read more.
How to choose a real estate agent to rent your home
You’ll want to find someone who’s organised, reliable and trustworthy to manage your property. You can use our online comparison tool to find a property manager who suits your unique needs by comparing agents, including their fees, commissions and marketing strategies. We’ll provide you with property managers to compare who match your requirements. You can also see feedback from fellow property investors like you including their skills and attributes to help you to help you make your decision. Here’s how to rent your house out with an agent using LocalAgentFinder – it’s simple!
- Click on the ‘compare property managers’ link below
- Enter a few details about your property
- Compare and connect with your chosen property management agent/s
Can you be a real estate agent and property manager?
The short answer is yes. We have agents on our platform that operate as both sales agents and property managers. However, many of our many best performing property managers work in agencies that are focused solely on property management. How do I rent out my property? Questions to ask a property manager before you rent out your house
How to get tenants for your property
A good property manager will have years of experience in screening applicants before renting out the property to a new tenant. Securing the right tenant is extremely important if you want to 1) collect your rental payments on time and 2) have your rental property well looked after. You’ll want to find a property manager who can help you avoid bad tenants. Typical steps property managers take to find/screen tenants include:
- Using a tenant database
- Performing a credit check
- Verifying employment
- Contacting previous landlords
Once your agent has found a suitable tenant, a good property manager will document the property condition so that if the property is damaged in any way throughout the lease period, you’ll be able to refer back to the condition report to prove whether or not the damage had already been done.
How to advertise units and why they differ from houses
If you’re renting out a unit, your advertising strategy may need to differ as your building may have common areas run by a body corporate. For example gyms, swimming pools and BBQ areas. These features will attract many prospective tenants. A good real estate agent will include them in your property listing (e.g. photos and description). It’s a good idea to communicate the by-laws of the body corporate in your property listing as the tenant must obey them the same as every other resident or visitor. One good example of a by-law is the ban of pets in units. Even if you as a landlord would allow pets, you will still need to seek, and be granted permission from the body corporate. Here are some common questions to ask a property manager before renting a unit or house.
What to look for in a renter
A good renter can mean different things to different people. If you’re looking for someone to lease your property for a long period of time, it’s a good idea to look for a young family or people with secure full times jobs, rather than students perhaps. If you’re looking for tenants to fill your property for a shorter amount of time, you might be better off looking for students or casual workers who are likely to move around more. A good property manager will dismiss any tenant with a bad reference, and thoroughly check any applications that don’t seem to add up. It’s important to find a property manager who you believe will maintain a good relationship with your tenants so you can expect to keep them in your property for the full lease agreement period.
Tenancy rights across Australia
Each Australian state government has a different set of laws around tenants rights under a Residential Tenancies Act. If you’re going to rent out your property, it may be a good idea to review your state’s tenancy laws so you’re aware of them if you have any troubles with tenants down the track. Rental rights differ depending on which state your rental property located in. For example, in terms of rental increases on a fixed-term rental agreement, there are different rules on how often you can increase the rent amount.
| State | Frequency limit |
|---|---|
| NSW | No limit |
| QLD, VIC, WA & NT | Every six months |
| ACT, TAS & SA | Every 12 months |
Understanding property management – what’s next?
If you’d like to find a property manager to rent out your property, you can compare their fees, marketing strategies, agency information, reviews and more using our online agent comparison tool.
Understanding Property Management
If you’ve just bought your first investment property, then it’s likely that you’re getting to the stage where you need to get renters into it. However, there’s a whole lot more to consider when it comes to property management for rentals. Some property owners decide to go alone and manage their own properties, while others choose to use the services of professional property managers.
Here are some of the aspects to consider that will help you to understand property management.
What Does a Property Manager Do?
First things first, it’s imperative to understand what the main responsibilities of being a property manager are before you decide whether you want to take the job on yourself or outsource it to a professional.
The main responsibilities of a property manager include:
- Routine and emergency repairs/maintenance
- Marketing and advertising
- Screening potential tenants
- Lease and contracts
- Evictions
- Property Inspections
Should I manage the Property Myself?
If you are comfortable with doing all of the tasks mentioned above, then you may be able to manage your own property. However, there are pros and cons to taking it on yourself.
Pros:
- You can build better relationships with your tenants on a face-to-face basis
- You can save money by not paying a property manager’s fees
- No one will love the property more than you and it enables you to keep a close eye on the condition of the property
Cons:
- It’s incredibly time-consuming to deal with all the administration
- You must be on call for emergency repairs and maintenance at all times
- You may encounter legal issues with missed rental payments, damages or having to evict tenants
Should I Hire a Property Manager for My Property Management?
When deciding if you want to hire a property manager, remember to look at different property management reviews first. Ask yourself the following questions to determine whether you’ll be a good fit for managing your own property:
- Do you have the time and are you willing to be on call for at all hours and run your property on a full-time basis?
- Do you have up-to-date knowledge on local property laws?
- Do you have the management skills to oversee work done by repair people and contractors?
- Do you know how to perform background checks and run credit checks?
- Do you feel like you are the most qualified and appropriate person to run your property?
If you answer no to any of these questions, then chances are that you should get a professional property manager.
How to Choose a Property Manager?
When you are looking for a property manager, you want to ensure that you end up with someone that can be trusted to run your property in an organised, reliable manner. You can use the LocalAgentFinder online comparison service to compare property managers based on their experience, and different property manager review from our Homeowner Voice review platform, commissions, and fees, etc. When you sign up to our service, we will provide you with a side-by-side comparison of real estate agents that are most suited to your needs and you can then choose a handful to get into contact with in order to find the right property manager for your property.
Find the Right Property Manager with LocalAgentFinder
With our online comparison service, finding the ideal property manager is super straightforward. All you have to do is enter a few property details into our site and we’ll give you a list of real estate agents to compare - all in one place.