Choosing a property manager
Owner guide
How to choose a property manager on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane
Most owners choose a property manager on the fee and a first meeting. The questions below tell you more: who will look after your property, how often it’s inspected, what happens when rent is late, and how you leave if it isn’t working.
Ask them of any agency, including us. Our own answers are under each one, so you can compare.
The questions that matter
Ten questions to ask any property manager
1. Who looks after my property day to day?
A brand doesn’t manage your property; a person does. Ask who your contact will be, and who answers when you call.
Our answer: your property manager looks after it day to day, and Grant Drennan, our founder and Director, is the constant behind it. Our property managers take your calls.
2. How often is it inspected, and what do I see?
An inspection only helps if you see the result. Ask how often, and what the report includes.
Our answer: routine inspections every 14 to 17 weeks, with a detailed report and quality photos sent to you. The first is within six weeks of a tenancy starting.
3. What do you record when a tenant moves in?
The entry condition report is your record of what you handed over, and it matters most when the tenant leaves.
Our answer: every entry condition report has hundreds of photos and a 360° walkthrough of the whole property.
4. How do you choose a tenant?
Ask what is checked, not only whether applications are checked.
Our answer: every application is reviewed in detail and checked for accuracy: identity, references and tenancy databases, following Queensland’s legislation. If we wouldn’t put them in our own home, we won’t put them in yours.
5. What happens if the rent is late?
Ask when the agency first notices, and when it acts.
Our answer: your tenant hears from us every day from day 1, and on day 8 we issue the breach notice the legislation allows.
6. Will you spend my money without asking?
Ask what needs your approval, and how quickly a repair request is looked at.
Our answer: no. Nothing is spent on repairs or maintenance without your approval, except emergency repairs the law allows. Every maintenance request is acknowledged straight away and reviewed by your property manager within one business day.
7. When is the rent reviewed?
A rent left $20 a week under the market for a year costs you $1,040.
Our answer: 90 days before a fixed-term tenancy ends.
8. How quickly will you get back to me?
Ask for a timeframe, not “as soon as possible”.
Our answer: emails are answered within one business day, and our property managers take your calls.
9. What will it cost, all in?
The percentage rarely tells you the whole cost. Ask for every fee in writing, including letting, renewals and any one-off charges.
Our answer: we quote your property in writing, with every fee listed, before you sign anything. See our property management fees
10. How do I leave if it isn’t working?
Ask how much notice either side has to give.
Our answer: either of us may end the management agreement with 30 days’ written notice.
Before you sign
Three things to check
The appointment form
In Queensland, the appointment form (the Form 6) sets out the services and every fee before you sign. Check every fee you were quoted is in it.
The appraisal
An appraisal is an estimate, not a promise. Ask what it’s based on, and which rentals nearby it was compared with.
The reviews
Read what owners say about how problems were handled, not only the star rating.
Already with an agent? Switching is simpler than most owners expect. How switching works
Choosing
Your questions answered
Is the cheapest property manager the best value?
Not always. On a property renting for $700 a week, a management fee 1% lower saves $364 a year, while one extra week empty between tenants costs $700. Compare what the manager does, not only the percentage.
Can I change property managers during a tenancy?
Yes. Changing agents doesn’t change the agreement your tenant signed, so their lease carries on unchanged. When you appoint us, we give your current agent 30 days’ notice for you, and the handover happens during those 30 days. How switching works
Do you manage properties in Brisbane?
Yes. We manage investment properties across the Gold Coast and Brisbane, and every commitment on this page holds in Brisbane, inspections included.
How will I know what’s happening with my property?
Your own owner portal shows your statements, inspection reports, repair jobs and documents at any time. Owner payments are made weekly or twice a month, you choose.
What does a rental appraisal cost?
Nothing. Rental appraisals are free, with no obligation.
Free, no obligation
Find out what your property could earn
A free rental appraisal, plus a quote with every fee in writing. Where is your property?
Rather talk it through first?Book a 30-minute call with Grant
Included
What our management includes
Payments weekly or twice a month, you choose.
We recommend landlord insurance to every owner.
When you switch to us, we check your tenant’s bond is lodged with the RTA, not just take the previous agent’s word for it.
Your own owner portal, with statements, inspection reports, repair jobs and documents at any time.
