Know the cost before you commit
We approach property management from an investor's standpoint, so we'll say what most agencies won't: fees matter less than what they buy. Here's how ours work, calculated in full and in advance, and our honest advice for comparing any agency's fees, including ours.
Two numbers, no asterisks
Leasing fee: one week's rent + GST
Charged when we secure your tenant. It covers the whole campaign: marketing coordination, weekend home opens, private viewings, application screening and lease signing. Our weekend opens are a big part of why our vacancy rates stay lower than most agencies'.
Management fee: agreed in full, in advance
Before you sign anything, you'll have the complete cost of management for your property calculated and in writing. Not a teaser rate, not a percentage with fine print: the actual figure, so you can budget on it.
What your management fee buys
Property management is hundreds of small jobs done properly, week after week. These aren't add-ons. They're the service.
- Daily rent oversight and immediate arrears follow-up
- Detailed ingoing, routine and outgoing inspections with photo reports
- Maintenance coordination with licensed, trusted trades
- Evidence-based rent reviews at every renewal
- Tax-compliant statements your accountant can use as-is
- Payment of rates, utilities and outgoings on request
- Lease renewals and tenancy negotiations
- An annual selling appraisal, so you always know your position
Where owners actually lose money
After thousands of tenancies, we can tell you the management fee is almost never the expensive part. If you're comparing agencies, including comparing them with us, put your attention here first:
Vacancy
Every vacant week costs roughly 2% of your annual rent. Ask any prospective agency for their average days-to-lease and whether they show properties on weekends. The answers are worth more than a discount.
Under-market rent
A rent left $20 under market “to keep things easy” costs you $1,040 a year, silently, forever. Ask how often rent is reviewed and what evidence supports it.
Slow maintenance
Small faults become big invoices when nobody reports or actions them. Ask how tenants report issues, and how quickly they're actioned. Then ask a tenant.
Fee questions, answered straight
What is your leasing fee?
One week’s rent + GST. That covers the entire leasing campaign: marketing coordination, weekend home opens and private viewings, application screening with full suitability and affordability rundowns, tenant negotiation and lease signing. You approve the tenant; we do the legwork.
What does ongoing management cost?
A management fee agreed with you before you sign, calculated in full and in advance for your specific property, so you know the exact annual figure, not a headline percentage with surprises attached. Ask for a schedule of fees with your rental appraisal and you’ll have it in writing.
Are there fees you don’t charge?
We don’t believe in inventing line items: no “technology fees”, no charging you to answer the phone. Anything that does cost money appears in your schedule of fees before you sign, not on your first statement after.
Is the cheapest management fee the best deal?
Honestly: rarely. One week of avoidable vacancy costs about 2% of your annual rent; an undermarket rent costs you every single week; a missed maintenance issue can cost thousands. Fee differences between agencies are usually a few hundred dollars a year, and the management quality behind them is where the real money moves. Compare what’s included and how vacancy, arrears and reviews are handled. Then compare the fee.
Are management fees tax deductible?
Generally yes: property management fees are typically deductible against your rental income, as are many related costs. We’re not accountants and this isn’t tax advice, but our statements are built to make your accountant’s job (and your deductions) straightforward.
Get your numbers in writing
Book a rental appraisal and we'll bring both figures: the rent your property should achieve, and the complete cost of managing it, in advance, in writing, no asterisks.