Property Management
Property management fees, explained
Fee structures in this industry are often deliberately hard to compare. Here's a plain-English guide to what you actually pay for — and how to judge value rather than just cost.
What You Pay For
What the management fee actually covers
A good management fee isn't a charge for 'collecting rent' — it's for actively protecting your investment. Here's the work behind it.
- Marketing and advertising your property for lease
- Screening applicants and selecting quality tenants
- Preparing and lodging the lease and bond
- Collecting rent and following up arrears promptly
- Routine inspections with written reports and photos
- Coordinating maintenance and trades
- Monthly statements and end-of-financial-year summaries
- Handling lease renewals, rent reviews and notices
Reading a Quote
The charges to look for
A management quote is more than one number. These are the components to compare — and the questions to ask about each.
The management fee
A percentage of the rent collected — the headline number most quotes lead with. In Adelaide this typically sits in a single band; a very low fee often signals costs recovered elsewhere.
The letting fee
Charged when a new tenant is placed, usually equal to a week or two of rent. Ask how often it's charged — high tenant turnover means you pay it more often.
Advertising & marketing
The cost of listing your property on the major portals and presenting it well. Worth paying for; worth checking what's included versus billed on top.
Admin & sundry charges
Statement fees, inspection fees, lease-renewal fees, technology or 'postage and petties' charges. Individually small, collectively meaningful — always ask for the full list.
Our approach to fees: we believe in a clear, all-in structure with no surprises — you should be able to see exactly what you pay and exactly what you get for it. If you'd like a straightforward quote for your property, with the full picture and nothing buried in the fine print, just ask.
Questions
Fees, answered
- How much does property management cost in Adelaide?
- The main charge is the management fee — a percentage of the rent collected — plus a letting fee when a new tenant is placed, and some administrative charges. What matters more than any single number is the all-in cost and what's actually included, because a low headline rate is often recovered through extra fees.
- Are property management fees tax deductible?
- Yes. Property management fees — including the management fee, letting fees, advertising and lease preparation — are fully tax deductible against your rental income for an investment property. That deductibility offsets a meaningful share of the real cost.
- Is the cheapest property manager the best value?
- Rarely. The cost of a bad manager — a longer vacancy, a rent left below market, maintenance that escalates, or a poor tenant selected to fill a property quickly — dwarfs the difference between a cheap fee and a fair one. Value is measured by the return on your whole investment, not the fee in isolation.
- Why do some agencies quote such low fees?
- A very low management fee is often a lead-in, with the true cost recovered through letting fees, admin charges and add-ons — or through a high-volume model where your property is one of hundreds and attention is thin. Always compare the all-in cost and the level of service, not the headline percentage.
No Surprises
Get a clear management quote
A straightforward, all-in quote for your property — and an honest conversation about the service behind it.