The best property managers in Canberra

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McIntyre Property Management team

The property management team from McIntyre Property are one of Canberra’s most recommended property management teams. Photo: McIntyre Property.

Investing in property can be a great financial move. The reality is, however, that managing an investment property can be time consuming and a lot of hard work.

You need to advertise the property for rent, screen potential tenants, monitor rental payments and perhaps deal with maintenance issues. Then there’s the matter of negotiating rent increases when the time comes and chasing late rent payments

This is where a property manager can help.

In this article, we’ll outline the qualities to consider when choosing a property manager, and share where to find the best in Canberra.

What makes a great property manager?

Choosing a property manager can help you save time, money and stress with your investment properties. It can also make sure you’re meeting all legal requirements.

It can be helpful to keep the following in mind when choosing a property manager.

  • Communication. You’ll want a property manager who is proactive in keeping you up-to-date on your investment in an open, honest and transparent way. This is a property manager who also communicates well with your tenants.
  • Experience. The best property managers know the industry well, including all legal and reporting requirements. They have a lot of experience with all types of properties under their belt. Don’t hesitate to ask how many years of experience your property manager has, and with what types of properties.
  • Responsiveness. The best property managers are highly responsive. They respond to emails quickly and return phone calls quickly. They arrange repairs and maintenance work without delay, stay on top of when leases need to be renewed, and complete other tasks on time.
  • Professionalism. Look for a professional-looking agency to represent your property well. This includes one with a professional looking, organised and welcoming office.
  • Local. Using a local property management company has advantages. One advantage is that your property manager is “on-the-ground” and more readily available if face-to-face communications

The best property managers in Canberra

Riotact’s editorial team has combed through 20 years of on-site comments to compile a list of the most recommended businesses according to you.

To be listed in our Best of Canberra series, each business needs to have consistently received positive feedback on Riotact and Facebook as well as maintaining a minimum average of 4/5 stars on Google.

The Property Collective

The Property Collective offer a unique, integrated model of high-quality property management services. As a market leading specialist, The Property Collective offers a different level of service stretching beyond the traditional 'set-and-forget' model of property management.

So confident of their service, The Property Collective even offer service guarantees.

Property Collective guarantees on mobile

Assigned your own relationship manager, problems getting hold of your property manager will be a thing of the past at the Property Collective. Along with managing the tenants, your relationship manager's primary purpose is to make sure your property is well looked after, and help the property owners make (or save) money. All aspects of managing the property are handled by in house experts or partners of the Property Collective who offer competitive prices and better service.

The Property Collective don’t just deal with issues when they arise, offering preventive and proactive maintenance services, they provide investors with maintenance packages that help increase returns. Owners get access to higher level inspection services just by choosing to work with them.

Take advantage of their online self-serve investment property health check to the health of your investment property. If your property is managed by The Property Collective, they will provide an in-depth investment property health check and offer an annual one-on-one review session including recommendations to get your property (or entire property portfolio) performing at its best.

Director of Property Management, Hannah Gill, is also the President of the REIACT. This means she is involved in government consultation for legislative changes with a view to help investors and protect their assets. Climate aware, The Property Collective plants a tree for every property sold or rented.

Juliana Reischak wrote on Google, “Property Manager Renee is the best we have had so far. She was always happy to help, providing us with a prompt response, raising our issues with the landlord in the best way possible.”

McIntyre Property

Award-winning McIntyre Property manages investment property with extensive knowledge and expertise. McIntyre Property’s skilled property management team is professional, friendly, approachable and focused on building long-term client relationships.

The agency won Property Management Team of the Year Award at the Real Estate Institute of the ACT Awards for Excellence for two consecutive years (2018 and 2019).

McIntyre Property’s commitment to property investors is to achieve maximum financial return, including with priority access to market intelligence, legislative requirements as well as detailed reporting on inspections and maintenance. McIntyre Property has a zero tolerance towards rent arrears.

More than coordinating tenancies and rental payments, McIntyre Property believes property management is about helping clients to achieve their goals. Led by Amanda Gordon, the large and experienced property management team takes clients best interests at heart and keeps clients informed every step of the way. The team is supported by McIntyre Property’s large administration support team, to ensure seamless and smooth operations.

Experience is a hallmark of McIntyre Property, which was founded in 2007 by Col and Jo McIntyre who believe in stress-free but exciting investment opportunities through property.

The dedicated team at McIntyre Property gives back to community, supporting local sports teams, numerous charities and schools.

As Tom Coburn wrote on Google, “Great experience renting through this company. There were issues during the tenancy, but they were handled quickly and efficiently by McIntyre. It’s unusual to have so good an experience with a real estate agency.”

Independent Property Management

Award-winning Independent Property Group believes that renting out properties doesn’t have to be complicated. There’s a lot to it, but that’s why Independent’s team of more than 30 Canberra property management specialists is on the job. Providing a holistic property management service, Independent treats every property with equal care.

Independent understands what rental properties are worth and who the right target tenant is. The team is meticulous about the upkeep of properties, to maintain asset value.

In real estate for more than 60 years, Independent has worked hard to simplify and streamline its rental management services to make matters straightforward and stress free for property owners.

Independent’s property management services include tenancy agreements, inventory and condition reports, electronic routine inspections, records, and 90-day reporting. The team also performs regular rent reviews and manages long-term leases. Property owners receive monthly and end-of-financial year statements. There are no upfront or administration fees and no fees for paying utility bills.

Independent operates with honesty and transparency, providing property owners with confidence. They invest in cutting-edge technology to ensure efficiencies and add value. The team has won multiple Real Estate Institute Awards, with Emily Larsen recently winning 2021 Residential Property Manager of the Year.

Not only that, the team at Independent can help you with your long term property goals, because every bit of property is made possible with Independent.

Jacqueline Ramesh wrote on Google, “Independent Property Management was very responsive and professional … It was easy to get in touch with them and they constantly kept my hubby and myself in the loop. They managed to get higher rentals than advertised for all our properties which was an added bonus.”

Civium

Established in 2003, Civium is a family owned and operated business. From their humble beginnings as a commercial real estate agency, they have massively diversified their portfolio to include commercial and residential real estate services, strata management, and property management.

Civium understands that clients looking for trustworthy property management services have numerous concerns about income, communication and transparency. Using targeted databases, simple listing processes and a variety of leasing options, plus many more services, Civium goes above and beyond to ensure your peace of mind. Your dedicated leasing consultant will deal with the day-to-day realities of property management, and you can rest assured that your investment will be cared for and optimised as long as you work with Civium.

With Civium you can look forward to working with experts in every field who are passionate about the local community. The team behind Civium is dedicated to progressive, innovative service, and strives above all to earn your trust through their exceptional customer service.

As Louis So writes on Google, My family and I are very satisfied with the services provided by Civium Property Group. It was nice interacting with Civium’s enthusiastic, cheerful, passionate and proficient staff. You can surely rely on them!”

Verv Property

Verv Property is a boutique real estate agency that specialises in property management. Charlie Evans, Head of Property Management, is a knowledgeable, approachable and passionate professional who provides peace of mind for both landlords and renters. She has been in property management since 2017, is a licensed agent for ACT and NSW and was awarded Leasing Consultant of the Year in the REIACT Awards for Excellence in 2002.

On Google, Amir Pasha Peyrovi wrote, “Charlie is such a helpful, professional and responsive property manager. She provided sensible, tailored and informed advice.”

If you’re looking for more information on property in Canberra, you might like our articles on the best real estate agents in Canberra, Woden, South Canberra, Tuggeranong, Gungahlin, Belconnen and North Canberra. You might also like our article on the best mortgage brokers Canberra has to offer.

Your experience with property managers in Canberra

Thanks to our commenters who have provided insightful feedback, if you believe we have got it wrong, please let us know.

Have you had experience with any of the property managers listed above? If so, share your feedback in the comments below.

Discover Canberra’s thriving real estate scene right here on Riotact

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In addition, if you’re looking for more information on entering Canberra’s property market, you might find our article on Canberra’s best real estate agents helpful. Our article on the best financial planners in Canberra may also give you some useful information on who can help you plan your investments.

RiotAact is home to all the real estate market information you need to land an incredible deal or discover a potential opportunity. Happy house hunting!

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a property manager do?

As its title implies, a property manager manages properties on behalf of owners and investors. They handle many duties on your behalf, so you don’t have to invest time doing so. Duties include marketing your property to find a quality tenant, interviewing prospective tenants, collecting rent and following up on overdue rent. They also oversee maintenance and repairs, and respond to tenant concerns.

Why should I hire a property manager?

Renting out a property is very involved and it’s essential to do so in line with legal requirements. It can therefore be complex for those who aren’t expert in the area. Hiring a qualified and experienced property manager can save you time, money and stress. It means you can rest easy knowing your responsibilities are being taken care of.

Does a property manager control my investment property?

They manage your property but don’t control your investment. You are the property manager’s client and you have certain responsibilities and need to make certain decisions. Discuss with your property manager what your responsibilities are versus their responsibilities.

Does a property manager work for the tenants?

No they don’t. Your property manager works for you to manage your property. Having said that, they must make sure that tenant concerns are dealt with under the law.

How do I choose the best property manager?

You’ll want to choose a property manager based on many factors. This includes their qualifications and experience. It will include the reputation of the property management company itself. It’s best to select a property manager who has strong communications skills and will keep you well informed. Also check out client testimonials and references.

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I am a landlord of many years, and overall I have found property management services in Canberra to be of a low standard. They all seem to say they ‘provide a good service’, but unfortunately I have not found that to be the case. I have used a couple of the ones mentioned in the article above (won’t go into names), but found them to be very slow to respond and unhelpful. As an industry, property management in Canberra is terrible (so many young people who don’t understand the industry, don’t know the laws, people who are inexperienced and don’t know what they are doing). The property management industry urgently needs improvement, and it really needs to be regulated.
To the ACT Govt: please regulate the terrible property management industry in Canberra.

jonathan gaul1:24 pm 24 May 21

Purnell Citywide, Kingston are excellent.

Nicholas Lucey2:30 pm 18 Mar 20

My wife and I use Agent Team for our property management and couldn’t be happier. Loren has been managing our investment property (3 bedroom house) in Canberra for about 2 years. Inspections are actually done, all bills, rates etc get paid from rental income and any maintenance issues are looked after by their panel or trades. We haven’t had to do anything and it’s been great! I would definitely recommend giving them a shot.

northsidetops9:09 pm 28 Mar 18

my sister started using Block Real Estate, they are based in Gungahlin and are doing a pretty good job

Just seen this post, but interested as we are currently waging legal action against the property managers/owner/tenants of the property next door to us – due to their inability to live according to the terms of their agreement, which seems to mean nothing.

We have become aware that the whole property management area in the ACT is severely lacking in rigour and agents can just flout their own terms and conditions, as can the tenants.

To cut a long story short, we got no traction with tenants or agent for two years with this tenant so have now threatened to sue to owner. It’s only now, surprise surprise, that the agent is paying attention. They are a disgrace. I suspect the owner never knew anything about the previous two years of complaints. We are owners of a holiday rental down the coast so we know what it’s like to have to be accountable for a remote property. Agencies in Canberra take the money and basically run. This is not the first tenant we have had issues with in this property. Because it is not a modern house and I suspect things are just left to effectively rot, the lower rent will always attract the type of people you don’t want next door.

I have been renting out my house while I have been interstate and was sent a ‘form’ email from my previous property manager (Bolton and Co) seeking interest from property investors in being property managers – they certainly seem to not have the staff that they need at that agency and are casting a wide net for new recruits.

I also have been disappointed with the service provided by Bolton and Co and have recently moved to another property manager and wonder whether if the issue is inexperienced staff. They often misunderstood or did not follow my instructions and this ended up costing me money (for example they hired tradesmen when I asked them for quotes). Also after my tenant did a small amount of damage to the cook-top after dropping a mug on it, they refused to hold any bond. To refuse a reasonable instruction from a client is a very strange way to behave!

I believe there are regulations that property manager/real estate agents need to follow and complaints can be made via the Office of Regulatory Services.

I completely recommend Element Property Services. I always deal with the same person (the owner) who personally takes care of my property. I don’t think there are any others on her team actually. Dealings are always completely professional with routine inspections, maintenance taken care of and statements issued every month and at tax time. So nice to deal with a small local business who does things properly rather than a big chain who changes over their inexperienced interns every 6 months. Couldn’t recommend Element Property Services any more highly.

As a renter, I was always shocked by the fact that I never spoke to the same person whenever I had to make contact with my agent. And the same person never attended annual inspections and no one ever spent more than 5 minutes “inspecting” – I was always told “so and so no longer works here, zyz is your PM now”. You only have to search for admin roles to see how many available jobs there are in the PM field. It’s a massive churn industry and no one lasts long. I suspect this is due to a combination of terrible pay/incentives and the fact that staff are effectively working in a complaints department, receiving nothing but negative communication, day in, day out. It would grate on even the most optimistic among us.

As far as standards go, I think the only thing landlords can hope for is the establishment of a self regulating Industry that comes about by sheer demand – i.e. the current unit boom. The counter point to this is that landlords also need to take the lead in ensuring they hold their agents accountable…But the quality of some rental places that are on the market would suggest there are a large number of LL who simply don’t care and know all to well that the right (most desperate?) tenant will eventually settle for their less than adequate dwelling.

As a landlord, I have my properties with Distinct Property Management in Fyshwick. They only do property management (so PM isn’t taking a backseat to property sales like most organisations). They have been very good although the quality is maybe starting to slip as the business grows and the owners have less input into the day to day operations. And perhaps that is also the issue; unless you have someone who is as equally invested (I.e. they own the PM business) in ensuring your property is adequately maintained and managed, then you’ll never receive as good a service than if you just went it alone.

geoffatweston9:02 pm 24 Aug 19

Distinct Property Management are now in Gungahlin, they have been great for me for the last 12 months.

pink little birdie2:00 pm 09 Jan 17

Trimega said :

Hi guys. Interested in any recent experiences with either Luton or Independent as property managers. Thinking of handing my currently self managed property over to a manager this year. Property is in O’Connor.

As a tenant we were managed by Luton Dickson. No complaints they were quick to get things repaired and were communicative with us when the owner wanted to sell

Hi guys. Interested in any recent experiences with either Luton or Independent as property managers. Thinking of handing my currently self managed property over to a manager this year. Property is in O’Connor.

I would avoid Independent at any cost. I had a property manager that was, charitably, completely out of her depth. Repairs went unfixed for my entire term. They would send repairmen (who I had to take time off work to let into the apartment!) who would come to give an estimate of the cost of repair, and then never actually do the repair. I was told things verbally that were completely backtracked on later. I talked to the manager about this, who told me, “we work for the owner, not for you”. Eventually I just had to move out. They were comically picky at the final inspection, far beyond the condition of the unit when I moved it. Thank god I had written down nearly every possible defect of the place on the initial condition report, otherwise it is clear they would have taken the opportunity to charge me for many pre-existing problems. Still they are attempting to charge me because I might not have listed every single mark on the walls. If you must deal with them make sure you get *everything* in writing, and detail *every* defect of the unit when you move it.

I think Nicole at Independent is Great, switched on and easy to deal with. I would avoid ACT Strata like the plague, I have dealt with one of their property managers and found him totally useless.

My experience as a tenant with Capital First National in O’Conner was astounding. 3 days notice for inspection by telephone, when legal minimum is 7 days written notice… unfounded threat of eviction of eviction due to us asking for a break down of additional fees (they essentially said agree to these charges or get out), which was promptly withdrawn when lawyers got involved. Never dealt with such an unprofessional mob in my life. Stay away from them!

Ray White in Philip was average service, but by the book.

My experience as a tenant with Lindsey Burne at LJ in Dickson has been fantastic. He runs a tight ship. Any problems reported to him are immediately fixed. One problem with the house that we reported, he came out to inspect himself in less than an hour.

winter said :

BearBuns said :

Except an owner or owner representative can’t “insist” that you have the carpets steam cleaned. If they do you can lodge a complaint against them.

I am not sure about insisting on steam cleaning of carpet during a tenancy just because 18 months have passed. But certainly, if an inspection occurs and the carpet is dirty, they could certainly send you a notice to remedy… which in turn would mean you would most likely clean the carpet.

In terms of steam cleaning carpet at the end of lease, they can only demand this if the carpet was steam cleaned prior to the new tenants entering the property.

From a renter’s perspective, Jess @ Mcgraths in Gunghalin has been excellent to deal with, so I’d expect she would be a very good property manager from an owner’s perspective as well.

devils_advocate9:55 am 18 Oct 11

johnboy said :

If lease conditions are in breach of the tenancy act then they’re not binding in my understanding.

True, so you can’t put something in there that gives you teh right to terminate on 24 hours notice. But you can put special conditions in there (no pets, etc) and requiring the carpets to be cleaned doesn’t offend any of the standard terms in the act.

devils_advocate9:54 am 18 Oct 11

BearBuns said :

They also collect rent via direct transfer so there is no question of unpaid rent.

Well direct transfer assumes there is money in the account from which to make the transfer. IMHO this direct transfer policy doesn’t add a great deal in the way of certainty from the landlord’s point of view.

If lease conditions are in breach of the tenancy act then they’re not binding in my understanding.

devils_advocate9:51 am 18 Oct 11

winter said :

BearBuns said :

Except an owner or owner representative can’t “insist” that you have the carpets steam cleaned. If they do you can lodge a complaint against them.

If it’s in the lease they can. Also as a practical matter, if the property is in demand, they can insist on what they like. You can lodge a complaint with the tribunal/mag court, but good luck getting the lease renewed.

winter said :

BearBuns said :

Except an owner or owner representative can’t “insist” that you have the carpets steam cleaned. If they do you can lodge a complaint against them.

They can if they put a clause in the Tenancy Agreement stating it is to be done…

Peter Blackshaw Woden get my vote..I just returned from a posting ( 3 years) and the house was returned in great shape and no nasty surprises. Not one late rent payment in the whole 3 years either. Speak to Maria there, she is very professional.

I would highly recomend Sue Grant from Ray White in Gungahlin. Very professional, Looks after you as the home owner and is also good at keeping the Tennant happy as well. We have other properties in other towns Sue, by far runs rings around other property managers that I have seen.

winter said :

BearBuns said :

Except an owner or owner representative can’t “insist” that you have the carpets steam cleaned. If they do you can lodge a complaint against them.

I don’t know about you but I would rather live in a place where I know the carpets have been cleaned on a regular basis rather than once every time the tenant moves which could be years. I can think of a lot worse practices from Real Estate agents than ensuring a clean and tidy residence fit for human habitation, unlike some places I have had the misfortune of viewing.

Avoid PRD Nationwide in Kingston, had very poor experiences with them.

BearBuns said :

Except an owner or owner representative can’t “insist” that you have the carpets steam cleaned. If they do you can lodge a complaint against them.

Independent is one I choose not to deal with any more. Very junior property managers that are overloaded (or incompetent) and the sales people who gets your tenant has nothing to do with the person who manages it so there is no accountability – they are more interested in turn over at any cost than your best interests.

Ask the agent about length of service of their property managers as some appear good but then the good person leaves and the next doesn’t follow through. Don’t accept 10% that most will quote you, negotiation should get you better than that by a few %.

I just brought my own house, but I used to rent a house in North Ainslie from Independent. As someone who was leasing the house, I thought they were excellent. They kept out of my life, but they did definitely tell me when something was wrong. They were strict but fair about inspections, and they kept me and my landlord in the loop about all problems. Would definitely recommend them!

I am a renter and have been for many, many years and have seen my share of dodgy practices! I currently rent through Bertram Ellis and find them very easy to deal with from a renters point of view. Any hassles I have are dealt with very quickly.

For an owner I can tell you that they inspect every six months without fail, they thoroughly check tenant references (all of my referees were contacted) and they insist that the carpets are steam cleaned every 18 months. They also collect rent via direct transfer so there is no question of unpaid rent. Might seem strange giving a thumbs up from a renter but it is nice to come across a decent and professional outfit who looks after both sides as much as possible.

devils_advocate3:22 pm 17 Oct 11

A relative of mine had a bad experience with IPG.
Basically they didn’t alert to non-payment of rent until it was more than a month overdue, then served the notice to remedy to the wrong address (a defect in service, as with any defect in the required steps, is fatal to eviction proceedings).
When asked what to do about the non-payment issue, they said they’d take action in the magistrates court (the tenancy tribunal no longer existed at this point, having been consolidated into magistrate’s court) but the backlog could be as much as 3 weeks. Also they proposed to charge $35 per hour for the privilege.

Rather than do that, we filed ourselves, and the matter was listed for hearing around 3 days later (so what they were basing the backlog claim on I don’t know). Luckily, the tenant didn’t want to get evicted and cooperated, paying the outstanding rent. Also the tenant was not represented, so didn’t realise that the defect in the notice (wrong address put down by property manager) basically prevented us from doing anything. In the end it worked out ok but no thanks to the property manager.

Now the relative manages the IPs directly and hasn’t had any issues (apart from the odd legal consult thrown my way).

troll-sniffer3:00 pm 17 Oct 11

Not pushin any barrows here but frenz of mine have always found Hookers in Dickson up to the task. But, as with any business, a property manager is often faced with having to make compromises. Speed of renting, ethnic and other pc concerns, veracity of referees etc.

Personally if I needed to hand over my property to an agent I would tend towards anyone local. A couple of agents I know regularly vary their route home to pass by their local properties, just to keep an eye on things. And, if you are going overseas or interstate as I suspect, take out comprehensive landlord’s insurance. That way if the agent is negligent or cops a tenant with all the references but none of the wherewithall, you’re covered against the worst of potential losses.

Girl_from_Ipanema2:34 pm 17 Oct 11

Jess at McGrath in Gungahlin is excellent.

Property Manager said :

I know a fantastic property manager, but it’s not really an unbiased opinion! Feel free to check my previous posts on RiotACT and if you’d like more information on my services just let me know.

If ‘Property Manager’ is who I think he is, then I will suggest he a decent professional bloke who I’d happily have look after my (non-existent) investment property.

I would suggest staying away from LJ Hooker Gungahlin… there is one good property manager there, but I have had a less than happy experience with the other property manager

troll-sniffer said :

Where’s the place?

Red Hill

troll-sniffer12:15 pm 17 Oct 11

Where’s the place?

Property Manager12:12 pm 17 Oct 11

I know a fantastic property manager, but it’s not really an unbiased opinion! Feel free to check my previous posts on RiotACT and if you’d like more information on my services just let me know.

We’ve had less than perfect experiences with both Dwyer Dunn and Elders in Kingston.

Remember they can only do 1 inspection every 6 months.

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