Common Frustrations With a Property Manager and How to Solve Them
See how self-managing your rental often provides better visibility, control, and communication.
Managing an investment property should feel steady, predictable, and professional. Yet many landlords find themselves dealing with slow communication, repeated handovers, unclear updates and maintenance delays. These frustrations rarely come from a lack of effort from individual managers. They usually reflect broader pressures in the property management industry, making consistency difficult.
If you have ever felt unsure about what is happening at your own property or found yourself asking why basic tasks take longer than expected, you are not alone. Understanding these industry challenges can help you decide whether your current arrangement still works for you or whether a more direct, transparent approach might give you greater peace of mind.
What Are the Common Frustrations With a Property Manager?
Every landlord experiences frustration at some point. Many of these issues are widespread because they are rooted in how the industry functions. Recognising these patterns can help you understand why things feel harder than they should, even when you are working with an experienced agency.
Frequent Staff Turnover
Staff turnover is one of the biggest disruptors in the property management experience. The 2023 Macquarie Real Estate Industry Benchmarking Report found turnover was 25 percent across all real estate roles in FY2023, rising to 35 percent within property management. This higher churn creates real instability for landlords.
Each time a new manager takes over, they inherit a large portfolio with limited time to learn the property’s history. Important details can be missed in rushed handovers, leaving you re-explaining instructions, repeating context or correcting issues that were already resolved.
Slow or Inconsistent Communication
Most property managers handle very large portfolios. Because they juggle so many responsibilities at once, communication often becomes reactive. Emails take longer to receive a response, phone calls get pushed back, and updates arrive only after you have followed up more than once. Even when the manager is competent and well-intentioned, the sheer workload prevents them from staying as responsive as you expect.
Delays in Maintenance and Repairs
Maintenance work requires coordination between several parties. A single point of delay from a tradie, a tenant or the manager can slow everything down. When a portfolio is large or a new manager takes over mid-repair, tasks are more likely to slip through the cracks. Quotes may take longer to arrive. Tenants may not receive follow-up calls. Tradies might not be briefed correctly.
Limited Understanding of Your Property
Without long-term continuity, managers rarely gain a solid understanding of the properties they oversee. They rely on short notes and quick handovers, which means your property's quirks, history, and past decisions can be overlooked. This often leads to assumptions and avoidable issues. Limited familiarity can also result in recommendations that do not quite fit your property. Decisions are being made without full context, which affects communication and reduces confidence in the outcome.
Rushed or Generic Inspections
Routine inspections are meant to reassure landlords about their property, but many are done under tight schedules. Managers often inspect numerous homes in one day, which leads to rushed visits, brief reports and limited photos. This reduces visibility into what is happening on the ground. Without detailed reports, planning maintenance and protecting your property's long-term condition becomes more difficult.
How Can You Solve These Frustrations?
The challenges of traditional property management may feel unavoidable, but there are practical steps you can take to regain stability and improve communication. Whether you stay with your current manager or begin considering alternatives, the solutions below help create a more predictable experience.
- Setting clear communication expectations. Communication improves significantly when expectations are clearly defined. Setting preferred response times, choosing a primary communication channel, and establishing regular update schedules can create a structure that both you and your manager rely on.
- Requesting a detailed handover when staff change. If your manager changes, asking for a proper handover can make a significant difference. This should include the tenancy history, outstanding maintenance tasks, payment patterns, planned lease renewals, and any property specifics that matter.
- Streamlining repair approvals. Repairs move faster when you provide clear guidelines for permissions. Some landlords choose to pre-approve repairs below a certain amount. Others offer written instructions that outline preferred tradies, repair priorities, or specific concerns.
- Creating independent visibility. Digital tools allow landlords to view rent payments, maintenance updates, inspection reports, and documents at any time. This gives you a clear picture of your property's status without waiting for updates.
When Should I Consider Self-Management?
Self-management has become far more accessible due to modern tools that simplify advertising, payments, inspections, communication, and compliance. For many landlords, it removes the main frustrations of traditional property management by eliminating the middle layer and restoring clarity.
✅ You want more control over your investment. If you find yourself wanting to make decisions directly or feeling more confident when you are involved, self-management gives you the chance to manage your property in a way that reflects your priorities.
✅ You feel disconnected from what is happening. If you often feel that you are waiting for answers or are unsure about the progress of repairs or communication, that is a strong indicator that your current setup is not giving you enough visibility. Self-management restores that clarity by giving you access to information instantly.
✅ You want stronger relationships with tenants. Some of the best tenancies come from direct, respectful relationships between landlords and tenants. If you feel that removing the middle layer would make the rental experience smoother, self-management provides that opportunity.
✅ You are tired of repeated handovers. If you have explained your property's history to multiple managers, self-management gives you the stability you have been missing. You keep the information, and you control how it is used.
✅ You prefer quicker decision-making. If you are comfortable making decisions quickly and want tasks to move forward without delay, self-management gives you the freedom to act immediately and confidently.
✅ You care about long-term value, not just convenience. If protecting and improving your investment matters to you, self-management gives you the chance to be more proactive about maintenance, communication, and tenant satisfaction.
Read more: The Role of Self-Management in the Current Rental Market
RentBetter Can Make Self-Management Simple
Self-management is easier when everything is organised in one place. RentBetter keeps your documents, reports and communication secure and accessible, while automating rent collection so payments are tracked without manual follow-up. Maintenance and condition report inspections can be logged, updated and completed digitally, helping you stay on top of repairs and your property's condition. All tenant communication stays in a single thread, making it simple to keep conversations clear and consistent.
Final Thoughts...
The frustrations many landlords experience are understandable. High turnover, heavy workloads and limited follow-up create natural gaps in the traditional property management model. These issues do not reflect a lack of care from individual managers. They are the result of a system that struggles to provide the level of consistency and personal attention landlords want. If you are seeking more clarity, consistency, and control, self-management is a realistic option that gives you the visibility you have been missing.
If you’re considering moving away from a traditional property manager, RentBetter’s Switch Kit provides everything you need to make the transition with confidence.
Download the Free Switch Kit to access templates and simple step-by-step guidance on how to end your agency agreement, communicate smoothly with your tenants, and take over managing your property yourself with ease.
