There are many advantages of consolidating your investment property portfolio to be managed by a single property management company. The benefits range from operational aspects which make life easier for you as an investor, to being able to maximise your return on investment through having visibility of your investment properties as a whole. 

When considering turning a home into a rental property in Newcastle, one of the first questions asked by a new landlord will be "How much will the rental property management fees be?". 

As we advise each investor we meet, property management fees should be considered alongside a mix of many other aspects. The old saying "cheapest is not always best" certainly applies to rental property management fees. 

Why? Here a just a few reasons (but don't worry, we also answer the question...!).

There is no property management business perfect for everyone. As an independent, family-owned property management business in Newcastle, we know for example that some people are more comfortable with a "big name". Our personal and directly-accessible service is not for everyone.

We see part of our role in the local market as helping to educate investors and potential investors. At times, this means we will take a more detailed look at other property management options - not to coerce, but to clarify the differences. 

As a landlord, it can be difficult getting an understanding of the cost of property management fees in Newcastle. Most real estate agencies and service providers are comfortable providing numbers such as how many new management agreements they've signed in the past month, or the percentage of their properties which are occupied. But there is little transparency around cost.

We'll cover this in detail below, including an example comparison of typical property management costs from a Newcastle real estate agency compared with our own fee structure. 

Online property management tools ​have increased in number in recent years. These systems generally offer low monthly fees in return for largely automated and online service. The most dominant service of this kind in Australia to date is Cubbi, though there are many others. 

Generally, the way these online property management services work is that a very low management fee is taken (in Cubbi's case, currently 2%) and the online platform is used to manage the processes which can be automated. For example, the Cubbi platform forwards any rental enquiries and applications on to you as the landlord, will collect and deposit rent into your account, and will follow up on any unpaid rent. 

In reality, these are the easiest aspects of property management and require little skill or knowledge to complete. 

The above image was taken at an investment property we manage, when a burst storm water pipe caused part of the home to sink requiring urgent and very significant repairs!

"Should I manage my own investment property?". This is a common question asked by prospective landlords and those new to property investment. You know your property better than anyone else, and it may seem that once your property is ready to be rented out you could save on cost and maximise your return by managing the property yourself. 

Let's look at this in detail. The starting point is to ensure there is a clear understanding of what is required in managing a rental property. As we'll see, there is a lot more to it than listing a rental on Gumtree and collecting the rent!