The short answer: A property manager runs your rental for you: they set the rent, find and screen the tenant, sign the lease and lodge the bond, collect the rent, inspect the home, arrange repairs and handle any dispute at SACAT, all under South Australia’s Residential Tenancies Act 1995. In Adelaide they usually charge 9% to 11% of the rent; Wemark charges 6.6% including GST.
We manage more than 600 rentals across Adelaide from our office in Blair Athol, so this is what the job looks like from the inside: every task a manager takes on, the benefits that matter under South Australian law, what it costs on a typical Adelaide rent, and when doing it yourself makes more sense.
General information about South Australian tenancy law as at October 2026, not legal or tax advice. Each figure links to the official page it came from.
What does a property manager do, start to finish?
A property manager is a registered agent who runs your rental under a written management agreement. Across one tenancy, the work runs in this order:
- Appraise the rent from what comparable homes are leasing for now, not what they were advertised at.
- Prepare and advertise the home: photos, the listing on realestate.com.au and Domain, and open inspections.
- Screen applicants: identity, income, rental references and a tenancy database check.
- Sign the lease and lodge the bond with Consumer and Business Services, and record the home’s condition in an ingoing inspection report.
- Collect the rent, chase arrears and pay you, with a statement for your accountant.
- Inspect the home on the notice the Act requires and report what they find.
- Arrange repairs and maintenance, urgently when the law requires it.
- Review the rent and renew the lease once a year.
- End the tenancy: the exit inspection, the bond claim and, if it comes to it, the SACAT hearing.
Each of those steps carries a rule under the Residential Tenancies Act 1995 (SA). The benefits below are mostly about getting those rules right while keeping the home let at the right rent.
The 12 benefits of a property manager for an Adelaide landlord
1. Better tenants
Most of a tenancy’s problems are decided on the day you choose the tenant. A manager sees hundreds of applications a year, checks income and references properly and searches the national tenancy database. They also keep the choice lawful: a landlord can choose a suitable tenant, but it is against the law to decide on personal characteristics (sa.gov.au: choosing a tenant). Every Wemark applicant goes through background, reference, financial and TICA checks.
2. Shorter vacancies
Every empty week costs a full week’s rent. Agencies have the buyer and tenant enquiry lists, the portal listings and the time to run opens through the week. In the twelve months to October 2026 we secured 170 tenancies, 90 of them leased within a week of going live, and the median home was leased in 7 days (our RateMyAgent leasing record).
3. Rent set at the market
A home let $20 a week under the market loses $1,040 a year, and the gap compounds at each review. A manager prices from current leases in the suburb, then reviews the rent each year. In South Australia rent can rise once every 12 months, with at least 60 days’ written notice (sa.gov.au: rent increases). Our rent price report shows the median by suburb, and a free rental appraisal puts a figure on your home.
4. Inspections done to the rules
A landlord can inspect up to four times a year, on 7 to 28 days’ written notice, for up to two hours, and needs 7 days’ notice to take photos that may be published or that show the tenant’s possessions (sa.gov.au: right of entry). A manager books them, does them and sends you a report. We inspect three to four times a year and record each one with a 360° camera.
5. No fee for handling maintenance
Many agencies add a percentage to every repair or charge to arrange one. Wemark charges no maintenance handling fee: you pay the tradesperson’s invoice and nothing on top. Our trades know our properties and price the work accordingly.
6. Urgent repairs handled straight away
Urgent problems such as a gas leak must be reported and fixed as soon as possible, and a landlord can enter without notice to fix them. If a landlord will not act, the tenant can have the urgent work done by a licensed professional and send the landlord the invoice (sa.gov.au: repairs and maintenance). A manager answers the call, sends the trade and keeps you out of that position. For ordinary repairs the Act requires at least 48 hours’ notice to enter.
7. Rent collected, arrears chased
Rent receipts must be given within 48 hours unless rent is paid into a bank account, and detailed rent records must be kept (sa.gov.au: rent and bond). When rent is unpaid for at least 14 days, a manager serves the breach notice that gives the tenant 7 days to pay (CBS fact sheet), and follows it through. Through Ailo, our landlords’ rent is released to them the moment it is paid.
8. Compliance with the Residential Tenancies Act
The rules changed substantially in 2024 and again in 2025 and 2026: a landlord now needs a legal ground and 60 or 90 days’ notice to end a periodic tenancy, and a rental must meet the minimum housing standards from the day the tenant moves in, with fines of up to $25,000 for a landlord who does not comply. A manager’s job is to know the current rules and use the current forms. Our guides to periodic leases and breaking a lease set out the detail.
9. Someone to represent you at SACAT
Disputes over bonds, damage, arrears and ending a tenancy go to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. A manager prepares the evidence (the ingoing report, inspection photos, the rent ledger, the notices served) and attends the hearing for you. Landlords who represent themselves often discover at the hearing which evidence they needed.
10. The bond lodged correctly and on time
The bond can be up to 4 weeks’ rent where the rent is $800 a week or less, and up to 6 weeks’ above that (sa.gov.au: maximum bond). It is lodged with CBS through Residential Bonds Online: within 2 weeks for a landlord who receives it directly, and within 4 weeks for a registered agent (sa.gov.au). At the end of the tenancy the manager makes any claim. Our guide to rental bonds in South Australia covers refunds and disputes.
11. The fees are tax deductible
The Australian Taxation Office lists property agent’s fees and commission among the common rental expenses an investor can claim, so the real cost of a manager is the fee less your marginal tax rate. Your statements from us are set out for your accountant. Check your own situation with them.
12. Your time back
Self-managing means taking the tenant’s call at 9 pm, meeting the plumber, chasing a late payment and keeping up with the law. A manager takes all of it. Ours look after about 100 properties each, where the industry runs 150 to 200, and every message is answered within four business hours, so you have one named person to call rather than a queue.
What does a property manager cost in Adelaide?
Most Adelaide agencies charge 9% to 11% of the rent collected. Wemark Real Estate charges 6.6% including GST. Every fee is on our property management fee schedule:
| Fee | Wemark Real Estate |
|---|---|
| Management fee | 6.6% of rent collected, including GST |
| Letting fee (new tenant) | 1.5 weeks’ rent plus GST |
| Routine inspection | $33 |
| Entry or exit inspection | $55 |
| Lease renewal | $299 |
| Admin | $12 a month |
| Statements, maintenance handling, exit | $0 |
A worked example. The median weekly rent for a house leased in metropolitan Adelaide in the June quarter 2026 was $620, or $32,240 a year (SA Housing Trust, Private Rent Report). On that rent:
| Management fee | A year on $620 a week |
|---|---|
| 11%, the top of the Adelaide range | $3,546 |
| 9%, the bottom of the Adelaide range | $2,902 |
| Wemark, 6.6% including GST | $2,128 |
That is $774 to $1,419 a year less than the usual range. The letting fee on that rent is $1,023, charged only when we place a new tenant. The full breakdown, including what other agencies add, is in our guide to property management fees in Adelaide.
Property manager or self-managing?
| Property manager | Self-managing | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 6.6% to 11% of rent, tax deductible | No fee; advertising and your time |
| Finding a tenant | Agency listings, enquiry lists, opens through the week | Private listing, opens when you can attend |
| Screening | Income, references, tenancy database | What you can check yourself |
| Bond | Lodged within 4 weeks | Must be lodged within 2 weeks |
| Inspections | Booked, done and reported | Your notices, your visits |
| Repairs | Trades on call, urgent jobs dealt with straight away | Your calls, your trades |
| Disputes | Manager prepares and attends SACAT | You represent yourself |
The full comparison, including the costs self-managing landlords tend to miss, is in self-managing vs professional property management in Adelaide.
When does self-managing make sense?
Honestly, sometimes. If you have a long-term tenant you trust, live close to the property, have time on weekdays, keep up with the law and the home needs little maintenance, managing it yourself can work. The case for a manager grows with every one of those that is not true, and with every extra property you own.
How to choose a property manager in Adelaide
Fees are the easiest thing to compare and the least telling. Ask each agency:
- How many properties does each manager look after? In our experience, above about 150 inspections and replies slip. Ours run about 100.
- How often will you inspect, and what will I receive? The law allows four a year. Ask for a sample report.
- How quickly do you reply? Ask for a commitment in hours, not “promptly”.
- Can I have the full fee schedule in writing? Every fee, including letting, renewals, inspections, statements, maintenance and ending the agreement.
- How much notice do I give to leave? Read the termination clause before you sign.
- What do landlords say? Read the landlord reviews on Google and RateMyAgent, not only the agency’s website.
- Are you registered? The agency must hold a registered land agent’s licence in South Australia. Ours is RLA 286049.
Suburbs we manage in
We manage rentals across Adelaide, most of them in the northern and inner-north suburbs near our Blair Athol office: Blair Athol, Prospect, Kilburn, Enfield, Northfield, Klemzig, Mawson Lakes, Pooraka, Ingle Farm, Salisbury, Parafield Gardens, Paralowie, Modbury, Golden Grove, Munno Para, Munno Para West, Elizabeth, Adelaide CBD. Every suburb we work in is on our locations page, with local leasing results and rents.
Switching property managers
If you already have a manager and are not happy, switching is usually one signed form. Your tenant stays, the bond stays lodged with CBS, and the new agency collects the keys, the lease and the records from the old one. The steps and notice periods are in how to switch property managers in Adelaide.
Common questions
What does a property manager do?
A property manager runs a rental on the owner’s behalf: appraising the rent, advertising, screening tenants, signing the lease, lodging the bond with CBS, collecting rent, doing routine inspections, arranging repairs, reviewing the rent each year and representing the owner at SACAT.
How much does a property manager cost in Adelaide?
Most Adelaide agencies charge 9% to 11% of the rent collected, plus a letting fee. Wemark charges 6.6% including GST, a letting fee of 1.5 weeks’ rent plus GST, $33 a routine inspection and $12 a month admin, with no statement, maintenance or exit fees.
Is a property manager worth it?
For most landlords, yes. On the Adelaide median house rent of $620 a week, Wemark’s management fee is about $2,128 a year, while one extra week of vacancy costs $620. Better tenants, shorter vacancies and market rent reviews usually cover the fee.
How often does a property manager inspect a rental in SA?
Up to four routine inspections a year, each with 7 to 28 days’ written notice and lasting up to two hours. We inspect three to four times a year with a photo report after each one.
Are property management fees tax deductible?
Yes. The Australian Taxation Office lists property agent’s fees and commission among the common rental expenses investors can claim. Check your own situation with your accountant.
Does a property manager handle repairs?
Yes. They take the tenant’s request, arrange a tradesperson, get your approval above an agreed limit and follow the job through. Wemark charges no maintenance handling fee. Urgent repairs, such as a gas leak, are dealt with straight away.
Can a property manager evict a tenant in South Australia?
A manager can serve the notices the Act allows, such as a breach notice after rent is 14 days unpaid, and apply to SACAT. Only SACAT can order a tenant out. Since the 2024 reforms a landlord also needs a legal ground to end a periodic tenancy.
How do I choose a good property manager?
Ask how many properties each manager looks after, how often they inspect, how fast they reply, and for the full fee schedule in writing. Then read their reviews. Our managers look after about 100 properties each and reply within four business hours.
Fees as at October 2026. Rent: SA Housing Trust, Private Rent Report, the June quarter 2026 (new bonds lodged with Consumer and Business Services). Leasing figures: Wemark’s RateMyAgent listing history, twelve months to October 2026.
Want the numbers for your own property? Book a free rental appraisal, compare us on our fee comparison, or call (08) 7200 1444.