How to win work from property managers
A property manager at a busy agency can send a reliable tradie or cleaner steady work for years. Here is how their work runs, what they need from you and how to get on their list.
Who they are
A residential property manager looks after rental homes for landlords, usually from inside a real estate agency. The homes they manage are called the rent roll. Their week is routine inspections, leasing, rent arrears, tenant calls and, above all, maintenance.
Every leaking tap, broken oven, overgrown yard and tired wall on that rent roll needs someone to fix it. The manager doesn't do the work and usually doesn't pay for it: the landlord does. The manager's job is to get a written quote, get the owner's written approval, send the job and check it was done properly. In Queensland the tenancy agreement must also name a nominated repairer for emergency repairs, and many agencies put one of their trusted tradies there.
So what a property manager is really buying is fewer phone calls. A tradie who answers, turns up when the tenant was told, sends photos and invoices cleanly makes the manager's week easier, and that is worth more to them than a cheap rate. If you clean, see how cleaners win work from other businesses. If you're a plumber, see plumbers.
What they’ll ask a new supplier for
- Your ABN and business details
- Public liability insurance, with a current certificate of currency
- Workers’ compensation cover where you have workers
- Your trade licence number, where your trade and state require one
- The agency’s own contractor form, signed
- A safe work method statement before any high risk construction work, such as work at height
- Your rates and call-out fee in writing
What they buy, and what they pass on
Routine repairs
Taps, toilets, hot water, ovens, doors and locks. Constant across the rent roll, and mostly small jobs.
Emergency repairs
Burst pipes, no hot water, gas leaks, blocked toilets, storm damage. They need someone who picks up after hours.
Lawns, gardens and gutters
Before a new tenant moves in, for vacant homes, and as regular care where the landlord pays for it.
Painting and patching between tenants
When a long tenancy ends and the home needs freshening before it goes back on the market.
End-of-lease cleans
Every time a tenant leaves. The tenant often books and pays for this, so the manager refers rather than buys. Being the name they give out still brings steady work.
Pest and safety checks
Recurring work such as pest treatments and smoke alarm servicing. The rules differ by state, so check what applies in yours.
How they choose who to use
Speed of reply
The tenant is calling them, sometimes twice a day. The tradie who confirms within the hour tends to get the next job.
A quote they can forward
A clear written quote they can send straight to the landlord. Work should not start until the owner has approved it in writing.
How you treat tenants
You arrange access with the tenant directly. Being polite and on time protects the manager’s relationship with both sides.
Photos and a clean invoice
Before and after photos let them close the job and answer the landlord without driving out to look.
Paperwork kept current
Licence, insurance and ABN on file with expiry dates tracked. An expired certificate can quietly drop you off the list.
Getting on their list
Most agencies keep an approved or preferred tradie list. Some keep it in a spreadsheet, some inside their property management software, and some run maintenance through a platform such as Tapi or OurTradie, which handles quotes and job tracking and checks each tradie's insurance and licence details. If an agency uses one, expect to be asked to register there before your first job.
Getting on the list is rarely a formal tender. Usually the head of property management or a senior manager decides, often after a tradie has done one job well. The path is simple: get in front of the right person, fill in their contractor form, send your documents, then take the small or awkward job they offer first and do it properly.
Lists go stale. Tradies retire, stop answering or let their insurance lapse, and that is when a manager starts looking for someone new. The guide to preferred supplier lists covers the paperwork side in more detail.
How to approach them
Start close to home
Property managers want someone near their rent roll. Begin with the agencies in the suburbs you already work in.
Write to the right person
That is the head of property management or a senior property manager, not the sales agents. Many agencies list their property management team by name on their website.
Say one useful thing
What you do, where, and how fast you respond. Mention after-hours work if you do it.
Make the paperwork easy
Offer to send your insurance, licence and ABN straight away, or to register on their maintenance platform.
Follow up once, then nail the first job
A short second email a week later is fine. When the first job comes, send photos and a clean invoice the same day.
A first email that works
Hi Sarah, I run a small plumbing business in Ipswich and do a fair bit of rental work around Goodna and Redbank Plains. I know the hard part with maintenance is finding someone who answers and turns up when the tenant was told. We confirm jobs the same day, send before and after photos with the invoice, and take after-hours emergencies. If you’re ever short a plumber, I’m happy to take a small job first so you can see how we work. Should I send through our licence and insurance so you have them on file? Thanks, Dan
An example only. The business is made up.
Three mistakes that cost the work
Writing to the sales team
Sales agents don’t send maintenance work. The property management team does, and they’re often listed on a different page of the agency’s site.
Going quiet once you’re on the list
Managers drop tradies without telling them. Miss a couple of calls and the jobs go to the next name.
Letting insurance or a licence lapse
Agencies track expiry dates. A lapsed certificate can take you off the list without a phone call.
Businesses that work with property managers
Part of Sell to businesses. See every kind of business we write to on Who buys from you.
Questions people ask
Who pays me, the agency or the landlord?
The landlord pays. The manager arranges the job and approves your invoice on the owner’s behalf, and the agency usually pays it from the rent it collects. Ask each agency how they want invoices addressed.
Are the small jobs worth it?
At the start, yes. A small job is how a manager tests a new tradie. The bigger and repeat work comes once you’ve shown you turn up and report back.
Do I need a licence to do rental repairs?
It depends on your trade and state. In Queensland, building work over $3,300 needs a QBCC licence, and plumbing and drainage need one at any value. In NSW, residential building work over $5,000 needs a licence, and specialist work such as plumbing and electrical needs one at any value. Check with your own state’s regulator.
Can I email an agency I’ve never dealt with?
Generally yes, if you write to an address the agency has published and your email relates to their work. Say who you are and make it easy for them to say no thanks.
How many agencies should I approach?
Start with the ones you could reach in 20 minutes. A few good relationships close by beat a long list spread across the city.
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