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Property managers rarely clock a 38‑hour week. A recent Australian survey found 10 % work 51 + hours and one‑third log 41–50 STAFFLINK. Much of that overtime flows into repetitive admin rather than high‑value client care.
Below, we break down the five biggest time sinks, put a dollar tag on each, and illustrate the automation moves that hand time (and sanity) back to your team.
About the Cost Model
Median property‑manager wage (AU, 2025): AU $57 538 or roughly AU $29 / hr Payscale
Typical working week: 45 hrs (mid‑point of the 41–50 hr cohort).
Time allocations: Industry averages show 20 % on arrears, 20 % on maintenance, 20 % on inspections & reports, 25 % on leasing/onboarding bobwalters.com.au.
Using those inputs, every one hour of wasted manual effort ≈ AU $29 in direct labour cost, before considering stress, errors, or tenant churn.
1 | Rent‑Arrears Follow‑Up
Why It Hurts
Late‑payment SMS, trust‑account checks, breach notices and tribunal prep chew through ~9 hrs a week (20 % of 45 hrs) — or AU $270 in labour.
Property managers “spend hours each week managing the ripple effect of overdue payments” ailo.io.
Automation Play
Auto‑reminders & self‑service pay portals cut manual chasing.
Predictive risk scoring flags tenants likely to lapse.
One‑click repayment plans keep cash flowing without ad‑hoc calls.
Pricetag: Tools delivering these flows typically run < AU $5/door/month — pennies compared to the time cost.
2 | Maintenance Triage & Scheduling
Why It Hurts
Co‑ordinating trades, approving quotes and closing work orders claim another 9 hrs/week (AU $270). The bigger hit is contractor call‑outs: the average Australian work order is AU $239 Property Meld.
Automation Play
AI triage bots guide tenants through fixes (e.g. resetting a GFCI).
Self‑help cuts the $130 average trip cost for avoidable issues Property Meld.
Event‑driven queues auto‑assign jobs and chase unresponsive tradies.
Success Snapshot
A national portfolio adopting AI triage saw work‑orders closed 17.6 % faster and saved AU $130 per “solved‑in‑app” incident Property Meld.
3 | Tenant Onboarding & Lease Creation
Why It Hurts
ID checks, lease merges, compliance docs and welcome packs average 6 hrs/week (25 % of time slice). That’s AU $174 weekly, plus errors when forms go astray.
Automation Play
e‑KYC verification pulls docs directly from tenants.
Template engines merge leases and send for e‑signature.
Welcome flows push key dates and maintenance FAQs to an app.
Success Snapshot
A Queensland agency automated onboarding with low‑code tools and cut admin time 60 %, redeploying staff to growth projects flowgenius.
4 | Routine Inspections & Reports
Why It Hurts
Four inspections a year × 45 min on‑site + 45 min reporting = 6 hrs/property/year. At 80 doors, that’s 480 hrs—nearly AU $14 k in wages.
Automation Play
Mobile inspection apps timestamp photos, auto‑generate PDFs and sync to owner portals.
Bulk scheduling routes properties by geography, slashing drive time.
Voice‑to‑text notes finish reporting before leaving the driveway.
Result: many managers halve field/reporting time, freeing a full workday every fortnight.
5 | Owner & EOFY Reporting
Why It Hurts
Spreadsheet wrangling for monthly or EOFY statements burns 8–14 hrs/week for typical teams STAFFLINK. Using 10 hrs, that’s AU $290/week or AU $15 k + a year.
Automation Play
Live dashboards pull trust‑account data, bank feeds and maintenance spend in real time.
Role‑based sharing ends ad‑hoc PDF emails.
Automated commentary pins notes to outliers (vacancy spikes, CAPEX bursts).
Comparative Cost Table
| Manual Task | Weekly Hours | Labour Cost / Week | Typical Automation Saving | ROI Trigger Point |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rent‑arrears chasing | 9 h | AU $270 | 70–90 % time cut | > 40 doors |
| Maintenance triage | 9 h | AU $270 | AU $130/work‑order avoided | > 50 work orders/mo |
| Tenant onboarding | 6 h | AU $174 | 60 % admin time cut | > 10 move‑ins/mo |
| Inspections & reports | — | AU $14 k / yr (80 doors) | 50 % faster | > 40 doors |
| Owner reporting | 10 h | AU $290 | 80 % time cut | Any scale |
Hourly wage AU $29; hours from industry averages.
Two Brief Wins from the Field
Maintenance Triage, Melbourne
A 1,200‑unit operator deployed event‑driven triage. Work‑order costs dropped AU $23 / unit annually while resident satisfaction climbed to 4.3 / 5. Property Meld
Onboarding Automation, Brisbane
Streamlining ID checks and lease merges saved 11 admin hours per new building, letting one PM absorb 25 % more doors without overtime. flowgenius
Key Takeaways
The status quo steals AU $1 000 + per manager every fortnight in wage cost alone.
Automation isn’t a “nice‑to‑have SaaS licence” — it’s an asset that compounds.
Start where pain is sharpest (usually arrears or maintenance), bank the win, then snowball.
Next Step: Talk to an Automation Architect
Holistc™ designs and deploys event‑driven workflows inside your cloud — no per‑seat tax, no black box. A 30‑minute strategy call maps your biggest manual drain and outlines an ROI‑positive fix.
👉 Book Your Property Ops Consult
