Property Manager
Kaiwhakahaere Papa Whenua
Alternative titles for this job
Property managers look after the daily running of residential or commercial properties.
Pay
Property managers with up to three years' experience usually earn
$56K-$82K per year
Property managers with more than three years' experience can earn
$82K-$122K per year
Source: Hays, 2023
Job opportunities
Vocational PathwaysPay
Pay for property managers varies depending on skills, experience and the type of work they do:
- Property managers with up to three years' experience usually earn $56,000 to $82,000 a year.
- Property managers with three or more years' experience can earn $82,000 to $112,000 a year.
Some residential property managers are paid a salary – others work on commission only.
Source: Hays, 'FY 23/24 Salary Guide', 2023.
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our pay information)
What you will do
Property managers may do some or all of the following:
- advertise and show rental homes or commercial properties
- negotiate leases and tenancy agreements
- collect rents and bonds
- investigate and resolve any tenant complaints
- organise property repairs
- review property maintenance, security and tenancy contracts
- keep up to date with the real estate market
- help plan property investments
- write financial reports
- advise building owners on tenancy law and the real estate market.
Skills and knowledge
Property managers need to have knowledge of:
- property inspection and valuation
- building methods and materials, and architectural and engineering plans
- property laws and local regulations
- the real estate market.
Trade skills, such as plumbing or carpentry, may also be useful.
Working conditions
Property managers:
- usually work regular business hours, but may work evenings and weekends, and be on call
- are based in offices, but often travel locally or nationally to clients' properties, and to meet with prospective clients or attend courses.
What's the job really like?
Property manager video
Ani Armstrong talks about life as a property manager – 2.25 mins.
Hi, my name is Ani and I'm a property manager.
So a property manager looks after the property that is rented and
the people inside them. I usually chase arrears [money owed by tenants] whether it's
rent or water.
I make sure that the place is livable and that the tenants are looking after the
place. So I wanted to take you for a ride to our exit inspection
that we have in Papakura. And this one,
the tenants have left and we are just making sure that they've left the place in
a reasonable state. I sort of fell into this career by having my
own properties and wanting to manage them myself. More importantly,
I enjoy looking after people and making sure they understand the rules and
responsibilities of both being a property owner and/or a tenant. I take
photos to have a record of evidence to record any
damage or repairs that are needed,
or just to brag how awesome my tenants are. In a perfect world,
the tenant will pay the rent and the place would be kept up to date.
If the tenant doesn't pay the rent, we then have to go through a legal process.
I've been to court at this moment 23 times,
and I've had 100% success rate,
but that's because I knew the law. So I did a Level 4 Property Management
Certificate. So the course usually takes 12 months,
but you don't really need it to in order to be a property manager.
Property management at the moment is not regulated,
so anyone can be a property manager.
That's why a lot of private landlords are property managers as well. However,
the issue is if you don't know the rules and you go to court,
you really need to be sure that you know everything from the Privacy Act,
Human Rights, Consumer Guarantees Act, and more importantly,
the Residential Tenancies Act. I think the most difficult thing about being a
property manager is having to be the bad guy sometimes.
When you are asking for arrears to be paid and you can see that the the tenant is
already struggling, that sometimes can be a hard part of the job.
My favorite thing about my career is being able to just communicate to both my
tenants and my owners, reassuring that everything's fine.
Entry requirements
There are no specific requirements to become a property manager as you often gain skills on the job.
Commercial property manager
Commercial property companies usually prefer to hire graduates with a degree in property management, finance or marketing. Useful qualifications include:
- Bachelor of Property (Level 7)
- Bachelor of Land and Property Management (Level 7)
- Bachelor of Business – Property (Level 7).
Residential property manager
Residential property managers can train on the job and gain a New Zealand Certificate in Residential Property Management (Level 4). Ignite Colleges and REINZ offer this training.
- REINZ - NZ Certificate in Residential Property Management
- Ignite Colleges - NZ Certificate in Residential Property Management
Secondary education
A tertiary entrance qualification is required to enter further training. Useful subjects include accounting, business studies, economics and maths.
Personal requirements
Property managers need to be:
- honest and reliable
- excellent communicators, with good listening and writing skills
- proactive and adaptable
- good negotiators and mediators
- organised
- able to make good judgements.
Useful experience
Useful experience for property managers includes work in:
- real estate
- property investment
- customer service
- finance and administration.
Commercial property managers may also find it useful to have experience in areas such as law, construction, quantity surveying, valuation, accounting or finance.
Registration
Property managers can register with the Property Institute or the Property Managers Institute of New Zealand (PROMINZ).
- Property Institute website - information about registration
- Property Managers Institute of New Zealand website - information on becoming an accredited residential property manager
Find out more about training
- Property Institute
- 0800 698 258 - national@property.org.nz - www.propertyinstitute.nz
- Ignite Colleges
- 0800 200 345 - info@ignitecolleges.ac.nz - https://ignitecolleges.ac.nz
What are the chances of getting a job?
Growing demand for property managers
Demand for property managers is growing due to:
- rental property owners choosing to hire property managers because they need to comply with more complex legal requirements
- increasing investment in rental and commercial (particularly industrial) property.
According to the Census, 7,881 property managers worked in New Zealand in 2018.
Types of employers varied
Property managers can work for:
- large or small property management agencies
- institutional investors who run property funds
- government departments with property portfolios.
According to the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, about 40% of property managers are self-employed.
Sources
- Pearse, D, 'Residential Property Management', New Zealand Property Professional Magazine, Summer/Autumn 2021, (www.propertyinstitute.nz).
- Pelletier, N, 'What's Driving the Commercial Property Sector?', 11 March 2021, (www.rnz.co.nz).
- South, G, 'Why More Landlords Are Using Property Managers', 27 February 2021, (www.stuff.co.nz).
- Stats NZ, '2018 Census', 2019.
- van Etten, R, chief of staff, Property Institute, careers.govt.nz interview, April 2021.
(This information is a guide only. Find out more about the sources of our job opportunities information)
Progression and specialisations
Property managers may progress to own their own franchise.
They usually specialise in either residential properties or commercial properties such as retail spaces, office buildings, or industrial buildings.
Property managers show clients around vacant property such as commercial buildings
Last updated 10 January 2025