Changing property managers in Perth is easier than you think.
Most Perth landlords who are unhappy with their property manager stay far longer than they should, because they assume switching is complicated, disruptive, or risky. It is none of those things. This page explains exactly how it works in Western Australia, what your rights are, and what we handle for you.
You have to wait until the lease ends to switch property managers.
You can switch at any time during a tenancy. The tenant does not sign anything new.
Switching will disrupt your tenant and damage the relationship.
Tenants are notified by letter. There is no disruption. Many tenants prefer the change.
It takes months and involves mountains of paperwork.
Most transitions complete in 2 to 4 weeks. We handle the paperwork and the handover.
Signs it is time to change your Perth property manager
Most landlords know something is wrong long before they act on it. If any of these sound familiar, the instinct you have been ignoring is probably right.
You cannot get a response within 24 hours
Same-day responses are the standard in a well-run agency. If you are regularly waiting days to hear back from your property manager, or if your calls go to voicemail and never come back, that is a service failure, not an occasional hiccup.
You have a different contact every few months
High staff turnover inside large Perth agencies means landlords re-introduce themselves on every call. Each handover carries risk. Documents get missed. History is lost. The new person does not know your tenant, your lease terms or your expectations.
Your rent has not been reviewed proactively
Under WA law, rent can only increase once every 12 months. A good manager starts the review process well before the window opens, using current REIWA market data. If your manager has never initiated a rent review, you are almost certainly leaving money on the table.
Maintenance requests vanish into a void
A request goes in. Nothing happens. You follow up. Your manager says they are looking into it. Weeks pass. Reactive maintenance at volume agencies is the norm. It erodes your tenant relationship and increases the cost of repairs over time.
Charges appear on your statement without explanation
EOFY report fees, title search charges, database check surcharges, admin fees and invoice processing levies are common at large Perth agencies. Many landlords do not scrutinise their statements closely enough to notice. If you are not sure what you are paying for, that is the answer.
Your agency's rent roll was sold without warning
This happens more than most landlords realise. When an agency sells its rent roll, hundreds of landlords are transferred to a new management company they did not choose. You are not obligated to accept the new agency. You have every right to appoint a different manager immediately.
What poor property management actually costs you
Inertia is expensive. Here is what staying with the wrong Perth property manager is costing you right now.
Rent below market rate
Perth rents have moved significantly since 2021. A property sitting $50 to $100 per week below market rate costs $2,600 to $5,200 per year in lost income. Over three years that is a significant sum that a proactive rent review would have recovered.
Hidden fees adding up annually
EOFY report fees, title searches, database checks, admin levies and invoice processing surcharges commonly add $400 to $800 or more per year on top of the advertised management rate. Most landlords never look closely enough to catch them.
Unnecessary vacancy and reletting costs
A poor manager who fails to build a good tenant relationship, or who misses the lease renewal window, risks vacancy. Each week empty costs you rent. A reletting fee and new PCR add to the total. Prevention is significantly cheaper than response.
Compliance exposure under 2024 WA reforms
The Residential Tenancies Amendment Act 2024 (WA) introduced new obligations for Perth landlords. An agency that is not across the reforms puts you at risk of fines, invalid rent increases and tenant disputes that could have been avoided entirely.
Every month you stay with an underperforming manager is a month your investment is not being looked after properly.
Start the switch todayHow to switch property managers in Perth step by step
Here is exactly what happens when you switch to Local Property Partners. We handle every part of the process. You forward one letter and we do the rest.
We review your current management arrangement
We start with a free conversation. We look at your existing management agreement, your current fee structure and what you are getting for it. We give you an honest comparison. No pressure. Just the information you need to make a good decision.
You sign with us and forward one letter
We prepare the notice of termination for your current agency. You review it and forward it on. That is the full extent of your administrative involvement. Under standard WA management agreements, notice periods are typically 28 to 60 days. There is no requirement to wait until the lease ends.
Important: If your current management agreement is still within its initial term, early termination may incur liquidated damages, typically around 50% of management fees for the remaining period. We will tell you exactly what applies to your agreement before you sign anything with us.
We handle the entire transition
Once notice is served, we take over completely. Your tenant receives a professional notification letter from us. They do not need to sign anything. They update their payment details. That is all they need to do.
Proactive management begins immediately
From the moment the transition completes, you have a named manager, live portal access and the knowledge that your property is being managed properly. A rent review is scheduled if one is due. Maintenance workflows are set up through Tapi. The difference is usually noticeable within the first week.
Local Property Partners vs your current manager
Here is an honest side-by-side of what a switch typically looks like for Perth landlords who come to us.
| What matters | Typical Perth agency | Local Property Partners |
|---|---|---|
| Your point of contact | Rotating — often a junior or new staff member | Daria Tedling, directly. Named and consistent. |
| Response time | Variable, often 24 to 72 hours or longer | Same day as standard |
| Rent reviews | Reactive — when you ask, or not at all | Proactive — scheduled before the window closes |
| Inspections | Often conducted by juniors or contractors | Experienced manager only, with 360 degree virtual tour |
| Management fee | 7 to 10% plus extras hidden in statements | 7% plus GST. PCR, bond inspection and EOFY all included. |
| Owner visibility | Monthly statements, chasing required | Live owner portal, real-time access |
| Rent payment | End of month batch processing | Same-day disbursement |
| Lock-in contract | Often required | No lock-in contracts |
Perth landlords who made the switch
5.0 stars on Google. Their words, unedited.
Questions Perth landlords ask about switching property managers
Yes, absolutely. You do not need to wait until the lease ends. Switching mid-tenancy is common and in many cases is actually the better time to do it, because it gives the new manager time to assess the property and prepare properly for the lease renewal. Your tenant is notified by letter, does not need to sign anything new, and simply updates their payment details. There is no disruption to the tenancy itself.
In Western Australia, management agreements typically require 28 to 60 days written notice to terminate. The exact notice period will be in your management authority document. In most cases it is 30 days, though some agreements require 60. We will check this for you before you take any action. If your agreement is still within its initial fixed term, early termination may incur liquidated damages, typically around 50% of management fees for the remaining term. We will tell you clearly what applies in your specific situation before you commit to anything.
We handle the collection of all documents directly from your outgoing manager. This includes: your current signed lease agreement, the ingoing property condition report, all routine inspection reports, the complete rent ledger and payment history, keys and any security device records, maintenance history, and any compliance certificates or warranties on file. If any documents are missing or incomplete, we will identify and flag this for you as part of the handover review.
No. The tenancy continues completely unchanged. The lease terms, the rent amount, the inspection schedule and all other conditions remain the same. Your tenant receives a professional notification letter from us. They update their bank payment details. That is all. In practice, tenants often respond positively to the change, particularly if they had issues with the previous manager that were not being resolved. A well-managed transition can actually strengthen the tenant relationship.
There is no fee from our side to switch. We do not charge an onboarding or setup fee. The only potential cost is if your current management agreement has an early termination clause, which may involve liquidated damages payable to your outgoing agency. We will identify whether this applies to your agreement and tell you exactly what it would cost, if anything, before you make any decision. See our full fee schedule here.
No. A rent roll sale transfers files, not your personal commitment. Your management authority is a contract between you and the agency you originally chose. When that agency sells its rent roll, you are free to appoint a different manager rather than accepting whoever has purchased the business. You should not be pressured into signing a new management agreement with the purchasing agency. This is a moment where many Perth landlords quietly choose to switch to a manager that better suits their needs.
Most transitions complete within 2 to 4 weeks from the time notice is served to the outgoing manager. The notice period itself accounts for most of this time. During the notice period, we prepare everything in the background so that management can begin immediately the moment the transition date arrives. In our experience, a well-planned transition is seamless. The most common issue is outgoing agencies being slow to return documents, which we follow up on directly.
The Perth property manager landlords actually recommend
REIWA 2025 Residential Property Manager of the Year
Assessed across the full WA property management industry for measurable outcomes and compliance. Not a marketing award.
Residential management only
No sales division competing for attention. No juniors conducting inspections. 100% focused on managing your investment properly.
No lock-in contracts
We believe the service should earn your confidence through performance. Not through contractual obligation. If you want to leave, you can.
5.0 stars on Google
From landlords and tenants alike. The reviews speak to consistency, responsiveness and genuine care. You can read them all on our Google profile.
Start with a free, no-obligation conversation
We will review your current management agreement, tell you exactly what switching involves, and give you an honest comparison. No pressure. Just information.
Call or text Daria: 0422 238 434