Property management professionals in Australia face an intense workload driven by regulatory changes and economic pressure, contributing to an industry turnover rate where staff typically leave after 18 months. According to Ray White Highton Head of Property Management Amy Fonay, the sector is losing experienced workers at an alarming rate as agents struggle with complex legal requirements and the emotional toll of mediating disputes between landlords and tenants.
The weight of compliance and conflict
Fonay says the daily reality of managing rental portfolios has become increasingly difficult due to constant legislative updates. “It is no secret, it is becoming harder than ever to actually manage a portfolio,” she says. “With all of the updates to legislation, different hoops that you have to jump through, and getting your owners to jump through for compliance and rental minimum standards… it can become incredibly wearing.”
The administrative burden has shifted the focus from direct negotiation to handling complex legal channels. Property managers now frequently move between VCAT, the Magistrates Court, and Residential Tenancies Dispute Resolution Victoria (RTDRV) to resolve disputes. “The process itself is so long and arduous, I see my property managers getting frustrated with it,” Fonay notes. “It is a lot of work and a lot of paperwork. At some points, their frustration is evident because it is like, am I functioning as a solicitor these days? It is just becoming excessive.”
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This environment forces agents to act as financial counsellors and informal mediators. “You are finding that there are a lot of our renters and owners alike affected by the economic changes, and we are very much counselling on both ends,” Fonay explains. “How can we assist you? How can we grow your investment while, at the same time, not hurting a renter and making sure that they are still able to live? It is a very, very dicey time, and it really is a tightrope.”
The emotional fatigue stems from handling crises ranging from severe property damage to tenant distress. Without robust internal support mechanisms, these stressors can rapidly compound into total burnout. While many agencies view high staff turnover as an unavoidable business cost, Fonay argues that this approach ignores the human element at the core of the profession.
Leadership that prioritizes people
Fonay has implemented an office environment centered on emotional awareness to combat isolation. She believes effective leadership requires continuous attention to a team’s daily interpersonal dynamic rather than waiting for a crisis. “I can read them all like a book,” she says. “From the time they walk in, depending on the tone of their ‘hi’ or ‘good morning’, it tells me everything I need to know about what is happening for them that day. We know you are going to be in for a rough day, so we will take care of it, because it is about protecting the person, not just looking at them as an employee, as they are humans first.”
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This approach translates into practical interventions during peak stress periods. When staff show signs of reaching their limit, they are encouraged to step away from their desks to reset. “We have little bits of downtime during the day,” Fonay explains. “We can quickly identify when someone might be getting close to ‘that is enough’, so we encourage them to go for a walk or get a coffee and step right away from it, and if someone hears that a colleague is having a difficult conversation and might be struggling, the team immediately acts and steps in.”
Cultural change also involves including staff in operational decisions. Fonay avoids top-down mandates, instead presenting ideas and asking for feedback before implementing new policies. “I bring everything to them and say, this is what I am thinking about doing, and this is the direction that I think we might need to travel in, so what do you guys think, and let us go through the pros and cons,” she says. “You get far more buy-in from them that way, and if you do that regularly enough, that will naturally build a resistance to incoming changes, rather than relying on shock and awe.”
Redefining career growth
Long-term retention requires addressing the misconception that property management offers a limited career path. Fonay frames professional development as essential for personal growth rather than a burdensome task. “I think professional development is vastly important,” she says. “As a property manager, you can hit a bit of a stalemate when you do not know where you are going or when people think that the career path is dead, but there are lots of different avenues you can go down.”
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She emphasizes that adaptability is necessary for longevity in a rapidly changing sector. “The knowledge that I had twenty years ago is so different to what I have now, and probably quite different to what I had twelve months ago, to be honest. You never stop learning or developing, because every single scenario that you come into contact with provides something to learn from, and that is what is going to grow your career.”
Fonay notes that agencies can retain staff far beyond the 18-month average by building deep mutual trust. “They have got to have trust in you, and you have really got to work together on all decisions,” she concludes. “I give them everything that they could possibly need, and in return, they are loyal, so when change comes along, we are all on board with it, because they trust me, and I trust them.”
