Why Your New Property Manager Isn’t Working Out (And How to Fix It)
Why Your New Property Manager Isn’t Working Out (And How to Fix It)
You hired someone to save you time. Instead, you’re spending more time fixing mistakes, fielding client complaints, and wondering if you made the wrong hire.
It’s a common story. In fact, 66% of property management leaders say their workload is “too busy” and they don’t have time to do proper training. That means most new starters are left to sink or swim.
So why is your new property manager not working out? And more importantly, how do you turn things around before you lose good clients and another team member?
The Mismatch of Assumed Knowledge
Hiring in property management often comes with dangerous assumptions.
Customer service ≠ property management. Handling a burst hot water system is very different to soothing a mistake with a macca’s order.
Reception ≠ property management. A friendly face at the front desk is not automatically equipped to navigate management fee discussions or manage complex landlord calls.
Tenant experience ≠ landlord knowledge. Many new Property Managers have no exposure to investor expectations or the financial burden of owning an investment property.
Financial tasks are a steep climb. Processing invoices, preparing rent statements, and understanding fee structures can be overwhelming without guided training.
The result? task avoidance, mistakes, and unhappy owners.
The Hiring Trap: Cheaper Now, Expensive Later
It’s tempting to do the advertisement yourself instead of using a recruitment specialist, then hire the $70K candidate over the $100K one and think, “they won’t come with bad habits” “I can train them my way”
The truth is, you never get that chance. The daily flood of emails, inspections, and maintenance approvals keeps you stuck in survival mode and no time to spend with your new hire.
The cost of this trap:
Constant rework of their tasks, or even worse you don’t delegate and have to do it yourself,
No client relationship built and then, you loose the management due to zero connection,
Your new hire is burnt out, and you see a resignation within 12 months
That “cheaper” hire ends up costing double and you are back at square one.
What To Do Instead: 5 Foundations for New Starters
The fix is not to lower your expectations. It’s to raise your onboarding standards.
Here are five foundations that change everything:
Set clear standards from day one. Spell out dress code, lunch breaks, presentation, and office basics like where to park. Send a structured welcome letter. (I have an AI tool that automates this for you - send me an email [email protected] and I’ll send it over to you for free!)
Make tech easy. Have all computer logins, software access, and passwords ready before they start.
Create a real welcome. Desk set up, keys, office codes, flowers, or a small gift. Show them they belong.
Plan their first week. A daily schedule with shadowing, training, and check-ins. Don’t leave them guessing.
Show their career pathway. Lay out a six-month development plan. If they’re under three years’ experience, enrol them in the LAiRE Academy’s PM Foundations skill growth program.
How AI Can Help with Onboarding
AI is not about replacing people. It’s about freeing leaders from repetitive admin so they can coach instead.
Draft tailored welcome pack, job role description and expectations in minutes.
Create day-one checklists automatically.
Automate common client explainer emails, such as fee structures or bond processes.
Be a Co-Pilot PM Assistant on ‘how to’ troubleshoot and action tasks appropriately
That’s hours back each week to focus on building confidence and culture.
Proof Point
I’ve lived this. Over 25 years in real estate, I built and sold my award winning agency real estate business Beautique Realty. Every time I invested in structured onboarding and provided a career development plan, I saw fewer errors, calmer teams, and stronger retention.
Agencies using the LAiRE six-month onboarding plan reduce mistakes by up to 30% and see new PMs step into confidence far faster.
Our six-month, six-module program is perfect for new and inexperienced property managers. It gives them the essential support, clarity, confidence, and skills they need to quickly get up to speed and work independently.
This means you and your senior staff won't have to constantly look over your shoulders, making your onboarding process much smoother. No more starting from scratch with training for every new hire or holding hands through basic tasks. Instead, they'll benefit from a structured program led by experts that builds their skills and ensures consistency, so you can focus on growing your business instead of filling skill gaps.
If your new property manager isn’t working out, it’s rarely because they lack potential. It’s usually because they were thrown into the deep end without the systems or support to succeed.
When you invest in onboarding, you save time, protect client relationships, and keep great people longer.
Schedule a consultation now and let’s build your onboarding system, or enrol your team member into the LAiRE Academy for a proven six-month plan.
