We've spent years trying to recruit more property managers. What if the real problem is career design?

Property management has spent years trying to hire its way out of a problem it has not properly diagnosed.

The industry talks constantly about recruitment, talent shortages and the need to attract new people. All of that matters. But it misses a more urgent question: why are experienced property managers struggling to see a long-term future in the profession?

New independent research into Australia’s property management workforce shows nearly two in five property managers are either considering leaving the profession or are unsure they’ll stay. 63 per cent say they feel overwhelmed by workload.

Those numbers are concerning. But the more important finding is what sits underneath them.

The strongest indicator of whether someone intends to stay is not simply pay, workload or flexibility. It is whether they can see a clear career pathway.

That should prompt every agency leader to stop and think.

For years, property management has been treated more like a role than a profession. We invest heavily in teaching people how to manage legislation, inspections, maintenance requests, arrears, owners, renters and difficult conversations. We train them to become excellent operators.

But we spend far less time helping them understand where that expertise can take them.

What does success look like after five years? What leadership opportunities exist? How can an experienced property manager continue to grow without leaving the profession, moving into sales, or stepping away from the industry altogether?

When those questions go unanswered, good people do not necessarily leave because they dislike property management. They leave because the only visible version of staying is doing more of the same work, under more pressure, with more risk and not enough recognition.

The research reflects this. More than half of respondents said they wanted stronger business acumen and portfolio strategy training, while almost half wanted more leadership and people management development.

They are not people looking for the exit. They are asking for a future. That distinction matters.

Too often, career development is treated as something separate from the day-to-day running of a property management business. It is seen as an HR initiative, a training calendar item or something reserved for senior leaders.

In reality, career design should be treated as operating infrastructure. For principals, this is not a soft people issue. Every experienced property manager who leaves takes with them landlord relationships, renter context, legislative knowledge, local supplier knowledge and confidence to navigate complex situations. That loss shows up in service quality, team morale, client retention and ultimately profitability.

Experience compounds in property management. A property manager who is years into their career builds a kind of judgement that cannot be replaced overnight through recruitment.

Yet too often, the industry responds to turnover by focusing almost entirely on the next hire. Recruitment will always matter, but it cannot be the only answer. You cannot recruit your way out of a retention problem if the work itself doesn’t feel sustainable, valued or capable of leading somewhere.

The agencies that thrive over the next decade will be those that become just as intentional about designing careers as they are about filling vacancies.

That means showing property managers what progression looks like beyond simply managing a larger portfolio. It means creating pathways into leadership, operations, training, specialist advisory roles, technology, risk, compliance and business performance.

A sustainable profession needs more than entry points. It needs visible next steps.

If the industry wants to retain experienced people, it needs to give them a reason to imagine their future inside the profession, not outside it.

That starts with a shift in mindset. Property managers are not just administrators of properties. They are relationship managers, risk managers, great people-people, great leaders, problem solvers and commercial operators.

The career pathways offered to them should reflect that.

Recruitment will always be part of the workforce conversation, but that alone won’t fix a profession that experienced people cannot imagine staying in.

Property management doesn’t just need more people; it needs more visible futures for the people already holding the profession together.

The State of Property Management Survey was commissioned by Kolmeo and independently analysed by Kantar.

About the Author

Margaret Foley is Executive Manager, Growth at Kolmeo. She has spent her career at the intersection of technology and traditional industries, helping organisations adopt innovation that improves operations, strengthens customer experiences and drives sustainable growth. She is passionate about the future of property management and the role technology will play in building more resilient, high-performing agencies.

Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make HR Leader a preferred news source on Google.