Property Managers vs Self-Managing Your Granny Flat Rental: A Landlord’s Guide

Posted on February 8th, 2025

You’ve just built or renovated your granny flat, or family has moved out and you’re ready to turn the extra space into extra income. If you’re wondering whether to hire a real estate agent or to manage the listing yourself, here’s what you need to know.

Benefits of renting through a property manager:

You’ll have a lighter workload
They screen tenants for you
They’ll often organise professional photography of the property
They’ll write your property description, advertising to the market they know well
They have an existing database of prospect tenants
They can manage rental payments
They can manage trades for property maintenance throughout the tenancy
They will inspect the property condition every 3-6 months
They can confidently prepare and have your tenancy agreement signed
Your property manager will liaise with the tenant for you

Benefits of self-managing your granny flat:

You can be more involved in knowing and selecting your tenant
You save on property manager fees, and you can list a property for free on GrannyFlat Rental, or upgrade for a reasonable price to include some social media advertising
Hiring your own photographer may be cheaper, or you can take your own property photos for free
You can develop a personal relationship with your tenant

The money saved by self-managing your granny flat may give you the affordance to lease the property at a lower rate, which could attract more tenants. However, utilising the expertise of a property manager may attract more tenants alike, allowing a higher rental asking.

There is no wrong answer, so try whatever you feel would suit your lifestyle. You can use a combination, by hiring a real estate agency to screen and find the perfect tenant, then self-managing the rental during the tenancy.