As the market has evolved, landlords’ expectations of agencies and property managers have shifted, now prioritising new opportunities and clear insights into their assets.
A new report has shed light on what landlords expect from property managers and sales agents in 2026, showing a heightened emphasis on data, opportunity, and strategy.
Reapit’s State of the Australian Real Estate Market 2026 survey report, based on 500 responses, showed landlords wanted property professionals to act as advisers and receive better data about their assets to shape their strategy.
Reapit general manager Australia and New Zealand, Simon Berglund, said cost pressures, regulation, and market uncertainty were driving a shift in which landlords were asking sales agents to take on a more strategic role.
“On the sales side, they are maintaining close relationships with agents as they look for off-market opportunities in a very heated market with tight supply,” he told REB.
In comparison, the percentage of landlords wanting to improve the performance of their current properties this year had fallen from 50.7 per cent to 40.7 per cent.
Berglund said while the figure was still high, it had been surpassed by the number of landlords wanting to identify new opportunities.
The report showed that 43.1 per cent of landlords wanted agencies to help them find additional investment opportunities, up from 32.1 per cent in 2024.
He said in recent years, property values had been characterised by substantial, broad-scale gains, aiding wealth accumulation for many landlords and increasing their appetites to invest further.
“Amidst rising property values, particularly in suburbs or regions with the highest percentage gains, it becomes harder to detect on face value which areas or specific properties are either relatively undervalued or inflated compared to other assets
“It should be clarified that agents are not licensed to give financial advice, however they are often very well placed to understand the nuances of property values and upcoming sales opportunities in their local area,” he said.
The data also showed landlords wanted clearer visibility into the performance of their assets, with 31.1 per cent of respondents seeking clearer insights from property managers.
Berglund landlord’s requests for data and insights showed they want the best possible toolkits at hand to inform their decision-making.
“Landlords want greater visibility of performance so they can make the best calls for managing their property portfolios to optimise their returns.”
According to the report, 29.6 per cent of landlords said they wanted access to property insights through technology, a figure that rose 12.6 per cent year-on-year.
Berglund said landlords looking to maximise their gains through yield needed access to all property data, which was made easy through digital platforms.
“A property manager has access to all of the expenses associated with a property, including property management fees and often even council and water rates,” he said.
“Having the data and technologically-driven insights at their disposal facilitates more streamlined and informed decisions.”
According to Berglund, potential upcoming changes to the capital gains discount and negative gearing meant landlords needed to be fully aware of their portfolio expenses.
“If these changes do come about, more than ever landlords will need to understand the full financial picture of their investments and cash flows to adequately project portfolio performance and risk over time,” he concluded.
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?Make Real Estate Business a preferred news source on Google.
