Payments central to a new era of property management

For Managed co-founder Alex Whitlock, the answer will increasingly determine which agencies grow and which struggle to retain their managements.

Owners weighing up property expenses, compliance responsibilities and investment returns are looking more closely at the service they receive. Renters, meanwhile, expect responsive communication, reliable maintenance and clear visibility over their payments.

Whitlock believes those expectations are putting pressure on agencies whose service has changed little while their rent rolls have expanded.

“Agencies that have built rent rolls easily over the last decade without the focus on their owners and tenants may well see their managements disappear as quickly as they were added,” he said.

“Times have changed, and so have the expectations of owners and renters. Owners are increasingly shopping around for the best agencies. They are also willing to pay a higher management fee if the service they are given warrants the cost.”

Owners want asset managers

Whitlock said the opportunity lies in developing a deeper understanding of the owner, the property and the purpose the investment serves.

“Owners want asset managers over property managers. That’s the way things are going,” he said.

“They want someone who understands what they are trying to achieve, keeps them informed and helps them make considered decisions about their property.”

That changes the nature of the relationship, according to Whitlock.

“A rent review becomes an opportunity to discuss income, tenant retention and the cost of a vacancy. An inspection helps identify maintenance priorities and protect the property’s condition. A lease renewal provides a reason to revisit the owner’s plans and the renter’s needs. The value comes from joining those conversations together and acting before small issues become expensive problems,” he said.

“An owner should feel that their property manager understands their investment and is actively looking after it.”

“That confidence is built through useful conversations, sound judgement and consistent follow-through. It gives owners a reason to stay and a reason to recommend the agency.”

Better service needs room to thrive

Delivering that level of care takes time – and time is often what property managers lack.

Whitlock said agencies seeking to improve service need to examine the work occupying their teams before adding more expectations to already demanding roles.

“If your property managers spend their day processing payments, chasing paperwork and working through repetitive administration, there is limited room left for meaningful customer contact,” he said.

“You can ask people to be more proactive, but you also have to give them the capacity to do it.”

The same principle applies to renters. Prompt responses, clear explanations and well-managed maintenance require people who have the time and information to take ownership of a problem.

“Owners and renters both benefit when the property manager is accessible, informed and able to act,” Whitlock said.

“That is where technology should earn its place: by giving good people more time to deliver great service.”

A new starting point for agencies

Research suggests property managers are increasingly willing to reconsider how their businesses handle money.

Agile Market Intelligence’s 2026 research, The Future of Property Management Payments, found that 34 per cent of respondents expressing a preference would choose an alternative to operating their own trust account if starting an agency today. Within that same group, 25 per cent would choose automated direct payments and 9 per cent would outsource trust accounting.

Whitlock said new agencies have an opportunity to design their operations around the service they want to deliver from the outset.

“They can decide how payments, communication and workflows should operate before those processes become ingrained,” he said.

“Established agencies have the same opportunity to review where their people’s time goes and whether their systems support the experience they want customers to have.”

With reference to the launch of Vecta, the new identity for Managed’s payments technology, Whitlock said the brand gives a distinct identity to the payments engine underpinning Managed’s approach.

Via the proprietary payments technology, rental payments move directly from renter to owner, with funds automatically allocated, distributed and recorded without passing through an agency-operated rental trust account.

For the agency, that removes routine rental trust-account reconciliation and manual disbursement work. For customers, it provides visibility over where their money is and how it moves.

The technology already processes more than $143 million each month across a platform used by over 300 agencies.

Whitlock said its significance extends into the wider Managed platform, where payments connect with workflows, owner tools and the information teams use to manage properties.

“Owners experience your payment process as part of your service. They want clarity about their income, their expenses and what is happening with their property,” he said.

“Vecta gives that capability a clear identity and brings it to the centre of the Managed proposition.”

For Whitlock, the next phase of property management will favour agencies that turn operational efficiency into a stronger customer experience.

“The opportunity is to build a business that can grow while maintaining the care and attention people expect,” he said.

“Direct payments give you more freedom. What you do with that freedom, and how you support customers, develop your people and build your business, is where the real advantage comes.”