Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Most landlords lose money in the first year. Not because their property is underperforming, but because the wrong decisions early on compound quietly: a vacancy that runs two weeks too long, a tenant who slips through without a proper check, a fee structure with charges buried in the fine print. Affinity Property has spent 18 years and 250+ managed properties learning how to prevent exactly that.
This proposal covers everything you need to know about our approach, our fees, and what professional property management looks like when it is done properly. Read it through. By the end, you will have a clear picture of whether we are the right fit for your property.
Key Takeaways
- Most agencies charge fees for things that should be standard. Affinity does not. One flat management fee of 6.95% + GST covers everything, including marketing, inspections, lease renewals, and maintenance coordination.
- Properties managed by Affinity lease in under 3 days on average. The industry average in Brisbane is significantly higher.
- 18 years in North Brisbane means we know this market, these streets, and the kinds of tenants who will look after your investment.
- If you are a new landlord, this proposal also covers what most first-timers wish they had known before their first tenant moved in.
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North Brisbane’s Most Trusted Property Management Company
Affinity Property manages investment properties across North Brisbane and Moreton Bay, from Petrie and Kallangur to Narangba, Griffin, and Caboolture. We have been operating in this specific area for 18 years, which means we understand the local rental market at a level a generalist agency cannot match.
If you are a first-time landlord, or have been managing your property yourself and are starting to feel the weight of it, you are in exactly the right place. Our job is to make this simpler, more profitable, and genuinely less stressful than doing it alone.
Who We Are
Affinity Property has proudly operated in and served the local area for 18 years. We currently manage over 250 properties in the area. Consistency in your management team matters more than most landlords realise until they have experienced its absence. Our reputation comes from landlords who have stayed with us for a decade or more. We would rather earn that than tell you about it.
Property Management Fees in Brisbane & Moreton: Simple, Transparent & Competitive
Most landlords do not find out what they are really paying their property manager until the bills start arriving. Lease renewal fee. Marketing levy. Routine inspection charge. Maintenance coordination surcharge. None of these are rare. Most agencies charge some or all of them as standard.
One of the most common frustrations landlords share with us is being hit with fees they didn’t see coming. So here’s our complete fee structure — no surprises, no fine print.
When a new tenancy begins, we charge a one-off letting fee of one week’s rent + GST — and this is only charged when we actually need to lease your property to a new tenant. It covers everything involved in securing the right person: advertising across all major platforms, including realestate.com.au, domain.com.au, and rent.com.au (where we hold premier positions for maximum visibility), processing applications, checking tenant history, attending property viewings, signing up the incoming tenant, and handling all correspondence with both owner and tenant through the process.
From there, our ongoing structure is deliberately simple: a single all-inclusive management fee of 6.95% + GST and a flat $5.50/month administration fee covering postage, DocuSign, banking charges, and owner statements. Nothing variable. Nothing hidden. That’s it.
That management fee covers everything for the life of the tenancy: rent collection, routine inspections with photographic reports, entry and exit condition reports, lease renewals, tenant and owner file administration, compliance monitoring, all maintenance coordination, and management of all property-related expenses, including rates, insurance, water, body corporate fees, smoke alarm servicing, and pest treatments.
This single, all-inclusive property management fee covers:
✅ Rent collection, receipting & disbursements
✅ Management of all property-related expenses (rates, insurance, water, pest treatments, smoke alarm servicing, body corporate fees, etc.)
✅ Tenant water recovery invoices
✅ Routine inspections with photographic reports (3–4 per year)
✅ Entry and exit inspections
✅ Rent reviews
✅ Owner and tenant file administration
✅ Compliance monitoring (smoke alarms, insurance, and more)
✅ All maintenance coordination and contractor management
✅ Lease renewals
One flat rate. No surprises. No phone calls chasing unexpected invoices.
Take a look at what other agencies routinely charge that we do not.
Property Management Fees That We Do NOT Charge:
| Service | Our Fee |
| Marketing and Advertising Fees | $0 |
| Lease Negotiation / Renewal | $0 |
| Maintenance & Repairs Management | $0 |
| Routine Inspections | $0 |
| End of Year Statement | $0 |
| Property Management Handover | $0 |
| Title Search | $0 |
How We Market Your Property to Tenants
The longer your property sits vacant, the more it costs you. At a typical North Brisbane rent of around $550 per week, a two-week vacancy is $1,100 in lost rent. Three weeks is over $1,600. That is before factoring in the cost of re-advertising.
Properties managed by Affinity are leased in under 3 days on average. We achieve that because we do not simply list a property and wait. We run active campaigns across every major channel simultaneously: premier listings on realestate.com.au, Domain, rent.com.au, and Homely; targeted campaigns on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube; direct outreach to our tenant database; and promotion through our own high-traffic website.
More reach means more applicants. More applicants mean better selection. Better selection protects your investment for the life of the tenancy.
Why Effective Marketing Matters
A property that is cleaned, styled, and photographed professionally will consistently attract more enquiries than one that is not. That is not an opinion. It is the difference between three applicants and thirty, and between settling for someone and choosing the right person.
Professional photography, digital staging where appropriate, and a well-presented listing do not just help a property rent faster. They set the standard of care tenants expect to maintain. First impressions at the listing stage carry through to how tenants treat your property for years.
How We Look After Your Investment
Property management is not rent collection. It is active protection of an asset that, for most people, represents a significant portion of their net worth.
Our property managers handle every stage of the tenancy: tenant screening and selection, lease preparation, routine inspections with photographic reports, maintenance coordination, rent reviews, arrears management, and compliance monitoring. Our arrears rate sits below 0.5%. The industry average is considerably higher.
We operate as a team, which means you are never dependent on one person being available. Your property manager knows your property. Their colleagues know it too. If something needs to be handled quickly, it is.
Our team has worked together for more than six years. In property management, that kind of stability is rare, and it makes a real difference to the quality of service you receive.
Already Have a Property Manager? Here is How Switching Works
Already managing property in our area? Switching property managers in Queensland is easier than you think.
The most common reason landlords stay with an underperforming property manager is not loyalty. It is the belief that switching is complicated and disruptive. It is not.
We manage the entire transition from start to finish at no cost to you. You do not need to have an uncomfortable conversation with your current manager. We handle the notice, the file transfer, and the handover coordination. Most landlords are fully transferred within 5 business days with no gap in service.
If you are currently self-managing, the process is even simpler. We take it from wherever things currently stand.
Managing Property Expenses on Your Behalf
Managing a rental property generates a surprising amount of paperwork: water invoices, council rates, body corporate fees, maintenance records, expense tracking. Most landlords spend more time on this than they expect, especially at tax time.
We handle all of it. We manage payments on your behalf, recover water usage charges from tenants where applicable, and maintain a clear record of every transaction in your annual statement. Your accountant gets clean figures. You get your time back.
There is no extra charge for this. It is part of what property management should look like.
What Our Clients Value Most
The clients who have been with us longest tend to say the same things: communication that is actually reliable, a fee structure that never throws surprises at them, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing their investment is in capable hands.
Many of our landlords have been with us for a decade or more. They stay because the experience earns it. That is the standard we hold ourselves to for every new client from day one.
First-Time Leasing in Queensland? Here’s What New Landlords Need to Know
Leasing your property for the first time is one of those decisions where the details matter more than most people realise until after the fact. The quality of your first tenant, the condition of your property at handover, and the timing of your marketing campaign. Each of these shapes your returns for years, not just months.
We have guided hundreds of first-time landlords through this process. The ten steps below reflect what we know makes the difference between a smooth, profitable start and an expensive lesson.
1. Tax Depreciation to improve cash flow
A tax depreciation schedule is one of the most straightforward ways to improve your cash flow as a landlord. Prepared by a qualified quantity surveyor, it identifies the building elements you are legally entitled to claim as depreciation, potentially putting hundreds or even thousands of dollars back in your pocket at tax time.
It is worth getting one regardless of how old your property is. Every year without a current schedule is a year of deductions you cannot recover. If you’d like to learn more, you can visit our website and read our Comprehensive Guide to Tax Depreciation Benefits.
2. Great Photos and Strong Marketing Matter
Tenants make decisions about whether to inspect a property within seconds of seeing the listing. A dark, low-resolution photo does not get a second look. A professionally shot image of a well-presented home generates enquiry.
We advertise across realestate.com.au, Domain, rent.com.au, Homely, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, our own website, and our tenant database. Professional photography can be arranged within 4 to 6 days of the appointment.
At Affinity Property, we advertise across major digital platforms, including:
✅ realestate.com.au
✅ Domain
✅ rent.com.au
✅ Homely
✅ Facebook
✅ Instagram
✅ YouTube
✅ The Affinity Property website
✅ Our tenant database and digital communications
Properties that are professionally styled, decluttered, and thoughtfully presented usually attract stronger enquiry and better rental outcomes. Professional photography, and digital staging where appropriate, help your property stand out and create stronger competition between tenants. We can arrange professional photography within 4 to 6 days.
3. A Pre-Settlement or Handover Inspection Can Save Time Later
Before your property goes to market, a pre-settlement or handover inspection identifies anything that could slow down the leasing process or reduce the rent you achieve. Small issues that seem minor can cost weeks on market if left unaddressed.
If you appoint Affinity to manage your property, we will attend this inspection at no cost. It is one of the simplest ways to protect the start of your tenancy.
4. Make Sure All Property Services Are Ready
A property that is not ready to move into costs you in two ways: it delays the tenancy start date, and it creates a poor first impression with the tenant you worked hard to attract. Before you go to market, make sure electricity, gas, water, and electricity meters, waste bins, and any other key services are connected and working.
We run through this checklist with every new landlord as part of our onboarding process.
This includes things like:
✅ Electricity
✅ Gas
✅ Water
✅ Water meters
✅ Electricity meters
✅ Waste bins
✅ Any other key property services
We help ensure everything is ready so your property can be leased quickly and
5. Start Your Tenancy with a Bond Clean Standard
First impressions count, both for prospective tenants and for setting the standard of care you expect throughout the tenancy.
The condition your property is in on day one sets the legal benchmark for what tenants must maintain and return it to at the end of the tenancy. A property that starts below bond clean standard gives you less protection if anything goes wrong down the track.
Get it spotless before the first tenant moves in. Lawns trimmed, surfaces clean, nothing left half-finished. We can connect you with trusted bond cleaners if you need them.
6. The Entry Condition Report Is Extremely Important
The Entry Condition Report is a legally significant document. It records the exact condition of your property at the start of the tenancy, and it is the document you rely on if there is ever a dispute about damage at the end.
A thorough, well-documented report with photos protects your investment for the life of the tenancy. A thin or incomplete one leaves you with limited recourse. We take this step seriously.
7. Timing Your Marketing Correctly Helps Attract Better Tenants
Most tenants who are actively looking for a rental property are working to a 2 to 3 week timeline. They inspect, apply, and need to confirm their next home within that window.
If you list too early, you attract enquiries from people who are not yet ready to commit. If you list too late, the best applicants have already signed elsewhere. Launching your campaign 2 to 3 weeks before your target move-in date puts you in the market at exactly the right moment.
Why? Because that’s often when tenants are actively searching and ready to commit to their next home.
By launching your campaign early, we can:
✅ Generate enquiries sooner
✅ Conduct inspections promptly
✅ Process applications in advance
✅ Have a quality tenant approved and ready to move in as soon as the property becomes available
Our leasing process is designed to help you secure the best possible tenant who will care for your property and support strong long-term returns.
Attracting enquiries is only half the equation. Selecting the right tenant is just as important as finding one.
8. Effective Tenant Screening
The tenant you choose for your first tenancy will live in your property for at least twelve months, and likely longer. Getting this right matters.
Our comprehensive screening process covers employment and income verification (we look for a monthly income of at least 2.5 to 3 times the monthly rent), rental history checks with previous landlords, background and credit history review, personal assessment and interview, and compatibility with your property’s specific requirements.
We do not recommend a tenant until we are confident they are the right fit. Then we give you the information to make the final call.
We also assess compatibility with your property, things like pet suitability, storage requirements, and lifestyle factors that can affect the long-term condition of your home.
Our screening process covers:
✅ Employment and income verification
✅ Rental history checks with previous landlords
✅ Background and credit history review
✅ Personal assessment and interview
✅ Compatibility with your property’s requirements
Choosing the right tenant from the outset is one of the most effective ways to protect your investment, minimise vacancies, and avoid costly disputes down the track.
9. Property Compliance Needs to Be Addressed Up Front
Compliance is the area where new landlords are most likely to get caught out, not because they are careless, but because they did not know what they needed to know before the tenancy started.
Before your property is leased, we will address:
✅ Smoke alarm compliance
✅ Water efficiency requirements
✅ Gas compliance obligations
✅ Appropriate landlord insurance
We use a comprehensive compliance checklist for every new property and walk through it with you before the tenancy begins.
10. Landlord Insurance Is Essential Protection
Standard home and contents insurance does not cover rental scenarios. If a tenant causes malicious damage, you stop receiving rent due to a tenancy dispute, or a flood damages the property, you need landlord insurance. Without it, those costs fall entirely on you.
At a minimum, we recommend a policy that covers loss of rent, contents up to $50,000, malicious damage, public liability, and flood or natural disaster. While we always recommend making your own independent enquiries to find the policy that best suits your circumstances, there are two providers we work with regularly:
- AON
Phone: 3223 7400
Website: https://business-insurance.aon.com.au/contact-us/aon-brisbane - Terri Scheer
Phone: 1800 804 016
Website: https://www.terrischeer.com.au/landlord-insurance
Because of the changes in Queensland’s rental laws and the shifting power balance in favour of tenants, we recommend that new landlords arrange minimum landlord insurance which covers:
- loss of rent;
- contents cover up to $50,000;
- malicious damage
- public liability; and
- flood / natural disaster.
Note: this recommendation excludes property insurance, which should be covered under a separate policy or expanded property/landlord insurance policy.
How to Get Started
If you would like to explore whether Affinity is the right fit for your property, the first step is simple: request a free quote or call us for a conversation. No obligation. No pressure. When you are ready to move forward, we send a Form 6 Appointment via DocuSign for your review and signature. To prepare it, we need:
- the full names of the property owner or owners
- the physical address of the owner or owners
- a contact email address and phone number
- proof of identification, such as a driver’s licence or passport.
This identification is a legal requirement for completing the Form 6. Once we have those details, most landlords are set up, and their property is under active management within the week.
Local property management near you
We manage investment properties across North Brisbane, from Petrie and Kallangur to Murrumba Downs, Warner, Dakabin, and Morayfield — our local property management services and rental management expertise mean we know your suburb, your tenants, and your market.
Get in Touch
Ready to appoint a trusted property management company in North Brisbane? Our team is available now. Call us or request a free property management quote online.