Top 5 Auckland property management companies

A property manager takes on the day-to-day responsibility of managing your rental property.

This includes finding and vetting tenants, collecting rent, and doing inspections.

Hiring a property manager comes at a cost, but we think it’s worth it.

Here’s the issue, though. If you go on any property manager’s website, they’ll all say the same thing: “We look after our owners’ properties like they are our own.”

But with everyone saying the same thing … how do you know who to use?

In this article, you’ll learn our top 5 property manager picks (in no particular order), along with unique points about them.

Opes Property Management

Before we get into the list, I should mention that here at Opes we have our own property managers; they’re called Opes Property Management.

I’m not including them in the list of the top 5 property managers in Auckland, even though I own the company!

Because if I say Opes Property Management is “the best” in New Zealand, you’ll think “he’s biased!”

So, we’re keeping them off the list, but you might like to check them out anyway, especially if you’re buying a New Build, because that’s what Opes Property Management specialises in.

So, let’s have a look at the list:

#1 – Auckland Property Management

Auckland Property Management (APM) is one of the largest independent companies in Auckland. They have about 67 staff in the team.

The company started in 1991 and has won many industry awards. This includes the Large Company of the Year award from the Leading Property Managers’ Association of NZ (2019).

Where Auckland Property Management stands out is in its rental guarantees. This is where the organisation guarantees your tenant will pay the rent on time. If not, APM will pay you themselves.

In total APM offers “5 Financial Guarantees” on their silver and gold (i.e. more expensive) plans.

These 5 financial guarantees are:

1. If your tenant won’t pay the rent, APM will cover this for them and recoup the cost later

2. If you’re still without a tenant after 28 days of APM advertising the property, they’ll pay the rent

3. If you aren’t happy with their service, you can opt not to pay them

4. There’s a three-month trial, where you can sign up to use them and cancel at no risk

5. If you switch to APM, they won’t charge you a fee for switching over your files to them.

This might suit an investor who worries a bit more about what could go wrong. This could put your mind at ease.

To be fair (on point 5) that’s the same for the bulk of property managers. Nonetheless, these guarantees are a clear point of difference.

The large team covers residential, body corporate, commercial and holiday homes. They are one of the only property management firms to cover all these different aspects on this list.

Fees range from 7-8% + GST. However, you can choose between two plans: “Flexi Plan” or “All-in-One”.

A Flexi Plan might suit a property that is newer and requires less maintenance, whereas an All-In plan offers an all-inclusive fee.

#2 – Rental Bureau

The Rental Bureau is a small team of 4, but comes very highly recommended. My team rave about the superb care these guys take with owners and tenants.

Google reviews give the team 4.8 stars, and the team is often recognised by REINZ (Real Estate Institute of New Zealand). They won “Small Office of the Year” in 2022, and were finalists in 2023.

Victoria Heyes founded the company in 2015. She says there was a lack of personal touch in the industry and took it on herself to change that.

She says getting great reviews from property owners is wonderful, but nothing makes her happier than a tenant who feels treated fairly.

The Rental Bureau manages properties from West Auckland to the North Shore as well as the central city and south to Papatoetoe.

Management fees are 8.5% + GST. Maintenance fees and routine inspections are $49+ GST. 

More from Opes:

• What's a good rental yield in Auckland? (Article)
• How is the Auckland property market going? (Article)
• Top 5 mortgage brokers in Auckland (Article)

#3 – Property Scouts

Property Scouts is a national franchise network and has 16 offices in New Zealand.

Since the first franchise offices opened in 2015, the business has taken off.

Each location runs as a separate business, so there can be some variation between the quality and management of offices.

Here at Opes, we can stand behind the Auckland Metro and Tauranga/Western Bay of Plenty offices.

Property Scouts also have a rental guarantee, but it’s more limited than other organisations we have mentioned.

For example, it covers you if your tenant doesn’t pay the rent, although not if the company can’t find a tenant for you.

Property Scouts also charge additional fees for inspections and finding a new tenant.

It's important to note that each franchise controls its pricing. If you use another Property Scouts office, the pricing may differ.

Property Scouts do offer a special service for investors. They identify potential investment properties and conduct rental appraisals where necessary.

The fees range from 7.5-8.5%, depending on whether you want the rental guarantee. On top of this you will probably also have to pay for inspections and tenant sourcing fees.

#4 – Iron Bridge

Iron Bridge is a family-owned property management company. They’ve been going in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch since 2003.

Property managers at Iron Bridge work as a team with smaller portfolios. This allows for more attention to the properties they look after.

One of the benefits of this company is the number of services included in its management fee.

Quarterly inspection fees (with written reports) are free. The arrangement and supervision of repairs are also free of charge. Fees start at 8.5%.

#5 – Barfoot & Thompson

Last up is the well-known Barfoot & Thompson.

Barfoot is a large business, specialising in the Auckland and Northland markets. There are 60 branches and more than 250 property managers in Auckland alone.

In total, Barfoot manages 18,000 properties.

The company has been going in Auckland since 1934. They do everything in property, including helping you buy and sell properties.

So, if you want a property management company that can also sell your property for you, then Barfoot could be a good fit.

My team rates Adrian Dermer; he’s the head of property management at the Remuera branch.