The Property Bureau is a boutique, owner operated property management and estate agency in Cape Town. We manage residential rentals for a flat 11.5% of monthly rent collected on an unfurnished property and 12.5% on a furnished property, fully inclusive, no extras. Rent runs through a PayProp trust account and reaches you within 24 to 48 hours of receipt, with an itemised statement every month. We are PPRA registered and we hold a Fidelity Fund Certificate. Every property we manage has been signed off by one principal, Paul Grobler, since 2007.
This page covers who full property management suits, exactly what the fee covers, how the process runs from valuation to deposit refund, and the questions to ask any agency before you sign.
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Who full property management is for
Property management is for the landlord who wants a tenancy run, not only a tenant found. It tends to suit you if you:
- Live away from the property, abroad or elsewhere in South Africa, or travel often.
- Own more than one rental, or hold property in a trust. See trust portfolio management.
- Are looking after a property in a deceased estate while it is wound up. See deceased estate property management.
- Would rather not take the call about a burst geyser at half past six on a Friday.
If you live nearby, have time during working hours, and already have a plumber and an electrician you trust, tenant placement on its own may be all you need. Our Cape Town rental agents page explains placement only in full.
What property management includes
Full management means we run the tenancy from the first viewing to the final deposit refund, and you make the decisions that are yours to make. One fee covers all of it.
Tenant placement and screening
We market the property on the major portals, run the viewings and screen every applicant. That covers identity, a PayProp credit check, a TPN verification or both, affordability against payslips and bank statements, employment and income confirmation, and previous landlord references. Where an applicant is a foreign national, we verify the visa or permit and match the lease term to it. You see the screening file and you make the final decision.
Leases under the Rental Housing Act
Our written leases set out the rent, the annual increase, the deposit, who maintains what and how damage is claimed. They are drafted to comply with the Rental Housing Act.
Rent collection through PayProp
Rent is due on the 1st and is paid into a trust account administered through PayProp. We see every account daily, and if a payment is late the tenant hears from us on day one. Funds reach you within 24 to 48 hours of receipt, less the management fee and any expenses you have approved.
Three inspections, each with a photographic record
We do three inspections, and each one has a job:
- An incoming inspection with dated photographs before the tenant moves in.
- An outgoing inspection with dated photographs when the tenant leaves.
- A mandatory inspection before every lease renewal. No lease is renewed until it is done.
That record is what settles a deposit question before it becomes a dispute.
Maintenance, with your approval
We get quotes from our own vetted contractors, or from yours if you prefer. Nothing is authorised without your approval. The only exception is a genuine emergency such as a burst pipe or an electrical fault, and then you are told straight away.
Renewals, reviews and statements
You get an annual rental review, a renewal recommendation with proposed terms, and an itemised statement every month showing every rand in and out.
What property management costs in Cape Town
Full management is a flat 11.5% of monthly rent collected on an unfurnished property and 12.5% on a furnished property, fully inclusive, no extras. Tenant placement on its own is 7.5% of the annual rental. The mandate runs for twelve months, with one calendar month’s written notice on either side.
Note the words “rent collected”. We are paid on rent that actually arrives, not on rent that is due, so our interests and yours point the same way.
The fee covers our service. The costs that belong to the property stay with the owner: municipal rates and levies, building insurance, compliance certificates and the cost of maintenance work. What a tenant pays, and when, is set out line by line on our rental agency fees page: the credit check fee with the application, the rest once the landlord accepts and the lease is signed.
For context, management fees in Cape Town typically run between 4% and 6% of the monthly rent, plus a placement fee of between 6% and 10% of the annual rental, often with extra charges. Full management packages elsewhere typically run at 10% to 14% of the monthly rent. What is included matters more than the percentage, which is why we publish ours in full. Our guide to what property management costs in Cape Town sets out what to check.
How our property management works, step by step
- Free rental valuation. We give you a written rental assessment before we market, based on what has actually let nearby. If your number is wrong, we will tell you. Request a free rental valuation.
- Mandate. Twelve months, with one calendar month’s written notice on either side.
- Marketing and viewings. We list the property on the portals, take the photographs and run the viewings.
- Screening. The full file comes to you. We recommend, you approve.
- Lease and move in. The lease is signed, the deposit is held in trust, and the incoming inspection is done with photographs.
- Every month. Rent is collected through PayProp and paid over within 24 to 48 hours of receipt, with a statement.
- Before renewal. The mandatory inspection, then our renewal recommendation and proposed terms.
- At the end of the lease. A joint outgoing inspection with photographs, and the deposit reconciled within the timelines the Rental Housing Act sets.
How to choose property management estate agents in Cape Town
There is no single best agency for every landlord. There is a best agency for your property, your suburb and how involved you want to be. Ask these six questions before you sign anything.
- Who signs off on your file, and will that still be true next year?
- Are they paid on rent due or rent collected?
- Where does your rent sit, and how quickly is it paid over?
- What is genuinely included, in writing? Renewal fees and inspection charges are often quoted separately.
- Can they back their rental figure with what has let in your street?
- Do they hold a valid Fidelity Fund Certificate? Under section 48 of the Property Practitioners Act, no agency may trade without one. Under section 54, rent must sit in a separate trust account.
Judge on those six and the fee becomes the last question rather than the first. One month of vacancy on a R15 000 rental costs R15 000. That is more than a year of the difference between one agency’s fee and another’s. For more, read how to choose a property management company.
Switching from another agency
We handle the handover end to end: notice to your existing agent, transfer of the tenant relationship, deposit reconciliation and the joint inspection. Most switches happen at lease anniversary or renewal. A mid lease handover is workable where the existing mandate allows it. Our full services and fees are on the landlords page.
Areas we manage across Cape Town
We manage residential property across the Southern Suburbs, the Atlantic Seaboard, the City Bowl and the False Bay coast. That includes Constantia, Claremont, Newlands, Rondebosch, Wynberg, Kenilworth, Harfield Village, Bergvliet and Meadowridge, Sea Point, Camps Bay, Clifton, Three Anchor Bay, Gardens, Fish Hoek, Kalk Bay, Glencairn and Muizenberg. The full list is on our areas we serve page.
“Paul Grobler and his team take the problems right off my shoulders. It’s the ‘leave it to me’ attitude that really makes the letting business a pleasure rather than feeling as though I’m running a second business in my spare time.”
B. Impy, landlord
Property management Cape Town, FAQs
How much does property management cost in Cape Town?
At The Property Bureau, full management is a flat 11.5% of monthly rent collected on an unfurnished property and 12.5% on a furnished property, fully inclusive, no extras. Tenant placement on its own is 7.5% of the annual rental.
What is included in full property management?
It covers tenant marketing and screening, a lease that complies with the Rental Housing Act, rent collection through PayProp, three inspections with photographs, maintenance coordination with your approval, renewals, an annual rental review and monthly statements. All of it sits inside the one fee.
What is the difference between property management and a rental agent?
A rental agent, or letting agent, finds and places the tenant and then hands over. Property management does the placement and then runs the tenancy for the life of the lease. The Property Bureau offers both.
When do I receive my rent each month?
Rent is due from the tenant on the 1st and is paid through PayProp. Funds reach your account within 24 to 48 hours of receipt, less the management fee and any approved expenses, with an itemised statement.
How often do you inspect a managed property?
We do three inspections: an incoming inspection with photographs, an outgoing inspection with photographs, and a mandatory inspection before every lease renewal. No lease is renewed until that inspection is done.
Am I locked into a long contract?
No. The mandate is twelve months, with one calendar month’s written notice on either side. If we are not doing the job, you can end it on one calendar month’s written notice.
Do you charge on rent due or rent collected?
Rent collected. If the tenant does not pay, we do not earn on it either.
Which areas of Cape Town do you manage in?
The Southern Suburbs, the Atlantic Seaboard, the City Bowl and the False Bay coast, from Constantia and Claremont to Sea Point, Camps Bay and Muizenberg.
Talk to a Cape Town property manager
Tell us about your property and we will give you a straight answer, including whether full management or placement only fits your situation.
Request a free rental valuation | Contact us | 021 797 8850
Written by Paul Grobler, Principal Property Practitioner, The Property Bureau, 26 Maynard Road, Wynberg, Cape Town. PPRA registered. Fidelity Fund Certificate held. Every property we manage is reviewed by one principal. Reviewed October 2026. Sources: Rental Housing Act 50 of 1999, section 5(3); Property Practitioners Act 22 of 2019, sections 48 and 54.
