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In today’s market, more business owners are recognizing that property management is not just an add-on—it’s a key driver of stability, scalability, and long-term profitability. Few people understand this better than 

, General Manager at McGrath on the Lower North Shore.

With decades of experience in the industry under his belt, Rob has seen it all—the challenges, the inefficiencies, and now, the solution that is revolutionising the industry. 

If you’ve ever struggled with outdated systems, felt overwhelmed by disconnected processes, or wondered how to future-proof your property management business, this interview is a must-read. Rob breaks down exactly what’s changed, why it matters, and how one platform is helping property managers and business owners scale smarter, not harder.

How has the role of property management evolved in real estate businesses over your career?

Property management is the beating heart of a scalable business—it’s where the real value is. To me, it’s about looking after investors, making sure their asset is properly managed. It’s different to sales, which is all about the transaction.

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That’s what you can sell. You can’t sell a sales business the way you can sell a rent roll.

For a long time, property management was a bit on the side. But I think after COVID, more business owners recognised the value is in their property rental department. Sales directors who own businesses now take it more seriously, because they can see it’s what keeps their business strong.

How has property management technology evolved as the industry has?

In our industry, systems are everything. Traditionally, property managers were sold plug-ins—you needed an inspection manager, a separate program for documents, another one for payments. It was messy. I believe having one system that does everything, end-to-end, is the future.

Before Ailo, we had a bunch of different systems, and they were all okay individually, but together? It was clunky. The older systems were trust accounting programs with a little bit of property management on the side. 

Ailo is the only true property management system. It has simplified everything. We’re not jumping between platforms anymore. Everything’s in one place, which makes our jobs so much easier.

What was it like leading your team through the transition to a new technology platform and a stronger focus on growth?

There was some pushback at first—there always is with new technology. But once they saw how Ailo worked, they got onboard. It sells itself. 

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And, in the past, when you told a property manager, ‘We’re growing,’ they’d push back and say, ‘I’m already at capacity.’ But now, because they’re working more efficiently, they can take on more without feeling overwhelmed.

How has your move to Ailo changed the day-to-day feel in the office?

The office is calmer. Property managers log in and get their work done, rather than stressing over emails and juggling different systems. Ailo helps the team to do their work more efficiently rather than 

What do your clients think of the Ailo platform and your new level of service?

We have a commercial property owner—he’s about 60, owns six or seven properties. He had a large insurance bill that needed to be paid. I called him and said, ‘Jump on Ailo, upload your bill, and attach a credit card.’ 

I thought this was going to be a struggle, but five minutes later, he called me back saying, ‘That was amazing. I should be using this more often.’

Going back to the dark ages, this would have taken a week—waiting for funds, transferring money, clearing payments. With Ailo, it was done in minutes.

4 reasons why investors fall in love with Ailo

As general manager, how does Ailo help you keep on top of what the team is doing and where they might need extra support?

It holds property managers accountable, but in a way that helps them, not punishes them. It actually makes them better at their jobs.

Now when we pitch for new business, we can tell clients, ‘Our average response time is X minutes. Here’s how quickly we complete projects.’ You can’t do that with any other system. We’re not just saying we provide great service—we can prove it.

What would you say to a business owner considering Ailo?

I’d tell them, ‘You need to jump onboard. It’s an end-to-end product, no plug-ins, full visibility. Property managers love it, clients love it. It’s a no-brainer.’

The single platform changing property management forever—Rob from McGrath explains how

, Office and Business Development Manager at LJ Hooker Nowra, property management isn’t just about keeping things running—it’s about making things better. 

Like many agencies, her team once relied on legacy property management software, juggling manual checklists and administrative tasks that slowed them down. But switching to the Ailo platform changed everything. 

In this Q&A, Gemma shares how the Ailo platform has not only streamlined their workflow but also helped them stand out in a competitive market, giving landlords a level of transparency they’ve never had before.

What inspired you to move from a legacy property management system to the Ailo platform?

 step-by-step from the beginning to the end, basically just showing us what to do, so we don't forget anything. We don't have to use the paper checklists anymore!

From the moment we start a task to its completion, we’re guided through exactly what needs to be done, which means nothing gets missed. 

In our old system, we had to rely on paper checklists and manual tracking, which were easy to overlook in a busy office. Ailo has removed that uncertainty—everything is clearly mapped out within the platform, so we always know what’s next.

What stood out was the platform’s ability to streamline and simplify our day-to-day operations. It’s not just a replacement for our old system—it’s a smarter way of working. Instead of spending time on admin and double-checking paperwork, we can focus on delivering better service to landlords and tenants. That’s been a game-changer for us.

How does the Ailo platform compare to your previous legacy property management system?

unctional, and both it and Ailo are easy to use—but the difference is in how intuitive and structured Ailo is. 

With our old system, we had to manually track and tick off tasks, relying on external documents to keep things organised. Ailo has those checklists built right in, so the system guides us through each step, ensuring nothing is forgotten.

There’s no guesswork—you know exactly where a task is up to, whether it’s a maintenance request, a lease renewal, or a routine inspection. That’s been a huge stress reliever for our team.

When we first spoke, you mentioned it was difficult to grow and stand out, and that your previous systems weren’t necessarily supporting you. How has that changed?

I feel confident—definitely more confident about our future. Before, it felt like we were always playing catch-up, managing things reactively instead of proactively. 

Growth was challenging because we were spending so much time on admin, and standing out in the market was tough when we weren’t offering anything truly different from other agencies.

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. The transparency it offers to landlords is 

Read more: 4 reasons why investors fall in love with Ailo

Just the other day, we did an appraisal for a couple buying their first investment property. We didn’t just sell them on our service—we 

—statements, maintenance updates, rental payments, communication history—it gave them confidence. There was no need for back-and-forth emails or phone calls because they could check everything themselves, anytime. That kind of visibility and ease of use is something landlords really value, and it’s something we couldn’t offer before.

For us, this means we’re not just another property management office—we’re providing a modern, transparent experience that builds trust and attracts clients. 

And that’s exactly what we needed to break out of the old cycle and start growing with confidence.

Get a demo

Chat to Catherine

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Photo credit: https://nowra.ljhooker.com.au/

Less stress and no paper checklists! Gemma talks Ailo vs. legacy software

 first heard about what it would take to move to the Ailo platform, she didn’t believe it was possible at first. The idea of switching systems while managing the non-stop chaos of property management felt like a stretch too far.

“No way—not in like a month or six weeks or something,” she recalled.

But fast forward just a few weeks, and her story had completely changed.

What it's like migrating to a legacy system versus Ailo

Having previously dealt with system transitions, Nikki was no stranger to the challenges of onboarding new software. “With the other system, it was terrible. I just had to do it all myself. I made my own spreadsheets to make sure I had everything I needed.”

 handed her ready-to-go tools, she had one thought: “This is brilliant. No need to create my own.”

Unlike other platforms that require agencies to conform to rigid workflows, Ailo was different. “Ailo just makes it easy. It makes it make sense. And you can tweak it to your company’s processes, procedures, or checklists. However your office works, you can make it work,” Nikki said.

For someone who thrives on structure and organisation, the adaptability of Ailo was a game-changer. 

, you can streamline workflows and gain clear visibility across the property management team to keep things moving.

“I come in, look at my projects, look at my actions, and I can tweak my projects. And every week, I find myself thinking, ‘Oh, actually, I’ll tweak this project template again, because I’m finding better ways to do things.’”

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Finding structure in chaos with the right tools

The past few months have been relentless for Nikki, with a constant flow of tenant moves, relocations, leasing, and inspections. “It hasn’t stopped. But I could not have gotten through these last two months if I wasn’t on Ailo.”

For her, the software wasn’t just another tool—it became the backbone of her ability to manage overwhelming workloads and keep everything running smoothly.

Her verdict? Ailo works for you—not the other way around

While many platforms demand users adapt to their structure, Ailo flips the script. “It’s just so adaptable. Unless you’ve seen it—unless you’ve seen it happen—I wouldn’t believe it,” Nikki said.

Her initial skepticism has been replaced with confidence and control. And her message to others considering the switch?

From overwhelmed to organised: how Nikki took control of chaos

With 50 property managers on the team, Ray White Canberra operates one of the largest property management businesses in the region. Managing a substantial rental portfolio requires efficiency, consistency, and a high level of customer service. But as customer expectations evolved, the agency’s legacy systems became a barrier rather than a benefit.

Lisa Hyland, CEO of Property Management at Ray White Canberra

, shares how streamlining operations with Ailo has empowered her team, enhanced customer experience, and driven sustainable growth. 

“Over the past few years, we’ve been focusing on enhancing the customer journey—improving the experience for landlords, tenants, and our internal team,” Lisa said. 

“Our goal was to provide a holistic service experience that ensures consistency, efficiency, and better engagement across the board.”

The problem with legacy property management systems

While legacy systems served their purpose for many years, they introduced inefficiencies that created unnecessary stress for both the team and their clients.

“Our team had to navigate between different platforms, leading to time-consuming processes, fragmented communication, and added stress. This made it harder to provide the seamless, high-quality service we envisioned for our clients.”

Another challenge was the evolving nature of property management itself. Investors and tenants now expect a 

 experience, not just transactional interactions. 

"The complexity made it difficult to ensure everything was completed efficiently and transparently, which sometimes led to service gaps or delays," she said.

When evaluating alternatives, Lisa and her team were drawn to Ailo’s ability to consolidate and streamline operations into a single platform.

“Ailo streamlined everything into one central system, reducing the need for multiple platforms and manual processes. One of the standout features has been Ailo’s project management tools, which provide a structured, step-by-step workflow for our team,” she said.

Previously, property managers relied on paper checklists or memory to track critical tasks. With Ailo, workflows are automated and structured, ensuring nothing gets overlooked.

“Now, everything is built into Ailo—they simply follow the workflow, ensuring nothing gets missed," she said. 

"Ailo has significantly reduced stress and improved efficiency, allowing our team to focus more on delivering a great experience rather than worrying about whether tasks have been completed.”

Beyond simplifying daily operations, Ailo has also given leadership clearer oversight.

For Lisa, one of the most profound shifts has been in team confidence.

“One of the biggest changes we’ve noticed is that our team feels more empowered and confident in their ability to deliver on promises made to clients.”

In the past, property managers secure new business, only to struggle with the reality of disjointed systems. Now, they have the backing of a platform that allows them to follow through.

“With Ailo, they can confidently say, ‘This is how we operate, and this is what you can expect.’ The system provides the structure and visibility they need to follow through, which in turn builds trust with clients and strengthens relationships.”

This confidence has also translated into improved work-life balance.

“Property management is a demanding job, and it’s essential that our team feels supported," she said.

From a leadership perspective, the impact of Ailo has been significant.

Lisa also emphasised that while technology is crucial, property management remains a relationship-driven industry.

“Ailo complements our leadership approach, which prioritises both operational efficiency and strong team relationships. While technology is important, we know that property management will always be about relationships," she said.

"Ailo enhances our ability to deliver on that by freeing up time for our team to focus on client engagement rather than admin tasks."

A structured approach to change management was another key factor in the transition.

"Ailo provided clear communication strategies, helping us guide our clients through the change smoothly.”

Having transparent, structured communication with landlords and tenants minimised disruption and ensured a smooth transition.

Customer experience: a true competitive advantage

Beyond operational improvements, Ailo has strengthened Ray White Canberra’s market position.

Today’s landlords expect instant access to information, and Ailo delivers.

“Whether they want to check rental payments, maintenance requests, or lease details, they can log in anytime, from anywhere. This level of transparency builds trust, making it easier to attract new clients and retain existing ones.”

The transition has also enabled the business to scale sustainably.

Lisa is clear about the long-term benefits of this transformation.

“With Ailo, we feel excited and confident about the future. The transition has been transformational, and our team has embraced the system because they see the real, tangible benefits in their daily work.”

For Ray White Canberra, the impact goes beyond efficiency—it’s about delivering an experience that landlords, tenants, and property managers genuinely value.

“Ailo isn’t just a system—it’s a strategic shift that enables us to grow, attract more clients, and retain them for longer. By giving our team the tools to deliver on their promises, we’re setting a new benchmark for property management.”

And, as Lisa puts it, this is just the beginning.

Revolutionising the customer experience, with a single powerful platform

In the fast-paced world of property management, efficiency is everything. 

So when teams are juggling multiple systems, it can create unnecessary complexity that impacts internal operations and the customer experience. 

Gerard Northey, General Manager of Growth

 - Property Management at Ray White Canberra, knows this challenge firsthand. 

Leading growth for a team of 50 property management professionals, he has seen how inefficiencies caused by fragmented systems can lead to frustration for teams and clients.

"If someone is away, they might not know where critical information is stored," he said. "It could be in an email, a note in a legacy system, or elsewhere, making it easy for things to slip through the cracks."

This lack of centralised information creates confusion, slows down response times, and can lead to costly mistakes. "An owner might say, 'I only want to deal with a certain person,' but the information they need isn’t accessible to others on the team. That’s when things start to break down," he said.

"A lot of property managers already feel overwhelmed. The industry turnover rate is about 18 months for a reason," Gerard said. 

When property managers are stretched too thin across multiple legacy software systems, renters and property investors notice. 

"If they’re juggling multiple systems, things get missed, and clients start feeling like they aren’t a priority. Even if things are being managed well, it can still seem chaotic from the customer’s perspective."

Gerard’s team made the switch to a single, integrated system—one designed to streamline workflows and enhance transparency. "Now, when we’re onboarding new clients, we’re not just telling them how good we are—we’re showing them how our system benefits them," he said.

A prime example? "If a landlord is overseas and has a question in the middle of the night, they can log in and find everything they need without waiting for someone to respond. If they’re worried about a tenant paying rent, they can check it themselves in real-time. That kind of accessibility makes a huge difference."

The competitive edge: confidence and trust

With a seamless system in place, Gerard’s team isn’t just operating more efficiently—they’re delivering a level of service that sets them apart. 

"Now we can give our team confidence that what they’re promising will actually be delivered," he said. "It’s no longer about just having great people; it’s about equipping them with the right tools to succeed."

By eliminating system complexity, Gerard’s team has been able to focus on what matters most: delivering a standout customer experience that drives long-term business success.

The hidden cost of multiple systems in property management

Even with a great property manager, renting can still be stressful. Keeping track of what you owe and when – not to mention the endless back-and-forth just to get things fixed. 

Meet Ailo, the platform designed to help property managers give renters a better experience. 

Property managers use Ailo to manage your payments, keep your home safe and comfortable, and ensure you’re always kept in the loop. 

The platform also gives you way more transparency and control. 

complete your ingoing inspection on your Ailo app

. Delivering a stack of paper back to your property manager is now a relic of the past! 

Once you settle in, Chat makes it easy to resolve repairs faster. With all your conversations in one place, say goodbye to missed emails and phone tag. Plus, we measure your property manager’s response time to help them improve. 

See everything in your app, including how much rent you owe, any upcoming bills, and your rental ledger. You can also unlock more payment methods. 

Choose to use instant card payments, to boost your rewards points, or to easily split rent or bills with housemates. It’s your choice. 

With Ailo, your information is encrypted the moment you enter it and stored securely according to the highest standards set by Visa and Mastercard. 

Introducing Ailo to renters

For Deborah, it's not just about numbers and investments. Building a successful business is about building lasting relationships with clients based on trust, understanding – and customisation.

But legacy property management systems weren’t built to allow property managers to be everything to everyone all the time. So when Deborah learnt about Ailo, she was intrigued. Finally, a platform that allows property managers to deliver deeply-customised and personal service without the burnout!

With more than a decade in real estate, Deborah now owns a growing boutique property management business called 

You’ve been on the platform 12 months now. What do you think?

I love all of the aspects of Ailo! I love that there's no daily trust accounting, and I love the projects. I have been looking for a software that has an in-built checklist for forever, and I love that. 

I have seen quite a few different software systems in my time, and the benefits from Ailo from a cost perspective and a time perspective, are just invaluable.

I have a background in managing large teams, and Projects would just solve so many problems for people that are trying to manage and oversee large teams. It's just fabulous.

When I was working with a larger team, I always used to say to my PMs, “We need to plan for you!” How am I going to know where this maintenance project is up to? I need to be able to know exactly where we're up to.

But having a piece of paper checklist on your desk doesn't help!

Having it in your software where you've gone in and you can see the email that was sent to the owner asking for the repair to be done. And, you can see the confirmation coming back from the owner saying that she's doing it… that allows anybody to jump into anybody's seat and run with things. So Projects are so important for that reason.

Even though I have only got a smaller portfolio at the moment, I still need reminding. I'm so busy working on my business that I may forget where that lease renewal process is up to. I won't forget now! I work on my tasks for the day, and I know exactly where I'm up to.

You’re known for delivering highly-personalised service to investors. How do you do that without the burnout?

I send landlords a listing kit to show them exactly what Ailo can do and how they can have access to the app, set up their preferences, see where their tenants are paid to, and just the benefits of being able to draw on that money whenever they need it.

It's always interesting to see those landlords who love to jump in and pay themselves! It's funny to see how different people like to work differently. Some are more traditional and will just transfer the money at the end of the month, and others log in at all different times. It's their money, and they have access to it when they want.

I got a call from one of my investors recently and he is not very happy with his property manager in Brisbane and wanted to source a new one. He asked me what Brisbane agents use Ailo, because he loves the software so much that he wants to find another agent for his investment property in Brisbane that is using Ailo. So, that was quite exciting for me to hear that because I love that my landlords are enjoying the app as much as I am!

The benefits for him having the two properties in two different states is that he can log in and see both of the properties in his Ailo app, instead of having to log into two different systems. He has it all there!

I have another landlord who's in New South Wales who has an investment there. And she was so excited when she found me and then found out that I was using Ailo, too!

It's almost like, I want to share this knowledge with everyone, but on the other hand, I'd also like to keep it as a little bit of a secret for me because I am using that in my sales pitch to potential landlords!

What was your favourite new feature on the platform in 2024?

The biggest thing was probably the paperless PCRs – the inspections are great! They're really easy to do, and when I tell tenants that I'm going to be sending out the paperless PCR and that they can all work on it simultaneously, they're loving that, because, you know, divide and conquer! It's always great to have help to do that report and not have to just rely on one person going through every room. Tenants are loving it.

They're also just loving the fact that they can just log on and see where they're paid to. Some have noted that they're really enjoying the fact that they can pay their rent by credit card, too. If something has happened that week or that month, and they need to make a payment by credit card, that facility is there for them to do that. So that's great as well.

Customisation is king for customer satisfaction, take it from Deborah

Say less to stress, and more to seafood cocktails and swim up pool bars!

Felicity runs a property management team in Goulburn, NSW and Mariah heads up a team in Adelaide. They share what it’s like to 

 take a holiday now that they’re on the Ailo platform 👇

What is it like taking a holiday now that you’re on Ailo?

Very different. So I did 2 weeks in New Zealand, I think it was the end of August. I took my laptop in preparation for the fact that, you know, usually when you go on leave, you need to do some work.

It didn't actually come out of my suitcase once, which was amazing! For the first time in probably 10 years.

The team could see exactly where things were at, exactly what needed to be done. The communication was all in the system, so it was all very clear for them, you know, what had been said or what had been promised.

I take holidays, Christmas and New Year every year without fail. I used to FaceTime back to the office to talk someone through end-of-month and make sure it got done properly.

I don't have to worry about that anymore. I can actually enjoy my Christmas break with my family and come back knowing that everything's been done, and I don't have to stress about that.

What is the vibe in the office now when team members go on leave?

The team's a lot more confident. Things are a lot more peaceful and time management's been much easier as well, so it's just a happier environment to be in.

I mean, life was chaotic then, with lots of Post-it notes and to do lists and mess on the table and, you know, trying to coordinate with everyone.

Now, I don't even have a paper diary or any notepads on my desk, because everything's just through projects and my actions. It's just so much smoother now, coming to work and dealing with everything.

For example, if I need someone to do something for me, I create that project and I assign them their actions. I don't have to ring them or text and say I need you to do this for me. They just look at their actions and know that that's what needs to be done.

How do you manage customer communication over the holiday period with a skeleton staff on?

Being on Ailo has made such a difference to our arrears. We aren't making daily calls anymore, there's just no need for it. The number of tenants that are in arrears has dramatically decreased.

Most of our arrears are 3 to 4 days now. We're not seeing over 7 days very often. Just being able to see when those payments are immediately being made, has been so helpful for our team. Not spending daily time on arrears anymore, it's just freed up so much time because the system does the majority of the hard work for you.

And for our investors, there's so much transparency in the app. They can see everything we can see from a rent perspective, so the communication has been a lot better around arrears. They can log into their app and see where their tenants paid to and when payments have been made.

Property Manager

Director

Principal

Business Owner

How the other half holiday: Life after legacy systems 

What do Crowded House, Billie Eilish and Messages have in common? They’re 3 legends set to rock your world this summer 🤘

Industry data shows us time and time again that the biggest driver of customer satisfaction is good communication. That’s why, unlike legacy systems, we built communication into the heart of the Ailo platform from day one.

Today we are thrilled to welcome Messages onto the stage, a game-changing update designed to help you:

 with a more intuitive, streamlined layout

 focusing on the messages that matter to you

A round of applause for the superstar property managers who rehearsed this back stage with us!

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1. Work even faster with an intuitive layout

✅ The new Messages list and preview options are 