The real cost of standing still in property management
Ailo
16 May 2025
In property management, standing still isn't staying safe — it's falling behind.
Adopting new technology can feel overwhelming, and while it might seem easier to delay change … inaction more often than not, comes at a cost.
How do you know you if your business needs change? The warning signs are there - you might not see them at first, but once you do they’re impossible to ignore.
Here’s how leading agencies across Australia have identified those red flags and in turn overcome the costs of doing nothing.
🚩 Your business is inefficient and at risk
Many agencies are still running on outdated legacy systems that weren’t designed for today’s demands. Switching between platforms, double-handling data, and managing patchwork processes slows everyone down — and introduces risk.
Lisa Hyland knows the toll that takes on a team.
“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.”
— Lisa Hyland, CEO of Property Management at Ray White Canberra
🚩 You’re spending more money than you need to on outdated legacy systems
You might not see it on the P&L right away, but outdated infrastructure costs more than you think — from unnecessary banking fees and compliance overheads to missed revenue opportunities.
Colin Walsh saw it clearly after switching to Ailo.
“On bank fees alone, I’m saving close to $20,000, and we barely use our trust account anymore.”
— Colin Walsh, Principal, Ray White Inner Brisbane Apartments
When modern platforms handle the heavy lifting, you stop leaking money on outdated processes — and start investing where it counts. Read more of Colin's story here.
🚩Your talented team is close to burnout
Great property managers are the cornerstone of all successful agencies, but they’re hard to keep if your systems wear them down. Manual tasks, reactive workflows and inefficient tech that make its impossible to switch off leads directly to frustration, fatigue, and churn.
Shane Colquhoun saw the shift when his team found space to do more meaningful work.
“Our property managers are happier, more confident, and have time now to focus on high-value work like delivering a great customer experience. It’s helping us grow and scale the business without adding complexity”
— Shane Colquhoun, Principal Licensee of LJ Hooker Nerang
When you give your team the right tools, they don’t just stay — they thrive. Read more about Shane and his team here.
🚩You’re squandering opportunities to grow
Growth sounds exciting — until your systems hold you back. Without the right tools, it becomes harder to scale without stress. With outdated systems, more managements requires more work and more complexity, and that can quickly overwhelm even experienced teams.
Sam Borner’s team faced that challenge head-on.
“Ailo has given us about 30% more capacity in our property management team, which means we can take on new managements and grow again”
— Sam Borner, Principal, Ray White Ballarat
The right platform unlocks capacity — without adding more hours or headcount. Check out Sam's full story here.
🚩 Your clients are growing increasingly dissatisfied
Today’s landlords expect more — more transparency, faster response times, and better service. When your internal systems lag behind, your customers feel it. And in a competitive market, that’s a dangerous position.
The result of modernising? Happier clients and healthier cash flow.
“Our arrears are sitting 50% lower than what they were previous to going on Ailo, which is a significant thing in our business, and our clients are happier.”
— Sam Borner, Principal, Ray White Ballarat
Better visibility isn’t just good for your team — it builds trust with your clients too.
The Bottom Line
Inaction has tangible costs. By sticking with outdated systems and delaying transformation, agencies risk operational inefficiencies, financial losses, employee burnout, missed growth, and poor customer experience.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. With Ailo, agencies across Australia are evolving their business models — and seeing results that are hard to ignore.