How Property Managers Protect Landlords If Things Go Wrong
Daniel Hillier • 18 February 2026
Lease enforcement is the process of ensuring tenants comply with the legal and financial terms of the lease, including rent payments, property care, and behaviour.
While tenant management focuses on day-to-day interaction, lease enforcement comes into play when expectations are not met. For landlords, this is one of the most important functions a property manager performs.
What lease enforcement really means
Lease enforcement typically includes:
- Monitoring rent payments
- Following up immediately on arrears
- Issuing formal notices when required
- Managing breaches of lease conditions
- Guiding the owner through legal steps if necessary
Effective enforcement is firm, consistent, and timely. Delays or hesitation often lead to bigger financial and legal problems.
Why early enforcement matters
When rent is late or rules are ignored, time matters. Good property managers act early because:
- Small arrears can quickly become significant losses
- Tenants test boundaries when enforcement is inconsistent
- Legal timelines often depend on prompt action
Early enforcement protects cash flow and reduces the likelihood of drawn out disputes.
The role of the property manager in enforcement
A professional property manager acts as a buffer between landlord and tenant where they:
- Handle difficult conversations objectively
- Follow legal processes correctly
- Protect the landlord from direct conflict
- Ensure documentation is accurate and complete
This reduces emotional stress for the owner and lowers the risk of mistakes.
What landlords should ask about lease enforcement
Landlords evaluating a property manager should ask:
- How rent arrears are handled and how quickly action begins
- What steps are taken when tenants ignore communication
- How breaches are documented and escalated
- How legal processes are managed if issues persist
Clear, confident answers indicate experience and preparedness.
What landlords should expect from their property manager handling tenants to decrease tenant dissatisfaction and increase owner satisfaction.
Goal setting is incredibly important, as part of my personal and business development, I take a unique approach to setting and measuring my goals. If you’ve ever seen my Google Calendar, it looks incredibly complicated and jam packed. In reality, it’s not. I use my calendar to set reminders, to ensure I don’t forget to call back that owner, or the council or the local water provider. And it’s all colour co-ordinated, so it can look completely wild and overwhelming to the untrained eye. A critical function of my calendar is to help me set goals. I set goals for the week, for the month, for every 3 months, 6 months and for every year. The unique thing about my goal setting is that I will record a video, and prompt myself to open the video in my calendar, say in 6 months time for example. The video is generally 5 minutes long or so, and I talk about what’s happening in my life at that time, how the business is going, any issues and problems I am facing, and importantly, where I want to be at the time I open the video. Before starting EZPZ, I set goals and thought about goals, but I never had a habit of really sitting down, taking 5 minutes to simply record a quick screenshot of my life, as it was in that moment. I have learned some valuable lessons from making these videos. The first thing is, whatever is bothering me or causing me problems and stresses right now, likely won’t be an issue in 3 months time, heck, it likely won’t be an issue in 3 weeks time. It’s often trivial and amusing when I look back at a video I sent myself 3 months ago to open. The benefit of this reflection and hindsight allows me to digest problems in a healthier and less taxing way. In the present, when facing issues or problems that are high in stress, I find asylum knowing this problem will pass. I used to get very stressed, and truthfully I still do - stress is an important tool for growth and action. But ensuring that the stress is not overwhelming or taking a physical toll on me is super important. Reminding myself of the videos is reassuring and helps me keep a holistic mindset. As we close off the first full year of business operations (2025), EZPZ has been able to far exceed expectations and smash goals which I had previously set. The volume of listings that are now under management are a clear reflection of the large appetite for quality property management services in Melbourne. As I navigate the path of entrepreneurship, goal setting will continue to be a critical part of ensuring the success of the company, and me personally. Best, Daniel
The idea for EZPZ Property Management started long before any official paperwork was filed. It was late 2019. I had just bought my first apartment in Auckland, New Zealand. After living in the apartment for several months, I made the decision to rent it out. That’s when I encountered something unexpected: Poor service levels in the Property Management (and Real Estate Sales) industry. I was struck by: ● A surprising lack of care, ● Minimal communication and responsiveness, ● High levels of staff turnover in every agency I approached. Eventually, I signed with a rental agency—but weeks went by, and my apartment remained vacant. No updates, no urgency, and no clear plan. Frustrated, I took matters into my own hands. I grabbed my phone, took some photos, and listed the apartment on a few social media platforms. Within days, I was getting messages and enquiries. I even began scheduling inspections on behalf of my property manager. It wasn’t long before a tenant, someone I had directly connected with, signed the lease. At the time, I didn’t realise it, but a fire had been lit. My sales background & foundation: In 2020, I moved into a role in real estate sales, working with a boutique agency in Auckland. We specialised in selling apartments, offering one-on-one inspections instead of traditional open homes. It was a more personal approach, and it worked—our conversion rates were some of the highest in the city. That role sharpened my sales skills and gave me valuable insight into what property owners actually want. Over the next two years, I built a small property portfolio in Auckland. New City, New Chapter: In September 2022, post-COVID, I felt it was time for a change. I explored options between Sydney and Melbourne, eventually choosing Melbourne to start fresh. New city, new challenge—close enough to home, but far enough to grow. I took a role at South Yarra BMW, where I worked for nearly two years. It was a return to a familiar skillset—sales—but something still pulled at me. While living in Australia, I continued to experience frustration with my property manager back in New Zealand: ● Confusing income statements, ● Extra charges for organising basic maintenance ● Poor communication all around. Despite living overseas, I eventually took over management of my NZ properties myself—from Melbourne. That experience only confirmed what I already knew: Property owners deserve better. The Turning Point: While still working full-time, I started laying the groundwork for something more. I’d print flyers at work, mock up QR codes, and brainstorm how I could one day launch my own property management business. I’d show my workmates the drafts and share my vision with them. But I had doubts: ● I'm young ● I didn’t grow up here ● I had no support network or connections in Melbourne I’ve always been someone who takes action—often impulsively, always with intention and I don’t let the fear of failure stop me. I try, I learn, I improve. At the time, I lived alone in my apartment in South Yarra—just around the corner from South Yarra BMW. I was saving every dollar I could. Not for crypto. Not for shares. Not for a house deposit. I was saving to buy time—enough to give myself 12 months of rent, food, and basic expenses so I could commit, fully, to starting this company. And So, EZPZ Was Born. On the 28th of July, 2024, I took the first official step. That’s the day this photo was taken. The first day of EZPZ Property Management. A company built on personal experience, frustration, and a vision for how things should be. Why EZPZ? Because property management should be easy: ● Easy for owners – clear communication, transparent fees, zero fluff. ● Straightforward for tenants – respectful service and reliable support. ● Backed by action, not excuses. That’s what I set out to build. And that’s what EZPZ is all about.