If your property manager is not responding, set a firm short written follow-up window of around 2 to 3 days, document every attempt with dates and screenshots, and escalate to Consumer and Business Services (CBS) if the silence continues. Prepare a SACAT application where safety or urgent repairs are involved. Landlords can be held liable for their agent's failures, so be ready to replace the manager if the relationship doesn't recover.
TL;DR:
- Property owners should record all communications, photos, and invoices from the first contact to strengthen their case before escalating disputes.
- Set clear deadlines in writing for urgent and routine repairs, and document every follow-up attempt to create a comprehensive complaint trail.
- Landlords remain legally responsible for their agents' failures, making prompt escalation necessary if managers ignore safety or statutory obligations.
- Formal notices and organized records are essential to succeed with SACAT or CBS complaints, especially when requesting repairs or compensation.
- Choosing a proactive management agency with transparent communication, regular check-ins, and owner portal access can prevent future non-response issues.
Table of Contents
- What to do in the first 24 to 72 hours
- Building a record that actually holds up later
- When and how to escalate to CBS or SACAT
- Ending the agreement and handing over to a new manager
- Stopping this from happening again
- How a proactive agency treats owner communication
- How HOSO can help if your property manager has gone quiet
- Sources
- FAQ
What to do in the first 24 to 72 hours
Silence from a property manager rarely fixes itself. The first three days determine whether you end up with a quick resolution or a drawn-out dispute, so treat this window as a structured process, not a waiting game.
- Check the pattern, not just the moment. One unanswered email might mean a manager is on leave. Three unanswered emails across a week, with no auto-reply or handover notice, is a pattern worth acting on.
- Set a hard deadline. Give about one day for acknowledgement on urgent matters (safety, security, utilities) and a few days for routine items. Say the deadline explicitly in writing.
- Send one firm, dated follow-up. Reference every prior contact by date, restate what you need, and ask for a specific response time using the end-of-tenancy cleaning checklist that gets deposits back as a helpful reference to set expectations on condition and cleanliness. For urgent matters, back up the email with registered post or a phone call you confirm in writing straight after.
- Classify the issue by urgency. A gas leak or broken lock at a rental in Prospect or Norwood needs same-day attention. A quote for gutter cleaning does not.
- If safety is at risk, get answers on contractor status directly — ask whether a tradesperson has been contacted, whether the manager has approved the work, and when attendance is planned. These targeted questions get faster answers than a general "any update?"
- Avoid unilateral action that breaches your management agreement. If you must engage a contractor directly because of genuine urgency, keep every invoice and note why you acted, so the cost is defensible later.
Pro Tip: Keep a single running email thread per issue rather than starting fresh each time. A tribunal member or CBS officer can read one dated chain far faster than a scattered inbox.
Under South Australian tenancy law, a tenant can sometimes arrange urgent repairs themselves and seek reimbursement if a landlord or their agent fails to respond to a genuinely urgent repair. That exposure sits with you, the landlord, which is exactly why the SA government's dispute resolution guidance urges prompt written responses over silence.
Building a record that actually holds up later
Every complaint, CBS notice, or SACAT application lives or dies on paper. Vague recollections don't help you. Dated, specific records do.
- Save every email, SMS, and call log, and add a contemporaneous note after each call summarising what was said and by whom.
- Photograph or film anything showing damage, risk, or deterioration, with a timestamp visible where possible.
- Keep contractor quotes and invoices, especially where repairs were authorised urgently or where a manager's inaction caused a delay.
- Where you send a formal notice, use CBS's own template wording rather than an informal letter. It carries more weight in a complaint or SACAT application.
- Organise everything in one folder by date, oldest first, with a one-page timeline summary on top.
A documented chain of communication from the very first contact is often the single most persuasive piece of evidence a landlord can present to CBS or SACAT. Landlords who start that habit from day one, rather than retrofitting it after a dispute begins, tend to resolve issues faster and with far less argument over what was actually said.
When and how to escalate to CBS or SACAT
Escalation isn't a last resort reserved for disasters. It's a structured next step once internal follow-up has genuinely failed.
File a complaint with Consumer and Business Services (CBS) when your property manager has ignored repeated written requests, missed statutory obligations (bond handling, rent disbursement, condition reports), or breached the management agreement without explanation. CBS can investigate and, where warranted, direct compliance.
Apply to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) when repairs remain undone, compensation is owed, or you need a binding order rather than a request. SACAT can order repairs, award compensation, or issue directions, and it offers urgent hearing pathways where safety is genuinely at risk. The SA government's renting and letting guidance sets out the correct forms and process for both bodies.
Here's the part many landlords miss: appointing an agent doesn't transfer your legal liability. Court analysis confirms that landlords remain liable for the negligent acts of their agents. Outsourcing the duty does not outsource the responsibility, so a manager's non-response can still become your legal problem, according to Mills Oakley's analysis of landlord obligations.
Before lodging a SACAT application, gather:
- A timeline of every contact attempt with dates
- Copies of all written correspondence
- Photos, quotes, or invoices relevant to the dispute
- A copy of your management agreement highlighting the relevant clauses
This process is explained step by step in HOSO's guide to escalating property management complaints.
Ending the agreement and handing over to a new manager
Sometimes the relationship simply doesn't recover, and the right move is a clean, well-documented switch rather than another round of chasing.
- Read your management agreement's termination clause first. Notice periods commonly run between one and three months depending on the contract, and giving invalid notice can create its own dispute, as Dynamic Residential's guidance on switching managers points out.
- Deliver written notice exactly as the agreement requires — right recipient, right format, right timeframe.
- Arrange a formal handover. Keys, tenancy files, bond records, condition reports, and contractor contacts should transfer directly between the outgoing and incoming manager, not through informal channels.
- Notify your tenant professionally. Confirm who to contact, where rent goes, and when the change takes effect, so there's no gap in rent processing.
- Vet the replacement properly. Ask about response time commitments, owner portal access, inspection frequency, and how maintenance approvals are handled before you sign anything new. Details on SA-specific termination timing are covered in HOSO's guide to the SA tenancy termination process.
Stopping this from happening again
The best fix for an unresponsive manager is choosing better the first time and then checking in regularly, not waiting for the next crisis to reveal a problem.
- Ask any prospective manager for their written response SLA before you sign, not after a maintenance issue drags on.
- Confirm they offer owner portal access so you can see maintenance status, inspection reports, and financials without chasing anyone.
- Check their tenant screening process; a rigorous, multi-layer screening approach reduces the maintenance and dispute load that causes managers to fall behind in the first place.
- Set a monthly governance habit: review outstanding maintenance items, inspection dates, and any unanswered owner queries yourself.
- Treat two missed response deadlines in a row as a red flag worth acting on immediately, not explaining away.
Pro Tip: Ask for a 24-hour acknowledgement commitment on maintenance reports specifically. It's a small, measurable standard that exposes non-response fast, rather than letting weeks slip by unnoticed. A governance checklist covering SLAs, inspection cadence, and portal access is explained further in HOSO's guide to property manager accountability.
How a proactive agency treats owner communication
We built our systems around one idea: an owner should never have to wonder where things stand. That means a 24/7 owner portal for real-time visibility, defined response commitments on maintenance and correspondence, and a four-layer tenant screening process that reduces the disputes that cause silence in the first place. If you're worried about where your property currently stands, the practical next step is a proper handover, not another week of waiting.
How HOSO can help if your property manager has gone quiet
HOSO Real Estate is the alternative to an unresponsive agency for Adelaide landlords who need a clean, documented handover rather than another round of unanswered emails. We provide full property management with clear communication commitments, coordinate a formal handover of tenancy files and contractor records, and give you an owner portal so you can see exactly what's happening with your property at any hour, without chasing anyone for an update. Our full property management and related services are built specifically for owners moving away from an agent who isn't performing, and our four-layer tenant screening reduces the maintenance load that causes non-response in the first place.
If you're weighing up a switch, start with a rental appraisal so you know your property's current position before you commit to a new manager. You can also see the calibre of properties currently under management on our recently leased properties page. Get in touch for an initial consultation and we'll talk you through a handover that protects your bond records, your tenant relationship, and your compliance position from day one.
— HOSO
Sources
Bookmark the SA government's dispute resolution page for CBS forms and SACAT application details, and keep Mills Oakley's landlord liability analysis on file as legal context if you need to explain agent liability to a tribunal or new manager.
- SA government — renting and letting: dispute resolution
- Mills Oakley — Outsourcing duty, not responsibility: key lessons on landlord obligations
- Dynamic Residential — What you need to know about switching property managers
FAQ
How Long Should I Wait Before Escalating a Non-Responsive Manager?
Give about one day for acknowledgement on urgent safety issues and a few days for routine matters before sending a firm written follow-up. If that follow-up goes unanswered, it's reasonable to lodge a complaint with CBS or prepare a SACAT application.
Can I Be Held Liable if My Agent Ignores a Repair Request?
Yes. Landlords remain legally liable for the negligent acts of their agents, and appointing a property manager doesn't transfer that responsibility, according to Mills Oakley's analysis. This is one reason prompt escalation matters more than waiting it out.
What Can SACAT Actually Order in a Dispute?
SACAT can order repairs, award compensation, and issue directions to a property manager or landlord, with urgent hearing pathways available where safety is at risk. Details on forms and process sit on the SA government's renting and letting page.
How Do I Switch Property Managers Without Disrupting My Tenant?
Check your management agreement's termination clause, give valid written notice, and arrange a direct handover of keys, files, and bond records between outgoing and incoming managers. HOSO Real Estate manages this handover process as part of onboarding new owners through our services page.
Does HOSO Real Estate Charge for an Initial Rental Appraisal?
Pricing details for HOSO Real Estate's services, including the rental appraisal, are available directly on our website. Contact us for current details specific to your property.