The role of technology should be to remove busy work

One of the strongest themes from the conversation was that property managers are still spending far too much time on repetitive, low-value tasks.

Chasing paperwork, following up signatures, manually managing renewals, tracking maintenance quotes, sending reminders, updating records – these things all need to happen, but they don’t necessarily add value to the relationship with the landlord or the tenant.

That’s where technology should come in.

Curtis made the point that software should be doing more of the heavy lifting, especially when it comes to the admin work that keeps people busy without moving the needle. The goal isn’t to replace the human side of property management. It’s to free people up so they can focus on the parts of the job that actually require judgment, communication, and relationship-building.

A lease renewal is a perfect example. Traditionally, it involves a long list of manual steps: checking in with the landlord and tenant, preparing market recommendations, getting approval, drawing up documentation, sending it for signing, following up, distributing completed copies, and updating the system. When that process is automated properly, the property manager can move from doing every task manually to simply reviewing, approving, and overseeing the process.

That’s a completely different use of time and energy.

Automation should actually automate

A big takeaway from the episode was that not all automation is created equal.

A lot of platforms say they automate workflows, but in reality what they’re doing is creating task lists for people to follow. That’s not true automation – that’s just a digital to-do list.

Real automation should take action.

It should send the reminder, issue the notice, follow up the approval, distribute the documents, and update the records. It should reduce the need for manual intervention, not just shift the admin from one place to another.

Curtis explained that the property management industry has often relied on workarounds to deal with this background load, whether that’s extra staff, offshore support, or VAs. But the bigger opportunity is to have technology absorb much more of that repetitive work directly.

The agencies that do this well won’t just save time. They’ll create more consistent processes, reduce human error, and give their teams more capacity to focus on higher-value conversations.

AI changes the game again

If automation handles repetitive action, AI opens the door to something else entirely: better decision-making.

This is where the conversation got especially interesting.

Curtis described AI not as a replacement for property managers, but as a way to support them. Instead of starting every process from scratch, AI can help gather information, assess options, and put a recommendation in front of the property manager for review.

Using lease renewals again as an example, AI can identify that a renewal is due, determine whether the tenant intends to stay, run the market research, prepare a recommendation, draft the communication, and present it for approval. The property manager then moves from doing every single step to making a final decision and pressing go.

That’s a major shift.

And in some areas, once a process has been approved hundreds of times with no changes, businesses may decide they no longer need a person to approve it at all. That doesn’t mean people become irrelevant. It means they stop being the bottleneck in processes that no longer need manual control.

Curtis also shared a powerful example of what AI could make possible when a tenant vacates a property. Instead of simply processing the bond, organising keys, and moving the property through a standard workflow, an agency could use AI and available property data to create renovation estimates, forecast rental uplift, estimate value increases, update depreciation schedules, and even present finance options.

That changes the conversation entirely. Instead of reacting to a vacancy, the agency becomes proactive and strategic. It moves from task management to value creation.

Property managers are still essential

A natural question in any AI conversation is whether people will still be needed.

Curtis’s answer was clear: yes.

In fact, as the industry grows and many businesses try to manage more properties with fewer people, technology becomes the support system that allows property managers to step into more consultative, strategic roles. Rather than acting as traffic controllers for endless tasks, they can focus on relationships, judgment calls, and delivering better client experiences.

AI can assist with patterns, recommendations, and process flow, but human nuance still matters — especially in a people-driven industry like property management. Different landlords have different personalities. Some are hands-on, some are set-and-forget, and some need more guidance and reassurance. Tenants also bring their own complexity. The human layer is still critical.

The difference is that technology can take care of much of the repetitive process surrounding those interactions.

The agencies that don’t adapt will feel it quickly

One of the more direct moments in the episode came when Curtis was asked what happens to agencies that don’t evolve.

His view was simple: this isn’t a five-to-ten-year problem. This is already happening.

The technology exists now. Early adopters are already building leaner, more scalable businesses using automation and AI to reduce costs, improve consistency, and deliver service differently. Agencies that ignore these tools risk being overtaken by competitors who can operate faster and more efficiently at a lower cost base.

He compared it to the introduction of barcode scanners. At first, some people resisted because they were comfortable doing things manually. But eventually the new way became standard. No one wants to go back.

That’s the direction property management is heading too.

Don’t build your tech stack by patching problems

Another standout insight was around how agencies choose technology in the first place.

Too many businesses build their systems reactively. A problem comes up, so they add a tool. Another issue appears, so they bolt on another platform. Before long, they have seven or eight different bits of software stitched together to solve problems that existed at different points in time.

The result is messy, clunky, and expensive.

Curtis’s advice was to stop and start with a blank page.

Instead of asking what tool can fix today’s problem, ask what you want your agency to look like if you were building it from scratch today. What would the ideal workflow be? What would you want automated? Where should your team spend their time? What would create the best client experience?

Then go looking for the technology that supports that vision.

That is a much smarter way to build a tech stack than simply adding more subscriptions every time a pain point appears.

Change management is still the hardest part

Of course, none of this matters if your team won’t adopt it.

The conversation also touched on the reality that property management teams often resist change, even when the change is meant to make life easier. And honestly, that’s not unique to this industry – it’s human nature.

Curtis broke the change journey into four stages: forming, conforming, storming, and performing.

At first, change feels uncomfortable and uncertain. Then people begin to understand where they fit. After that often comes resistance, where frustrations rise and people question why anything needed to change at all. But if leaders stay the course, support the team properly, and keep reinforcing the bigger vision, the business eventually reaches the performing stage – where people can see the value and the new system becomes normal.

That “storming” phase is where many leaders lose confidence. But it’s also where strong leadership matters most.

If agencies want to modernise successfully, they need to recognise that software implementation is never just about systems. It’s about people, habits, emotions, and leadership.

Innovation has to be ongoing

Another important point from the episode was that this work is never really finished.

Technology is moving too quickly for businesses or software providers to stand still. Curtis spoke about the importance of continuously improving platforms, listening to customer feedback, and also making room for bigger “moonshot” thinking – not just incremental improvements, but major shifts that redefine what’s possible.

That includes AI assistants, integrated trust accounting, automated communication tools, 360 inspections, and systems that can interpret data and act on it in real time.

The broader message for agencies is this: don’t just look for software that solves today’s problems. Look for partners and platforms that are thinking ahead.

Final thoughts

The biggest shift happening in property management right now isn’t just technological – it’s strategic.

The agencies that thrive in the years ahead will be the ones willing to ask better questions:
Where are we adding real value?
What are we doing manually that a machine could handle better?
How can we redesign our workflows to create a stronger experience for clients and a better workday for our teams?

Technology, AI, and automation are not there to remove the human side of property management. They’re there to remove the friction, the repetition, and the admin overload that stop people from doing their best work.

And that’s the real opportunity.