Why Propello

Self-manage rentals without the rent cut.

Propello is software for Australian landlords who want direct control: flat monthly pricing, clear records, maintenance workflows, and reminders — not a substitute for your own decisions, a licensed agent, or legal advice.

If you are comparing options, start with the fee model: percentage-based management scales up when your rent does, even when the workload does not.

The old model: pay more when the asset performs

Traditional agents often charge a slice of rent — commonly cited around 5–12% in Australia — plus letting, admin, and renewal line items. For a single investment property, that is a lot of recurring cost tied to gross rent, not to outcomes you can see in a dashboard.

Many landlords are fine paying for expertise when they need it. The frustration is paying like a full managed service when what you actually want is visibility, tidy records, and predictable workflows.

Spreadsheets and scattered apps are not an operating system

DIY stacks work until something urgent hits: a maintenance burst, a rent arrears thread, a lease renewal, or a compliance date you did not calendar correctly. Tools that only track rent or only store PDFs do not connect the work — they leave the risk with you, without the guardrails.

Propello is built as one place for the landlord journey: property → lease → people → money → maintenance → messages → documents → what needs attention next.

What you get with Propello

Plain-English benefits — you stay the decision-maker; we help you stay organised.

Flat fee, no percentage

A predictable monthly cost per property. Your rent is not the pricing lever.

Records landlords can defend

Ledgers, documents, and trails that make disputes and EOFY less painful.

Maintenance with guardrails

Requests, approvals, quotes where applicable, and status — less back-and-forth in texts.

Compliance reminders, not legal advice

Prompts and checklists for common obligations; escalate to professionals when it is serious.

Important: Propello does not act as your property manager, lawyer, or rent collector. It helps you self-manage, track obligations, keep evidence, and prepare communications you choose to send.

View pricing

Where the category is heading

A simple map — not a scientific study — of how rental admin tools have evolved.

Phase 1

Traditional agents

Percentage fees and manual coordination

Phase 2

Agency software

Digitised, still built around an agent

Phase 3

DIY landlord tools

Cheaper admin, lighter operations

Phase 4

Self-management OS

Flat fee, structured workflows, marketplace, records

How we sit next to other platforms

High-level view only. Competitor products change — verify pricing and features on their sites. This is here to explain positioning, not to run a scoreboard.

Cubbi

Phase 3

Hybrid self-management model.

Approx 2.3–2.99% of rent (percentage-based).

Strengths

  • Rent workflows
  • Lease renewals
  • Insurance integration
  • Clean UI

Trade-offs

  • Still takes a percentage of rent
  • Less of a full maintenance marketplace layer
  • Different philosophy on fees vs flat subscription

Cubbi modernises parts of the stack. Propello uses a flat monthly fee instead of taking a percentage of rent.

RentingSmart

Phase 3

Budget landlord admin tool.

From ~$10/month.

Strengths

  • Rent tracking
  • Reminders
  • Expense summaries
  • Low entry price

Trade-offs

  • Lighter automation on operational workflows
  • No integrated tradie marketplace
  • More ledger-first than repair-first

RentingSmart keeps spreadsheets honest. Propello connects maintenance, messaging, and records in one operational layer.

RentBetter

Phase 3

Self-managed landlord software.

$29/month + setup fee.

Strengths

  • Listing syndication
  • Lease templates
  • Rent tracking
  • Maintenance logs

Trade-offs

  • Setup fee and different automation depth
  • No embedded marketplace for quotes in the same way
  • Compliance automation varies by workflow

RentBetter digitises common landlord jobs. Propello leans into maintenance, records, and messaging as one system.

At-a-glance comparison

Icons are indicative. “Partial” means it depends on plan, state, or workflow — not a downgrade, just reality.

CapabilityTraditional agentCubbiRentingSmartRentBetterPropello
Flat monthly fee (typical)
$30/mo
Percentage of rent
5–12%
~2.3–3%
Structured landlord workflows
Fee-free tenant payment option
Maintenance marketplace / quotes
Compliance reminders & records
Rent increase / key date tracking
Direct-to-landlord payments supported
Agent trust account handling
Audit-friendly activity trail

Ready when you are

If the fee model resonates, the next step is seeing the actual workflow inside Propello — add a property, wire up the lease, and invite your tenant when you are comfortable.