What Is a Property Manager?

A property manager is the person, or company, who manages the relationship between an owner and their tenant, from finding the tenant to the end of the lease. In practice, they make it easier for a tenant to find a home, and they take the mental load of long-term rental management off the owner: unpaid rent follow-ups, miscellaneous incidents, administrative tracking.

A Property Manager’s Day-to-Day Duties

The job covers a wide range of tasks, all tied to the life of the lease:

• Welcome and respond to tenant requests, with a real sense of customer service.
• Receive housing requests and direct them to the available properties.
• Organize viewings and prepare rental contracts.
• Handle administrative matters, including rent recovery and managing payment incidents.
• Oversee renovation work or file insurance claims when needed.

Do You Need a Real Estate Professional License to Become a Property Manager?

As soon as they manage property for others in exchange for payment, a property manager is carrying out an activity regulated by the Hoguet Law (the 1970 French law regulating real estate professionals). Article 3 of that law requires a real estate professional license, the carte G (the French property management license), issued by the chamber of commerce and industry, along with a written property management mandate with the owner. That’s what sets a professional manager apart from an individual who simply manages their own property.

For concierge companies that want to offer this service without holding the license, there are carte G delegation solutions, like the one described in our article on managing long-term rentals without a carte G.

Training to Become a Property Manager

The path usually starts with a two-year degree (Bac +2), such as:

• a BTS Professions immobilières (PI), a two-year real estate vocational diploma;
• a BTS NDRC (Négociation et Digitalisation de la Relation Client), a two-year sales and customer relations diploma.

It then continues with a three-year degree (Bac +3), for example:

• a BUT Carrières Juridiques (CJ), a three-year legal careers degree;
• a BUT Gestion des Entreprises et Administration (GEA), a three-year business administration degree;
• a professional bachelor’s in real estate professions (property administration and management, real estate asset development);
• a bachelor’s in real estate (ICH);
• or a bachelor’s from a specialized school (Efab, Espi, Imsi, Sup Tertiaire…).

You can find a directory of training programs to become a property manager (in French) to compare the programs available near you.

Salary and Career Path

An employed property manager’s salary is typically between €1,800 and €2,000 gross per month at the start of their career. A self-employed manager or one working in an agency can earn more, mostly depending on the size of the portfolio they manage.

An employed manager can then move up to team management roles, or specialize in a type of property (residential, income property, furnished property).

Where Do Property Managers Work?

You’ll mainly find them:

• in real estate agencies;
• in condominium management firms, co-ownership firms or property administration firms;
• in public or semi-public offices, managing social housing (HLM).

Many administrative tasks (reminders, rent receipts, bank reconciliation) can now be automated with a tool like the one Unlocker offers to property owners, which leaves the manager more time for the relationship with their tenants and owners. To go further, find out how to optimize a property’s profitability in long-term rental.