Signing example
Sign a property management agreement online
An owner signs a management agreement for the fee table and the authority limits, and those are the two pages worth marking. This six page appointment of Larkfield Property Group takes initials from both owners on the fee page, a code in front of each of their links, and a signature block from the agency principal at the end.
The document, with its fields
The pages as a signer sees them, with the signature, name, title and date fields placed where each party has to complete them.
Property Management Agreement
1. Parties and the property
This agreement appoints Larkfield Property Group Pty Ltd, ABN 55 402 118 736, of 300 Burke Road, Camberwell VIC 3124, called the Agent, to manage the residential property at 41 Kinross Street, Camberwell VIC 3124 for Colin Radley and Yvette Radley, both of 8 Tarrant Grove, Balwyn VIC 3103, called the Owners. The Owners hold the property as joint proprietors and both must sign.
| Property | Three bedroom weatherboard house, single garage, 41 Kinross Street, Camberwell VIC 3124 |
|---|---|
| Title | Volume 11482 Folio 388 |
| Currently | Vacant, available from 1 November 2026 |
| Rent sought | $780 a week |
| Bond to be taken | $3,380, one month's rent, lodged with the state bond authority |
| Managing office | Camberwell, Nina Vaughan, principal and licensed estate agent |
2. Appointment and term
The Owners appoint the Agent exclusively to let and manage the property. The appointment starts on the date of the last signature and runs for 12 months, then continues month to month until either side ends it under clause 9. An exclusive appointment means the Owners will not appoint another agent for the same property during the term, and will refer anyone who approaches them directly to the Agent.
3. What the Agent will do
- Market the property, take enquiries, run inspections and check applicants' references and rental history.
- Recommend a tenant and, on the Owners' instruction, prepare and sign the tenancy agreement as agent.
- Collect rent, follow up arrears from day one, and pay the Owners monthly.
- Lodge the bond, prepare the entry condition report and hold the keys.
- Carry out routine inspections twice a year and send a written report with photographs.
- Arrange repairs within the limits in clause 5, and handle urgent repairs at any hour.
- Keep the trust account records and issue monthly and annual statements.
- Represent the Owners at the tribunal on any matter about this tenancy.
- Hold and account for the bond papers, and handle the bond claim at the end of the tenancy on the Owners' instruction.
- Keep a written record of every instruction the Owners give, and act only on instructions in writing.
4. Fees and charges
All amounts below include GST. Nothing else is charged without the Owners' written agreement, and the Agent may not take a commission, rebate or referral fee from a tradesperson, an insurer or a utility without telling the Owners in writing first.
| Charge | Amount | When it is taken |
|---|---|---|
| Management fee | 7.7% of rent collected | Monthly, from rent received, never from rent merely due |
| Letting fee, new tenancy | Two weeks' rent | Once, when a new tenant takes possession |
| Lease renewal fee | $275 | On each fixed term renewal signed |
| Advertising package | $690 | Once per letting campaign, agreed in advance |
| Routine inspection reports | Included | Nothing extra |
| Annual financial statement | $55 | July each year |
| Tribunal attendance | $220 a hearing | Only where the Owners have asked the Agent to attend |
| Bank and postage handling | $8.80 a month | Monthly, on the statement |
| Final inspection at the end of a tenancy | $165 | Once, when a tenant vacates |
| Insurance claim handling | $220 a claim | Only where the Owners ask the Agent to run the claim |
The management fee is a percentage of rent actually banked, so a month with a shortfall costs the Agent as well as the Owners. The letting fee is charged once per tenancy and is not charged again when the same tenant renews. Where the property is vacant, no management fee is charged at all, because there is no rent to take it from.
4.1 What the fees do not cover
These are charged at cost, on an invoice, and appear on the monthly statement with the invoice attached. None of them carries a mark up, and none of them is taken without the instruction or the limit in clause 5.
| Paid at cost | Detail |
|---|---|
| Repairs and maintenance | The tradesperson's invoice, in full, with no handling charge |
| Smoke alarm, gas and electrical safety checks | The contractor's annual or biennial fee |
| Tribunal application fees | The fee the tribunal charges, receipted |
| Water usage, rates and levies | Only where the Owners ask the Agent to pay them from rent |
| Professional cleaning between tenancies | Quoted first where it is over the clause 5 limit |
4.2 Changing a fee
No fee in the table on page 2 changes during the first 12 months. After that the Agent may change a fee once a year on 60 days' written notice, and the Owners may end this agreement inside that notice period without the 30 days clause 9 otherwise needs. A fee the Owners have not agreed to in writing is not payable, whatever an invoice says.
4.2a Where the money goes in the first month
| Item, first month of a new tenancy | Amount | Running balance |
|---|---|---|
| Rent collected, 30 days at $780 a week | $3,342.86 | $3,342.86 |
| Management fee at 7.7 per cent | $257.40 | $3,085.46 |
| Letting fee, two weeks' rent | $1,560.00 | $1,525.46 |
| Advertising package | $690.00 | $835.46 |
| Bank and postage handling | $8.80 | $826.66 |
| Paid to the Owners | $826.66 | Nil |
4.3 Acknowledgement of the fee schedule
Each owner initials below to confirm they have read the fee table on page 2, the costs on this page and the worked month, and that they understand the management fee is taken from rent actually collected rather than rent that fell due.
5. Authority limits
These limits say what the Agent may do without asking. Above a limit the Agent asks the Owners first, in writing, and waits for a written answer. Below it the Agent acts and reports on the next statement.
| Decision | Limit | Above the limit |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary repair or maintenance | $500 an item | Two quotes to the Owners, who choose |
| Urgent repair, as defined by the tenancy law | $2,500 an item | Owners told the same day, quotes to follow |
| Rent reduction or arrangement with a tenant | Nil | Always the Owners' decision |
| Accepting a tenant | Nil | Always the Owners' decision, on the Agent's recommendation |
| Issuing a notice to vacate | Nil | Always the Owners' written instruction |
| Claiming against a bond | Nil | Always the Owners' written instruction |
| Signing a tenancy agreement | 12 months fixed | A longer term needs the Owners' written consent |
6. Rent, arrears and payments to the Owners
- Rent is paid by the tenant into the Agent's trust account and is never mixed with the Agent's own money.
- Arrears are followed up on day 1 by message, day 3 by telephone, and day 8 by a formal notice.
- The Owners are told within 24 hours whenever the tenant is 5 days in arrears.
- The Owners are paid by the second business day after the end of each month, to the account they nominate.
- Water usage, council rates and the owners corporation levy are paid from rent only on the Owners' written instruction.
- A rent increase is proposed by the Agent in writing, with three comparable lettings, and decided by the Owners.
- Every payment out of the trust account appears on the monthly statement with the invoice behind it.
Where a tenant asks for time to pay, the Agent puts the request to the Owners the same day with the rent ledger and its own recommendation. The Agent does not agree an arrangement, however small, without the Owners saying yes in writing, because an arrangement the Owners did not agree to is very hard to unwind at the tribunal.
7. Insurance, safety and compliance
The Owners keep building insurance and public liability cover of at least $20,000,000 and will give the Agent a copy of the certificate of currency each year. Landlord protection insurance is the Owners' choice and the Agent does not arrange it. The Owners are responsible for the property meeting the rental minimum standards and the safety checks the law requires.
| Obligation | Who arranges | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke alarm test and battery | Agent, from an approved contractor | Annually |
| Gas safety check | Agent, licensed gasfitter | Every 2 years |
| Electrical safety check | Agent, licensed electrician | Every 2 years |
| Pool or spa barrier certificate | Not applicable, no pool at this property | N/A |
| Window safety devices | Owners, before the tenancy starts | Once |
| Certificate of currency to the Agent | Owners | Annually |
8. Privacy and records
The Agent collects personal information about the Owners, applicants and tenants to do this job. It is held under the Australian Privacy Principles and the Agent's privacy policy, disclosed only to the people who need it for the tenancy, and kept for seven years. The Agent will give the Owners a copy of the tenancy file within 14 days of a written request, and within 7 days if this agreement has ended.
8.1 What the Owners must tell the Agent
- Any defect in the property they know about, before a tenant moves in.
- Any notice from the council, the water authority or the owners corporation.
- A decision to sell, as soon as it is made, because a tenant has rights on a sale.
- A change of address, email, bank account or ownership.
9. Ending this agreement
| Who ends it | Notice | What follows |
|---|---|---|
| The Owners, after the first 12 months | 30 days, in writing | Keys, records and the bond papers handed over within 7 days |
| The Agent | 30 days, in writing | Same handover, plus a final statement within 14 days |
| Either, for a serious breach not fixed in 14 days | Immediate | Handover within 3 business days |
| On sale of the property | On settlement | The tenancy continues and passes to the buyer |
Ending this agreement does not end the tenancy. The tenant stays, and the Owners or their new agent take over the same agreement, the same bond and the same condition report. The Agent's entitlement to the letting fee for a tenant it placed survives, and no management fee is charged after the handover date.
10. General
The Owners are jointly and severally responsible for everything in this agreement, so the Agent may act on the written instruction of either of them and either may be asked for money owing. Notices go to the addresses and email addresses on page 1. This agreement is governed by the law of Victoria and is the whole agreement between the parties.
11. Acknowledgement
The Owners confirm they have read the fee table on page 2 and the authority limits on page 3, that they have had the chance to take independent advice, and that no promise about achievable rent, vacancy or return has been made to them outside this document.
12. If something goes wrong
The Owners raise a concern with the managing agent first, who answers in writing within 5 business days. If that does not settle it, the concern goes to the principal, who answers within a further 10 business days. After that either party may take the matter to the state consumer affairs service, and neither party will start a proceeding about this agreement without having used both of those steps first.
| Step | Answered within | By whom |
|---|---|---|
| Raise it with the managing agent | 5 business days | The property manager handling the file |
| Escalate to the principal | 10 business days | Nina Vaughan, licensed estate agent |
| Consumer affairs conciliation | As the service allows | Both parties attend |
Execution
All three parties are invited at the same time and may sign in any order. The appointment begins when the last of the three signatures lands.
Who signs what
- Colin Radley, owner
- Initials on the fee page, page 3 · Signature and stamped date on page 6 · Verified by an emailed six digit code
- Yvette Radley, co owner
- Initials on the fee page, page 3 · Signature and stamped date on page 6 · Verified by an emailed six digit code
- Nina Vaughan, for Larkfield Property Group Pty Ltd
- Signature block on page 6: Name, Title, Company, Date · Email link, no code
The signing journey
Step 1
Seven fields, three recipients
Each owner takes initials on page 3 and a signature and date on page 6. The principal takes a four line block under them.
Step 2
All three invited at once
Sign in order stays off. Joint proprietors do not queue behind each other and the agency does not need to go last, so three links go out on Send.
Step 3
A code in front of each owner's link
Each owner opens a verification card rather than the agreement. The code is six digits, lasts ten minutes and is redeemable once.
Step 4
One drawing each, two spots each
Each owner draws once and the portal fills their page 3 initials and their page 6 signature from that mark, counting Signature 1 of 2 and 2 of 2.
Step 5
The appointment starts on the last signature
The envelope completes when the third signer finishes, whoever that is, and the certified copy goes to both owners, the principal and the sender.
Every field, and who fills it
Seven fields. Two initials spots sit side by side at the foot of the fee acknowledgement on page 3, one per owner, each captioned with the owner it belongs to. Two signature and date pairs sit in matching columns on page 6, and the principal's block sits under them with a role heading and then Name, Title, Company and Date. Only two values were typed: the principal's title and company. Everything else on the agreement is already written, including the 7.7 per cent fee, the authority limits table, the trust account terms and the safety checks, because an owner should not be filling numbers into their own appointment.
How to adapt this envelope
A single owner is one recipient and three fields. An owner who wants a lower repair limit changes one figure in the authority table before sending, since a sent envelope cannot be edited. And where the agency wants a second signature from the licensee in charge as well as the managing agent, that is a fourth recipient with their own block, which the order switch can still leave unsequenced because none of the three depends on another.
What makes this valid in Australia
The Electronic Transactions Act 1999 allows a signature to be given electronically where the method identifies the person, shows their intention and is as reliable as the circumstances require. State law separately requires a managing agent to hold a licence, to give the owner a copy of the signed agreement and to keep the rent in a trust account, and none of that changes because the appointment was signed online. The one-time code against each owner is the part worth having on a document that authorises somebody else to spend their money.
What makes this signing flow work
The initials sit on the money page
The management fee, the letting fee, the advertising package and the worked first month all sit on the pages an owner is least likely to reread. An initials spot for each owner at the foot of the fee acknowledgement marks that page as read by both of the people paying.
Two owners, two codes, no queue
Joint proprietors are each fully responsible for the agreement, so each gets their own link and their own six digit code, and neither waits on the other. The certificate then carries a separate verification, IP address and consent timestamp for each of them.
The block names the agency
The principal's block has Title and Company switched on, so the execution page names Larkfield Property Group as well as the individual holding the licence. On an appointment where the agency is the party, that distinction belongs on the page.
Questions people ask
Is a managing agent appointment valid when it is signed electronically?
Electronic signing is accepted under the Electronic Transactions Act 1999 where the method identifies the signer and shows intention. State licensing law still requires the agent to give the owner a copy of the signed agreement and to hold rent in a trust account, and the certified PDF is what satisfies the first of those.
Why do the owners get a code and the agency does not?
The owners are authorising somebody else to sign tenancy agreements, arrange repairs and hold their rent. The agency prepared the document and knows what is in it. A six digit code in front of each owner's link is proportionate to what each side is taking on.
Do both owners have to sign?
Yes, because they hold the property as joint proprietors and both are responsible for the whole of the agreement. Each gets their own link and their own code, and the certificate records a separate verification and IP address for each, so the file shows two decisions rather than one.
How much bond can the agent take at $780 a week in Victoria?
At most one month's rent, because the weekly rent is under $900. One month at $780 a week is $780 x 52 / 12, or $3,380, which is the bond the particulars set. A higher bond needs rent above $900 a week or a VCAT order. The bond is lodged with the Residential Tenancies Bond Authority within ten business days, and the renter gets the lodgement receipt.
What happens if one owner declines?
The envelope moves to declined and the sender is emailed with the reason typed into the decline box. Because the order switch is off, the other owner and the principal may already have signed, but the appointment never completes and the agency has no authority under it.
Can the fee be changed after the agreement is sent?
Not inside this envelope. A sent envelope is locked and the editor redirects to the status page. A different fee means withdrawing the envelope, which expires the live links and emails everyone, then sending a corrected agreement as a fresh envelope.
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