I don’t want to be a slave to my properties

My professional insights · Lyudmil Karaulanov · 6 min read

Published: 1 August 2026 · Version 1.0

When you buy a property with the future in mind, you are unlikely to imagine that one day you will plan your holiday around a roof repair. You are more likely to picture a steady income, peace of mind for your family, something of value that will outlast you. These are entirely understandable expectations.

Then the everyday work of ownership begins. A tenant has a question, a lease is expiring, a tradesperson needs to be chosen. Each task is manageable on its own. Together, however, they can fill the time you had hoped your properties would free up.

If you recognise any of this, I see no reason to reproach you for the purchases you made. Wanting to live differently today does not make yesterday's decision wrong. The question is whether the way your assets are managed still fits the life you want to lead.

What do you actually want to preserve?

For one person, it is the particular building tied to the family's history. For another, it is the income. For a third, it is the ability to pass value on to their children. These answers may coincide, but they may also lead us towards different solutions.

If you live in another city or country, even a good property may demand an inconvenient amount of your presence. This is not merely a matter of age or generation. Your profession, family commitments and willingness to devote attention to this activity also matter.

I believe your time belongs in the calculation of returns too. Rent is easy to see on a statement. The hours spent on repairs, conversations, communal building matters, insurance and administration are less visible. With several properties, they may amount to a separate job.

What can someone else take on?

You do not need to find every tenant yourself or approve every minor repair. Professional property management can take care of day-to-day services, rent collection, maintenance and reporting. That is one part of the task.

The other is managing the investment itself: whether to alter the property, change its use, seek new financing or sell it. These decisions require different expertise and different authority. It helps to be clear who handles each of the two, rather than expecting everything from the general promise, “We will manage your properties.”

It is natural to feel uneasy about entrusting their care to someone else: the assets are yours, and the consequences remain with you. In my view, the answer lies in oversight that lets you see the results without drawing you back into every daily task.

Arrangements that free up your time

Good arrangements answer several questions. Which expenses can the manager approve independently, and which require your consent? How are tenants and contractors selected? What happens if the manager proposes a connected party? How do you receive reports and access documents? What maintenance standards have you agreed, and who is responsible if something is missed?

The end of the relationship is no less important. If you decide to change managers, the keys, contracts, deposits and repair history need to be handed over in an orderly way. The freedom to delegate the work is valuable when you also retain the freedom to choose another provider.

Remuneration deserves the same attention. A fixed fee offers predictability, while a percentage of rent directs attention towards revenue. Neither in itself guarantees good maintenance and reasonable expenses. It therefore makes sense to agree on the overall result you are paying for and how you will recognise it.

What will your children receive?

They may value the assets without wanting to be landlords. This is not necessarily ingratitude. They may simply have chosen careers and lives that leave no room for managing a family building.

Separating ownership, income and daily work can leave them a wider choice. Professional management will not resolve every future question for them, but it can spare them the need to take on an activity immediately for which they have not prepared.

Where is the point of instability?

What this concept means →

I see it where the assets continue to demand your personal involvement, while you now need something different. The same mismatch can pass on to your heirs.

Selling is not always the first answer. It is often more useful to identify what has become a burden and what still brings satisfaction. Sometimes well-organised management is enough to restore what prompted you to accumulate assets in the first place: greater peace of mind and more freedom to choose how to live.

This material is of a general analytical nature and does not constitute individual legal, tax, financial or investment advice.