Perth's real estate market moves fast. Agents need instant access to listings, client records, and documents from anywhere - the office, an open home, or a client meeting. When IT is unreliable or insecure, deals slow down and client trust erodes. Here's what the right IT setup looks like for a Perth real estate agency.
The Real Estate Agency IT Stack
A typical Perth real estate agency runs on a combination of:
- CRM and property management software - platforms like Console Cloud, PropertyMe, Rex, or Re-Leased for managing listings, landlords, tenants, and sales pipelines
- Trust accounting - a legally separate system for handling rental disbursements and sales deposits, with strict audit requirements under the Real Estate and Business Agents Act WA
- Document signing - DocuSign or Adobe Sign for contracts, leases, and authority forms
- Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace - for email, calendars, and shared files
- Communication tools - SMS platforms, email marketing, and tenant/landlord portals
The IT challenge is keeping all of these systems running reliably, securely, and integrated - so data doesn't have to be manually re-entered between platforms.
Trust Accounting - The Highest Risk Area
Like law firms, real estate agencies handling trust accounts face serious regulatory consequences if those accounts are compromised. Perth agencies operate under Real Estate and Business Agents Act licensing conditions that include requirements around trust account management.
IT controls that specifically protect trust accounting systems:
- Dedicated workstation or user account for trust accounting - not shared with general browsing or email
- MFA on the trust accounting software and any banking portals used for disbursements
- Dual-authorisation for disbursement runs above a threshold
- Separate, immutable backups of trust account data taken daily
Mobile IT for Agents in the Field
Perth real estate agents spend significant time away from the office - at open homes, inspections, client meetings, and property appraisals. They need secure, reliable access to client data and documents from their phones and tablets.
Mobile-specific IT requirements for real estate teams:
- MDM enrolment - company devices used by agents should be enrolled in Microsoft Intune or similar, enabling remote wipe if a phone is lost or stolen with client data on it
- Conditional Access - ensure that only managed, compliant devices can access the agency's Microsoft 365 email and SharePoint files
- Offline access - agents should be able to access key documents and client records even in areas with poor mobile coverage (inspection locations can be surprising in this regard)
Cybersecurity for Real Estate Agencies
Real estate agencies are a prime target for Business Email Compromise. A fraudulent email impersonating a property manager that diverts a settlement payment or rental disbursement to an attacker's account is a realistic and documented threat. Perth agencies have been targeted.
Beyond BEC, agencies hold significant personal information - financial details from rental applications, identification documents, and contact details for landlords, tenants, and buyers. The Privacy Act applies, and agencies above a certain turnover are covered by the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
Key controls: DMARC on your email domain, MFA on all staff accounts, staff awareness training that specifically covers payment redirection fraud, and a policy requiring verbal verification of any bank account change.
IT When Staff Change
Real estate has relatively high staff turnover. When an agent leaves - particularly to a competitor - their access to client databases, listing information, and landlord contacts must be revoked immediately. This means a documented IT offboarding process: disable Microsoft 365 account, revoke CRM access, remove from trust accounting system, and redirect their email to the principal or a generic inbox.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can a Perth real estate agency protect its trust accounts from fraud?
Keep trust accounting on a dedicated device or account rather than one also used for general email and browsing, enable MFA on the software and any linked banking portals, and require dual authorisation for larger disbursements. It's also worth confirming your specific trust account security obligations with your licensing body, since requirements can vary by agency type.
Why are real estate agencies targeted by business email compromise scams?
Because settlement payments and rental disbursements involve real money moving between parties who often communicate mostly by email, which gives attackers an opening to impersonate a property manager or agent and redirect funds. A policy requiring verbal verification of any bank account change is one of the simplest and most effective defences.
What happens to an agent's system access when they leave the agency?
It should be revoked immediately, not left until the next admin task gets around to it. That means disabling their email account, removing CRM and trust accounting access, and redirecting their inbox, since a departing agent, especially one moving to a competitor, retaining access to client and landlord data is a real risk.
Do real estate agencies need to worry about the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme?
Agencies above a certain turnover threshold are covered by it, and the personal and financial information held on landlords, tenants, and buyers makes this a genuine consideration. It's worth confirming your specific obligations with a compliance adviser, since thresholds and requirements can change.
We have a dedicated IT service page for Perth real estate agencies - covering trust account security, agent mobile IT, and staff offboarding.
View Real Estate IT Services →Looking for IT support for your Perth real estate agency?
Call 0433 087 091 - we understand the compliance obligations and software stack that Perth agencies rely on.
Book a Free IT AssessmentFor related reading, see our guides to IT Solutions for Construction Companies in Perth and IT Support for Dental Clinics in Perth.