A large and growing share of Tbilisi property owners don’t live in Georgia foreign investors, the diaspora, and expats who’ve since relocated elsewhere. Managing a rental property remotely is entirely workable, but it requires deciding, upfront, who handles the day-to-day.

Your three realistic options

1. A professional property management company. This is the most common solution for absentee owners, and typically covers tenant sourcing, viewings, contract handling, rent collection, maintenance coordination, and routine inspections. You give up a percentage of monthly rent in exchange for essentially removing yourself from operations. For owners who genuinely cannot be in Tbilisi and don’t have a trusted local contact, this is usually the most reliable path  the cost is a real deduction from your gross yield, but it’s the difference between a passive investment and a part-time job you can’t actually do from another country.

2. A local real estate agency on an ongoing basis. Some Tbilisi agencies including firms like Next and ELT Group offer both leasing and light ongoing management services, which can be a middle-ground option: you get local, on-the-ground representation without necessarily paying full-service management fees, though the scope of what’s included varies by agency and should be clarified in writing before you commit.

3. A trusted individual (family member, friend, or paid local contact). This works well when you have someone reliable in Tbilisi who can handle viewings and be a point of contact for tenants, but it’s rarely sustainable for anything beyond basic oversight most individuals aren’t set up to handle contracts, tax registration, or maintenance coordination at a professional standard.

What to clarify before choosing

• Scope of service does management include tenant sourcing and marketing, or only rent collection and maintenance once a tenant is already in place?
• Fee structure a flat monthly fee, a percentage of rent, or a mix of leasing commission plus ongoing management fee?
• Reporting how and how often will you receive updates on rent collected, maintenance issues, and vacancy status?
• Tax registration handling will the manager or agency assist with registering you in Georgia’s landlord registry, which is what allows you to pay the reduced 5% tax rate rather than 20%?
• Emergency response who handles urgent maintenance issues (plumbing, heating, security) when you’re not reachable in a compatible time zone?

The takeaway

If you’re living abroad, don’t treat management as an afterthought you’ll figure out after buying it’s a core part of your investment plan and directly affects your net yield. For most fully absentee owners, professional management is worth the fee simply because the alternative  trying to coordinate viewings, contracts, and repairs across time zones yourself  tends to cost more in vacancy, mistakes, and stress than the management fee itself.

Data referenced: General market commentary on property management services and options for absentee owners in Tbilisi (2025–2026).