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Major ANZ proptech brand merges with property management maintenance heavyweight

By Kyle Robbins
13 January 2023 | 5 minute read
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Bricks + Agent has announced its plans to join forces with Maintenance Manager, in a move described as a “natural fit for one another”.

The integration of Maintenance Manager clients to the Bricks + Agent platform from Home Trades Hub Australia (HTHA) will bring together all clients on a unified basis and add significant volume to the innovative proptech platforms existing customer base — which boasts the likes of Meriton and JLL.

Bricks + Agent co-founder Rafael Niesten proclaimed all parties’ “growth aspirations are aligned”. 

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“We are also both actively targeting the $21 billion property management Total Addressable Market. The acquisition creates a singular focus on this goal,” he added.

Mr Niesten revealed he discovered Maintenance Manager six years ago during the dawn of his business journey, and after posting strong year-on-year growth, which prompted investment from hipages Group in 2021, Bricks + Agent was able to further fuel their growth, which includes the latest acquisition. 

Through enveloping Maintenance Manager into the business, Bricks + Mortar are able to expand the data landscape on offer to their users, which includes property managers, tradies, home owners, and tenants. 

The company’s suite of offerings includes AI-powered smarts and workflows, Jarvis, the personal property management assistant, a simplified user interface, and business intelligence and insights. 

Garry Mulvay, chief executive officer at HTHA, who also assumes a seat on Bricks + Mortar’s board from this month onward, explained the deal aligns with the company’s growth plans as it’s “a fast way to deliver our strategy by growing in the real estate and social housing maintenance space while continuing to enhance and grow our established inspections business”. 

“To capture growth opportunities ahead of us, we had to make a significant investment to re-platform Maintenance Manager or seek another group that has the innovative tech,” he said, citing a host of factors, including Bricks + Agent’s history of strong client assistance, as a driving factor behind the venture.

As previously reported on REB, early last year, Bricks + Agent partnered with JLL in a move James Peterson, then-head of asset and digital development at JLL, described as allowing for the “uberisation” of what is typically a manual set of processes.

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