If you like working with and helping people or doing practical work then a career in property or facilities may be for you.

There is a wide range of opportunities available, from managing the facilities and services in buildings where people work, to cleaning windows, chimneys or building interiors.

What areas can I work in?

This career area covers the sectors of facilities management and property services, including cleaning. These encompass a wide range of jobs, from managerial to manual.

To see the routes to getting into each of these sectors, take a look at our Career Pathway.

What kind of companies can I work for?

Possible employers include:

• local authorities
• housing associations
• the NHS
• building management companies
• large contract cleaning companies
• small private companies
• estate agencies
• schools, colleges or universities
• infrastructure support companies.

What’s the job market like?

According to a Royal Institution of Surveyors (RICS) survey (October 2024), demand for facilities management services has been increasing across most sectors (with the highest number in the public sector), with workloads, employment and profit margins all expected to improve in the coming year. This has resulted in a strong rise in industry employment. ¹

Despite the positive employment trend in this area, UK employers are reporting recruitment difficulties in filling roles in a number of areas, particularly in building operation and maintenance, support services, property management, energy management and IT and Telecom. ¹

The number of property management service businesses have grown over the past couple of years, due to a rise in demand for block property management services. There are now nearly 24,000 property management companies in the UK. ²

There are currently Modern Apprenticeship frameworks available in Facilities Management and Facilities Services if you are interested in entering this career sector.

Facts and figures

• As of December 2024, there were 20,100 people working as property, housing and estate managers in Scotland. ³
• In 2024, repairs and maintenance were estimated to account for 22% of £17.3 billion industry revenue, making this the second largest service segment in the property development and maintenance market sector. ⁴
• Estate agent revenue in the UK is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 3.7% over the next five years to £16.4 billion. ⁵
• The average annual salary for property managers in the UK is £45,000 a year. ⁶

Want to find out more?

There are a number of professional bodies related to this sector, some of which have more information on careers and training.

The Institute of Workplace and Facilities Management provides information about qualifications in that sector.

Sources

¹ Q2 2024: RICS UK Facilities Management Survey, RICS (3 October 2024)

² Block Management Company Statistics: UK 2025 (Wilson Hawkins website) (July 2025) 

3 Annual Population Survey - Occupation by sex, employment status and full/part-time - Scotland, NOMIS (December 2024)

4 Market Report: A Snapshot of your Market Sector - Property Development and Maintenance, Business Gateway (October 2024)

5 Market Report: A Snapshot of your Market Sector – Real Estate and Letting Agent, Business Gateway (March 2025)

6 Salary Spotlight: Property Manager Salary Explored, Macdonald & Company (Salary Survey 2024)

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Career Pathway