Personal Assistant
Trusted day-to-day support for a family's personal affairs, errands, travel, scheduling, and home logistics.
Estate Manager
Hire an Estate Manager
The estate manager is the quiet centre of a well-run home. When you engage one through Perla, you are placing the day-to-day stewardship of your property, and the people who keep it running, in measured, trustworthy hands.
Core Responsibilities
What this role looks after, day to day
Household Operations
Setting standards and daily routines so every residence runs seamlessly, whether the family is in town or away.
Staff Leadership
Hiring, scheduling and mentoring housekeepers, chefs, drivers and grounds teams as a single, calm point of authority.
Budgets & Reporting
Holding household budgets, reconciling expenses and reporting cleanly to the principal or family office.
Vendor & Project Management
Sourcing trusted vendors and overseeing renovations, maintenance and specialist care of art, wine and vehicles.
Property Readiness
Preparing homes ahead of arrivals and coordinating travel and logistics across multiple properties.
Systems & Security
Maintaining climate, security and smart-home systems to a consistent standard across the portfolio.
The Role
What an Estate Manager Does
An estate manager carries operational responsibility for a private residence, and, frequently, for several properties across different locations. The role is one of orchestration: aligning people, schedules, budgets and standards so that the principal's homes simply work, without friction or visible effort.
Day to day, an estate manager hires, schedules and supervises household staff, housekeepers, chefs, gardeners, drivers and security among them. They hold the household budget, reconcile expenses, and report cleanly to the principal or family office. They source and manage vendors, oversee renovations and maintenance, and keep contracts, warranties and service records in good order.
The Scope
Anticipation & Judgement
Beyond logistics, a capable estate manager anticipates. They prepare a residence ahead of the family's arrival, coordinate travel between properties, and ensure that systems, climate, security, art and wine care, vehicles, are maintained to a consistent standard. They quietly resolve the issues a principal should never have to think about.
Where estates often span hillside compounds, beach houses and city pieds-à-terre, the role demands both breadth and judgement. The best estate managers combine the rigour of a chief operating officer with the warmth and tact of a true house steward.
Why Perla
Why Hire Through Us
Placing an estate manager is a decision of trust, not transaction. This person will hold keys, budgets and the rhythm of your private life.
Every candidate Perla presents has been background-checked, reference-verified and assessed for the leadership and discretion the role requires. We look closely at experience managing multi-property portfolios, staff teams and significant household budgets, and at the temperament to lead calmly.
Our process is confidential from first contact. Your name, your homes and your requirements remain private throughout.
What to Expect
Seasoned, Verified, Discreet
Expect candidates who have run substantial private residences, often for many years, and who carry verifiable references from comparable households. Most bring a decade or more of senior household or hospitality experience, fluency with budgets and vendor contracts, and a settled, unflappable presence.
Above all, expect discretion. The estate managers we place understand that a quiet home and an unspoken confidence are the measure of their work.
Inside the Role
The steady hand behind a seamless home
A morning might begin with a walk of the grounds and a quiet review of the day’s schedule, deliveries, a maintenance visit, a dinner for twelve that evening. By mid-morning the estate manager has briefed the housekeeping team, confirmed the florist and approved an invoice from the pool contractor.
The afternoon turns to the family’s second residence: coordinating a caretaker, arranging travel, and ensuring the house is warm, stocked and ready for an unannounced weekend visit. Nothing is dramatic; everything is handled.
This is the rhythm of estate management done well, anticipatory, discreet, and entirely invisible to the family who simply arrives home to find everything as it should be.
Estate Managers, Placed With Confidence
10+
Yrs avg. experience
4–6 wk
Typical time to place
100%
Background-checked
Multi
Property portfolios
What Families Say About Their Estate Managers
All testimonials are anonymized and approved before publication; no client identities are ever disclosed.
Estate Manager Searches
Searches we are running now
Estate Manager
Questions, Answered
How much does it cost to hire an estate manager?
Compensation for an experienced estate manager typically ranges from the low- to mid-six figures, depending on the number of properties, staff managed and scope of responsibility. Perla advises on current market ranges during your first confidential conversation.
What is the difference between an estate manager and a household manager?
A household manager typically runs a single residence and its staff, while an estate manager holds broader operational authority, often across multiple properties, larger teams and significant budgets. The estate manager is the senior-most position in most private households.
How does Perla vet estate managers?
Every candidate is background-checked, reference-verified with comparable private households, and assessed for leadership, judgement and discretion. We review experience managing multi-property portfolios, staff teams and household budgets before anyone reaches your shortlist.
How long does it take to place an estate manager?
Most estate manager searches move to a curated shortlist within a couple of weeks, with a placement typically confirmed inside four to six weeks. Timelines flex around your preferences and the seniority of the search.
Can an estate manager oversee multiple homes?
Yes. Many of the estate managers we place manage portfolios spanning several residences, coordinating staff, vendors and travel between them. We match candidates specifically to the scale and geography of your properties.
Related Roles
A well-run estate rarely stands alone. You may also wish to consider a personal assistant to support family life alongside household operations, a private chef to elevate daily dining, or a nanny for families with young children.
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Nanny
Warm, professional, long-tenured childcare from caregivers who become a trusted part of family life.
Personal Assistant
Trusted day-to-day support for a family's personal affairs, errands, travel, scheduling, and home logistics.
Executive Assistant
Polished administrative and calendar management at the intersection of home and professional life.
Private Chef
Bespoke daily dining and refined entertaining, tailored to the family's tastes, health, and lifestyle.
Nanny
Warm, professional, long-tenured childcare from caregivers who become a trusted part of family life.
Request an Estate Manager
When you are ready, we will begin quietly. Share your needs through our confidential inquiry form and a Perla advisor will respond personally to discuss your household and shortlist suitable candidates. Explore the full private service roles we place, learn how to hire household staff with Perla, or review our placement process.