LetCompliance vs A high-street letting agent
For roughly 60% of UK landlords the question is not which software to buy, it is whether to hand the property to a high-street letting agent at all. Full management typically costs 10–15% of the monthly rent plus setup, inventory and renewal fees, and shifts day-to-day work — not the legal liability — to the agent. LetCompliance is the alternative: keep the rent, keep the relationship, and use software to do the compliance discipline a good agent would do for you. Here is the honest comparison — fees, risk, control and time — with no marketing tilt.
10–15% of rent + setup, inventory and renewal fees. Add VAT where applicable.
Landlord remains civilly and criminally liable for Gas, EICR, EPC, deposit Prescribed Information, Right to Rent and HMO licence compliance even when an agent manages the property.
Agents do not typically prepare your tax pack — they hand statements and you (or your accountant) do the rest.
Choose LetCompliance when
- You have 1–5 properties, value the rent margin, and can spend ~2–3 hours a month on landlord admin.
- You want to keep the tenant relationship and the compliance audit trail in your own hands.
- Your portfolio is local enough to deal with viewings and inspections personally, or you have a trusted handyman / inventory clerk on call.
- You want filing-grade tax shape (SA105, Section 24, MTD ITSA quarters) ready for your accountant.
Choose A high-street letting agent when
- You live a long way from the property, travel often, or have very limited time outside your day job.
- You have one or two properties only and the maths between fees and time saved tilts to outsourcing.
- You want a single point of contact for tenants and contractors and are happy to pay 10–15% for the convenience.
- You are a non-resident landlord under the NRL scheme and want an agent to handle HMRC withholding.
FAQs
Does using a letting agent transfer compliance liability away from me?
No. The landlord remains the regulated person under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020, the Tenancy Deposit Schemes (TDS) framework, the Right to Rent Scheme, the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations and the Housing Act 2004 HMO licensing regime. An agent can perform the work; you stay liable for the breach. This is why audit-logged software is valuable even when you use a full-management agent — if the agent loses a record, the council still fines you.
What does a letting agent actually cost in 2026?
Three common bands. Tenant-find-only: a single fee of £300–£700 + VAT. Let-only: typically 8–10% of the first year’s rent. Full management: typically 10–15% of the monthly rent ongoing, plus setup (£150–£400), inventory (£120–£250), renewal (£50–£120) and check-out fees. On a £1,500/mo single let, full management at 12% is £2,160/yr before extras.
Can I run LetCompliance and still keep an agent?
Yes — many landlords do exactly this. The agent handles tenant-facing work; you keep an independent compliance record so a future agent change does not leave you with no documentation. We import certificates the agent uploads (or that you photograph from their portal) and run the AI expiry detection on top.
Is the time saving from a letting agent really 30+ hours a year?
For a single let with a stable long-term tenant: closer to 10–20 hours a year of agent value (mostly inspections, certificate scheduling, rent chasing). For an HMO with quarterly inspections, supplier management and tenant turnover: 60–120 hours a year. The maths tilts to "agent" the more friction the property has, and to "self-management with software" the more stable it is.
What about fees abolished by the Tenant Fees Act 2019 — are agent fees safe to charge?
The Tenant Fees Act bans agents from charging tenants most fees (referencing, inventory, check-in). Landlord-facing fees — setup, renewal, full-management percentage — are not regulated and remain at the agent’s discretion. This shifted income models in 2019–2020; expect a 12–15% management band rather than the 8–10% common pre-2019.
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