The short answer
A letting agent does the jobs of a let for you, for a fee. Agents usually sell two levels of service. Let-only, also called tenant find, covers everything up to the day the tenant moves in. Full management carries on through the tenancy: collecting rent, chasing arrears, arranging repairs and inspections, and handling notices. Some agents sell rent collection on its own as a middle step.
This page lists the jobs, what stays with you whichever you choose, and how a landlord who runs the let without an agent covers each one. What agents charge is on the letting agent fees page, linked at the end.
The jobs on let-only
- Pricing and advertising. Suggesting a rent, photos, the description and the listing on the portals, which only agents can use
- Enquiries and viewings. Taking the calls, screening, and showing the home
- Referencing and Right to Rent. Checking income, credit and previous landlord, and the right to rent check
- The tenancy set-up. The agreement, the written information a new tenant must get, taking the first rent and the deposit, protecting the deposit and serving the prescribed information
- Move-in. Handing over keys and the required documents, and often an inventory, sometimes for an extra fee
After move-in day, a let-only agent steps back. You collect the rent and run the tenancy.
The extra jobs on full management
- Rent collection and arrears. Collecting into a client account, paying you after deducting fees, chasing late rent
- Repairs. Taking the tenant’s call, sending a contractor, paying the invoice from your rent. Some agents add a charge on top of contractor invoices
- Inspections. Visiting during the tenancy and reporting back
- Certificates. Booking gas safety checks, electrical inspections and EPCs when due, if the contract says so
- Rent reviews and notices. Proposing increases through Section 13 and serving notices if possession is needed
- Statements. A monthly statement of rent received and costs paid, useful for your tax return
- Check-out and the deposit. Comparing the check-out with the inventory and agreeing deductions
What stays with you, whichever you choose
- The property and the tenancy. You are still the landlord. Read the contract to see exactly which jobs the agent has taken on in writing, and keep your own copies of every certificate and the deposit protection
- Your tax return. The agent’s statement helps, but the return is yours, with the agent’s fees recorded as a cost against the full rent collected
- Checking the agent. GOV.UK says an agent in England who holds clients’ money must belong to a client money protection scheme, and can be fined up to £30,000 for not joining (read 20 October 2026). Ask for the certificate
- The rules on adverts and fees. GOV.UK’s guides on rental bidding and tenant fees apply to “you or your letting agent”. An agent’s mistake is still a problem for your let
Questions to ask before signing an agent’s contract
- What exactly is in the fee, and what is charged as an extra?
- Is there a continuing commission if you leave while the same tenant stays?
- How much notice to end the contract?
- Who books the certificates, and who gets the reminder?
- How are repairs approved, and is there a markup on contractor invoices?
- How fast is rent passed on to you, and what happens in a month it is late?
When an agent earns its fee
Being fair to agents: one is worth paying if the property is far from where you live, if you cannot take a call about a leak during your working day or attend viewings, or if you would rather pay than spend the evenings. The cost comparison guide linked below works through the numbers. A common middle way is an agent for the tenant find, then running the tenancy yourself.
How a self-managing landlord covers the same jobs in LetCompliance
- Advertising and viewings. An advert with the rent and the material information, public by link and on the to-let listings, with viewings booked from each application. Trial and paid plans
- Applications. Every enquiry in one list, turned into the tenant when you choose. Every plan
- Referencing. A full reference for £24.99, paid per check on any plan
- The agreement and deposit. An assured periodic tenancy agreement built from the tenancy, signed online on the trial and paid plans; the deposit register and the prescribed information on every plan; the move-in documents sent in one email, each logged
- Rent. Direct Debit into your own Stripe account. Stripe charges 1% of each Direct Debit payment with a 20p minimum and a £4 cap, and £5 for a disputed payment. Late rent is chased by email on the schedule you set
- Repairs. Tenants report through their portal; you send work orders to your own contractors on the trial and paid plans
- Inspections and inventories. Inspections on every plan; inventories with the check-out comparison on Portfolio and above, from £19 a month
- Rent reviews and notices. Section 13 on Form 4A and Section 8 on Form 3A, on paid plans from £7.99 a month
- The money side. Finance per property, the SA105 figures on paid plans, and Making Tax Digital updates for UK property income sent to HMRC on paid plans
- The jobs that need someone on site. An inventory from £95, a check-out from £85 (both more for a furnished home or extra bedrooms) and a mid-tenancy inspection at £80, in Crewe, Cheshire, Stoke-on-Trent, Chester, Warrington, Manchester, Liverpool, Wrexham, Derby, Nottingham and Birmingham. Accompanied viewings are £49 each, in a smaller area around Crewe. Arrears Recovery, a flat £99, is done by phone and in writing, so it is not tied to an area
Common mistakes
- Paying for full management and still doing the chasing yourself
- Not reading the continuing commission clause
- Assuming the agent books every certificate without it being written into the contract
- Letting the agent hold all the paperwork, so leaving them means starting from nothing
- Comparing an agent with doing everything by hand, rather than with doing it on software
Is full management worth it?
It is if you value the time and the phone calls more than the fee, or live far from the property. If you are local and organised, most of the work is an hour or two a month with the right tools.
Can I use an agent just to find a tenant?
Yes. That is let-only. Afterwards, bring the tenancy into LetCompliance to run the rent, repairs and paperwork yourself.
Does a letting agent protect the deposit?
If the agent takes the deposit, GOV.UK says the landlord or letting agent must put it in a scheme within 30 days. Ask which scheme, and keep the certificate and the prescribed information for your own records.
Can I take over from my agent mid-tenancy?
Yes, once the notice period in your contract allows. Collect the paperwork, move the deposit protection and tell the tenant in writing where to pay. The help page on taking over from an agent covers the steps.
What LetCompliance does not do here
- It is not a letting agent and does not take calls, hold rent or attend emergencies
- It does not list on Rightmove or Zoopla
- Visits cover a limited area, not the whole country
- Arrears Recovery is pre-legal help, not legal representation
