A letting-agent appointment should make responsibilities clearer. Before comparing fees, identify the tasks you need performed and the decisions you intend to retain. A tenant-find package and ongoing management can leave very different work with the landlord, even when the marketing description sounds similar.
Define the scope
Ask who prepares the advertisement, handles applications and organises the handover. For management, establish who receives repair reports, assesses urgency and instructs contractors. Record spending authority and how an urgent issue is handled when the owner cannot be reached. Avoid relying on an informal promise outside the agreement.
Check protection and complaints
GOV.UK describes the requirement for letting and property-management agents in England to belong to an approved redress scheme. Check membership through the scheme’s own records. Where the agent holds client money, separately check the applicable client-money protection arrangements. These are distinct questions, not interchangeable badges.
Read the full charges
Ask for all fees, payment timing and optional services in writing. Check what happens when a tenancy continues, the property is sold or the appointment ends. Do not assume a low introductory price represents the complete cost of a longer management relationship.
Agree reporting
Request an example statement and explain what maintenance updates you need. Establish how safety records and outstanding actions are tracked. Ask who checks that a contractor’s recommendation receives a decision rather than simply being attached to an email.
Plan a handover
Read the termination provisions and ask how keys, deposits, tenancy documents and records would be transferred to another manager. Confirm who will notify the tenant of new contact and payment arrangements. An exit process matters even when the initial appointment is going well.
This editorial checklist does not rank agents or guarantee their performance. Agency duties and requirements vary across the UK, and an agent’s appointment does not remove every landlord responsibility. Obtain advice on unclear contract terms before signing. Reviewed 30 October 2026.
Source and further reading: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/lettings-agents-and-property-managers-redress-schemes