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Property Managers

Property Managers: directory of firms

Residential property management in Britain splits into two jobs that share a name. A letting agent manages a tenancy for a landlord: rent collection, repairs, inspections and the compliance paperwork the law now demands. A managing agent runs a block of flats for a freeholder or a residents' management company: service charges, communal repairs, insurance and the statutory consultation that goes with them. Leaseholders in a block cannot choose their managing agent; landlords choosing a letting agent can.

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Neither role is licensed. The compulsory protections are membership of an approved redress scheme and, for agents holding client money in England, membership of a client money protection scheme. Both are explained in full in the estate agents guide on this site, and the checks are the same here.

What distinguishes property management from agency is that the obligations are continuous. Gas, electrical and fire safety duties recur on fixed cycles, service charge money has to be accounted for, and the tenancy regime itself changed substantially when the Renters' Rights Act rules took effect on 1 May 2026. A manager who is good at letting property and weak on compliance is a liability rather than a saving.

Letting agents, managing agents and what each actually does

  • Tenant find only: marketing, viewings, referencing and the tenancy agreement, after which the landlord takes over.
  • Rent collection: tenant find plus rent processing and arrears chasing, but no repairs handling.
  • Full management: the above plus repairs, contractor instruction, inspections and statutory compliance on the landlord's behalf.
  • Block or leasehold management: running the common parts of a building for the freeholder or a residents' management company under the terms of the leases.
  • Right to Manage company management, where leaseholders have taken over management themselves and appoint the agent directly.
  • Build-to-rent and student accommodation operators, which manage at scale and usually employ staff on site rather than acting as agents.

The recurring safety duties a manager has to run to a calendar

Electrical safety is the clearest example of a duty that runs on a fixed cycle. The regulations require landlords to have the electrical installations in their properties inspected and tested by a qualified person at least every five years, to obtain the report, and to give a copy to tenants and to the local council on request. Where the report says remedial or further investigative work is needed, that work has to be completed within 28 days, or sooner if the report specifies a shorter period, and confirmation supplied afterwards.

The standard the installation is tested against is British Standard 7671, the 18th edition of the Wiring Regulations. The report must also go to an existing tenant within 28 days of the inspection, and to a prospective tenant within 28 days of a request. A managing agent that cannot produce the current report on demand is not managing the compliance, only the rent.

  • Gas appliances and flues require an annual safety check by a registered engineer, with the record given to the tenant.
  • Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm duties apply to rented homes and are enforced by the local council.
  • Fire risk assessments are required for the common parts of blocks, and the duty sits with the responsible person rather than the leaseholders.
  • Deposits taken on a qualifying tenancy must be placed in an approved protection scheme within 30 days, with the prescribed information given to the tenant.

Service charges and the section 20 consultation threshold

Block management turns on the lease and on the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985. Section 20 limits what leaseholders can be charged for qualifying works and qualifying long term agreements unless the statutory consultation requirements have been followed, or the tribunal has dispensed with them. The trigger in England is set by regulation: consultation is required where the works would result in any one tenant's relevant contribution exceeding 250 pounds.

That threshold is low, so most substantial repair projects in a block are consultable. Skipping the process does not make the work unlawful, but it caps recovery at the threshold, and the cost of the shortfall usually lands on the freeholder or the residents' company. A competent agent builds the notice periods into the programme rather than treating them as paperwork to catch up on afterwards.

What a full management instruction covers month to month

  • Collecting rent or service charge, reconciling it to the client account and issuing statements on an agreed cycle.
  • Triaging repair reports, instructing contractors within a delegated spending limit and escalating anything above it.
  • Periodic inspections with a written record, which is also the evidence base for any later deposit deduction.
  • Tracking compliance renewal dates so certificates never lapse, and holding the documents where they can be produced on request.
  • Handling arrears, notices and, where it comes to it, possession proceedings through a solicitor.
  • Preparing year-end service charge accounts for a block and dealing with leaseholder queries on them.

The tenancy regime changed on 1 May 2026

GOV.UK now describes the assured periodic tenancy as the most common type of tenancy in the private rented sector in England, following the changes that took effect on 1 May 2026 under the Renters' Rights Act. Its landlord guidance on deposits carries the same date. Any agent still working from pre-2026 tenancy templates, notice forms or process notes is exposing the landlord rather than the tenant.

Ask a prospective manager directly how it has changed its documents and its possession process, and what it now does differently at the start and end of a tenancy. The honest answer will be specific. A vague one usually means the firm has not done the work.

Disputes, the tribunal and the ombudsman

  • The First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) handles leasehold disputes including variable service charges, management disputes and recognising a tenants' association.
  • It also hears rent repayment orders, banned tenant fees paid to a landlord or letting agent, and challenges to financial penalties issued by councils.
  • Complaints about the agent's service, rather than about the sums themselves, go to the redress scheme the agent must belong to.
  • You cannot use an ombudsman once you have applied to the tribunal, so the order in which you act matters.
  • Leaseholders unhappy with management long term can pursue the Right to Manage and appoint their own agent.
  • Deposit disputes are handled by the protection scheme's own free adjudication rather than by the tribunal.

The two checks to run before you instruct

  • Confirm the firm is listed by The Property Ombudsman or the Property Redress Scheme, which letting agents and property managers in England and Wales must join.
  • Ask for the client money protection certificate, which the agent must supply free of charge to anyone who asks and display in the office and on its website.
  • Check the client account is with a bank or building society authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, as the rules require.
  • In Wales, check the agent is licensed through Rent Smart Wales, which requires money protection before a licence is issued.
  • Ask whether the firm is also registered with HMRC for money laundering supervision, which applies to letting agency businesses above the rent threshold set in the regulations.
  • The estate agents guide on this site sets out how each of these obligations works and what the penalties are.

Property Managers: frequently asked questions

Is there a licence for letting agents in England?

There is no general licence in England. The binding requirements are redress scheme membership, client money protection where the agent holds client money, and HMRC anti-money-laundering registration for letting agency businesses that meet the rent threshold. Wales is different: agents there are licensed through Rent Smart Wales, and money protection must be in place before the licence is granted.

How often does a rented home need an electrical check?

At least every five years. A qualified person must inspect and test the installation against British Standard 7671, the landlord must obtain the report, and a copy must go to the tenant. If the report identifies remedial or further investigative work, it has to be done within 28 days or any shorter period the report specifies, with written confirmation supplied afterwards.

What is section 20 consultation and when does it apply?

It is the statutory process a landlord or managing agent must follow before charging leaseholders for qualifying works or entering a qualifying long term agreement. In England it bites where any one leaseholder's contribution would exceed 250 pounds. Without consultation, or a tribunal dispensation, recovery is capped at that figure regardless of what the work actually cost.

My managing agent is unresponsive. What can I do?

Complain to the firm in writing first, then to its redress scheme if that fails. Disputes about whether a service charge is reasonable or payable go to the First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) instead, and leaseholders who want a different agent altogether can look at the Right to Manage. Note that you cannot take a matter to an ombudsman after you have applied to the tribunal.

Should I use full management or rent collection only?

The question is really who carries the compliance calendar. Full management puts certificate renewals, repair response and inspection records with the agent; rent collection leaves them with you. If you live far from the property, own more than one, or do not want to be the person a tenant calls at midnight, the compliance argument usually settles it.

Where does my tenancy deposit have to go?

Into an approved tenancy deposit protection scheme within 30 days of receipt, with the prescribed information given to the tenant. Schemes offer a custodial option where they hold the money free, or an insured option where the landlord or agent holds it and pays to insure it. Deposit protection is separate from client money protection and neither substitutes for the other.

Sources

  1. GOV.UK: Electrical safety standards in the private and social rented sectors
  2. Landlord and Tenant Act 1985, section 20: limitation of service charges
  3. The Service Charges (Consultation Requirements) (England) Regulations 2003, regulation 6
  4. GOV.UK: Deposit protection schemes and landlords
  5. GOV.UK: Private renting
  6. GOV.UK: Housing tribunals, First-tier Tribunal (Property Chamber)
  7. GOV.UK: Protecting clients' money if you're a property agent
  8. GOV.UK: Money laundering supervision for letting agency businesses

Written by the LokalMatch editorial team. Last reviewed 22 September 2026. How we write and check our guides

What property managers can help with

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What affects the fees property managers charge

Fees depend on the work involved and how the professional bills. We only publish fee ranges when they’re backed by real LokalMatch data or reliable sources. Until then, here’s what usually changes the fee:

  • Scope and complexity of the work
  • How the professional bills: hourly, flat fee or retainer
  • Experience and seniority of the person doing the work
  • Deadlines and how urgent the work is
  • Third-party costs such as filing, registration or government fees

How to compare property managers before you hire

  • Check that they are licensed or registered for this work where you live, on the regulator’s public register.
  • Look for experience with matters like yours, and ask who will actually handle your file.
  • Ask how they charge before any work starts, and get the terms in writing.
  • Compare two or three professionals before you decide.
  • Be wary of anyone who guarantees a particular outcome.

Questions to ask property managers before you hire

  • Are you licensed or registered for this work, and with which body?
  • Have you handled matters like mine before?
  • Who will do the work, and who will I deal with day to day?
  • How do you charge: hourly, a flat fee or a retainer?
  • What is included in your fee, and what costs extra?
  • Will you confirm the scope and fees in a written engagement letter?
  • Do you carry professional liability insurance?

Licences and registration

This kind of work is often limited to licensed or registered professionals, and the rules depend on where you are. Ask which body they’re registered with, and check their status on that body’s public register before you hire.

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