What is a void period?

A void is any stretch when the property sits empty between tenancies and earns no rent. The mortgage, insurance and council tax carry on regardless, which is why voids hurt more than most fees. Livdin measures voids from the day the outgoing tenant hands back keys to the day the new tenant moves in, and works to a target of seven days or fewer.

How long does tenant referencing take?

Referencing is usually the quickest part of the whole process, provided the applicant and their referees respond promptly. It covers the checks a landlord actually needs, including right to rent checks, before anyone signs anything. Delays here are almost always someone not answering an email, not the checks themselves.

Should I drop the rent if nobody is applying?

Not before you know why. If the listing gets plenty of clicks but no viewings, the price is likely the problem and a small early correction beats a long void, because an empty month usually costs more than the reduction. If viewings happen but applications do not, the issue is more often condition, and cutting the rent will not fix that.

Can you find a tenant before my current one moves out?

Yes, and it is the single best way to avoid a void. Once the outgoing tenant gives notice we market straight away, run viewings with proper notice to the tenant in place, and line up referencing and compliance so the new tenancy can start days after checkout. That is how a 7 day void target works in practice.

Letting and managing

How long does it take to let a house in Yorkshire?

Last updated 4 July 2026 · Reviewed by Nick Thorpe, founder

The short answer

A ready, well priced house in Yorkshire should not sit empty for long. Livdin works to a 7 day void target from checkout to new tenant move in, and our tenancies last 24 months on average. Lettings that drag almost always have a problem with price, condition, photos or timing.

Every week a house stands empty, the mortgage still leaves your account and no rent comes in. An empty house is the most expensive kind of quiet. So the honest answer to “how long will it take?” is: it depends on four things you can control, and one (the season) you can plan around.

How fast can it actually happen?

Fast, if the property is ready and priced right. Our lettings team works to a 7 day void target, measured from the outgoing tenant handing back keys to the new tenant moving in. That is a target, not a promise, and it relies on marketing starting during the notice period rather than after checkout. It is achievable because we let across Yorkshire every week, with 200+ tenants in managed homes and 12+ years of doing this.

The other number that matters is how often you have to do it at all. Our average tenancy runs 24 months. A tenant who stays two years is worth more than a slightly higher rent paid by one who leaves quickly, because every changeover carries a void risk.

What the letting process involves

The process itself is quick. The elapsed time mostly depends on how ready the property is before step three.

Price it properly. We base rents on what we actually let nearby, not on what flatters a valuation. Start with a free rent estimate.
Get the property ready: cleaning, decoration, safety certificates and anything a viewer would notice the moment they walk in.
Photograph and list it. Good daylight photos do more for speed than anything else on this page.
Hold viewings and take applications.
Reference the best applicant, including right to rent checks, then set up the tenancy: agreement, deposit registration and compliance checks, then move in.

What slows a letting down

Four things, and the listing itself will usually tell you which one you have.

What slows it down	How you spot it	The fix
Price too high	Plenty of clicks online, few viewing requests	Reprice against what genuinely lets nearby, and do it early
Condition	Viewings happen, applications do not	Deal with what viewers noticed: paint, carpets, garden, damp smells
Weak photos	Barely any interest online at all	Reshoot in daylight with the property tidy, lead with the best room
Wrong timing	Everything above is right, the market is just quiet	List ahead of peak season where you can, price sharper where you cannot

Price is the one landlords get wrong most often, and the most expensive. A property priced even slightly above the market can sit for weeks, and the lost rent quickly outweighs whatever the higher figure would have recovered.

Does the time of year matter?

Yes. June is peak letting season in Yorkshire, when demand is at its strongest, and we have written about why June makes or breaks a Yorkshire rental. Tenancies that start in early summer also tend to end in early summer, which keeps future changeovers in the busy part of the year. The depths of winter are quieter, so a property coming empty in December needs sharper pricing and better presentation to move at the same speed.

You cannot always choose when a tenant leaves. You can choose to start marketing the day they give notice.

How to avoid a void entirely

Treat the notice period as your letting window. In practice that means marketing immediately, viewing while the current tenant is still in place (with proper notice to them), referencing the new tenant before checkout, and having the compliance documents ready so nothing holds up the start date. That preparation is the whole difference between a void measured in days and one measured in weeks.

If your property is sitting empty right now and your current agent seems in no hurry, that is fixable too. Switching to Livdin takes about a month, costs nothing, and your tenants barely notice. Or start simpler: tell us the address and we will tell you what it should let for.