How do I choose a letting agent?

Choosing a letting agent is a hiring decision. You are handing someone your rent, your tenants and your legal obligations, so interview them like it matters. Here are the checks to run first, the ten questions to ask, and the answers that should worry you. Use them on every agent you speak to, including us.

Run three checks before you ring anyone

Before you compare anyone on fees or service, check three things: the agent belongs to a client money protection scheme, publishes a full fee schedule, and has an office you could walk into. In England, letting agents who hold client money must by law belong to a government-approved client money protection scheme, and every agent must belong to a redress scheme such as The Property Ombudsman. These rules can change, so check the current lists on gov.uk, and Livdin confirms the current requirements on every tenancy we set up. If any of the three checks fails, stop there. The questions below are for the agents that pass.

The ten questions to ask any letting agent

Ask every agent the same ten questions and get the answers in writing. Vague answers now become expensive surprises later.

1. Which client money protection scheme are you in, and who holds the deposits? A good answer names the scheme, offers the certificate, and confirms deposits go into a government-approved deposit protection scheme within 30 days of payment.
2. What are your full fees, including VAT? A good answer is a published schedule you can take away and compare, like our fees page. “We’ll confirm that once you sign” is not an answer.
3. Do you add a markup to maintenance invoices? A good answer is a number, or “none”, in writing. Some agents add a percentage to every contractor bill, and it never appears in the headline fee.
4. How do you reference tenants? A good answer covers credit checks, employment and previous landlord references, and right to rent checks, and tells you who actually does the work.
5. How long do your properties sit empty between tenancies? A good answer is a measured number. An agent who cannot tell you their average void is not managing voids, just experiencing them.
6. Who is my day-to-day contact? A good answer is a name, not a department. You want one person who knows your property because they have stood in it.
7. How do repairs and emergencies work? A good answer includes an out-of-hours route for tenants, an agreed spend limit above which you approve the work first, and clarity on whether contractor invoices reach you at cost.
8. How do you keep me compliant? A good answer lists gas safety, electrical checks, energy certificates, deposit rules, alarms and any licensing, with reminders before deadlines rather than apologies after them.
9. How often do you inspect, and what do I receive? A good answer is a fixed schedule and a written report with photographs each time, not “we keep an eye on it”.
10. What happens when a tenancy goes wrong? A good answer is honest about how arrears are chased, when notices are served and what court action involves. Be suspicious of any agent who says it never happens to them.

Red flags that should end the conversation

No client money protection, no published fees and no local office are the three that end it on the spot. The first puts your rent and deposits at risk and breaks the law. The second means the real cost only appears after you have signed. The third means viewings, inspections and contractor visits all depend on someone making a long journey, and they will not.

Two more worth watching. A rent valuation noticeably higher than every other agent’s is usually flattery to win the instruction, followed by a reduction once the property has sat empty. And a guaranteed rent offer that nobody can quite explain deserves far more scrutiny before you sign anything.

Where Livdin stands on the same ten

Fair is fair, so here are ours. Client Money Protect for client money, The Property Ombudsman for redress, NRLA membership, and a full fee schedule published for anyone to read: single let management is 10% of monthly rent plus VAT, and maintenance is billed at contractor cost with no markup. We work to a 7-day void target from checkout to move-in, our average tenancy runs to 24 months across more than 200 tenants, and the office is at 24 Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth. Ask us the ten questions along with everyone else and compare the written answers. If you are still deciding how much service you need, start with fully managed vs tenant find.

Already with an agent who fails the test?

Choosing wrong the first time is fixable. Switching agents takes about a month, costs nothing with Livdin, and your tenants barely notice. Check the notice period in your current terms of business before you commit to anyone new, then let the new agent run the handover.