Who this is for
This is one of the most common jobs we take on. Usual signs: rooms have sat empty for weeks, compliance has quietly drifted (a gas safety certificate lapsed, a licence renewal missed), your current agent has gone quiet on calls and emails, or you have inherited an HMO you did not set up, or bought one that came with problems already built in. Whatever got you here, the fix is the same. Someone takes it over properly and puts it right.
How the takeover works
We work through the same order on every rescue, so nothing gets missed and nothing gets rushed.
- Compliance audit. Gas, electrical, fire safety and licensing checked before anything else changes hands.
- Licensing check with the council. We confirm what your property actually needs and where it currently stands.
- Deposits and documents transferred. Protected deposits and compliance paperwork move across and get re-registered where needed.
- Re-referencing where needed. Existing tenants are checked, including right to rent, and any gaps are closed.
- Prioritised works at contractor cost, no markup. Whatever is urgent gets fixed first, billed at cost, published in our fee schedule with no hidden charges.
- Rooms remarketed. Empty rooms go back on the market properly priced and photographed, so they start earning again.
What it costs
A straightforward agent-to-agent switch costs nothing. A rescue is more than a switch, so there is a small fee for assessing the property and taking it over, which we agree with you up front before anything starts. From then on it runs on our published HMO management rate, 12% plus VAT of monthly rent, with maintenance at contractor cost and no markup. A straightforward takeover usually completes in about a month from the first call. The full schedule, with no hidden charges, is published on our fees page.
Why acting early matters
The longer a licensing gap or compliance issue sits, the more it costs to sort out, and the risk is real. Letting an HMO that needs a licence without one is a criminal offence carrying an unlimited fine, and tenants can apply for a rent repayment order to reclaim up to 12 months of rent. In Leeds's selective licensing designated areas, an unlicensed letting is also a criminal offence, and the council can issue a civil penalty of up to £40,000 as an alternative to prosecution rather than as any kind of cap on the criminal fine. None of that is likely if you deal with it now. Read our guide on taking over a struggling HMO for the full walkthrough, or what to do about an unlicensed HMO if that is the immediate worry.
The same process, wherever you are
If your HMO is in an HD postcode, see HMO management in Huddersfield for local licensing and room rates. In Leeds, see HMO management in Leeds, where selective licensing and Article 4 add extra layers on top of the mandatory scheme. The takeover itself follows the same steps we use whenever a landlord switches agents to us. For what ongoing management includes day to day, see our main HMO management page.