Most landlords who are unhappy with their letting agent do nothing about it, and the reason is almost always the same: they assume switching is complicated, expensive, or risks unsettling a good tenant.
It usually isn’t any of those things. Here is the honest version.
The three questions everyone actually asks
When landlords look into changing agent, they want to know three things, in this order.
Can I actually leave?
Yes — but check your notice period. Most managed agreements run on one to three months’ notice, and some have a minimum term. Read the termination clause, not the marketing. If you cannot find your agreement, ask your agent for a copy; they are obliged to provide it.
Do I keep my tenant?
Yes. This is the fear that stops most people and it is misplaced.
Your tenancy is an agreement between you and your tenant. The agent is your service provider, not a party to the tenancy. Changing agent does not end, alter or restart the tenancy, and your tenant does not have to agree to it or do anything about it. In practice the tenant notices one thing: a new phone number to call about repairs.
What will it cost me?
This is the one worth checking carefully, because it varies enormously. Some agents charge nothing. Others have exit fees, and a few have clauses entitling them to continued commission for as long as the tenant they introduced remains in the property. That last type is the one to look for. It is not always enforceable, and it is often negotiable, but you need to know it is there before you give notice rather than after.
What actually makes landlords leave
The most useful research on this comes from the National Residential Landlords Association, which asked landlords why they left their previous agent. The top answer was not fees. It was response times — 38%. Fees came second at 26%.
That matches what you see everywhere landlords talk to each other. The complaints are rarely about the headline percentage. They are about silence: inspections in the agreement that never happened, calls not returned, statements not produced, finding out about a problem weeks after it started. One landlord’s summary, which we thought was fair and uncomfortable in equal measure: “It sounds like you’re managing your property anyway.”
The other complaint that has grown sharply this year is about the Renters’ Rights Act. Landlords are discovering that although they pay an agent to handle compliance, the legal liability still sits with them. As one put it: “what is the point of employing an agent if you have to be responsible for their mistakes?”
That is a reasonable question, and any agent worth instructing should be able to answer it specifically rather than reassuringly.
What to ask a new agent before you move
Do not ask “do you handle the Renters’ Rights Act?” Every agent will say yes. Ask things that have checkable answers:
What is your guaranteed response time to a landlord email, and what happens if you miss it? Who specifically manages my property, and what happens when they are on holiday? Did you serve the government Information Sheet to every tenant before 31 May, and can you show me the proof of service? What is your process for a Section 8 ground now that Section 21 is gone, and how many have you actually served? What is your full fee schedule including every charge that is not the headline percentage?
That last one matters more than people realise. Several large agents operating in Guildford publish a headline management percentage and then add monthly compliance charges or minimum annual fees on top. A 12% agent with no extras can easily be cheaper than an 11% agent with a monthly add-on.
What switching looks like in practice
Check your agreement for notice period and exit terms. Give notice in writing. Tell your new agent when your notice expires so they can pick up cleanly on the day. Your new agent handles the handover — keys, deposit records, certificates, tenancy file, and the tenant introduction. You write one letter to your tenant telling them who to contact from the changeover date.
For a fully managed property with a settled tenant, that is genuinely the whole job. Most of it happens without you doing anything.
Want to know what it’d look like for your property?
Property Lounge is a Guildford lettings agency, ARLA Propertymark accredited, based at Merrow Business Park. A meaningful share of our landlords came to us from another agent.
We’ll go through what switching would involve for your property specifically — including a plain reading of your current agreement’s exit terms — at no cost. If the answer is that you’re better off staying where you are, we’ll tell you that too.
Before you move, compare properly: what letting agent fees in Guildford should actually look like.
General information, not legal advice. Check your own agency agreement, and take independent advice if a term is unclear or you are in dispute with your current agent.
Need a second opinion?
We’re Property Lounge, an ARLA Propertymark accredited lettings agency in Guildford. If anything above raised a question about your own property, we’re happy to talk it through — whether or not you’re a client, and whether or not you ever become one. No charge, no obligation, and we won’t chase you afterwards.
If you’re weighing up agents, ours is easy to check: our landlord fees are published in full — 12% inclusive of VAT for fully managed, and no surprises after that.
You can see how our fully managed lettings service works, what it costs, or book a free rental valuation.
Call 01483 369209 or email lettings@propertylounge.co.uk.
