A let-only fee pays for one thing: finding a tenant. A fully managed fee pays for that plus everything that happens afterwards, for as long as the tenancy runs. Most of the confusion landlords have about agent fees comes from not knowing which of those two they’re actually buying.
Letting agent fees are usually quoted as a single percentage, which makes them easy to compare and easy to misunderstand. Two agents charging what looks like a similar rate can be selling very different amounts of ongoing work. Here’s what you’re actually paying for at each level, and where the extra charges tend to hide.
Let-only: what it actually covers
Let-only, sometimes called tenant-find, is a one-off service. According to current UK market data, it typically costs 8–12% of the first year’s rent, or a flat fee somewhere between £400 and £1,500 depending on the agent and the property. Once the tenancy starts, the agent’s job is done.
That fee covers marketing the property, arranging and running viewings, referencing the tenant, and putting the tenancy agreement together. It does not cover anything that happens after move-in day. If the boiler breaks in month four, if the tenant stops paying rent, if a gas safety certificate needs renewing, that’s on you.
The point: let-only makes sense if you’re confident managing the tenancy yourself and just want help finding the right tenant. It doesn’t make sense if you’re hoping it will save you from the parts of landlording you don’t enjoy — those start the day after the fee is paid.
Fully managed: what the extra percentage buys
Fully managed typically runs 10–15% of monthly rent with independent agents, before VAT, rising toward 15–17% with larger chains. That’s an ongoing monthly cost, not a one-off, and it’s charged for as long as the agent manages the property.
In return, a proper full management service includes:
- Rent collection and arrears chasing. The agent handles the monthly transfer and follows up directly when a payment is late, rather than you doing it yourself.
- Maintenance coordination. Repairs get reported to the agent, who instructs a contractor and manages the job, rather than the tenant calling you directly.
- Compliance and certificate renewals. Gas safety, EICR, and other statutory deadlines get tracked and booked, rather than left for you to remember.
- Property inspections. Periodic visits to check the property’s being looked after, with a record kept.
- Dispute handling. If something goes wrong with the tenancy, the agent is the one dealing with it in the first instance.
Check what’s excluded before you sign. Check-out inventories, deposit administration, and repair cost mark-ups are commonly left out of the headline management fee and charged separately. Ask for a full schedule of fees, not just the percentage, before comparing two agents against each other.
What changed with the Renters’ Rights Act
Tenancy renewal fees, once a standard extra charge every time a fixed-term tenancy was renewed, have effectively disappeared. Since fixed terms no longer exist under the Renters’ Rights Act, there’s nothing left to “renew” in the way there used to be. Some agents have replaced that charge with a fee for handling Section 13 rent increase notices instead, sometimes up to £300 including VAT a year, so it’s worth checking whether that’s baked into your management fee or billed on top.
When each one is worth it
Let-only suits a landlord with one property, nearby, who has the time and inclination to deal with repairs and tenant queries directly, and who mainly wants professional help getting the right tenant in place. It’s the cheaper option on paper, but only if nothing goes wrong — the moment a boiler breaks or a tenant stops paying, the time cost of managing it yourself becomes real.
Fully managed suits landlords who don’t live locally, who own more than one property, or who simply don’t want a 10pm phone call about a leak. It also matters more than it used to since the Renters’ Rights Act came into force: Section 8 possession grounds, correct notice periods, and the four-month restrictions on Ground 1A all carry real financial risk if handled incorrectly, and that’s exactly the kind of process a good managing agent is meant to get right on your behalf.
| Let-only | Fully managed | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | 8–12% of year 1 rent (one-off) | 10–15%+ of monthly rent, ongoing |
| Covers day-to-day repairs | No | Yes |
| Handles compliance deadlines | No | Usually, check the schedule |
| Best for | Hands-on landlords, one property, local | Multiple properties, not local, low time to spare |
The honest answer is that the right choice depends on how much of the ongoing work you actually want to do yourself, not on which fee sounds smaller. We offer both let-only and fully managed services for landlords across Brighton & Hove, and we’d rather tell you honestly which one fits your situation than upsell you into the more expensive option.
Not sure which service level you need?
Tell us about your property and how hands-on you want to be, and we’ll recommend the right level rather than the most expensive one.
Talk to us about your propertyYou can see exactly what’s included at each level on our letting and property management page.
Fee ranges in this article are drawn from current UK letting agent market data published by Landlord Studio and Letting a Property, 2026. Actual fees vary by agent and property, and figures shown may exclude VAT unless stated. This is general information and not financial advice — please request a full fee schedule from any agent before comparing or signing.