Ardington Group — UK residential letting and | ardingtongroup.com
Full management is commonly quoted at 8–15% of monthly rent and let-only at 5–10% of the first month's rent plus VAT; the service level behind the percentage is what matters.
The two headline figures describe different products. Let-only is a project with an end date: the agent markets the property, vets applicants, sets up the tenancy agreement and hands over, typically for 5–10% of the first month's rent plus VAT.
Full management never ends while the tenancy does. For a commonly quoted 8–15% of each month's rent the agent collects rent, pursues arrears, organises repairs and keeps the statutory diary — the gas, electrical, EPC and alarm deadlines set out on the compliance deadlines page of this reference.
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Between the two sits rent collection: the agent handles the monthly money and the statements, but maintenance and statutory compliance stay with the landlord. Quotes in this middle band explain much of the spread landlords see when they ring around.
Since 1 June 2019 the Tenant Fees Act has banned most tenant-facing fees in England, so costs that once sat on the tenant's side of the ledger now appear, if anywhere, inside the landlord's fee. The holding deposit is capped at one week's rent; the tenancy deposit caps and the 30-day protection clock are unpacked on the deposit rules page.
A sound comparison method: write down every job covered across this site — tenant finding, rent collection, repairs, the five statutory checks, deposit protection — and mark each quote as included, extra or not offered. The cheapest percentage is rarely the cheapest contract.
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