Tenant-find only or fully managed: which letting service does a landlord need?

Tenant-find only suits landlords with the time, and a working knowledge of the rules, to run a tenancy themselves: the agent finds, checks and moves in the tenant, then steps away. Full management suits most other landlords, because since the Renters' Rights Act 2025's main changes began on 1 May 2026, more of the risk sits in the months after move-in: rent increases, notices, repairs and safety renewals. On tenant-find, those ongoing legal duties are yours to meet personally.

What each service usually covers

Scope varies between agents, so read the terms, not the label.

Tenant-find only

Marketing, viewings, referencing and setting up the tenancy. Depending on the agent, that can include Right to Rent checks, the tenancy agreement and protecting the deposit.

Rent collection

Tenant-find plus collecting the rent and chasing late payments. Repairs, inspections and certificate renewals usually stay with you.

Fully managed

The agent runs the tenancy day to day: rent, repairs, inspections, safety renewals, rent increase notices and, at the end, the deposit. What our management covers, and costs, is on our fees page.

What stays with you on tenant-find

Deposit protection

A deposit must be protected with the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, and the tenant given the prescribed information about it, within 30 days of receipt. If the agent took it, get written confirmation of both. If not, a court can order you to pay the tenant one to three times the deposit, and an unprotected deposit can stop a court granting possession.

Written terms before signing

For a tenancy created on or after 1 May 2026, the tenant must be given a written statement of key terms before the tenancy is signed or agreed. It must include, among other things, an address for serving notices on the landlord, the rent and deposit, the tenant's notice period, a statement that rent increases will follow section 13, your repair, gas and electrical safety duties, and the tenant's right to ask for a pet. Missing it can mean a fine of up to £7,000.

If an agent drafts it, check the list is covered: contracting an agent to do this puts the duty on them as well as you, not instead of you.

One thing has dropped out: the legal requirement to give tenants the government's How to Rent guide was revoked for private tenancies from 1 May 2026, and the guide has been withdrawn as out of date.

Right to Rent

Before a tenancy starts, every adult who will live there must be checked for the right to rent in England, with follow-up checks where permission to stay is time-limited. The civil penalty is up to £10,000 per occupier for a first breach and £20,000 for a repeat. Liability moves to an agent only if the agent has taken on the checks under a written arrangement, so make sure that covers the follow-ups.

Safety checks

• Gas: every gas appliance and flue you provide checked every 12 months by a Gas Safe registered engineer, with the record copied to existing tenants within 28 days of the check and to new tenants before they move in. The HSE says an agent takes on this duty only if the management contract clearly says so; otherwise it stays with you.
• Electrics: an inspection and test at least every five years, with the report to the tenant within 28 days of it. Remedial or further investigation work must be done within 28 days, or sooner if the report says so. Councils can fine up to £40,000.
• EPC: a valid certificate rated E or better, or a registered exemption, with a copy given to the tenant.
• Alarms: a smoke alarm on every storey with living accommodation, and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance other than a gas cooker, checked on the day the tenancy starts.

Renewals fall mid-tenancy, when no agent is watching. Our safety certificates guide has the detail.

Rent increases and notices

Rent can go up once a year, not in the first year, and only by giving the tenant Form 4A under section 13 at least two months before the increase starts. You need it every time, even if the tenant has agreed the figure.

Ending a tenancy needs a section 8 notice citing a legal ground (our Renters' Rights Act guide covers them). A text or WhatsApp telling a tenant to leave by a set date can count as a notice to quit, and trying to end a tenancy that way can bring a fine of up to £7,000.

Repairs and hazards

You must keep the structure, exterior and the installations for water, gas, electricity, sanitation, heating and hot water in repair, and keep the home fit for human habitation. Since 22 June 2026, councils can also fine up to £7,000 where a rented home has a category 1 hazard that it would have been reasonably practicable to remove. On tenant-find, the tenant rings you.

Coming whichever you choose

• A landlord register. Register Your Rental Property launches on 15 December 2026 in the West Midlands and reaches other regions over 12 months. Landlords get three months once their area is called, and everyone actively letting must be registered by 14 November 2027 or risk a fine. Draft regulations put Manchester and the rest of the North West on 15 May 2027, though that date is not yet law — see our landlord register guide.
• A landlord ombudsman. The government's roadmap says membership will be mandatory for private landlords, and expects that in 2028.

When tenant-find is the right choice

It makes sense if most of these apply:

• you live close enough to handle repairs and access yourself
• you have let before and know your way round Form 4A, section 8 and a certificate calendar
• you have one or two straightforward homes rather than an HMO
• you want a professional to find and reference the tenant, not to run the tenancy

Plenty of experienced landlords do it well.

When full management earns its keep

• you live abroad or far from Manchester (see our overseas landlords guide)
• you let an HMO, where licence conditions add another layer (HMO licensing in Manchester)
• you are letting for the first time since the Renters' Rights Act
• you would rather not be the person the tenant rings when the boiler fails

Deciding

Weigh your time, not just the fee. Tenant-find buys a well set-up tenancy; it does not buy anyone to notice when the gas record runs out. If you choose it, ask the agent to confirm in writing which duties above they are taking on, and diary the rest. For how agency charges work, see what a letting agent costs in Manchester.

General information, current at September 2026, and not legal advice. Confirm the position for a specific tenancy with GOV.UK, the HSE, your local council or a solicitor.

To talk through which suits your property, ring 0161 710 4510, call in at 12–14 Midland Street, Manchester M12 6LB, or book a valuation.