Guides · Landlords
Switching letting agents without disrupting your tenants
What actually happens to your tenancy, your rent, and your compliance records when you move to a new agent — and what doesn't change at all.
The fear that holds landlords back
Nothing changes for your tenant except who they call
A lot of landlords stay with an agent they're unhappy with because switching sounds disruptive — surely the tenant has to be re-referenced, or the tenancy restarted, or something has to change for them? None of that is true. The tenancy agreement your tenant signed stays exactly as it is — same terms, same rent, same start date. A handover changes who manages the property. It changes nothing about the legal relationship the tenant is actually in.
What actually happens
The parts landlords worry about most
Rent collection carries straight on
Your tenant keeps paying the same rent, on the same day, into whatever account the new agent sets up — handled as a simple change of payment details, the same way a tenant would handle a change of bank. No re-signing, no new standing order set up by them from scratch if it's managed correctly.
The deposit doesn't need re-protecting
A deposit already protected with a government-backed scheme (DPS, mydeposits, or TDS) stays protected — the new agent updates who the scheme-holder's contact is, rather than the deposit being withdrawn and re-protected. It should never leave protection at any point during a handover.
Compliance records transfer, not restart
Gas safety certificates, EICR, EPC, and Right to Rent checks already on file are still valid for whatever time they have left — a new agent picks up the existing renewal dates rather than re-doing checks that are already in date.
Your tenant gets a short, plain letter
The only thing a tenant should notice is a letter or email telling them who to contact from a given date, and where to send rent from then on. That's the entire change from their side.
How a handover actually works
In practice
Give proper notice to your current agent
Check your management agreement's notice period — commonly one to three months. Give notice in writing, and get written confirmation of the date your current agent's management ends.
The new agent requests the handover information
A competent new agent contacts your outgoing one directly (with your written authority) for the tenancy agreement, deposit protection certificate, compliance certificates, and rent payment history — this is a standard, expected request, not an awkward one.
Tenants are told once, clearly, in good time
A short notice before the changeover date, confirming nothing about their tenancy itself is changing, just who manages it from a given date.
Worth asking any new agent, before you switch
A few honest questions
Do you charge a setup fee for taking over an existing tenancy?
A setup fee is normally for the real work of finding a tenant, referencing them, and drawing up a new agreement — none of which happens on a handover. Some agents charge it anyway by default. RENTL doesn't, specifically because there's no setup work to actually charge for.
Will anything be re-done that's already valid?
Ask directly whether in-date certificates and an already-protected deposit will be reused, or whether you'll be charged again for work that's already been done.
How long will the handover actually take?
A straightforward handover with a cooperative outgoing agent typically takes a few weeks, not months — ask for a realistic timeline rather than a vague one.