How to Switch Letting Agents (It’s Easier Than You Think)

Unhappy with your letting agent but putting off doing anything about it? You are not alone. Most landlords who stay with an agent they’ve outgrown do so for one reason: they assume switching will be a headache. Lost paperwork, an awkward tenant, a gap in rent collection, weeks of chasing.

The reality is far simpler. Your tenant doesn’t move. Their tenancy carries on exactly as before. And in most cases you never even have to speak to your old agent — your new one handles the handover for you.

At Rent Right Estates we help landlords across Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster and Wakefield move over smoothly all the time. This guide walks you through exactly how it works, and at the end you can download our free Letting Agent Switching Pack to get the ball rolling in about fifteen minutes. (In a hurry? Head straight to our Switch Letting Agents page to grab the pack now.)

Can I switch letting agents? Yes — here’s the short answer

You can change letting agents whenever you like, as long as you give the notice set out in your current management agreement. You do not have to wait for the tenancy to end, and switching does not affect your tenant’s rights or their existing tenancy. The same Assured Shorthold Tenancy simply continues, managed by a new agent.

The only things you need to get right are the notice period and a clean handover of money, keys and compliance documents. Both are straightforward, and both are things we can take off your hands.

5 signs it’s time to change letting agent

If a few of these feel familiar, it’s worth a conversation:

• Slow or no communication. You’re chasing them, instead of the other way around.
• Rent arriving late — or statements that are confusing and hard to reconcile.
• Compliance gaps. You’re not confident your gas safety, EPC, EICR or deposit protection are all up to date and correctly served. With the Renters’ Rights Act reshaping the rules, this is the big one.
• Maintenance drift. Small repairs turn into big ones because nobody acted quickly.
• Surprise fees and charges you don’t understand.
• You simply don’t trust them to protect you if something goes wrong.

A good agent should give you peace of mind, not another job to manage.

How to switch letting agents in 5 simple steps

1. Check your notice period

Dig out your current management agreement and look for the notice clause. Most agents ask for somewhere between one and three months’ notice, and some specify how notice must be served (by post, by email, or both). This single detail sets your timeline, so it’s the first thing to confirm.

If you can’t find your agreement, ask your agent for a copy — or let us request it as part of the handover.

2. Complete a switching pack

Gather the basics in one place: your details, the property, the current tenancy (rent, deposit, dates) and who your existing agent is. Our free switching pack has a field for everything, so nothing gets missed. It takes around 10–15 minutes.

3. Serve notice on your current agent

You can serve notice yourself using the template letter included in our pack, or you can authorise us to do it for you. Either way, the notice tells your agent to stop managing the property, return any money they hold, and hand over the file.

4. Hand over the tenancy and compliance file

This is where a good incoming agent earns their keep. We collect and check:

• The signed tenancy agreement
• The gas safety record (CP12), EPC, and EICR
• Deposit protection details and confirmation the prescribed information was served
• Right to Rent checks and the correct How to Rent guide
• Inventory / check-in report, inspection history and keys

If anything is missing or out of date, we tell you exactly what’s needed and put it right — so you’re protected under current legislation.

5. Go live with your new agent

Your tenant is introduced to us and given our contact details, rent is collected into our client account, and you get a single point of contact plus clear monthly statements. That’s it — you’re switched.

What about the tenant’s deposit?

This is the question landlords ask most, and the answer is reassuring: switching agents does not put the deposit at risk. The deposit stays protected in a government-approved scheme throughout. What changes is who administers it.

Depending on how it was originally protected, the deposit is either transferred to the new agent’s scheme or re-registered, and fresh prescribed information is issued to the tenant so everything stays legally watertight. We handle this as part of the handover and confirm it in writing. At Rent Right Estates, deposits are held with the DPS (Deposit Protection Service).

Will my tenant be affected?

No. Your tenant keeps the same home, the same tenancy agreement, the same rent and the same deposit protection. The only difference they’ll notice is a better-run service: a clear point of contact, faster responses to maintenance, and professional, respectful communication. Many tenants are relieved when a landlord moves to an agent who actually picks up the phone.

Does it cost anything to switch?

There’s no charge from us to take over management — you simply move onto our standard fees for the service level you choose. Your outgoing agent shouldn’t charge an “exit fee” for ending the contract either, though you should always check your agreement for any final invoice, and confirm the date rent has been collected up to.

Our lettings and management fees are simple and transparent:

• Tenant Find — one month’s rent (minimum £500)
• Rent Collection — 8% of rent
• Fully Managed — 10% of rent (our most popular option)
• HMO Management — 12% of rent
• Rent Guarantee available as an optional add-on

You’ll find the full breakdown on our Fees page.

Why landlords across South & West Yorkshire choose Rent Right Estates

We’re a modern, compliance-led lettings and property management company covering Sheffield, Barnsley, Rotherham, Doncaster and Wakefield. Our founder has been in lettings since 2000 — working for corporate and independent agents, as a property manager, and as a landlord — so we know exactly where landlords get caught out, and how to keep you protected.

When you switch to us you get:

• No long-term lock-ins — a fair, simple agreement
• A Tenant-in-28-Days guarantee on new lettings
• A 24-hour communication guarantee
• 100% compliance-led management, so problems are found and fixed before they cost you
• Membership of Propertymark, Client Money Protection, and the Property Redress Scheme — your money and your interests are protected

We’re rated 5.0 on Google, and we’d love to add you to the landlords who wish they’d moved sooner.

Download the free Letting Agent Switching Pack

Ready to make the move? Our free switching pack contains everything you need in one document:

• A simple form to capture your details, property and tenancy
• A ready-to-send notice letter template for your current agent
• A compliance handover checklist
• A signed authority so we can deal with your old agent for you

You can complete it on screen or print it out — whichever suits you.

Get the Switching Pack →

Download it as a fillable PDF — fill it in on screen, or print it out — from our Switch Letting Agents page.

Complete the sections that apply to you, sign the authority, and email it back to info@rentrightestates.co.uk. We’ll take it from there.

Prefer to talk it through first? Call us on 01226 448 222 or book a free Rent & Compliance Health Check — we’ll review your current setup and complete the pack with you, with no obligation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I switch letting agents in the middle of a tenancy? Yes. You can change agents at any point during a tenancy. The tenancy continues unchanged; only the managing agent changes. You just need to give your current agent the notice stated in your agreement.

How much notice do I have to give my current letting agent? It depends on your management agreement — typically one to three months. Check the notice clause in your contract, or ask us to review it for you.

Do I have to tell my tenant I’m changing agents? Your tenant does need to be informed, because they’ll be paying rent to a new agent and dealing with a new point of contact. We handle this introduction professionally as part of the switch.

Will changing agents put my tenant’s deposit at risk? No. The deposit stays protected in a government-approved scheme throughout and is transferred or re-registered correctly, with fresh prescribed information issued to the tenant.

What if my current agent has been holding my property non-compliantly? We’ll identify any gaps — missing gas safety records, an out-of-date EICR, unprotected deposits, the wrong How to Rent guide — and tell you exactly what’s needed to bring the property back into line.

How long does switching take? Most of the work happens within your notice period. Once notice is served, the handover of file, funds and keys is usually completed by the end date, so there’s no gap in management.

This article is general information for landlords, not legal advice. Always check your existing management agreement for the exact notice period and method of service before giving notice. Rent Right Estates Ltd is registered in England & Wales — a member of Propertymark, protected by Client Money Protection and the Property Redress Scheme (PRS057499).