Self-Managing vs Letting Agent: What Landlords Don’t Get Told Up Front

Self-Managing vs Letting Agent: What Landlords Don’t Get Told Up Front

One of the first big decisions every landlord faces is:

“Do I manage this myself, or hand it over to a letting agent?”

On paper, it seems simple. Self-managing looks cheaper but more work; using an agent costs more but frees your time. In reality, there’s a lot in the small print, both written and unwritten, that most landlords don’t fully see until they’re already locked into a way of doing things.

This post isn’t about bashing agents or saying every landlord must DIY. It’s about what doesn’t get said up front, so you can make a clearer decision for your portfolio, your lifestyle and your sanity.

Quick disclaimer: This isn’t legal or financial advice. it’s general information for landlords. Always check specific regulations, contracts and professional advice for your situation.

What “self-managing” actually means (beyond fixing a leaky tap)

“Self-managing” sounds like:

“I’ll just get the rent paid into my account and handle the odd repair.”

In practice, self-managing usually means:

• Advertising the property and handling enquiries

• Viewings (often evenings and weekends)

• Referencing and Right to Rent checks

• Setting up the tenancy agreement and move-in docs

• Inventory and check-in

• Rent collection and chasing late payments

• Dealing with ongoing repairs and maintenance

• Keeping on top of gas, EICR, EPC, fire checks and other compliance

• Managing renewals, rent reviews, notices and check-out

You’re not just “the landlord”, you’re also the lettings negotiator, property manager, credit controller, complaints handler and compliance officer.

If you like control, systems and being close to your asset, this can be a good thing. If your time is already stretched, it can quietly become a second job.

What a letting agent promises (and what sits between the lines)

Most letting agents sell you one of three service levels:

1. Tenant find only – they market, reference and set up the tenancy; you handle everything once the tenant is in.

2. Rent collection – they find the tenant and collect rent; you handle repairs and day-to-day issues.

3. Fully managed – they find tenants, handle rent, deal with issues and organise maintenance and safety checks.

On the brochure, it sounds like:

• “We’ll take care of everything.”

• “Hassle-free letting.”

• “Sit back and enjoy your rental income.”

But there are a few things landlords don’t always realise:

• Agents work to their processes, not yours. You get the reports they choose to send.

• “Fully managed” doesn’t always mean proactive. Some agents are brilliant; others just do the bare minimum to avoid complaints.

• You’re still legally responsible for compliance, even if they “handle” it. If something goes wrong, the buck usually stops with you.

Which brings us neatly to the things you don’t always get told.

1. The real cost of “time saved”

Agents say:

“We save you time.”

True – up to a point. But it’s worth asking: time saved doing what, and at what quality?

With a fully managed service, you might:

• Not get bombarded with tenant messages at 11pm

• Avoid chasing contractors and waiting in for them

• Outsource the constant mental load of “what’s due when?”

But you may still spend time:

• Chasing the agent for updates on repairs or late rent

• Clarifying what’s actually happening at the property

• Sorting out things they’ve missed or done in a way you wouldn’t

Sometimes, self-managing with a simple system gives you less friction than trying to manage the agent who’s managing the property.

If you’re paying, say, 10–15% of rent every month, it’s worth asking:

“Am I genuinely getting that percentage of time and stress back, or am I just shifting where the admin sits?”

2. You don’t outsource responsibility – only tasks

One of the biggest misunderstandings is around legal responsibility.

Even with a fully managed agent:

• It’s still your property

• It’s still your name on the mortgage

• It’s still your ultimate responsibility for health, safety and compliance

A decent agent will diarise gas, EICR, EPC and other checks, and chase you or their contractor to get them done. But if they miss something, or a certificate lapses, it’s usually your problem – not theirs.

Self-managing makes this really obvious: you know it’s on you.
Using an agent can sometimes give a false sense of security: “They’ve got it covered.”

Whether you use an agent or not, you need a way to track:

• Gas Safety

• EICR

• EPC

• Fire alarms/emergency lighting (where relevant)

• HMO licensing and conditions

• Any other local or property-specific requirements

If you can’t open something (spreadsheet, app, whatever) and see what’s due soon, what’s overdue and what’s booked, you’re flying partly blind – agent or no agent.

3. Misaligned incentives

For self-managing landlords, the “customer” is clear: you.

With agents, things get fuzzier:

• They want to keep you as a landlord client

• They also want to keep tenants happy enough not to leave

• They want to keep contractors on side (especially if they pass them a lot of work)

Some agents do a great job of balancing these. Others quietly lean towards whichever side creates the least friction in the short term.

Common examples:

• Repairs:
  An agent might authorise work without really scrutinising costs because it’s not their money.

• Rent arrears:
  They may send standard letters and emails, but not push as hard as you would if it were your own conversation with the tenant.

• Void periods:
  Shortening voids helps you, but if they earn let-only fees each time a property turns over, longer tenancies aren’t always in their financial interest.

Again: this doesn’t make agents “bad”. It just means you should be clear-eyed about who’s incentivised to care as much as you do.

4. Visibility: knowing what’s really going on

When you self-manage, you see everything:

• Every rent payment (and late payment)

• Every issue reported

• Every quote for repairs

• Every complaint or niggle from a tenant

With an agent, what you see is filtered:

• Monthly statements

• Occasional emails

• The odd “We’ve had a complaint from the tenant…” message

Sometimes that’s what you want – you don’t want to know every little thing.

But this lack of visibility can be dangerous when:

• Small issues (condensation, minor leaks, niggling repairs) become big issues through neglect

• Patterns in communication or behaviour (with a tenant or contractor) never make it to you

• Important context is missing when you have to make a decision (e.g. whether to renew a tenancy, raise rent, or not)

If you’re using an agent, having your own record of:

• Tenancies

• Rent history

• Issues and resolutions

• Compliance dates

…can be invaluable when something goes wrong or you decide to switch agents later.

5. Where Lodgiq fits into all this

Whether you self-manage, use an agent, or do a hybrid, you need somewhere to:

• See who’s paying what, and when

• Track tenancies and documents per property

• Log and monitor issues (even if an agent is technically “handling” them)

• Keep a simple compliance radar: Gas, EICR, EPC, fire checks and more

That’s exactly what Lodgiq is being built to do: a landlord command centre that keeps you in control, even if you’re delegating some tasks.

It’s not about replacing agents for everyone. It’s about making sure you stay the one who actually knows what’s going on with your portfolio.

Final thoughts

There’s no one “right” answer to self-managing vs letting an agent.

The real question is:

“How close do I want to be to the day-to-day – and what systems do I have so I don’t lose control?”

If you love being hands-on and are willing to build or adopt a solid process, self-managing can mean more control and better margins.

If you truly don’t have the time or headspace, a good agent can still be worth the fee.

Whichever route you take, make sure the decision is based on clear eyes, not just marketing promises or fear of “admin”. Because at the end of the day, nobody will ever care about your properties as much as you do.