Many landlords enter the rental market unexpectedly, whether due to inheriting a property, relocating for work, or moving in with a partner. This is where letting agents play a crucial role, providing guidance, ensuring compliance, and helping to avoid common pitfalls.
In this week’s #ASKTDS, we look at how letting agents can best support accidental landlords, positioning themselves as valuable partners in property management while reducing risks for both landlords and tenants. Plus, we’ll introduce our spring guide to landlords’ annual responsibilities, a helpful resource agents can use to help educate their clients.
Common challenges accidental landlords face (and how agents can help)
1. Lack of understanding about legal responsibilities
Many accidental landlords may not be fully aware of the legal responsibilities that come with renting out a property, from deposit protection to safety compliance. Letting agents can add value by providing clear guidance on regulations, ensuring that landlords are fully informed and compliant from the outset.
2. Failing to protect the tenant’s deposit correctly
A common pitfall among self-managing landlords is failing to protect the tenant’s deposit within a government-approved scheme. Agents can ensure deposits are registered in a timely manner and that landlords provide tenants with the necessary Prescribed Information, avoiding potential fines and disputes.
3. Falling behind on safety and compliance checks
Gas safety certificates, electrical inspections, and EPC requirements are easy to overlook for landlords unfamiliar with the process. Letting agents can prevent costly mistakes by setting reminders for key deadlines, scheduling inspections, and ensuring all legal requirements are met before a tenancy begins.
4. Managing tenants informally
Some accidental landlords take a casual approach to tenancy management, skipping key paperwork or failing to handle disputes correctly. Agents can provide structured tenancy agreements, oversee communication, and offer dispute resolution support, ensuring that both landlords and tenants are protected.
How letting agents can support accidental landlords
1. Educating landlords on their legal duties
A well-informed landlord is a compliant landlord. Agents can offer guides, checklists, and onboarding sessions to help accidental landlords understand their responsibilities. The Spring guide to landlords’ annual responsibilities is a perfect resource to share with landlords, keeping them on track with key tasks and deadlines.
2. Ensuring deposit protection & reducing disputes
By handling deposit protection through the Tenancy Deposit Scheme, agents can ensure compliance and offer help with Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services if any disagreements arise. Educating landlords on early resolution methods can also prevent conflicts before they escalate.
3. Providing fully managed or rent collection services
For landlords who prefer a hands-off approach, a fully managed or rent collection service ensures tenancies are handled professionally. From conducting right-to-rent checks to managing maintenance requests, agents can take the stress out of property management for inexperienced landlords.
4. Helping with renewals & compliance checks
From tenancy renewals to updating EPCs and gas safety certificates, letting agents can track compliance tasks and notify landlords of upcoming deadlines. By offering this proactive service, agents help landlords avoid fines and keep everything above board.
5. The value of a structured check-in process
Accidental landlords may not realise the importance of a detailed inventory and check-in process. Letting agents can provide professional inventories, ensuring both parties have clear records of the property’s condition. This helps to reduce deposit disputes at the end of the tenancy.
6. Supporting landlords with rent increases
Accidental landlords may not be aware of the correct legal process for increasing rent. Letting agents can guide landlords through proper procedures, such as issuing a Section 13 notice for periodic tenancies in England, ensuring increases are fair, legal, and in line with market rates. With the upcoming Renters Rights Bill, proposed changes may impact how and when rent increases can be applied, making it more important than ever for landlords to stay informed. Agents can help with these changes, ensuring compliance while maintaining fair rental agreements.
6. Managing maintenance and emergency repairs
Accidental landlords might underestimate the importance of regular property maintenance and how quickly issues can escalate if left unchecked. Letting agents can take the burden off landlords by arranging maintenance, providing emergency repair solutions, and ensuring compliance with legal repair obligations under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985.
7. Keeping spare keys for emergencies
Letting agents should ensure landlords have enough sets of keys for their tenants before move-in. Holding a spare set at the agency can also be useful in case of emergency access requirements or maintenance visits (with proper notice).
8. Helping tenants set up utilities properly
Encouraging tenants to register with utility providers early on can help avoid billing confusion or disputes at the end of tenancy. Letting agents can assist by taking meter readings at check-in and check-out and advising tenants on setting up their accounts. This ensures a smooth transition and prevents landlords from receiving unexpected bills.
9. Strengthening tenant-landlord relationships
A positive tenant- landlord relationship can lead to longer tenancies, reducing void periods and the costs associated with re-letting. Letting agents can help by acting as an intermediary, ensuring clear communication, handling maintenance issues quickly, and offering guidance and support to any disputes.
10. Managing end-of-tenancy responsibilities
Many accidental landlords are unaware of the necessary steps to ensure a smooth end-of-tenancy process. Letting agents can assist by overseeing final inspections, deposit return procedures, and ensuring tenants meet their obligations, such as cleaning and returning keys. By managing this process efficiently, agents help landlords avoid disputes and ensure properties are ready for the next tenancy with minimal downtime.
How the TDS spring 2025 guide can help letting agents
To simplify renting for landlords, TDS has created the spring 2025 guide to landlords’ annual responsibilities. This downloadable guide breaks down key legal duties, dates, and deposit protection requirements, allowing letting agents to provide clear, structured advice to landlords. Whether you’re managing a portfolio of landlords or supporting first-time landlords navigating the rental market, this guide is an essential tool to ensure compliance and smooth tenancy management.
About TDS
The Tenancy Deposit Scheme is part of The Dispute Service (TDS), the largest tenancy deposit protection (by value) and resolution service provider in the UK making life easier for tens of thousands of agents, landlords, developers, and millions of tenants and homebuyers. Our award-winning customer service is highly rated on both Trustpilot and Google, and we’re backed by the NRLA. We offer free deposit protection in our Custodial scheme, and the lowest rates for landlords in our Insured scheme.
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