01 · Starting pointA relationship that had stopped working.
Lauren had been with a high-street agent for two years. The first tenancy ended fine. The second tenancy ended with a three-month void she only heard about a month in, and a re-let at £200 below market. She was paying 15% management plus a renewal fee plus an inventory fee, and she could no longer get a straight answer on the phone.
02 · Audit and handoverA clean break, on her timeline.
We did a one-page audit of every fee she had paid in the previous two years, every void week, every cost she was carrying. We handed her back her keys and the agent's full statement set. The handover took four days. There was nothing for her to chase.
03 · Re-marketingPriced, photographed, listed properly.
The flat had been undersold from the start. We re-priced based on three current local lets on the same street, re-photographed in natural light, and re-listed on the same day across every major portal. Twenty-eight enquiries in the first 72 hours.
04 · Tenant moved inTwo weeks, fully referenced.
Two weeks from re-listing to keys handed over. Tenant referenced, employed, right-to-rent verified, deposit protected, prescribed information served on time. The rent landed in Lauren's account on the first of the following month.
05 · Outcome£400 a month more, half the fees, no chasing.
Twelve months on, Lauren is £400 a month better off on net rent, partly from the corrected rent, partly from the management fee that is five points lower than the previous agent. She has not phoned us about a missed rent payment. She has not phoned us at all, which is rather the point.
