# The Letting Agent Alternative

> Can you manage your property without a letting agent? Yes — the honest comparison of a traditional agent, pure self-management, conventional software, and AI that does the admin for you.

**Can I manage my property without a letting agent?** Yes. There is no legal requirement to use a letting agent in the UK, and self-managing is common — the legal obligations (gas safety, electrical checks, deposit protection, Right to Rent, licensing) sit with the landlord either way. The real questions are time and compliance risk.

Letted is an AI property management platform for UK landlords. It handles tenant communication, maintenance, rent tracking and landlord compliance, allowing landlords to self-manage their portfolios without paying a traditional letting agent a percentage of their rent.

## Four ways to run a rental

| | Traditional agent | Pure self-management | Conventional software | Letted |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Annual cost* | ≈ £1,700–2,600 (10–15% of rent + VAT) | £0 | ≈ £96–840 in subscriptions | £240 (flat £20/mo) |
| Your time | Low | ~8–10 hours/month + emergencies | Medium — the work is still yours | Minutes a week, mostly approvals |
| Tenant communication | Office hours, via the agent | You, at all hours | You, with templates | AI answers instantly, 24/7 |
| Repairs | Agent coordinates, often with markups | You chase every trade | You do it; software tracks it | AI sources quotes, books approved work |
| Compliance risk | Low-ish (responsibility stays yours) | Highest | Lower, if you act on reminders | Low — renewals started for you |
| Who's in control | The agent, day to day | You | You | You — AI asks before booking or spending |

*Illustrative annual cost on a £1,200/month rental; figures checked August 2026.

## Leaving your agent

1. Check your agreement's notice period (usually 1–3 months) and any exit or renewal-commission fees.
2. Collect the paperwork: tenancy agreement, deposit protection details, certificates, EPC, inventory, tenant contacts.
3. Tell your tenants who to contact from the switch date.
4. Add the properties to Letted — it verifies documents, flags compliance gaps, and picks up messages, repairs and rent tracking from day one.

## What Letted does not do

Physical viewings and inspections (you or a local service handle those), and holding your money — rent goes straight into your bank, with Letted tracking it through a direct bank connection, so there is no client account and no delay.

## Learn more

- [Letted vs a letting agent — costs in detail](https://www.letted.com/compare/letted-vs-letting-agent.md)
- [AI property management software UK, explained](https://www.letted.com/ai-property-management-software-uk.md)
- [Pricing](https://www.letted.com/pricing.md) · Sign up free: https://app.letted.com/sign-up