Switching Letting Agents
A Straightforward Guide for Birmingham Landlords
Most landlords who are unhappy with their agent stay put anyway. Not because things are fine – because switching feels like more trouble than it’s worth. Notice periods to check, paperwork to chase, tenants to keep informed, a gap in management if it goes wrong.
It doesn’t have to be like that. This guide covers when it’s actually worth changing residential letting agents, how to exit your current contract properly, and what the move looks like if you decide Miller Rose is the right next step.
Signs It Might Be Time to Change Letting Agents
You don’t need a dramatic reason to switch. Usually it’s one of these, quietly building up.
Poor communication
You’re chasing your agent, not the other way round. Repairs go unreported until the tenant complains directly to you. Rent reviews don’t happen unless you ask. If you’ve ever thought “I found out about that from my tenant, not my agent” – that’s the tell. We’ve written more on what proper communication should actually look like in A Quiet Property Is Good, A Quiet Agent Is Different – worth a read if this sounds familiar.
Compliance concerns
Gas safety, EICR, EPC, Right to Rent – these all have renewal dates, and they lapse quietly if no one’s tracking them. If you’ve ever discovered a certificate was out of date before your agent flagged it, that’s a real risk sitting with you, not them.
Rent below market value
Agents that don’t proactively review rent leave money on the table year after year. If your rent hasn’t moved in a while and you’re not sure whether that’s still the right figure for your area, it’s worth a second opinion – a proper agent should tell you the market rate whether or not it’s what you want to hear.
High vacancy or slow re-lets
An empty property is the most expensive thing a letting agent can let happen. If void periods are creeping up, or a tenancy has ended and the property is still sitting empty weeks later, that’s a marketing and process problem, not bad luck.
None of these means your current agent is acting in bad faith. Often it’s simply portfolio size outpacing their systems. Either way, it’s a legitimate reason to look elsewhere.
How to Exit Your Current Letting Agent Contract
This is the part that puts most landlords off – and it’s usually more straightforward than it looks.
Check your notice period. Most management agreements ask for one to three months’ written notice. It’s set out in the agreement you signed, not by convention, so the only way to know for certain is to read your specific contract.
Watch for tie-in and renewal clauses. Some agreements auto-renew unless you give notice by a specific date, or include a minimum term. This is the detail that catches people out – not the notice period itself, but missing the window to serve it.
Serve notice in writing, and keep a record. Verbal notice isn’t enforceable. A dated letter or email, sent to the right contact, starts the clock properly.
You don’t need to wait for a tenancy to end. You can switch agent mid-tenancy. The tenancy itself continues unchanged – only who manages it changes.
Watch for double-charging. If you’re moving mid-notice-period, make sure you’re not paying two agents for the same period of management. A good incoming agent will coordinate the handover date with your outgoing agent to avoid this.
If you’re not sure where you stand, send us your management agreement, and we’ll tell you exactly what notice you need to give and when – no obligation, no follow-up you didn’t ask for.
Switching Letting Agents Made Simple
A straightforward guide for Birmingham landlords.
Most landlords who are unhappy with their agent stay put anyway. Usually it comes down to one worry: that switching will mean notice periods, lost paperwork, unsettled tenants and a gap in management.
Our seven-page guide walks through what actually happens when you change agent, including:
- The five stages of the move, from notice to handover
- What we request from your current agent, and why
- How rent collection and deposit protection continue without a break
- What your tenants are told, and when
- The compliance documents that need to transfer with the tenancy
Six Months With No Management Fees
If you move a property to Miller Rose, we will manage it for six months without charging a management fee.
After that, our management fee is 12.5%. Standard set-up fees apply from the start, and the offer is available on a minimum 36-month management agreement.
We are not offering this to buy your business for six months. We are offering it because we know what our management looks like once it is running, and we would rather you saw it than took our word for it.
What is included in the six months:
- Full property management, exactly as it runs after month six
- Rent collection and arrears handling
- Compliance management and renewals
- Maintenance coordination through the Miller Rose Homecare Hub
- A named contact who knows your property
Available to landlords new to Miller Rose. Standard set-up and tenancy fees apply. Minimum 36-month management agreement. Miller Rose reserves the right to withdraw or amend this offer at any time. Read full terms and conditions here.
How Switching Works
The move happens in five stages, from serving notice on your current agent through to the day we take over the day-to-day. We manage each one for you and handle the parts that usually put landlords off – the paperwork, the deposit transfer, and the conversation with your existing agent. You will know what is happening at each stage, and once you have decided to switch, there is very little left for you to do.
1.
We handle the notice
We review your current management agreement, check the notice period, and serve notice correctly on your behalf.
2.
We liaise with your current agent
We request the tenancy agreement, deposit details, compliance certificates, keys and maintenance history directly from them, and work through a checklist so nothing is left behind.
3.
We speak to your tenants
We explain what is changing. For their day-to-day, very little does. What changes is who they contact for rent and repairs.
4.
Rent and deposit continuity
Rent collection carries on without a break. The deposit stays protected in a government-approved scheme throughout, and we manage the transfer of protection correctly.
5.
Handover complete
Your property is set up on our systems and we start managing it straight away.
What Miller Rose Takes Care Of
- All paperwork and documentation
- Compliance handover and checks, including gas safety, EICR, EPC and Right to Rent
- Tenant queries and communication
- Maintenance reporting and coordination
- Ongoing property management and support
Why Landlords Move to Miller Rose
We are a Birmingham agency, run by people who have worked in this market for years. Our lettings team is led by Stuart Macdiarmid, and every managed property has a named contact who knows it.
We manage properties across Birmingham and the wider Midlands. We report on compliance before certificates expire rather than after. Maintenance is logged, tracked and visible through the Homecare Hub, so you can see what has been reported and where it has got to.
Long term partners, not just agents. That is what the six months is for.
Start With The Guide
Read how the move works, then talk to us when you are ready. There is no obligation and no follow-up you did not ask for.
Download the Landlord Switch Guide
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Frequently asked questions
What happens if I miss my notice deadline?
Most agreements roll over for a further term if notice isn’t given by the deadline in your contract. If you think you may have missed it, send us your agreement – we’ll tell you honestly what your options are, including whether it’s worth waiting for the next window or negotiating an earlier exit.
Do I need to tell my tenant I’m switching agents before I’ve given notice?
No. We’ll only make contact with your tenant once your notice with your current agent has been confirmed, so nothing is said prematurely.
How much notice do I need to give my current letting agent?
It depends on your management agreement. Most agents ask for between one and three months. We will read your agreement and tell you exactly where you stand before you commit to anything.
Can I switch agent during a tenancy?
Yes. You do not need to wait for a tenancy to end. The tenancy continues on the same terms, and the tenant stays in place.
Will my tenants have to sign a new tenancy agreement?
No. The existing tenancy carries on. We contact your tenants to introduce ourselves and give them updated details for rent and maintenance.
What happens to my tenant’s deposit?
It stays protected. We manage the transfer of protection to our scheme as part of the handover, and the tenant is notified in line with the scheme’s requirements.
Will there be a gap in rent collection?
No. We coordinate the changeover with your current agent so rent collection continues without interruption.
Is there a charge for switching?
No charge for the switch itself. Standard set-up fees apply as they would with any new managed property.
Who qualifies for six months with no management fees?
Landlords new to Miller Rose, on a minimum 36-month management agreement. Standard set-up fees apply, and our management fee is 12.5% after the first six months.