There are plenty of benefits to renting your property without using a letting agent. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “how can I rent my house without all the extra costs?” becoming a DIY landlord could be the answer. You can save hundreds, even thousands, of pounds each year simply by avoiding agency fees.
By having a direct relationship with your tenants, you can build trust over time. This often encourages tenants to stay longer, helping you cut down on the costs associated with turnover, which means even more savings for you.
Becoming a DIY landlord also means you won’t have to deal with disorganised letting agents who may prioritise their own financial interests. Plus, you’ll have the freedom to choose trusted tradespeople you know whenever any work needs doing on your property.
While letting a property without an agent does require handling most tasks yourself, these are generally straightforward, come with their own benefits, and will save you a significant amount of money.
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Finding tenants
As a DIY landlord, you have two main options for finding tenants: you can either advertise your property yourself or use an affordable advertising service like OpenRent.
With OpenRent, your property gets listed not just on our own platform, but also on major sites like Rightmove, Zoopla, PrimeLocation, and hundreds of others – all starting from just £29 per listing.
Our affordable advertising service helps your property stand out with a professional-looking listing, reaching the right tenants at the right time. It’s so effective that most landlords using OpenRent find a tenant in less than a week on average!
Viewings
You don’t need to rely on an agent for viewings; you can easily handle them yourself, ask a friend or someone nearby, or use a professional viewings service.
Conducting viewings is straightforward if your rental property is empty. Simply arrange a convenient time to meet at the property and guide the prospective tenant around, highlighting all the positive features.
If your property is currently tenanted, be sure to inform your tenant in advance each time you plan to show it. Remember, it’s still their home, so expect the property to be reasonably tidy but “lived in”.
Be considerate about the timing of your viewings; it’s unfair to schedule them during dinner time or early on a Saturday morning.
For DIY landlords who live far from their rental property or have other commitments, you can ask a friend or relative to conduct a viewing for you.
If you don’t have anyone you trust nearby, consider using a professional viewings service. While there is a fee for this service, the savings you’ll achieve compared to using a letting agent can easily exceed £1,000 per tenancy.
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Tenant referencing
Letting agents might advertise your property, carry out viewings, and handle tenant referencing, but the fees for these services can quickly mount up, often reaching hundreds of pounds. Referencing alone typically costs around £70 to £80 per tenant through an agent.
Of course, it’s important to reference tenants properly, but it doesn’t need to break the bank. At OpenRent, our tenant referencing service offers thorough checks at a much more affordable price, including:
- credit assessments
- linked address and ID verification
- details on County Court Judgments (CCJs) and other court information
- affordability ratings
- income and employment checks
- a reference from a previous landlord
These checks give you a clear picture of each applicant, helping you choose the right tenant with confidence and all without the hefty agent fees.
Writing a contract
Even if your new tenant seems friendly and reliable, it’s never worth skipping the paperwork. A tenancy agreement isn’t just a formality; it’s a legal requirement that protects both you and your tenant. It also helps set the tone for a clear, professional relationship from day one.
At OpenRent, we do far more than just advertising. Our Rent Now service offers a complete tenancy creation package.
Alongside everything included in our Ultimate Advertising option, you can also handle deposits and rent collection, and gain access to our legally compliant, regularly updated assured shorthold tenancy agreements (ASTs) – so there’s no need to draft one yourself.
Collecting rent
While most tenants pay on time, it’s best to avoid manual methods like cheques or bank transfers that rely on people remembering each month.
Instead, ask your tenant to set up a standing order. It’s a simple, hassle-free way to ensure rent is paid automatically, helping things run smoothly for both sides.
Chasing late rent can be uncomfortable, but if you set up your tenancy through OpenRent, you can make use of our rent collection service. It sends polite reminders ahead of each due date and automatically follows up if a payment is missed, saving you time and awkward conversations.
Our premium tenancy creation service covers referencing, contract signing, money handling, and more. Learn More About Rent Now
Managing repairs and upkeep
No matter how well a tenancy runs, the occasional issue is inevitable, whether it’s a leaking pipe, a faulty boiler, or the annual gas safety check that needs arranging. Letting agents often promise to take these tasks off your hands, which can sound appealing.
However, many landlords find that using an agent doesn’t always reduce stress. Communication with tenants isn’t always as clear or timely as it should be, and it’s easy to feel left out of important decisions.
There’s also the cost to consider. Agents tend to use their own preferred tradespeople, which can mean inflated prices for repairs and little control over the standard of the work carried out.
With our new Management Plus service, you can stay in control without the stress. For just £19 a month, you’ll get 24/7 emergency phone support, an online issue reporting dashboard, and emergency repairs handled at no extra cost (up to three per year) using our trusted contractor network.
You’ll also get vetted tradespeople for other repairs and competitive quotes for any property improvements, helping you manage maintenance efficiently and affordably.
Final thoughts
Letting your property without an agent is often easier than many landlords expect. As a DIY landlord, you can choose to manage everything yourself or use affordable expert services like OpenRent to help along the way.
Going independent means you can avoid costly agent fees and keep more of your rental income. Many landlords who take this route find the process surprisingly straightforward.
That said, some landlords are happy to pay extra for the convenience of using an agent, especially if they’d rather not deal directly with tenants.
Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance between time and cost and choosing the approach that best suits your circumstances and level of involvement.
