In short: It’s common, but it isn’t how “full management” is supposed to work. A proper full management service should handle rent collection, routine maintenance, contractor sourcing, compliance checks and day-to-day tenant contact without troubling you, except for genuinely major decisions. If your agent calls you about every leaking tap, the fix is usually a written “authorise up to £X” spending limit in your agreement, not necessarily a new agent, though repeated over-referral is a red flag worth acting on.
What “fully managed” is supposed to include
When you pay for full management (as opposed to “let only” or “rent collection only”), you’re paying the agent to be the buffer between you and the property. In theory that means:
- Advertising, referencing and right-to-rent checks for new tenants
- Collecting rent and chasing arrears
- Arranging and overseeing gas safety checks, EICR electrical checks, and smoke/CO alarm compliance
- Sourcing and instructing contractors for repairs
- Handling routine tenant queries and complaints
- Carrying out periodic inspections and reporting back
- Managing check-out, deposit deductions and dispute evidence
Full management typically costs 10–15% of the monthly rent plus VAT (so an advertised “10%” fee is really about 12% once VAT is added), with London agents sometimes charging 15–20%. On top of that, many contracts add renewal fees, inventory fees and a markup on contractor invoices (often 10–15% on top of the repair bill), worth checking your terms, because the “true” annual cost is often several percentage points higher than the headline rate.
Why agents call you anyway
In practice, many agents run management as a lighter-touch service than the fee implies, for a few structural reasons:
- No agreed spending limit. If your contract doesn’t specify an amount the agent can spend without asking, the default is often “everything needs sign-off”, which means a call every time something breaks, however small.
- Liability aversion. Property managers are frequently junior, high-caseload staff (60–150+ properties per manager isn’t unusual at busy agencies) who would rather ask than risk you disputing a charge later.
- Contractor margin decisions. Some calls aren’t really about whether to do the repair, they’re about which contractor to use, because the agent earns a markup and wants your buy-in on the invoice.
- Under-resourcing. Some agents sell “full management” at a competitive price but don’t staff it to actually absorb decision-making, so tasks get pushed back to you by default.
Setting a repair authorisation limit
The single most effective fix is agreeing a clear spending authorisation limit in writing, the amount the agent can commit to a repair without contacting you first. Common limits landlords set are £150–£250 per job, sometimes higher (£350–£500) for portfolio landlords who want minimal contact, or lower for landlords who want more oversight on a single property.
Above that limit, the agent should always get your approval (except in emergencies, gas leaks, total loss of heating in winter, flooding, or anything posing an immediate risk to safety, which should be actioned immediately regardless of cost, with you informed after the fact).
To have this conversation with your agent:
- Ask what your current management agreement says about repair authorisation, many landlords are surprised to find no limit was ever specified, meaning “ask for everything” became the default.
- Propose a specific figure in writing (email is fine, but ask for it reflected in the contract or a side letter).
- Ask them to confirm what counts as an emergency that bypasses the limit entirely.
- Ask for a monthly or quarterly summary of work done under the limit, so you retain visibility without being the bottleneck for every decision.
Red flags your agent is under-delivering
- Calling you about routine, low-cost items (light fittings, dripping taps, batteries in alarms) that should be within any sensible spending limit
- No compliance calendar, you find out a gas safety certificate has lapsed rather than being reminded in advance
- Slow or no response to tenant-reported repairs, especially anything safety-related
- No regular inspection reports, or inspections that clearly aren’t happening
- You’re doing the chasing, of contractors, of the tenant, of the agent itself
If several of these apply consistently after you’ve set a clear spending limit and had the conversation, the problem isn’t a missing policy, it’s the agent. At that point it’s worth comparing what a genuinely proactive agent (or self-management) would look like for the same fee, which is covered in the next question.
Related reading
Sources
This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Rules referenced are accurate to the best of available information as of July 2026 for England unless stated otherwise. Always check current government guidance (gov.uk) or consult a solicitor for your specific situation.
Last Updated on September 21, 2026