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Legal reference

Essential Terms & Fees

every edition, in one place

The terms we work to and the fees we charge, in one place. Here are the latest edition of our Essential Terms and Charges, our full landlord fee list, and every edition from the one our website named on 1 October 2026 onwards, each with a plain-English note of what changed. Every edition is kept exactly as it was issued.

To share this page
harveywjames.com/essential-terms

This link always opens this page, which shows the latest edition. For a notice or a signing pack, use the permanent link of the exact edition instead; each edition below shows its own.

The latest edition

Our documents

How we work · landlords and tenants

Essential Terms and Charges

v2.5.1Latest edition

Everything we do, how we do it and what it costs, written down in full.

Issued 23 October 2026 · 102 pages · PDF 1.7 MB

Download PDF What changed
Permanent link to this edition, for notices and signing packs:harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.5.1.pdf
What it costs · landlords

Our fees

From v2.5.1

Every landlord fee in the Essential Terms, line by line. Prices include VAT.

Tenants: every payment we can lawfully ask a tenant for is on our Tenant Fees Schedule.

See the full fee list
What you sign · new landlords

Landlord Terms of Business

Your agreement comprises your Landlord Terms of Business, the documents incorporated into that agreement, and any valid later changes. We normally provide the Landlord Terms of Business through Goodlord, where your signed copy is kept. If you would like to read the general terms before you sign, ask us.

info@harveywjames.com
01 · YOU SIGN

Landlord Terms of Business

The core of your agreement with Harvey W James, normally provided through Goodlord.

02 · ITS ADDENDUM

Essential Terms and Charges

The Essential Terms describe themselves as an addendum to the signed agreement: how the service runs day to day.

03 · THE PRICES

Notices & Service Guide

The fee list inside the Essential Terms, shown in full below.

Fees · Essential Terms v2.5.1

Our full landlord fee list

10%

Of the rent we receive each month, including VAT: our standard rate for Full Management on a sole-agency instruction.

  • No management fee for a month in which no rent is received. Items charged when used, listed below, are charged when they are used.
  • No management fee during a void and no separate letting or re-letting fee. Inventory, check-out and other separately chargeable services are listed below.
  • No rent-review fee, and no fee when a tenancy simply continues.
  • Three months’ written notice ends our management, or one month if the property is empty and unlet. The 10% still applies to rent received during the notice.

These are the standard charges in Essential Terms and Charges v2.5.1. If your signed agreement, or a written agreement with us, sets a different rate or charge, that agreement applies.

Client money protection and redress

Harvey W James is a member of a client money protection scheme, Propertymark Client Money Protection (reference C0130307, certificate valid to 30 June 2027), and of a redress scheme, the Property Redress Scheme (membership PRS010914).

Our CMP certificate (PDF) CMP Security Certificate (PDF) Propertymark listing ↗ PRS register ↗

Our management fee

Full Management, sole agency (our standard rate)No management fee for a month in which no rent is received.
10% of the rent received, including VAT
Full Management, multi-agencyThe standard rate plus 2 percentage points.
12% of the rent received, including VAT

Inventory pricing

Inventory and accompanied check-in condition reportPaid by the landlord at check-in.
Studio or 1 bed £125, 2 bed £135, 3 bed £155, 4 bed £175
Check-out reportPaid by the landlord at check-out.
Studio or 1 bed £108, 2 bed £118, 3 bed £138, 4 bed £155

Additional inventory services

Mid-tenancy inspection reportCarried out when you ask for one.
£60
Vacant property inspection
£60
Cancellation or no-show within 24 hours
Property visit £15; all other jobs (excluding a property visit) £50

Standard services

Legionella assessment
£108 (£48 when added to any inventory report)
Sit and wait at the propertyAlso used for a visit while possession proceedings are under way.
From £39 for 30 minutes, up to £133.20 for 5 hours
Serving a notice by hand
£60
Insurance claim photography (including a home-visit inspection)
£60
New-build handover and key collection (developer handover attended on your behalf)
£95
Statutory declaration service (solicitor witness fees included)
£95

Supervision fees on protracted works

Routine maintenance, quick repairs, the repair or like-for-like replacement of a single item or component whatever it costs, or any works of £800 or less
No supervision fee
Coordinated works costing more than £800 including VAT: more than one trade or contractor, attending site to supervise or check the quality of the work, or managing a project over timeWe tell you before the work starts if the fee will apply, and it is itemised on your statement.
10% of the cost of the works, including VAT

Specialised services (quotes on request)

EPC, CP12 (gas safety), annual boiler service, EICR, PAT, risk assessments, alarm installation, end-of-tenancy clean, lock change, domestic appliance repair, court possession hearing
Quoted on request; charged at cost, with no mark-up

Key services and extra work

Key duplication
£18 plus the actual cutting cost
Key postal service
£18 flat rate
Key collection or drop-off
£18 for the first hour, then £9 for each half-hour
Extra work by our staff (“by time” rates)
£18 for the first hour, then £9 for each half-hour
Preparing and serving deposit prescribed information for a landlord whose property we do not manage (instructions on a service we no longer offer)
£18 an hour, or as separately agreed

Financial

Rent guarantee and eviction coverOffered through the Goodlord platform; the cover changed after the Renters’ Rights Act, so ask your account manager for the current terms.
Quotes on request
Service charge, ground rent, council tax and utility bills paid on your behalf
£10 per payment; the first is free
Subletting registration form and payment service
£28
Non-Resident Landlord SchemeCharged only while we must deduct tax because HMRC has not approved you to be paid gross.
£125 per HMRC quarterly return
International transfer
£18 banking charge each time a payment is sent

Special cases

Deposit dispute
£54 for up to 3 hours, then £18 for each extra hour
Rent guarantee insurance claim handling
Included in Full Management, at no extra charge
Witnessing in court
£120

Withdrawal from an agreed offer

Withdrawing after you direct us to proceed with an agreed tenancyA contribution towards our marketing and advertising costs. If you withdraw your acceptance of an offer, you also cover any reasonable costs the applicant has incurred.
£650, plus the tenant’s expenses

Alarms, licensing and other services

Non-wired smoke alarm, fitted and tested; non-wired carbon monoxide alarm; bulbs
£20 each; £25 each; £10 plus the cost of the bulbs (receipts provided)
Selective or additional licence application (compliance check and a 1-hour consultation)
£95; a mandatory HMO licence application is quoted on request
Property licensing, other services: floor planning; consultancy
£50; £100 per 60 minutes
Short let (genuine holiday lets only, Housing Act 1988, Schedule 1, paragraph 9)The standard rate plus 8 percentage points, for genuine holiday lets only. The minimum is two months’ fee at this rate (our terms: “Minimum 2-Month Fee Applies”). A short let that is the tenant’s only or principal home is charged at the standard rate.
18% of the rent received, including VAT; minimum two months’ fee
Arranging alternative accommodation when a home becomes uninhabitable
Staff time at £18 an hour, agreed with you first
Digital property marketing, unbranded and sent to you by emailCharged only when used. The marketing we do to let your property, such as portal advertising and professional photography, is part of the Full Management fee.
£95
  • All prices include VAT.
  • Prices set by third-party contractors, such as cleaning companies, are reviewed from time to time and may change. If they do, we will tell you promptly.
  • Other services, quoted on request: gardening, tradespeople, waste removal, pest control, appliance repairs, removals and storage.

Every edition since 1 October 2026

What changed, and when

AI summaryEach summary was written with AI from the edition’s own change log, then checked line by line against the PDFs. The PDF is the official text: if a summary and the PDF ever differ, the PDF wins. Where a summary mentions the law, it reports what that edition said when it was issued; it is not legal advice, and the law may have changed since.

About the dates. “Issued” is the date printed on the edition. “Website change history” gives the dates on which our website’s own records were changed to name the edition as current. Neither date decides by itself which edition applies to a particular agreement; see “Which edition applies to you” below.

This searches the summaries on this page, not the full text of the PDFs.

Show Affects

v2.5.1Latest editionPatch

Someone must be at home for every visit to an occupied home

Issued: 23 October 2026Website change history: named as current from 23 October 2026 to today

Tenants:who must be at home for a visitLandlords:we no longer use your keys to enter an occupied homeFees:no price changed
  • Once a tenant has moved in, we do not enter the home unless the tenant, or an adult they have named to us, is there. This covers every visit: a repair, an inspection, a safety check, a meter reading or a viewing.
  • We do not use the landlord’s management keys, a concierge or building-management key, or a KeyNest code to enter an occupied home, even if the tenant asks.
  • The only exception is an emergency: a risk to someone’s safety or of serious damage, when we cannot reach the tenant in time, and a director of Harvey W James has decided it.
  • If no one can be at home at the time offered, the visit is rearranged.

It contains all of v2.5.0’s changes.

Where it changed, permanent link and fingerprint

Sections 5.1, 5.3, 34.5, 48.1 and 49.1.

It said · Section 5.3, first sentenceHarvey W James may be allowed to access the property using the landlord’s management set of keys or by appointment, always in coordination with the tenant.
It says nowOnce a tenant has moved in, the home is theirs. Harvey W James does not enter an occupied home unless the tenant, or an adult they have named to us, is there.
Permanent link, for notices and signing packs
harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.5.1.pdf
File fingerprint (SHA-256)
d570d7f81aef2cfb0b13df256f4c43a6ae703b79f20e519343981951f20e3d73
Download PDF102 pages · 1.7 MB · fingerprint d570d7f8…f20e3d73
v2.5.0Earlier editionMinor version

No repair times of our own

Issued: 20 October 2026Next edition: v2.5.1, issued 23 October 2026Website change history: never named as current on its own: the website change for it was released together with v2.5.1’s on 23 October 2026

Tenants:how repairs are arrangedLandlords:void works follow the timeline in your quotationFees:no price changed
  • We no longer promise fixed repair times of our own, such as getting a contractor within 4 hours. Void works follow the timeline agreed with the landlord in our quotation.
  • The landlord’s legal repair duties, as the edition describes them, are unchanged.
  • In Sections 9 and 41.1, “renewal” wording becomes the yearly anniversary review; the edition explains that since 1 May 2026 a tenancy simply continues.
  • Pet requests: the edition sets out the landlord’s 28 days as section 16A of the Housing Act 1988 does, so they can move later only in the cases the section names, and where more than one applies, the latest date governs.
  • The repair record is kept in Street, our property-management system.

The edition itself stated a start date of 20 November 2026. v2.5.1 was issued before that date and contains all of these changes.

Where it changed, permanent link and fingerprint

Sections 5, 9, 11.6, 33.1, 41.1, 44, 46 to 48, 54, 73 and 74, the FAQ and Scenarios 1, 9 and 10.

Permanent link, for notices and signing packs
harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.5.0.pdf
File fingerprint (SHA-256)
d7343c10fc24d2baa9f53314c38c21790db217b8c6289019315487644b82f395
Download PDF101 pages · 1.6 MB · fingerprint d7343c10…4b82f395
v2.4.3Earlier editionPatch

Pet requests go to lettings@harveywjames.com

Issued: 19 October 2026Next edition: v2.5.0, issued 20 October 2026Website change history: named as current from 19 to 23 October 2026

Tenants:where to send a pet requestFees:no price changed
  • Pet requests now go to lettings@harveywjames.com (it said pets@). Nothing else changed.

Still the same in v2.5.1.

Where it changed, permanent link and fingerprint

Section 33.1 and the FAQ.

Permanent link, for notices and signing packs
harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.4.3.pdf
File fingerprint (SHA-256)
0cf1bd385c69a23285d0b3bc1600e8dd038b66246e99cc6e4533c791af7ed15b
Download PDF100 pages · 1.6 MB · fingerprint 0cf1bd38…af7ed15b
v2.4.2Earlier editionPatch

A full check of the whole document

Issued: 19 October 2026Next edition: v2.4.3, issued 19 October 2026Website change history: never named as current: the website moved from v2.4.1 to v2.4.3

Landlords:paid within 3 working days of cleared fundsTenants:no charges beyond what the Tenant Fees Act 2019 allowsFees:£250 holding-deposit fee and two tenant charges withdrawn; £95 handover listed
  • Rent is collected through Lettspay, and we pay it to landlords within 3 working days of cleared funds, usually within 24 hours.
  • The new-landlord welcome offer is set out word for word in a new Appendix E.
  • A forfeited holding deposit goes to the landlord in full; the £250 fee we used to keep is withdrawn.
  • Fee guide: the £95 new-build handover (already on our landlords page) is added; certificates are charged at cost with no mark-up; the first bill we pay for you is free, then £10 each; a mid-tenancy inspection happens when a landlord asks for one, at £60, and the “included” annual health check is removed.
  • The edition adds that we give at least 30 days’ written notice of any change to a fee or an obligation (Section 81).
  • Tenants: the per-bag waste charge and the £18-an-hour staff charge for a lost key are withdrawn.
  • Many statements of law were rewritten. One is historical document wording: the edition says every existing tenancy became periodic on 1 May 2026. The Act’s transitional rules qualified that: where a valid Section 21 notice had been given before 1 May 2026, the tenancy stayed an assured shorthold tenancy while the notice remained valid (at the latest until 31 July 2026) or, if the court claim had been requested in time, until those proceedings ended (Renters’ Rights Act 2025, Schedule 6, paragraphs 3 and 4).

All still in v2.5.1.

Where it changed, permanent link and fingerprint

Across the document; the main ones are Sections 11.5, 11.6, 27, 28, 35.2, 42.5.1, 70.X and 81, Appendix E and the Notices & Service Guide.

Permanent link, for notices and signing packs
harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.4.2.pdf
File fingerprint (SHA-256)
4a3b9453476268c7769dd9425aea05c3b5a091a1355deef658d275b05308475c
Download PDF100 pages · 1.6 MB · fingerprint 4a3b9453…5308475c
v2.4.1Earlier editionPatch

Leaving before your notice ends: one written rule

Issued: 18 October 2026Next edition: v2.4.2, issued 19 October 2026Website change history: named as current from 18 to 19 October 2026

Tenants:rent runs to the end of your noticeLandlords:arrears steps start earlierFees:a £250 goodwill reduction withdrawn
  • A tenant who moves out before their notice ends still owes rent to the end of the notice period. It stops sooner only if the landlord agrees an earlier end date in writing, or a replacement tenant’s tenancy starts. There is no early-termination or re-letting fee.
  • The £250 goodwill reduction for a tenant who finds their own replacement is withdrawn.
  • Section 46.X, on Awaab’s Law: the edition’s expected window for an emergency hazard now reads “24 hours to investigate and make the home safe” (it said “begin works”), following the social-housing model.
  • Rent arrears: on the landlord’s instructions, a Section 8 notice is prepared around day 30 (Grounds 10 and 11) and around day 60 (Grounds 8, 10 and 11), instead of days 60 and 90.
  • Two legal references were revised: the tenant’s 2-month notice, and the £50 change-of-sharer fee.

All still in v2.5.1.

Where it changed, permanent link and fingerprint

Sections 41.1, 42.10, 42.11, 46.X, 67, 68 to 68.7, 70.X and 72, Appendices B and D, and the Scenario Index.

Permanent link, for notices and signing packs
harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.4.1.pdf
File fingerprint (SHA-256)
79ec8b7dea3c6cc450310da3e4ded7450cea623b567d8748bbefdf96286adb4e
Download PDF96 pages · 1.6 MB · fingerprint 79ec8b7d…286adb4e
v2.4.0Earlier editionMinor version

How repairs run, written down

Issued: 6 October 2026Next edition: v2.4.1, issued 18 October 2026Website change history: named as current from 6 to 18 October 2026

Landlords:one rule for spending on repairsTenants:one way to report a repairFees:supervision fee narrowed; inspections on request at £60
  • One rule for spending on repairs: within the maintenance float (one week’s rent) we go ahead; above it we send a written recommendation and act on the landlord’s go-ahead; in an emergency we make safe straight away.
  • New and optional: a landlord can agree that no reply within 48 hours means we go ahead, up to a limit they set.
  • The 10% supervision fee applies only to coordinated works over £800 including VAT, never to the repair or like-for-like replacement of a single item.
  • Quotes: one within the float, at least two above it, at least three over £1,500.
  • One way to report a repair, everywhere: James on WhatsApp, 020 3865 1500 at any hour, the chat on harveywjames.com, aftercare@harveywjames.com or the tenant app.
  • Complaints go to harvey@harveywjames.com, and can then go free of charge to the Property Redress Scheme (PRS010914).
  • New deposits are protected with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme; deposits already with the DPS stay there.

The “included annual health check” this edition mentions was removed in v2.4.2; everything else here is still in v2.5.1.

Where it changed, permanent link and fingerprint

Sections 5, 6, 8, 10.2 to 10.4, 35.2, 39.1.1, 40.3, 46 to 49, 76 and 77, the Management and Rent Collection cards, and the Notices & Service Guide.

Permanent link, for notices and signing packs
harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.4.0.pdf
File fingerprint (SHA-256)
1d23358724da9ed6160c1ff22412b79e9720ab55690fbf7b3d18094b0e187a11
Download PDF93 pages · 1.6 MB · fingerprint 1d233587…0e187a11
v2.3.1Earlier editionPatch

The three parts of our one service, described again

Issued: 3 October 2026Next edition: v2.4.0, issued 6 October 2026Website change history: named as current from 4 to 6 October 2026

Landlords:wording onlyFees:no price changed
  • The pages describing our letting and rent-collection work are back, titled “Letting Services (included)”, “Rent Collection (included)” and “Management (10%)”.
  • There is one fee, and no separate letting or rent-collection fee.

Still the same in v2.5.1.

Where it changed, permanent link and fingerprint

The Quick Reference cards.

Permanent link, for notices and signing packs
harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.3.1.pdf
File fingerprint (SHA-256)
4bc7254a185822721f245bc8bcd035d84a1108d78d7b3a1bd8eb9bd2fef0fb05
Download PDF91 pages · 1.5 MB · fingerprint 4bc7254a…fef0fb05
v2.3.0Starting pointMinor version

Where this history starts: the edition our website named on 1 October 2026

Issued: 18 September 2026Next edition: v2.3.1, issued 3 October 2026Website change history: named as current from 18 September to 4 October 2026

  • One service, Full Management, at 10% including VAT of the rent received.
  • No separate letting fee, no renewal fee and no rent-review fee.
  • Earlier editions are available on request.
Where it changed, permanent link and fingerprint
Permanent link, for notices and signing packs
harveywjames.com/docs/essential-terms/essential-terms-v2.3.0.pdf
File fingerprint (SHA-256)
0f1f38fece70c88aae7c26a55b84adb99c99432bb22b2ba061679d8b6eab487b
Download PDF90 pages · 1.5 MB · fingerprint 0f1f38fe…6eab487b

How we publish our terms

How this page works

01

Numbers and dates

Every edition has a three-part number and the date printed on it. Its own change log calls it a patch (the last number goes up) or a minor version (the middle number goes up). A patch can still change a charge or how we work, so read the summary of each edition.

02

Each file is kept as issued

Every file here is the edition exactly as it was issued. We do not edit or replace a published file: a correction is issued as a new edition. Each file’s SHA-256 fingerprint is shown, so anyone can check that a copy is identical.

03

Two kinds of link

The sharing link opens this page, which always shows the latest edition. Each edition also has a permanent link to its exact file, for notices and signing packs.

04

Which edition applies to you

This page is a record of what we issued and when. Which edition applies depends on your agreement, its incorporated documents, and whether later changes were validly made, notified and, where required, agreed. Publication alone does not change your agreement. If you need to know, ask us and we will check your signed documents. The PDF is the official text; where the English and Chinese differ, the English wins.

“Harvey W James may change the schedule of fees and these terms by giving at least 30 days’ written notice of any change to a fee or an obligation; corrections and clarifications that change neither are published in the next version of this document.”Essential Terms and Charges v2.5.1 · Section 81

Questions

Questions about our terms?

Email us or call. If you need to know which edition applies to your agreement, we will check your signed documents.

info@harveywjames.com 020 3865 1500
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