London new-build lettings · how we compare
Half the fee.None of the small print..
We manage new-build lettings for 10% — including VAT, all in. Across London’s other new-build specialists, full management typically lands near 20% once VAT is added — before the set-up fees, the renewal commissions and the mark-up on your own repairs. Here is the whole field, taken from each agent’s own published fee card.
The shape of it
Four numbers that frame the whole comparison.
Ours are all-in and already include VAT. The field’s headline rates usually don’t — which is where the gap begins.
The real number
When you see “+VAT”, that’s not the price.
VAT is 20%. So a fee advertised as “17% + VAT” is really 20.4% of your rent. The gap is easy to miss — which is exactly why it’s worth knowing how to read.
The headline rate
The number on the brochure. It can look competitive — until you add the tax every consumer pays.
The real rate
The same fee, shown honestly. More than double our 10% — and we’ve already included VAT in ours.
UK law says a letting agent must show its fees including VAT Consumer Rights Act 2015 · s.83. We only ever quote one number. With anyone else, ask for the including-VAT, all-in figure — then compare like for like.
The whole field
Every new-build specialist, side by side.
Full-management fees, normalised to include VAT so they compare honestly. Where an agent doesn’t publish a figure, it says so — which tells you something too.
| Agent | Full management (inc VAT) | Extra fees on top | Mark-up on your repairs | How you leave | Charged after you leave? | Publishes its %? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey W JamesUS | 10% | None — all in | None | Any time, no fee | No | Yes, itemised |
| Knight Frank | 20.4% | Yes, itemised | 12% | Life of the tenancy | Yes — & if the tenant buys | Yes |
| Savills | 20.4% | Yes, itemised | Yes | Notice only downgrades the tier | Yes — incl. “connected persons” | Yes |
| Hamptons | 18% | Yes | Yes | Renewal terms apply | Yes — up to 60 months | Partly |
| John D Wood & Co | 20.4% | Yes, itemised | 18% | On signing | — | Yes |
| CBRE | 20.4% | Yes | Yes | On signing | Life of the tenancy | Yes |
| Chestertons | 20.4% | Yes | Yes | No exit except on agent breach | Yes | Partly |
| Foxtons | 20.4% | Yes | Yes | Whole term billed upfront | Yes — 2-year renewal | Yes |
| Dexters | 19.2% | Yes | Yes | 3 months’ notice → rent collection | — | Partly |
| Benham & Reeves | 19.2% | Yes, itemised | Yes | On signing | Life of the tenancy | Yes |
| Cluttons | 19.2% | Yes | 18% (over £5k) | Life of the tenancy | Yes | Yes |
| Stirling Ackroyd | 19.2% | Yes (+ monthly fee) | Yes | Withdrawal ≈ 2 months’ rent | — | Yes |
| Hurford Salvi Carr | 19.2% | Yes | 18% | On signing | — | Yes |
| KFH | 16.8% | Yes | Yes | Whole term billed upfront | Life of the tenancy | Yes |
| Felicity J Lord | 16.8% | Yes, itemised | Yes | Exit = balance of the term | — | Yes |
| LiFE Residential | 15–18% | Yes | Up to 24% | On signing | — | Partly |
| JOHNS&CO | Not published | — | — | On signing | — | No |
| Chase Evans | Not published | — | — | On signing | — | No |
How to read this: figures are taken from each agent’s own published landlord fee schedule and terms of business, normalised to include VAT at 20%, first compiled June 2026 and re-checked against each agent’s published fee page on 8 September 2026. “Not published” means the agent does not state the figure publicly. Franchise and branch rates vary, so treat franchised names as “typical”. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we’ll correct it — this page is meant to be fair.
Line by line
What each agent publishes for a tenant who leaves early.
Five lines from each agent’s own landlord fee page, as published on their sites on 8 September 2026. Where a page does not state a line, the cell says so — we have not filled it in for them.
| Agent | Let-only / tenant-find | Full management | Renewal or rent-review fee | To re-let if the tenant leaves early | VAT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey W JamesUS | Inside the 10% — not sold separately | 10% | £0 | £0 — and £0 during the void | Included |
| Foxtons | 13.2% first year; 12% or 10.8% from year two | 20.4% 13.2% letting + 7.2% management | 12% then 8.4% on letting renewals; 4.8% management | Not stated | Inc VAT |
| Chestertons | 13.2% letting & rent collection, 12 months paid in advance | 20.4% | Commission again at each anniversary; £210 rent report incl. s.13 notice | Not stated £1,200 cancellation fee inc VAT; 12-month minimum fee | Plus VAT, inc figure shown |
| Dexters | Not stated | 19.2% 18% and 21.6% tiers also published | £240 rent review (s.13); £240 renewal (non-Housing Act) | Not stated £360 early-surrender admin | Inc VAT |
| KFH | Fee document not readable on 8 September 2026 — not compared | — | |||
| Winkworth (Bow office, 04/2026) | Not priced on the Bow sheet | 14.4% | Rent review and s.13 notice included | Early-termination minimum fee £0.00 | Inc VAT |
| Hamptons | One month’s rent + VAT, min £1,200 | 18% min £2,160 a year | Same % on renewals and holding over; £300 renewal / rent-review paperwork | Not stated £300 off-boarding fee | Both shown |
| Savills | 15% letting & receiving rent, min £1,800 | 20.4% min £3,000 | None separate — the % runs while the tenant stays | Not stated | Inc VAT |
| Knight Frank | 13.2%, min £1,500 | 20.4% min £1,500 | 13.2% or 20.4% continues for the duration | Not stated | Both shown |
| OpenRent | Free listing; £29 portals; £108 with Rent Now (£58 offer) | Not offered | Not stated | Not stated advertising is priced per listing | Inc VAT |
| Purplebricks (incl. Strike) | 90% of the first month’s rent, min £720 | 12% + £960 set-up in London | Renewals included; £150 s.13 notice | Not stated set-up fee is per let | Inc VAT |
| Home Made | £1,440 flat | £1,440 + 6% | “No renewal fees” | Not stated | Both shown |
| lettingaproperty.com | £199 set-up + from £59 a month | From £109 a month + £199 set-up | Not stated | £199 re-listing set-up fee; £120 on closure | Inc VAT |
| Sandra Davidson (Stratford) | 10% + £300 set-up | 14% + £300 set-up | £25 rent review; £50 contract variation | Not stated | Inc VAT |
| Proper Local (Canary Wharf) | £1,995 fixed, paid upfront | £1,995 + £1,320–£2,400 a year | “Low fixed fee” — amount not stated | Not stated | Both shown |
Sources, read 8 September 2026: Foxtons · Chestertons · Dexters · KFH · Winkworth Bow · Hamptons (March 2026) · Savills · Knight Frank (June 2026) · OpenRent · Purplebricks (May 2026) · Home Made · lettingaproperty.com · Sandra Davidson (May 2026) · Proper Local. “Not stated” means the page does not state that line. Winkworth is franchised — other offices publish different cards. Foxtons’ 20.4% is the sum of its published letting and management lines. Ours: 10% including VAT, charged only in months a tenant pays; nothing during a void and nothing to re-let — the arithmetic, month by month.
What it actually costs
Put your rent in. See the gap.
A like-for-like, first-year illustration: our 10% all-in against a typical premium agent at 20.4% inc VAT plus the usual set-up, inventory and check-in/out fees.
…
Illustrative. “Typical premium agent” = 20.4% inc VAT full management plus about £750 of common first-year add-ons (set-up, inventory, check-in, check-out). Overseas landlords often pay a further ~£540 a year for HMRC non-resident handling at the big agents; we route that through our tax partner with no mark-up. Your real figure depends on the property — ask us.
Before you sign with anyone
The clauses we don’t have.
None of these are unlawful — but they’re easy to miss in a long terms-of-business document, and hard to leave once you’re in. Worth checking for, whoever you choose.
- 01
Commission for the life of the tenancy. You keep paying the full percentage for as long as the introduced tenant stays — every renewal, every year. The near-universal default at the big agents.
- 02
Commission after you’ve left. Some agents keep charging renewal commission for up to five years after you switch — you pay an agent for a tenant they no longer manage.
- 03
The whole term, billed upfront. Commission on the entire fixed term taken on day one, with no refund if the tenant leaves early.
- 04
A fee to walk away. Withdrawal penalties of two months’ rent — or the whole balance of the term — are common. So are sole-agency penalties for instructing anyone else.
- 05
A mark-up on your own repairs. 10–24% added to the cost of maintaining your own property, on top of the management fee.
- 06
Insurance you didn’t ask for. Rent-protection products you’re opted into unless you actively decline.
We have none of these. One fee, no tie-in, and you can leave whenever you like.
And there is no small print. If your tenant leaves early you pay nothing during the void and nothing to re-let: the 10% simply stops, then starts again when the property is let. We get paid when you get paid — the fees page shows the arithmetic month by month.
For overseas & Chinese landlords
We’re the part that comes after the sale.
Many of the agencies that market hardest to Chinese buyers are sales businesses — they sell the off-plan flat, take their commission, and hand you on. We’re the manager: the part that runs for years after completion. And we work for you, the landlord — not the developer.
Your language, a real person
Speak to our China Desk in Mandarin or Cantonese. WeChat HarveyWJames. A named contact, not a switchboard — the same thing the big agents offer, without the near-double fee.
Your tax, handled — no mark-up
Non-resident landlord scheme, the NRL1 application so you receive your full rent, Self-Assessment and Making Tax Digital — through our partners at YWC London LLP. No referral fee, no commission to us. The big agents charge around £540 a year for this, and more.
Your money, protected
Rent held in an FCA-authorised UK client account, Propertymark Client Money Protection, sterling only — we earn nothing on currency. A monthly statement you can read from anywhere.
In fairness
Where the big names genuinely win.
We’re not for everyone, and we won’t pretend otherwise. Knight Frank, Savills, JLL and CBRE have global brands, offices in a dozen countries, and decades of institutional track record. If you want a 600-office name on the door, or you’re placing institutional build-to-rent capital, they earn their fee.
What we offer is different, and deliberately narrow: one thing, done well. New-build lettings and management, for a clear 10% including VAT, with no tie-in, no add-on stack, and a team that has actually stood in your flat and knows your building. We’d rather be the best at that than average at everything.
Common questions
The comparison, answered.
What does Harvey W James charge for full management?
10% of the monthly rent including VAT, all in — and only in the months a tenant is paying rent. Nothing during a void, nothing to re-let, no set-up fee, no renewal commission and no mark-up on your repairs. Anything outside the 10% is itemised with prices on the landlords page and quoted before any work starts.
Why is a fee of 17% plus VAT really 20.4%?
Because VAT is 20%. A fee advertised as 17% + VAT is 20.4% of your rent once the tax is added, and a letting agent must show its fees including VAT (Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 83). We only ever quote one number, and ours already includes VAT — so compare every quote on its including-VAT, all-in figure.
What do I pay if my tenant leaves early?
Nothing during the void and nothing to re-let. The 10% simply stops when the property is empty and starts again when it is let. We get paid when you get paid; the landlords page shows the arithmetic month by month.
Do you add a mark-up to repairs?
No. We add nothing to the cost of maintaining your own property and we take no fee from contractors. Many agents charge 10–24% on your own maintenance, on top of the management fee.
When is a big-name agent the better choice?
If you want a global brand with offices in a dozen countries, or you are placing institutional build-to-rent capital, Knight Frank, Savills, JLL and CBRE earn their fee. What we offer is deliberately narrow: new-build lettings and management for a clear 10% including VAT, from a team that has stood in your flat and knows your building.
No pressure, no urgency
Want us to work out your exact figure?
Tell us the property and we’ll show you precisely what you’d pay with us — and what you’d keep. Whether or not we’re the right fit, you’ll leave knowing how to read any agent’s quote.