Landlord Terms of Business

Sole Agency

By opting for a Sole Agency contract, Harvey W James becomes your exclusive letting agent for the property.

• Commitment period: four weeks.
• Exclusive rights: no other letting agent may be appointed by the Landlord to market the property during the commitment period.
• Termination: the Landlord may end the sole agency at the end of the four-week period with at least two weeks' written notice. This ends the marketing appointment only; ending our management is set out below.
• Fee: standard rate, calculated as a percentage of monthly rent (10% Inc VAT).

Multi Agency

Multi Agency marketing is generally unavailable. We may consider it where comparable premium marketing is provided by the other agents.

• Fee: standard rate + 2% (Inc VAT) to reflect the added coordination and competitive overhead.

Ending our management

There is no minimum term and no exit fee. Three months' written notice ends our management. During the notice we continue to manage the property, and the 10% applies only to rent actually received in those months: there is no fee for a month in which no rent is received, and no charge for the notice itself. Where the property is vacant and unlet at the date of notice, one month's written notice applies instead. A shorter period may be agreed in writing at any time.

3.1 Letting — finding the tenant

We price the property from our own portal data, list and market it, conduct viewings, run Goodlord referencing including Right to Rent and sanctions checks, draft and finalise the periodic tenancy agreement (Assured Periodic Tenancies under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 since 1 May 2026), collect the first month's rent and deposit, and hand the property over at move-in. Inventory services are priced in clause 5.1.

3.2 Rent and money

Monthly rent collection through Lettspay (clause 8), monthly statements, deposit protection with the Tenancy Deposit Scheme and service of the prescribed information (clause 11), pursuit of tenant arrears (clause 9), and the annual Section 13 rent review (Form 4A, two months' written notice, prepared with defensible market evidence).

3.3 The tenancy, day to day

Repairs, maintenance, contractor coordination, tenant communications, compliance maintenance (Gas Safety, EPC tracking, EICR, smoke and CO alarm checks), Renters' Rights Act 2025 operational compliance (PRS Database registration tracking, PRS Ombudsman support once the scheme is live (expected 2028), Awaab's Law tracking once it reaches the private rented sector), and strategic operational decisions within the Full Management mandate (clause 7).

The headline

As your managing agent, Harvey W James charges 10% (Inc VAT) of monthly rent, every month, for as long as we manage your property. There is no separate letting fee, no rent-review fee, and no fee when a tenancy simply continues. One number, paid monthly, all-in.

4.1 What the 10% covers

In any given year of management the 10% covers: finding a tenant when one moves out (marketing, viewings, Goodlord referencing, tenancy set-up, move-in handover); day-to-day management (rent collection, repairs, contractor coordination, tenant communications); retention work while an existing tenant stays on; the annual Section 13 rent review using Form 4A under HA1988 s.13 (as amended by RRA s.6), including First-tier Tribunal preparation if challenged; compliance maintenance (Gas Safety, EPC tracking, EICR, smoke and CO alarm checks); Renters' Rights Act 2025 operational compliance (PRS Database registration tracking, PRS Ombudsman support once the scheme is live (expected 2028), Awaab's Law tracking once it reaches the private rented sector); and strategic operational decisions within the Full Management mandate.

4.2 What the 10% does not cover

Itemised separately, and only charged when used: a supervision fee on coordinated works over £800 (clause 5.4), out-of-hours emergency premiums, court possession hearings, statutory declarations, deposit disputes, and the similar one-off services listed in the Schedule of Fees in clause 5. Always quoted before any work proceeds.

4.3 The annual rolling cycle

The 10% applies year on year, every year, for as long as we manage the property. Each 12-month cycle is a fresh start — sometimes a fresh tenancy because the previous tenant moved out (the central London norm), sometimes a continuing tenancy with retention work (since 1 May 2026 a tenancy simply continues; there is nothing to renew). Either way, the 10% covers it.

4.4 One number — nothing inside it is billed separately

The 10% is a single fee. It is not made up of separately chargeable parts: there is no letting fee, no re-letting fee, no rent-review fee and no fee for a tenancy continuing, inside it or alongside it, and no part of the 10% is ever invoiced to the Landlord as its own sum. It is charged only in a month in which a tenant is paying rent; in a month with no rent there is no fee.

4.5 Early exit by the tenant — there is no charge

Since 1 May 2026 every tenant of an assured periodic tenancy has a statutory right under the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 s.5(1ZA)(a) (inserted by RRA s.20; read with HA1988 s.4A, inserted by RRA s.1) to end the tenancy at any time by serving 2 months' written notice. The Landlord cannot withhold consent and no fee can be charged to the tenant for exercising the right. Because fixed terms are gone, a tenancy ending inside 12 months is now an ordinary event rather than an exception.

A tenant who moves out before their notice ends still owes rent to the end of the notice period; any rent unpaid by the end of the tenancy is claimed from the deposit (deducted if the tenant agrees, otherwise decided by the deposit scheme's free dispute service); any balance above the deposit is still owed. Rent stops sooner only if the landlord agrees an earlier end date in writing, or a replacement tenant's tenancy starts through the Assisted Tenancy Replacement Process after referencing. There is no early-termination or re-letting fee; the only other costs are any the tenant agrees in writing beforehand.

Where the tenant exits within the first 12 months of a tenancy, the position between Harvey W James and the Landlord is:

1. Months tenanted. The Landlord has paid 10% per month for the months the property was actually let. Nothing further is owed for those months.
2. No outstanding balance. Nothing from an unfinished year is carried forward, invoiced, or recovered from the Landlord in any form. Harvey W James absorbs the cost of the letting work already done.
3. Months not tenanted. The Landlord pays nothing for the void period between the previous tenant exiting and the new tenant moving in.
4. Re-letting. Marketing, viewings, referencing, tenancy set-up and move-in for the next tenant are covered by the 10% and are charged at £0. There is no letting fee, no re-letting fee and no catch-up.
5. New cycle begins. From the new tenant’s move-in date the standard 10%/month resumes for a new 12-month cycle.

If the tenant stays past month 12, nothing changes either. Year 2 is a fresh 10%/month cycle bundling retention work, the Section 13 rent review, and continuing management. There is no discontinuity at the 12-month boundary and no separate fee triggered by the tenancy continuing, ending, or being replaced.

The principle: Harvey W James is paid while the property is producing rent, and is not paid while it is not. A tenant leaving early costs the Landlord a void. It does not cost the Landlord a fee.

4.6 Worked example

£1,000/month rent. Tenant gives statutory 2-month notice in month 4, vacates end of month 6.

• Months 1–6 paid by Landlord: 6 × £100 = £600.
• Month 7, void: £0. No management fee, no letting fee, no balance accruing.
• Harvey W James re-lets; the new tenant moves in (say) month 8. Cost to the Landlord of that re-let: £0.
• Months 8–12: 5 × £100 = £500, and a new 12-month cycle begins.
• Total paid across the year: £1,100 — eleven tenanted months at 10%, and nothing else.

5.1 Inventory pricing

• Inventory & Accompanied Check-In Condition Report: Studio/1BR £125, 2BR £135, 3BR £155, 4BR £175 — paid by Landlord at Check-In.
• Check-Out Report: Studio/1BR £108, 2BR £118, 3BR £138, 4BR £155 — paid by Landlord at Checkout.

5.2 Additional inventory services

• Mid-Tenancy Inspection Report: £60.
• Vacant Property Inspection: £60.
• Cancellation / no-show within 24 hours: property visit £15; all other jobs (excluding property visit) £50.

5.3 Standard services

• Legionella Assessment: £108 (when added to any Inventory report, £48).
• Sit & Wait at Property: from £39 for 30 mins up to £133.20 for 5 hrs.
• Serving Notice (Hand Delivery): £60.
• Insurance Claims Photography (incl. home visit inspection): £60.
• New Build Handover & Key Collection: £95.
• Property Visit (for example during possession proceedings): £39.
• Statutory Declaration Service (solicitor witness fees included): £95.

5.4 Supervision fees on protracted works

• No supervision fee on routine maintenance, quick-fix repairs, the repair or like-for-like replacement of a single item or component whatever it costs (for example a boiler part or an MVHR unit), or any works costing £800 or less.
• A 10% (Inc VAT) supervision fee only where the works cost more than £800 including VAT and need us to coordinate them: more than one trade or contractor, attending site to supervise or check the quality of the work, or managing a project over time (a refurbishment, a redecoration, multi-trade works). We tell you before the work starts if the fee will apply, and it is itemised separately on your statement. You may ask us not to supervise a job, in which case no fee is charged. Harvey W James does not collect fees from contractors and does not mark up repair costs.

5.5 Specialised services (quotes on request)

EPC, CP12 (Gas Safety), Annual Boiler Service, EICR, PAT, Risk Assessments, Alarm Installations, End of Tenancy Clean, Lock Change, Domestic Appliance Repair, Court Possession Hearing.

5.6 Key services and extra work

• Key Duplication: £18 + actual cutting cost.
• Key Postal Services: £18 flat rate.
• Key Collection / Drop-Off: £18 for first hour, £9 per half-hour thereafter.
• Extra work by staff ("by time" rates): £18 for first hour, £9 per half-hour thereafter.

5.7 Financial

• Rent Guarantee & Eviction Cover: quotes on request (offered through the Goodlord platform; structure has changed post-RRA — see your account manager for current terms).
• Service Charges, Ground Rent, Council Tax, and Utility Bill invoices administered on the Landlord's behalf: £10 per payment.
• Subletting Registration Form & Payment Service: £28.
• Non-Resident Landlord Scheme: £125 per HMRC quarterly return, charged by Harvey W James only while tax is being deducted because HMRC has not approved the Landlord to be paid gross.
• International Transfer: £18 banking charge each time sent.

5.8 Special cases

• Deposit Dispute: £54 for up to 3 hours, £18 for each additional hour.
• Rent Guarantee Insurance claim handling: included under Full Management, at no extra charge.
• Witnessing in Court: £120.

5.9 Withdrawal from an agreed offer

Should an offer be agreed and the Landlord later decides to withdraw acceptance, the Landlord will be responsible for any reasonable costs and expenses the applicant has incurred. If the Landlord directs us to proceed with the planned tenancy and then retracts those instructions, the Landlord agrees to bear the tenant's expenses plus a contribution towards our marketing and advertising costs of £650 (Inc VAT).

5.10 Alarms, licensing and other services

• Non-wired smoke alarm, fitted and tested: £20 each. Non-wired carbon monoxide alarm: £25 each. Bulbs: £10 plus the cost of the bulbs (receipts provided).
• Selective or Additional licence application (compliance check and 1-hour consultancy): £95. Mandatory HMO licence application: quote on request.
• Floor plan: £50. Consultancy: £100 per 60 minutes.
• Short-Let Fee (genuine holiday lets only, Housing Act 1988 Schedule 1 paragraph 9): standard percentage of rent + 8%, minimum two months' fee. A short let that is the tenant's only or principal home is an ordinary assured tenancy and is charged at the standard fee.
• Arranging alternative accommodation when a home becomes uninhabitable: staff time at £18 per hour, agreed with you first.

The maintenance float

When the tenant moves in, one week's rent is held back from the first month's rent as a maintenance float in your property ledger. It is used only for maintenance and repairs unless you ask us otherwise. After use it is topped back up from the next rent to one week's rent; it never goes below zero; and it is returned in full when our management ends. Where a job costs more than the float can cover, we tell you at once and ask for a top-up: the shortfall plus enough to bring the float back to one week's rent. We ask for that money before we instruct if the job is over £1,000, or whatever its size if the rent has been paid late twice in the last six months or is in arrears. None of this delays making a tenant safe.

How we decide on a repair

• Within the float: we instruct without asking first, and you see the job on your statement. One quote is enough.
• Above the float: we send you a written recommendation with what is wrong, the quotes, the contractor we recommend and the cost, and a reply-by date and time, and we instruct when you say yes. We obtain at least two quotes above the float and at least three over £1,500, unless it is an emergency or only one qualified contractor can do the work, in which case the recommendation says so.
• Emergencies: we try to reach you at least three times by at least two methods, and making the home safe does not wait for your reply, whatever it costs; above the float, the permanent repair waits for your go-ahead.
• Capital works and improvements: always wait for your written go-ahead, whatever they cost.

The 48-hour arrangement (optional)

If you choose it, in writing, and give us two ways to reach you: when we send a written recommendation for works above the float, remind you by your second method at least 24 hours before the deadline, and hear nothing from you within 48 hours, we go ahead with the works we recommended at the cost we quoted. A deadline falling on a weekend or an English bank holiday moves to 10 am on the next working day. It never covers more than the limit per job you set, never covers capital works or improvements, and the float top-up rules above still apply. If we cannot send the second reminder, we wait for you. You can change the limit or switch the arrangement off at any time in writing.

9.1 Rent collection

We collect monthly rent through Lettspay, apply each receipt to the correct property ledger, and pay the net amount to the Landlord. We pay your rent within 3 working days of cleared funds — usually within 24 hours.

9.2 Arrears management

Our arrears protocol (Essential Terms §70 [POSSESSION-002]) is time-boxed and statute-aware. In summary: automated reminders at Day 1 and Day 3, and staff contact at Day 7; further written reminders by Day 14, with interest under Section 42.7 of Essential Terms (3% above Bank of England Base Rate) beginning to accrue from Day 14 onwards; formal arrears letter around Day 21–28 and Rent Protection insurer notified if applicable; around Day 30 (two months' rent unpaid — Section 8 Grounds 10 and 11) we prepare a Section 8 notice on the Landlord's instructions; around Day 60 (three months' rent unpaid — the Ground 8 mandatory threshold, which must still be met at the hearing) we prepare and serve a Section 8 notice on the Landlord's instructions. Rent is paid monthly in advance, so two months' rent is unpaid at around Day 30 and three months' at around Day 60. All communications follow our no-harassment policy and occur at reasonable times.

9.3 Section 13 rent reviews

Since 1 May 2026, Section 13 (HA1988 s.13 as amended by RRA s.6) is the only lawful mechanism to increase rent on an assured periodic tenancy. Increases are capped at the open market rent, limited to once per 12-month period, and served on Form 4A with 2 months' written notice. The tenant has a right to challenge the proposed rent at the First-tier Tribunal under section 14(A3) of the Housing Act 1988. The Tribunal can only reduce the proposed increase; it cannot increase it. Informal mid-tenancy renegotiations with the existing tenant are no longer permitted as a way to increase rent. The Section 13 process — including Tribunal preparation if challenged — is bundled inside the 10%.