物业管理

Harvey W James — Property Management

One company, one inbox, one workflow from move-in to move-out. Property management at Harvey W James is structured around a single principle: the agent-of-record is liable for every statutory obligation across the life of the tenancy, and the landlord should be liable for none of them in operational terms. We publish how we deliver that, in detail, on this page.

The framework is set out in three canonical internal documents: Essential Terms and Charges v2.1.5 (the 85-section operational contract, RRA-aligned, reviewed 7 May 2026), the Checkout Guide v2.0 (RRA-aligned, 7 May 2026), and the Deposit Return Form v32.0 (RRA-aligned). What you read below is drawn from those three, with each section pointing back to the clause it sits on.

What "Full Management" actually is

Under our Full Management service, Harvey W James becomes the single accountable agent for the property. The mandate, set out in ETC §11, has four operational pillars.

Rent collection. Monthly rent receipt through the Goodlord platform, reconciliation against the rent schedule, monthly statements to the landlord, and structured arrears pursuance on the Day 1 / Day 3 / Day 5 / Day 14 / Day 21 / Day 60 / Day 90 schedule. Where arrears escalate, we coordinate the Section 8 possession route under Housing Act 1988 (as amended by RRA Schedule 1) and engage the landlord's nominated rent protection product on the Goodlord platform. See Rent Protection for the post-RRA product architecture.

Repairs, maintenance, and hazard response. Tenant-reported hazards triaged against the Awaab's Law statutory framework (Section 100 of the Renters' Rights Act 2025, with the prescribed-timeframes regulations expected in 2027). Contractor coordination, multiple-quote sourcing where the works are non-routine, and supervision of works above the £800 threshold (ETC §43). Detail in the next section.

Compliance maintenance. Gas Safety on annual renewal, EPC on re-let or expiry of the existing certificate, EICR on the five-year cycle (or sooner where the previous inspector flagged remedial work), smoke and CO alarm checks at the start of every tenancy and on every annual gas check, PRS Database registration from late 2026 (RRA s.92), and the Awaab's Law / Decent Homes Standard compliance regime as it phases in from 2027.

Tenant communications and tenancy management. A single tenant-facing inbox (aftercare@harveywjames.com) and a single phone line (020 3865 1500) for the duration of the tenancy. The mid-tenancy inspection at approximately the six-month mark. The annual Section 13 rent review using Form 4A under HA1988 s.13 (as amended by RRA s.6), prepared with defensible market evidence. End-of-tenancy notice handling, checkout coordination, and deposit return administration as set out below.

Repairs, hazards, and compliance

This is the operational heart of Full Management. The framework distinguishes between three categories of work, each with its own response protocol.

Hazards (Awaab's Law category). When a tenant reports a hazard at aftercare@harveywjames.com or by phone, we triage against the Awaab's Law framework: a serious health-risk hazard requires investigation to begin within 24 hours; the property must be made safe (interim measures acceptable) within 10 working days; complete repair within 7 days of the investigation conclusion where works are required. See Awaab's Law for the full statutory framework.

Repairs (routine and reactive). Reactive repairs are picked up through the same aftercare@ channel, logged in our internal works system, and dispatched to the relevant trade. We hold standing relationships with electrical, plumbing, heating, locksmith, glazing and general-maintenance trades across central London — built on response time, work quality, and post-completion supervision rather than lowest hourly rate. For works under £800 total cost we engage on the landlord's standing authority under Full Management; over £800 we obtain landlord written approval first and add a 10% supervision fee on the works value (ETC §43). We do not collect fees from contractors and do not mark up repair costs.

Compliance maintenance. The compliance ledger is the calendar-driven half of property management. The dates that matter:

Gas Safety (CP12): annual; HWJ books and pays the engineer on the landlord's behalf, issues CP12 to the tenant.
EPC: required on every re-let; ten-year validity from issue. We check the register at the start of every new tenancy.
EICR (Electrical Installation Condition Report): every five years, or sooner where the previous inspector flagged remedial work or the property is newly extended.
Smoke and CO alarms: tested at the start of every tenancy under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 (as amended 2022), with documented evidence.
Legionella risk assessment: at the start of every tenancy and on material change to the water system (HSE L8 ACoP).
PRS Database registration: from late 2026 under RRA s.92, every property must be registered before being marketed; we manage registration via Lettspay on behalf of our managed clients.
Awaab's Law and the Decent Homes Standard: phasing in from 2027; we will track the prescribed-timeframes regulations as they are laid before Parliament and adjust the operational protocol accordingly.

Compliance documents are filed in the landlord's portfolio record and re-issued to each incoming tenant at the start of every tenancy.

Decision thresholds — what we decide vs what we ask you about

Full Management is not a blank cheque. ETC §11 and the Landlord Terms of Business set out a clear boundary between what HWJ decides on the landlord's standing authority and what bounces back to the landlord for written approval before action.

On HWJ's authority under Full Management. Tenant communications. Routine repairs and reactive maintenance up to £800 in total works value. Engagement of vetted contractors from our trade panel. Compliance certificate renewals on the standard schedule. Mid-tenancy inspection scheduling. Standard rent collection and arrears workflow up to the Day 60 escalation point. The annual Section 13 rent review proposal (subject to landlord sign-off on the proposed figure before the Form 4A is served).

Requiring landlord written approval. Any single repair or works package above the £800 threshold (ETC §43). Capital works, refurbishment, fit-out changes. Changes to the marketed rent at re-let or in-tenancy beyond the standard Section 13 cycle. Service of a Section 8 notice. Decisions to pursue court possession. Engagement of legal counsel. Any matter that commits the landlord to expenditure beyond the management fee or the agreed schedule of charges. Any departure from the Full Management standard terms.

The principle is "hands-off, fully informed". Day-to-day matters are off the landlord's desk; commercial or legal matters are on it. Where uncertainty falls between the two, we ask first.

The annual cycle — what happens, when

The rhythm of a managed tenancy follows a fairly predictable annual pattern. We publish it here so both landlords and tenants know what to expect month by month.

Move-in (Day 0). Inventory and Accompanied Check-In Condition Report by an external inventory clerk (paid by landlord; pricing in the Tenant Fees Schedule and Landlords fee schedule). Smoke and CO alarm tests recorded against the Inventory. Right to Rent and sanctions checks completed by Goodlord pre-move-in. Tenancy agreement executed as an Assured Periodic Tenancy under the Renters' Rights Act 2025. Deposit registered with TDS or DPS (or Reposit / Flatfair on the no-deposit pathway) within 30 days of receipt under Housing Act 2004 s.213(3).

Months 1 to 5. Monthly rent collection through Goodlord. Monthly statements to landlord. Reactive repairs and hazard response as needed. Compliance certificate dates tracked against the property record.

Month 6 (approximate). Mid-Tenancy Inspection Report — a brief documented visit by HWJ to record the condition of the property, identify any issues for early intervention, and capture early warning of any breaches before they compound. Fee per the schedule; report shared with both parties.

Months 7 to 11. Continued rent collection, repairs and compliance. Renewal-cycle planning begins: do we expect the tenant to stay or move on, and what is the right Section 13 rent figure if they stay.

Month 12 onwards. The annual Section 13 rent review using Form 4A (HA1988 s.13 as amended by RRA s.6). Two months' written notice. The new rent takes effect at the start of the rent period after the notice period ends. The tenant has the right to refer the proposed rent to the First-tier Tribunal under HA1988 s.14, which can only reduce the proposed figure or confirm it — it cannot raise it.

Compliance certificate renewals. Gas Safety on the annual cycle. EICR on the five-year cycle. EPC on re-let. Smoke and CO alarm checks at every annual gas inspection. Each renewal is scheduled and paid out of the standard service architecture; remedial works trigger the £800 threshold rule above.

Ending a tenancy — the post-RRA framework

The end of a tenancy is, under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the operational stage where the most can go wrong if not handled to a published standard. Our framework is set out in the Checkout Guide v2.0 and the relevant sections of ETC v2.1.5.

Tenant-initiated end (the statutory two-month notice). Since 1 May 2026 every assured periodic tenant has the statutory right to end the tenancy at any time by serving two months' written notice under Protection from Eviction Act 1977 s.5(1ZA)(a), inserted by Renters' Rights Act 2025 s.20. The notice must be in writing, addressed to the landlord (or agent acting on the landlord's behalf), and dated to expire at the end of a rent period. We confirm receipt, log the end date, and arrange the checkout.

The Assisted Tenancy Replacement Process (the managed-property option). Under ETC §68.1 [ENDING-002-A], a tenant on a Full-Management tenancy can opt into HWJ's Assisted Tenancy Replacement Process — a co-ordinated remarketing and substitution pathway that is often faster than the statutory two months and that can release the outgoing tenant from rent liability sooner, subject to a replacement tenant clearing referencing and moving in. This is an option, not a default; either party can decline and the statutory notice path applies.

Landlord-initiated end (Section 8). Section 21 no-fault evictions were abolished on 1 May 2026. The only landlord route to possession is now Section 8 under HA1988 s.8, with a ground from Schedule 2 (as amended by RRA Schedule 1). See Section 8 Grounds for the full grounds table and the HWJ arrears workflow. Service of a Section 8 notice always requires landlord written approval before action.

Booking the checkout. Once the end date is confirmed, we book an external inventory clerk for a Check-Out Report on or as close to the end date as possible. The tenant remains liable for rent until all keys and remote controls have been returned to our office — this is the published rule, not a discretionary surcharge. The Check-Out Report is e-mailed to the lead tenant and the landlord(s) within two working days of the checkout visit. The Check-Out fee is paid by the landlord per the Tenant Fees Schedule and the Landlords page.

Cleaning standard. The tenancy agreement requires the property to be returned to the standard set out in the Check-In Report and Inventory. Where the tenant has had the property professionally cleaned and provides a receipt, that is the published standard. Where cleaning falls short, the landlord may engage a professional clean against the deposit; the cost is the actual invoice supplied by a reputable cleaning company, with photographic evidence before and after.

Keys, utilities, and council tax. All keys, fobs, parking remote controls, communal-area cards and any other devices issued at check-in are returned at checkout. Lost keys are charged at the published replacement cost (key cutting, fob programming, lock change where the key was numbered against the lock); receipts are required to make a claim against the deposit. Tenants notify utilities and council tax of the move-out date and provide final meter readings (HWJ captures meter readings at the checkout visit as a back-up). On communal heat networks and pre-payment meter properties (typical of central London new-builds), tenants top-up to clear any negative balance before keys are returned.

Deposit return — the published framework

Deposit return is governed by the tenancy deposit scheme (TDS, DPS, or — on the no-deposit pathway — Reposit / Flatfair) under Housing Act 2004 Part 6 Chapter 4. The HWJ workflow is documented in the Deposit Return Form v32.0.

Where no deduction is claimed. If no claim is made and all utilities are settled, the deposit is repaid to the tenant within a maximum of 10 working days via the protecting scheme. Faster in practice when the tenant has provided bank details at checkout.

Where a deduction is claimed. There are three legitimate grounds for a deduction: damage to the property or contents beyond fair wear and tear; missing items recorded in the Inventory; and unpaid charges (rent, utilities, council tax) properly owed at the end of the tenancy. Anything outside those three grounds is not a legitimate deduction.

Fair wear and tear, betterment, and apportionment. A deduction cannot put the landlord in a better position than they would have been in had the tenant returned the property in its expected condition (the "betterment" principle). Where an item with a published useful life is damaged before the end of that life, the deduction is apportioned against the remaining life. Worked example from §6.3 of the Deposit Return Form: a sofa with an expected useful life of 10 years, damaged in year 4, would have a prorated remaining value of 60%. If the repair or replacement cost is less than the prorated value, the lower figure is deducted; if greater, the prorated value is the ceiling. The full life-expectancy tables for decoration and household items are set out in §6.3 of the form.

The HWJ workflow. Set out in §11 of the Deposit Return Form:

Day 1: Online Deposit Return Form sent to the lead tenant and the landlord, with the Check-Out Report attached and any proposed deductions itemised.
Day 3: Discussion window — landlord and tenant respond, dispute, or agree each itemised deduction.
Ongoing: Mediation by Harvey W James between landlord and tenant, with reference to the Inventory, the Check-Out Report, and the betterment / apportionment framework.
Final step: Where agreement is reached, repayment is initiated through TDS / DPS (or Reposit / Flatfair). Where agreement is not reached, the dispute is submitted to the scheme's free Dispute Resolution Service for an independent adjudicator's decision.

If the dispute goes to adjudication. The scheme's adjudicator decides the matter on the documentary evidence — Inventory, Check-In Condition Report, Check-Out Report, photographs, receipts, quotes, and the parties' written submissions. The adjudicator's decision is final and binding under the scheme rules. HWJ charges a £54 inc. VAT dispute administration fee (for up to 3 hours' work, then £18 for each additional hour) to collate evidence and submit on the landlord's behalf — set out in ETC §44 and the Landlord Terms of Business.

Reposit and Flatfair no-deposit pathway. Where the tenant chose the Reposit or Flatfair membership at the start of the tenancy in place of a cash deposit, the same three-ground deduction framework applies, with claims handled through the membership provider rather than a cash-deposit scheme. Repayment is not relevant (no cash held); valid claims are paid by the membership provider to the landlord against the same evidentiary standard.

Replacement of Domestic Items Relief (formerly the 10% Wear and Tear Allowance). The 10% Wear and Tear Allowance for furnished lettings was abolished on 6 April 2016 by Finance (No. 2) Act 2016 and replaced with the Replacement of Domestic Items Relief under ITTOIA 2005 s.311A–314. Any deposit-return guidance still referencing the 10% allowance is out of date. For the landlord's tax treatment of replacement furnishings, see our Overseas Landlords page for the YWC London LLP partnership framework or speak to your own accountant.

Once management ends — the landlord's options

At the end of a managed tenancy the landlord chooses between two pathways, both set out in the Checkout Guide §10:

Option 1: Standard Deposit Return for a £54 inc. VAT fee. Harvey W James handles the deposit return administration — Day 1 form, Day 3 mediation, scheme submission, adjudication evidence (up to 3 hours' work; additional hours at £18) — but no further property management. The landlord re-takes day-to-day responsibility for the property from the day the deposit is closed. Suitable where the landlord intends to self-manage, sell, or move to a different agent.

Option 2: Continued Full Management. Harvey W James handles the deposit return administration and the re-let, the void-period management, the marketing and pricing for the next tenancy, and the operational handover into the next 12-month cycle. The Full Management fee architecture continues unbroken; the deposit-return work is absorbed into the management cycle rather than billed separately. Suitable where the landlord wants the property re-tenanted with minimum gap.

Either option is the landlord's call. We confirm the chosen option in writing at the same time we confirm the end-of-tenancy date.

What this looks like for tenants

For tenants, the practical experience of a managed tenancy is structured around a single set of contact points and a small set of published expectations.

One inbox, one phone. aftercare@harveywjames.com and 020 3865 1500 for the duration of the tenancy. Repairs, hazards, complaints, mid-tenancy questions, end-of-tenancy notice — all to the same place.
Hazards are responded to under Awaab's Law. If something at the property is making you ill or putting you at risk, tell us and we will act inside the statutory timeframes. See Awaab's Law for what those timeframes are.
Routine repairs are dispatched the same week, where the property allows access. Most reactive repairs are completed within seven to ten working days; we will tell you the expected timeline at the point of triage and confirm contractor attendance.
The mid-tenancy inspection is brief. We attend, look, take notes, and leave. The point is to spot small issues before they grow into deposit-return arguments; it is not an inspection of how you live.
The Section 13 rent review is a known event. No-one will spring a rent increase on you. The review is once a year, by Form 4A under HA1988 s.13, with two months' written notice. If you disagree, you have the right to refer it to the First-tier Tribunal, which can only confirm or reduce the proposed figure.
You can give two months' notice at any time. Under PFEA 1977 s.5(1ZA)(a). Written notice, expiring at the end of a rent period, addressed to Harvey W James as agent. The Assisted Tenancy Replacement Process is an option if you want to move faster and the landlord agrees.
The checkout has a published timeline and standard. Inventory clerk attends at or close to your end date; report goes to you and the landlord within two working days; rent is owed until all keys and remote controls are returned. The deposit return process starts the next working day.

For the full lifecycle view, see Tenants. For the fee schedule, see Tenant Fees Schedule. For complaints, see Internal Complaints Procedure.

Where to look next, and how to reach us

For the operational pitch and fee architecture, see the Landlords page. For tenant-side reference and lifecycle, see Tenants. For the post-RRA rent and arrears product layer, see Rent Protection. For Section 8 grounds and arrears workflow, see Section 8 Grounds. For Awaab's Law in detail, see Awaab's Law. For overseas-landlord tax matters and the YWC London LLP partnership, see Overseas Landlords. For the post-RRA regulatory framework that shapes everything above, see The Renters' Rights Act 2025. For terminology, see the Glossary. For the complaints procedure, see Internal Complaints Procedure.

Useful contacts and registers.

Tenant communications, repairs, hazards, mid-tenancy questions: 020 3865 1500, aftercare@harveywjames.com
Landlord instructions, new properties, fee enquiries: landlord@harveywjames.com
General enquiries: info@harveywjames.com
Property Redress Scheme (agent redress, including Tenant Fees Act enforcement): membership PRS010914 — verify here.
Propertymark Client Money Protection: membership M0243538 — verify here.
Information Commissioner's Office (data protection): registration ZA312485 — verify here.

This page reflects Harvey W James' operational framework as set out in Essential Terms and Charges v2.1.5 (7 May 2026), Checkout Guide v2.0 (7 May 2026), and Deposit Return Form v32.0 (RRA-aligned). It also reflects the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the Housing Act 1988 (as amended), the Housing Act 2004, the Tenant Fees Act 2019, the Protection from Eviction Act 1977 (as amended), the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 (as amended 2022), and the Health and Safety Executive's L8 ACoP on Legionella. It is not legal advice. For the published Act text refer to legislation.gov.uk; for your specific situation seek independent legal advice. Last reviewed against Essential Terms and Charges v2.1.5 (7 May 2026).