How much does a letting agent cost in Manchester?

A letting agent in Manchester will normally charge you in one of three ways: a one-off fee to find a tenant, a percentage of the rent each month to collect it, or a higher percentage to manage the property fully. What matters far more than the headline number is what sits inside it — and what gets added on top later.

This guide explains what you are actually buying at each level, what an agent may and may not charge a tenant, and the questions worth asking before you sign anything. Our own figures are published in full on our fees and tariff page.

The three service levels

Almost every agency in Manchester sells some version of these three. The names change; the substance rarely does.

Tenant find only. The agent markets the property, does the viewings, references the applicants, draws up the tenancy agreement and moves the tenant in. Then they hand you the keys and step back. You collect the rent, you take the maintenance calls, you track the certificates. This is usually charged as a one-off fee.

Rent collection. Tenant find, plus the agent collects the rent each month, chases it when it is late, and sends you a statement. Repairs and compliance stay with you. Charged as a monthly percentage of rent.

Fully managed. Everything above, plus the agent handles maintenance, arranges the annual safety checks, carries out inspections, deals with the deposit at the end, and is the person the tenant rings at eleven at night. Charged as a higher monthly percentage.

The gap between rent collection and fully managed is the one landlords most often misjudge. Rent collection sounds like management. It is not. If a boiler fails in January, a rent-collection agent will pass you the tenant's phone number.

What the percentage does not include

This is where quotes stop being comparable. Two agents can both say "8%" and mean very different things, because the extras sit outside the percentage.

Ask specifically whether these are inside the fee or billed separately:

• Inventory and schedule of condition at the start of the tenancy
• Check-out report and deposit negotiation at the end
• Tenancy renewal or extension paperwork
• Serving formal notices
• Arranging and paying for gas safety, electrical (EICR) and EPC checks
• Court attendance if possession is ever needed
• A markup on contractor invoices for repairs

None of these are unreasonable charges in themselves. The problem is when they are invisible at the quoting stage and appear on the statement later. A published tariff, signed before the property is listed, is the only real protection — and it is why ours is on the website rather than in a drawer.

What a tenant can legally be charged

Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, the list of payments an agent or landlord can lawfully ask a tenant for in England is short and closed. It covers:

• The rent
• A refundable tenancy deposit, capped at five weeks' rent where the annual rent is under £50,000, or six weeks where it is £50,000 or more
• A refundable holding deposit, capped at one week's rent
• Payments to vary, assign or end a tenancy at the tenant's request
• Default fees for late rent or a lost key, limited to reasonable evidenced costs
• Council tax, utilities, TV licence and communication services

Anything else — admin fees, referencing fees, renewal fees charged to the tenant, "professional cleaning" as a condition of the tenancy — is a prohibited payment. If an agent is charging your tenants for those, that is a problem that lands on you as well as on them.

The deposit itself must be protected in one of the three government-authorised schemes — the Deposit Protection Service, MyDeposits or the Tenancy Deposit Scheme — within 30 days of receipt, and the prescribed information given to the tenant. Miss that and you can be liable for up to three times the deposit, and you lose the ability to use certain possession grounds.

Percentage of what, exactly?

A detail worth pinning down: is the management fee a percentage of rent due, or rent collected?

The difference only shows up when something goes wrong. If your agent charges on rent due, they are paid the same whether or not the tenant actually pays. If they charge on rent collected, their incentive is aligned with yours — they get paid when you get paid. Ask the question directly and get the answer in writing.

Also ask whether the fee is quoted inclusive or exclusive of VAT. A "10%" that turns out to be 10% plus VAT is 12% in your bank account.

What changed in 2026

The Renters' Rights Act 2025 brought the largest change to the private rented sector in decades, with its main provisions taking effect on 1 May 2026. Section 21 "no fault" possession is gone; tenancies are periodic; there are new rules on rent increases, rental bidding and rent in advance.

For landlords this raises the value of good management sharply. Getting possession now depends on using the correct ground, with the correct evidence, served correctly — and on the paperwork behind the tenancy being right from day one. Compliance that used to be tidy housekeeping is now the thing that determines whether you can act at all.

Five questions before you sign

1. Is the fee charged on rent due or rent collected, and is it inclusive of VAT?
2. Which of the extras above sit outside the percentage?
3. Is there a markup on contractor invoices, and can I see the invoice?
4. What is the notice period to leave, and is there an exit fee?
5. Who actually answers the phone — and will the person who valued the property still be involved in six months?

An agent who answers all five without hesitating is usually the one worth having.

Our full schedule of fees for landlords, tenants and vendors is published at atlasestates.co.uk/fees and signed before any instruction goes live. If you want to talk it through, ring 0161 710 4510 — you will get a person who can make decisions, not a call queue.