What counts as a bad letting agent rather than bad luck?

Patterns rather than one-offs. Rent passed on late or short more than once, inspections promised and not carried out, repairs left unlogged, calls unreturned for weeks, or statements that do not reconcile. A single missed call is noise. A repeated failure to account for your money is a serious problem.

My agent has not passed on my rent. What do I do?

Put it in writing immediately and set a deadline. If the money is not accounted for, this is a Client Money Protection matter rather than an ordinary service complaint. Every letting agent in England handling client money must belong to an approved CMP scheme, which can compensate you where funds are missing.

Can I withhold the management fee if the agent is not performing?

Withholding payment usually puts you in breach of your own agreement and weakens your position. The stronger route is to complain formally in writing, escalate to the redress scheme, and use the outcome to negotiate or to justify termination. Take advice before withholding anything.

Is my agent required to belong to a redress scheme?

Yes. Letting agents in England must be a member of a government-approved redress scheme, and must display which one. If an agent cannot tell you their scheme, that is itself a serious warning sign and can be reported to your local trading standards team.

Should I complain first or just switch agent?

Complain first if money or compliance is involved, because the redress route can recover losses and switching cannot. If the issue is simply poor service and the relationship is beyond repair, switching is usually faster. The two are not mutually exclusive, and you can do both.

What to Do About a Bad Letting Agent (UK Landlord Guide)

19 August 2026 · AgentCheck Editorial · 6 min read

If you think you have a bad letting agent, start by gathering evidence and putting your concerns in writing. Use the agent's formal complaints procedure first. If it is not resolved after their final response, or after eight weeks, escalate to their government-approved redress scheme. Where money is at risk, check their Client Money Protection cover. If nothing changes, you can end the management agreement and switch.

A good letting agent saves you time and protects your investment. A bad one costs you money, exposes you to legal risk and puts your tenancy relationships under strain. The difference is not always obvious at the start, so it helps to know what poor service looks like and what you can actually do about it.

This guide is for landlords in England. Some of the rules below apply specifically to England, and we have labelled those clearly. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own regimes.

Common signs of a bad letting agent

One bad week is not a pattern. A run of these, though, usually is:

Poor communication. Calls and emails go unanswered for days. You chase them rather than the other way round.
Slow maintenance. Repairs drift. Contractors are not booked, updates do not come, and small problems grow into expensive ones.
Unclear or surprise fees. Charges appear that were never explained, or the statement does not match what you understood the fees to be.
Rent arrears not chased. Late or missed rent is not followed up promptly, and you only hear about it once it is a real problem.
Missed compliance or safety deadlines. Gas safety checks, electrical inspections or other certificates lapse. This is one of the most serious failures, because the legal responsibility often still sits with you as the landlord.
Poor record-keeping. Statements are late or inconsistent, deposits are not clearly accounted for, and you cannot get a straight answer about where your money is.

An old handwritten letter rests on a wooden table — Photo: Unsplash

Practical first steps

Before you escalate anything, get organised. A calm, documented approach gives you far more leverage than an angry phone call.

Gather your evidence. Pull together emails, texts, statements, invoices, certificates and dates. Note what was promised and what actually happened.
Put your concerns in writing. Set out the specific issues, what you want fixed and a reasonable deadline. Keep it factual. A written trail matters if you later escalate.
Request a copy of your management agreement. Read what you actually signed up to: the service level, the fees, the notice period and how either side can end the contract. Many disputes come down to what the agreement says rather than what was said in passing.

Use the agent's formal complaints procedure

Every letting agent that belongs to a redress scheme is required to have a written complaints procedure. Ask for it, then follow it. Make your complaint clearly, in writing, and keep a copy.

Give the agent a fair chance to respond. They should acknowledge the complaint and work through it under their own process, ending with what is usually called a final response. For a step-by-step version of this stage, see our guide on how to complain about a letting agent.

Man on phone with laptop on stairs — Photo: Unsplash

Escalate to a redress scheme (England)

In England, since October 2014 it has been a legal requirement for letting and property management agents to belong to a government-approved redress scheme. There are two approved schemes: The Property Ombudsman and the Property Redress Scheme. Agents must display which scheme they belong to on their website and in their offices, so you can check who to go to.

You can take your complaint to the agent's redress scheme once either of these applies: you have received the agent's final response and are unhappy with it, or eight weeks have passed since you first complained and the matter is still unresolved. The scheme is independent and free for you to use. It can look at your complaint and, where it agrees the agent got it wrong, direct them to put things right, which can include compensation.

Note the deadline: complaints generally need to reach the scheme within a set window after the agent's final response, so do not sit on it once you have that response.

Client Money Protection: when your money is at risk

If the problem involves your money, for example rent that has been collected but not passed on, this is where Client Money Protection matters. Since 1 April 2019, letting agents in England who hold client money must belong to an approved Client Money Protection scheme. The cover is designed to compensate landlords and tenants if an agent cannot repay money it holds on their behalf, for instance through misuse or business failure.

Agents are required to display their Client Money Protection membership. If you believe rent or other funds have gone missing, identify the agent's scheme and contact it about a claim. Keep every statement and payment record, as these are what a claim is built on.

How and when to end the agreement and switch

Sometimes the relationship cannot be repaired, and the sensible move is to change agent. Your management agreement is the starting point. Check the notice period, any fees for ending early, and how outstanding rent, deposits and tenancy paperwork will be handed over.

A few things to line up before you move:

Confirm the notice you must give and put it in writing.
Make sure deposits are correctly protected and that the new agent or you will hold them properly.
Get copies of all tenancy documents, certificates, inventories and the tenant's contact details.
Tell your tenant what is happening and who will manage the property going forward.

Switching is more straightforward than most landlords expect, particularly if the incoming agent helps with the handover. Our guide on how to switch letting agent walks through the practical steps and the timing.

The bottom line

You do not have to accept poor service. Document the problem, complain formally, and escalate to the redress scheme if the agent will not fix it. Where money is involved, use the Client Money Protection route. And if the trust is gone, changing agent is often the cleanest solution.

Ready to find someone better? Compare letting agents in your area on AgentCheck and choose one with the service standards your property deserves.

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