🛡️ 1. Are you properly regulated?

Every letting agent in England must belong to a government-approved redress scheme. If they hold your rent or deposit, they must also have client money protection. Ask for both membership numbers and check them. Agents also have to publish their full fees, including VAT, on their website and in their office. If you can’t find them, ask why.

💷 2. What does your fee actually include?

Headline percentages rarely tell the whole story. Ask what sits outside the management fee: tenant find, referencing, inspections, arranging certificates, serving notices, deposit registration. A low fee with a long list of extras often costs more than a higher fee that covers everything.

🙋 3. Who will look after my property?

You want a name, not a department. Ask who’ll be your day-to-day contact, how many properties they look after, and who covers when they’re away. High staff turnover is one of the most common reasons landlords end up switching agents.

💬 4. How do you communicate, and how quickly?

Ask how you’ll hear about repairs, inspections and rent, and how fast they reply. The best agents tell you what’s happening before you have to ask. A landlord portal where you can see statements, documents and open jobs is a good sign.

🔍 5. How do you find and vet tenants?

Under the Renters’ Rights Act, every tenancy is periodic and Section 21 has gone, so choosing the right tenant matters more than ever. Ask how they market the property, what referencing covers (income, credit, previous landlord, right to rent) and who makes the final call. It should be you.

📋 6. How often do you inspect, and what do I see?

Ask how often inspections happen and what the report looks like. Photos, a clear list of issues and recommended actions are the minimum. An inspection that ends with “all fine” and nothing else isn’t much use to you.

🔧 7. How are repairs handled, and who approves the cost?

Find out how tenants report problems, how contractors are chosen and how much the agent can spend without asking you. Some agents add a mark-up to contractor invoices or earn commission on repairs, so ask directly whether they do.

✅ 8. How will you keep me compliant?

Liverpool has more rules than most cities. Ask how the agent tracks gas safety, EICRs and EPCs, and how they handle selective landlord licensing, which is changing in 2027. Ask how they’re preparing landlords for the new private rented sector database and the Renters’ Rights Act. Vague answers here are a red flag.

💸 9. What happens if the rent isn’t paid?

Ask when they chase, how they escalate and how quickly they’ll tell you. With Section 21 gone, possession relies on Section 8 grounds and good evidence, so early, well-documented arrears management is essential.

🚪 10. How easy is it to leave?

Check the notice period, any minimum term and whether there’s a fee for keeping a tenant they found if you leave. A confident agent doesn’t need to lock you in. If you’re moving from another agent, our guide to switching letting agents walks through the handover.

🚩 Red flags to watch for

• Fees that are hard to find, or only explained in person
• A valuation that seems too high, designed to win the instruction rather than let the property
• Vague answers on licensing, certificates or the Renters’ Rights Act
• No named contact, or pressure to sign on the spot

🤝 How we answer these questions

• We’re members of the Property Redress Scheme (PRS027242) and Client Money Protect (CMP009737).
• Our full property management covers tenant find, referencing, rent collection, arrears management, maintenance, compliance and six-monthly inspections with photo reports.
• You get access to our landlord portal for statements, documents and repairs.
• We only spend up to £300 without asking you, and only in a genuine emergency when we can’t reach you.
• We’re based in the Baltic Triangle and manage single lets across Liverpool.

If you’d only like help finding a tenant, our let-only service may suit you better. Either way, get in touch or call us on 0151 329 3538 and put us through these questions yourself.