Guides · Updated 21 October 2026 · By Alex Withington, founder

How to switch letting agent when you live abroad

Many owners stay with an agent they're unhappy with because switching from abroad feels risky. It's usually simpler than it looks: the tenancy carries on, the tenant stays, and most of the work is a clean handover. These are the things to check first.

The tenancy doesn't change

Your tenancy is a contract between you and your tenant. The agent acts for you, so when the agent changes, the tenancy stays as it is and the tenant doesn't need to sign anything new. What changes is who collects the rent, who holds the paperwork and who the tenant calls when something breaks.

Read your agency agreement for four things

1. The notice period. Usually one to three months, in writing. Work out the earliest date you can leave before you tell anyone: the notice period calculator gives you the date and a dated handover plan.
2. Continuing or "introduction" commission. Some agreements say that if the agent found your tenant, you keep paying a fee for as long as that tenant stays, even after you've left the agent. This is the clause that most often makes switching expensive.
3. Exit or termination fees, sometimes described as an "administration fee" for handing over the file.
4. Whether it's tenant-find or full management. The two are often priced separately, and the continuing-commission clause usually sits with the tenant-find part.

If you find a continuing-commission clause, it isn't necessarily the end of the matter. Since the Consumer Rights Act 2015, terms in a consumer contract that weren't made clear or that are unfair may not be binding, and the courts have looked at these clauses before, most famously in a 2009 case involving Foxtons. Whether a particular clause can be enforced depends on its wording and how it was presented to you, so get advice before you refuse to pay one.

Since 1 May 2026, renewal fees deserve a second look

Under the Renters' Rights Act, tenancies in England became periodic: there's no fixed term to renew. If your statements still show "renewal" or "extension" fees after that date, ask your agent what they're for. See the Renters' Rights Act for landlords living abroad.

The handover checklist

Ask your current agent for these in writing, and give your new agent copies:

• The tenancy agreement and any updates to it.
• The deposit: which scheme protects it and under whose account. If it moves to a different scheme or account, your tenant should get updated information about where it's held. The new agent should arrange this, but check it happens.
• Safety certificates: the gas safety record, the electrical installation condition report (EICR) and the EPC, with their expiry dates.
• The inventory and check-in report, which you'll need at the end of the tenancy.
• Keys: how many sets, and who has them.
• A final statement showing rent collected, fees deducted and any money held for you, paid to you on the handover date.
• Open repairs and contractor details, so nothing in progress is dropped.

Tell your tenant, properly

Agree a date, then write to your tenant (or have the new agent do it) with the new rent payment details, who to contact for repairs, and an address in England and Wales where notices can be sent to you. A short, friendly letter avoids rent going to the old account in the first month.

The Non-Resident Landlord Scheme

If you live abroad, your agent has duties under the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme. Unless HMRC has told the agent in writing that you're approved to receive rent without tax deducted, they must deduct basic-rate tax and pay it to HMRC. When you switch, make sure your new agent has HMRC's confirmation of your approval before they pay you any rent. Contact HMRC's Non-Resident Landlord Scheme helpline to check what they need, because the process can involve a fresh application. More detail: the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme when you change agent.

A sensible order of events

1. Read the agreement and note the earliest exit date and any fees.
2. Choose the new agent or service, and agree a start date that matches your notice.
3. Give written notice to the current agent and ask for the handover documents.
4. Sort the Non-Resident Landlord Scheme approval with the new agent.
5. Write to the tenant with the new details a couple of weeks before the switch.
6. Check the first month's rent arrives where it should, and that the deposit and certificates are in order.

This guide is general information for landlords in England, not legal or tax advice. Background: GOV.UK: tenancy deposit protection, GOV.UK: paying tax on rent to landlords abroad, and the High Court's 2009 judgment in OFT v Foxtons. Checked October 2026.