A column of dates nobody looks at
Somewhere there is a spreadsheet of tenancies and the date each one's rent was last changed. Once in a while, someone sorts it and emails a batch of landlords asking whether they want to review the rent. Some reply. Some reply months later. Some reviews happen too late to take effect when the landlord expected. Others never happen, and the landlord notices when a friend mentions what their tenant pays.
Why rent reviews slip
Rent reviews involve rules about when and how rent can be changed, which depend on the tenancy and on the law that applies to it, and which your adviser confirms for your business. Around those rules sit practical steps: gathering evidence of local rents, asking the landlord what they want, preparing the paperwork, and recording the outcome.
When each of those steps is manual, reviews happen in bursts when someone has time, rather than steadily as tenancies become eligible. Landlords get asked without evidence, so their decisions are guesses, and some ask for increases the evidence does not support.
| Review step | What slips |
|---|---|
| Knowing which tenancies are eligible | Dates in a spreadsheet, not checked |
| Local rental evidence | Gathered by hand, or not at all |
| Landlord decision | Email that goes unanswered |
| Formal paperwork | Prepared late, under pressure |
| Record of outcome | Not updated in the lettings software |
What missed reviews cost
Landlords expect their agent to manage this. A review that is missed or mishandled is one of the most common reasons landlords question their management fee. Poorly evidenced increases can also sour relationships with good tenants, which risks a void that costs the landlord far more than the increase would have brought in.
There is also the staff cost of doing reviews in bursts. When a batch of landlords is contacted at once, the replies, questions and paperwork all land together on top of everything else. Reviews done steadily, a few each week, are easier to handle well, and each landlord gets proper attention rather than a rushed email.
The review process we build
- Eligibility list: tenancies are listed as they approach the point where your process says a review can be considered, using the dates in your lettings software and the rules your adviser has confirmed.
- Rental evidence: for each property, current local asking rents and recently let comparables from the data you are entitled to use are gathered into a short summary.
- Landlord request: each landlord receives the evidence and a simple choice, such as keep the rent, review it, or discuss, with a date for their answer.
- Chasing: landlords who do not answer are reminded, and the property manager is told before the window your process allows closes.
- Formal steps prepared: for landlords who choose to review, the paperwork your process uses is prepared from your templates for your team to check and serve.
- Outcome recorded: the new rent, effective date, or decision not to review is written back to the tenancy record.
The system tracks and prepares. Whether a review is appropriate, what the rent should be and how the formal steps are done are decisions for the landlord, your team and your advisers.
Reviews that happen steadily
Reviews happen steadily through the year rather than in panicked batches. Landlords decide with evidence in front of them, so their requests are more realistic and easier to explain to tenants. Nothing slips because a spreadsheet was not sorted. And each landlord can see that their agent is actively managing their income.
Is this your portfolio?
- Rent review dates are tracked in a spreadsheet.
- Landlords are asked about reviews without local evidence.
- Some reviews are done late or not at all.
- Landlords have questioned your fee after a missed review.