Letting agents in London
Hello New Home covers the whole of Greater London, from the City and the West End to Bromley, Croydon, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon and Kingston. Ina, our London Local Partner, does the viewings, inspections, move-ins and landlord meetings. Contracts, compliance, deposits and rent collection run from our head office in Swansea. Full management is 12% of rent, capped at £150 a month, no VAT, no lock-in. On London rents the cap matters more than anywhere else we work.
- Full management 12%, capped at £150 a month
- No lock-in, 30 days' notice
- No VAT on any fee
- Redress scheme and client money protected
Ina Gutowska
Local Partner for London
Ina is the founder of Divitiae Acquisitions, which sources property and matches investors with deals across London and the UK, and she runs our London lettings and short-let management. Her focus is simple: an honest rent figure and a property that is looked after.
WhatsApp 07775 801284 · Head office 01792 807 051
Who rents in London, and where
London demand does not come from one place. The City and Canary Wharf bring professionals on long lets, and relocations that start as a furnished stay. More than 50 universities and colleges, UCL, King's, Imperial and Queen Mary among them, fill flats and shared houses from September. The hospital trusts, from Guy's and St Thomas' and King's to Barts, UCLH and Imperial, bring staff on rotation and contractors who want somewhere furnished for a month or a year. Further out, families rent in Bromley, Croydon, Harrow and Havering for the schools and the trains.
A Swansea head office and a London Local Partner
Ina Gutowska runs our London lettings and short-let management. She founded Divitiae Acquisitions, which sources property and supports landlords across London and the UK, and she shows your flat, meets you there, inspects it each quarter and does the move-in. She never holds your money. Her WhatsApp is 07775 801284.
Everything regulated runs from head office in Swansea: the tenancy agreement and written statement of terms, Right to Rent checks, deposit protection, rent collection, the repairs desk, the borough licence and the compliance calendar. We belong to a redress scheme and a client money protection scheme, both named on our fee sheet, and your agreement is with Hello New Home. The Local Partner programme explains how to open your own patch.
The cap at London rents
The ONS average private rent for London was £2,332 a month in August 2026, up 3.5% on the year, against £1,459 across England. At 12% an agent takes £280 a month from that rent; at 12% plus VAT it is £336, often with a 12-month tie-in.
We charge £150, because that is where the cap is, with nothing added for VAT. On the London average that is £130 a month and £1,560 a year you keep, or £186 a month and £2,232 a year against an agent adding VAT. The cap starts at £1,250, so it applies to almost every London property we take on, a Southwark flat at the borough average of £2,474 as much as a house in Havering. You can leave with 30 days' notice.
Licensing, borough by borough
Licensing is decided borough by borough, and since 23 December 2024 a council can start a selective scheme of any size without government approval. This is the position in October 2026; we check every address before marketing.
- Newham: selective licensing in 22 of 24 wards, 1 June 2023 to 31 May 2028.
- Waltham Forest: selective licensing in 20 of 22 wards, 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2030.
- Barking and Dagenham: selective licensing across most of the borough in three designated areas, 6 April 2025 to 5 April 2030.
- Brent: selective licensing in every ward except Wembley Park, to 31 July 2028 and 31 March 2029, plus borough-wide additional licensing from 2 February 2026 to February 2031.
- Croydon: selective licensing in 14 of 28 wards and borough-wide additional HMO licensing from 25 September 2026, for five years.
- Tower Hamlets: borough-wide additional licensing to 31 March 2029; its selective scheme in Weavers, Whitechapel and Spitalfields and Banglatown ended on 30 September 2026 and no replacement had been designated when we checked in October 2026.
- Southwark and Lewisham: borough-wide additional licensing in both, Southwark's to the end of February 2027, plus selective designations in Southwark to the end of February 2027 or 31 October 2028 depending on the ward, and in 18 Lewisham wards to 30 June 2029.
Letting without a required licence risks a civil penalty of up to £40,000 and a rent repayment order. The application is part of management. A house let by the room goes to hellomyroom, our shared-house team.
The Renters' Rights Act in London
Since 1 May 2026 every tenancy in England is periodic and section 21 has gone. The parts London landlords ask about most are the ones aimed at a competitive market: a stated asking rent with no offers above it, no more than one month's rent in advance, and a reply within 28 days to any pet request, refused only on reasonable grounds. Rent rises go by Section 13 notice, once in 12 months, with two months' notice, and the tenant can challenge at the tribunal. A written statement of terms is required before the tenancy starts. The private rented sector database opens region by region from 15 December 2026; London's window opens on 15 July 2027, with registration due by 14 October 2027 (the regulations were still in draft when we checked in October 2026). We prepare your entry with you.
Long let, short let, and the next step
We run both, so we can tell you which yours should be. Short stays in London book through the year: hospital staff and contractors, people relocating for a job, students and visitors in every season. We price by season, and Flex Switch moves a property between short stays, furnished lets of a month or more and a tenancy with no re-onboarding. The free short-let appraisal shows both figures side by side, net of every cost.
Start with a free rent review: send the address and we call within one working day with a realistic rent for your street, the licensing position and a written comparison of £150 against your current fee. Ina will come to the property anywhere in Greater London.
London rents and demand
The largest rental market in the country: professionals, students at every university, hospital and relocation lets, and a short-stay market that runs all year on hospital contractors, relocating professionals, events and visitors, with month-plus stays filling the quieter weeks.
ONS average private rent for London, August 2026, with the annual change; inner boroughs average higher, outer boroughs lower. At £2,332 a 12% fee would be £280 a month; ours is £150. The cap matters more in London than anywhere else we work.
Areas covered
Every London borough, from the City and the West End to Bromley, Croydon, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon and Kingston.
Nearby and also covered
- E
- EC
- N
- NW
- SE
- SW
- W
- WC
- BR
- CR
- HA
- IG
- RM
- SM
- UB
- DA5
- DA6
- DA7
- DA8
- DA14
- DA15
- DA16
- DA17
- DA18
- EN1
- EN2
- EN3
- EN4
- EN5
- KT1
- KT2
- KT3
- KT4
- KT5
- KT6
- KT9
- TW1
- TW2
- TW3
- TW4
- TW5
- TW6
- TW7
- TW8
- TW9
- TW10
- TW11
- TW12
- TW13
- TW14
The rules here
Licensing is borough by borough: many London boroughs run additional or selective licensing on top of mandatory HMO licensing, and several charge a 100% council-tax premium on second homes. We check the borough for every address before marketing.
London short stays earn in every season: hospital contractors, relocating professionals, students between tenancies, events and visitors. Our London SA offer prices by the season, keeps a pipeline of month-plus contractor and relocation lets for the quieter weeks, and uses Flex Switch to move to a tenancy if that wins. The England business-rates test (140 nights available, 70 let) applies.
Places we know in London
Central London and the City fringe
Flats in Clerkenwell, Shoreditch, Aldgate and Bloomsbury (EC1, E1, WC1) let to people working in the City, staff at UCL and Barts, and short-stay guests on hospital and contractor bookings. Rents here sit well above the £1,250 threshold, so the £150 cap saves the most.
North London
Converted flats and family houses from Camden and Islington (NW1, N1) out through Finchley, Wood Green and Enfield (N3, N22, EN1) to Wembley and Harlesden (HA9, NW10), with staff at the Royal Free and UCLH among the renters. Brent licenses every ward except Wembley Park, so we check the designation before any listing goes live.
East London and Docklands
Canary Wharf, Stratford, Hackney, Walthamstow, Ilford and Romford (E14, E15, E8, E17, IG1, RM1), with a tenant pool that runs from Docklands professionals to families along the Elizabeth line. Newham, Waltham Forest, Tower Hamlets and Barking and Dagenham all run licensing schemes, and we check every address before marketing.
South East London
Bermondsey, Peckham, Lewisham, Greenwich, Bromley and Bexleyheath (SE1, SE15, SE13, SE10, BR1, DA6): flats near London Bridge and the hospitals at Guy's, St Thomas' and King's, and family houses further out. Southwark and Lewisham run selective and additional licensing, and Elizabeth line trains from Woolwich since 24 May 2022 have widened the tenant pool.
South West London
Clapham, Balham, Wimbledon, Kingston, Sutton and Croydon (SW4, SW12, SW19, KT1, SM1, CR0): professional flat shares and family houses at rents that clear the cap almost everywhere. Croydon's selective and additional licensing schemes started on 25 September 2026, and we check each address against the 14 designated wards.
West London
Kensington, Hammersmith, Ealing, Harrow, Uxbridge and Hounslow (W8, W6, W5, HA1, UB8, TW3): flats for Imperial and Chelsea and Westminster Hospital staff, families near the Central and Elizabeth lines, and contractors around Heathrow who want furnished lets of a month or more. Short stays and tenancies both work here, and the free appraisal shows which pays for your address.
London landlords ask
Which parts of London do you cover?
All of Greater London, every borough from the City and the West End to Bromley, Croydon, Harrow, Havering, Hillingdon and Kingston: the E, EC, N, NW, SE, SW, W, WC, BR, CR, HA, IG, RM, SM and UB postcodes, plus the London districts of DA, EN, KT and TW. Send the postcode and we confirm straight away.
How much does full management cost in London?
12% of rent, capped at £150 a month, with no VAT added. On the London average rent of £2,332 a 12% fee would be £280; ours is £150. Set-up is £295, waived when you switch an existing tenancy. There are no renewal, inspection or notice fees, and you can leave with 30 days' notice.
Does my London property need a licence?
It depends on the borough and often the ward. Newham, Waltham Forest, Barking and Dagenham, Brent, Croydon, Southwark and Lewisham all run selective or additional schemes, and others are reviewing theirs. We check the current designation for every address before marketing and complete the application as part of management.
Who looks after the property?
Ina Gutowska, our London Local Partner, does viewings, quarterly inspections, move-ins and landlord meetings anywhere in Greater London. Head office in Swansea handles the agreement, Right to Rent checks, deposit, rent collection, repairs desk and licensing. The agreement is with Hello New Home and Ina never holds your money.
Can I short let my London flat?
Often, and because we run long lets too we can tell you whether you should. Short stays across London book year-round for hospital staff, contractors, relocations and visitors, priced by season. The free appraisal shows the tenancy and short-let figures side by side, net of every cost, and Flex Switch moves the flat between them.
Start with a free rent review in London
An honest figure, a compliance check for your address, and a recommendation, within one working day. Ina will bring it to you in person if you'd like.
Also: Hello New Home Swansea · Hello New Home Durham · Hello New Home Andover · Hello New Home Somerset