The £49 Tenant-Find Service All Landlords Should Know About!

What is a Tenant-Find Service?

So real quick – before we get into the weeds – just so we’re all on the same page.

A tenant-find service (frequently referred to as a “tenant find only” service) is a service offered by most letting agents to landlords that wish to self-manage their own properties.

A typical tenant-find service will include marketing services to generate tenant enquiries and tenant-referencing services. Then once a suitable tenant is found, the agent will assist in arranging a tenancy agreement, and then leave the responsibility of managing the tenancy/property to the landlord.

The service is specifically designed to assist landlords in finding suitable tenants for an occupancy.

So what’s got me all excited?

As you may or may not be aware, OpenRent is the UK’s biggest online letting agent, and I’ve been a huge fan of their service since their inception. I’ve lost count of how many “look at them” parties I’ve thrown.

They offer a £29 Tenant-Find service that’s been incredibly popular among landlords. Here’s a quick overview:

OpenRent's 'Portal Advertising' Package

Letting Agent	Rating	Term	Includes / Notes	Price from
OpenRent	Rating 4.9 Google Reviews	Duration 4 months	Includes / Notes Portal Advertising package Key features Zoopla listing PrimeLocation listing Optional add-on products £60 Rightmove listing	Price£29 Inc VAT	Visit Website

That’s the bear bones – you can add-on all kinds of extras, like EPCs, Gas Safety Certificates, Tenant referencing etc.

But that’s not what I’m here to discuss.

Naturally, their base product steals much of the limelight – mainly because it’s cheaper. But as a result, OpenRent’s alternative premium “Rent Now” package – which sits right alongside it on the same shelf – often gets shunned and cast aside like week-old mayo left under the sun. And that’s a shame.

The reality is, the premium package has never been an eyesore (or a decaying pile of expired food). But I get it – it’s always an uphill battle when you’re perched next to the cheaper sibling. However, “Rent Now” is actually a pretty remarkable service, and depending on what a landlord needs from a tenant-find solution, it can be the smarter choice.

So that’s why I’m here: to give the red-headed step-child the spotlight it deserves.

Take a peep at this…

OpenRent's 'Rent Now' package

Letting Agent	Rating	Term	Includes / Notes	Price from
OpenRent	Rating 4.9 Google Reviews	Duration 4 months	Includes / Notes Rent Now package Key features Zoopla listing PrimeLocation listing Deposit registration Tenancy sign-up service First month's rent collection included Option to include ongoing rent collection service for £10 per month Optional add-on products £60 Rightmove listing	Price£49 Inc VAT	Visit Website

Does anyone actually have the Cahoonas to tell me that’s not worth £49?

Coughing up the extra £20 seems like a no-brainer if the additional services could actually be useful to you (which, to be fair, probably will for most landlords).

OpenRent’s Rent Now package includes everything from the basic listing option, plus these added features:

• Tenancy creation service – create a custom tenancy agreement and have it digitally signed.
• Deposit registration – complies with the tenancy deposit legislation, which includes securing the deposit into a deposit scheme and serving the prescribed information to the tenants.
• First month’s rent collection – collects the first rent payment on the behalf of the landlord.
• Optional ongoing rent collection – option to continue the rent collection service for £10 per month.

I know a lot of landlords opt for this package because of the tenancy creation service feature alone – OpenRent just makes the process piss-easy.

Yes, the package includes an optional “Rent collection” service for only £10 per month!

I feel OpenRent’s optional “rent collection” service, which is only available with the Rent Now package, deserves some one-on-one time, because I’ve yet to find a cheaper find-tenant + rent collection bundle.

The first months rent collection is free, it’s included with the one-off £49 base price, but OpenRent provide the option of continuing the rent collection service for £10 per month for as long or as little as required, and you’ll only be charged the monthly fee when collection is enabled and paid in full by your tenant.

If rent collection is enabled, OpenRent will automatically send your tenants reminders of when/how to pay, and notify you of payments and arrears; plus they will automatically generate a rent statement.

If you’ve purchased a “Rent Now” package in the past and still have the same ongoing tenancy, you can enable the new rent collection service by logging into your OpenRent account and enabling the “Rent Collection Service”

Once the rent collection service is enabled, you can disable it any time.

Yup, it’s ONLY £49 (one-off fixed fee)

As said, I genuinely believe OpenRent’s Rent Now package is currently the best tenant-find service (+ optional £10 per month rent collection service) on the market, nothing compares to it in regards to value and price point. Don’t get me wrong, the lower tier package is definitely a winning horse, but it’s popularity often creates a distraction from the real gem.

To be fair, you can’t go wrong with either of OpenRent’s packages.

Oh, and please, don’t get me wrong, I’m aware there are plenty of other fan favourite Tenant-Find services out there offered by competing online agents, such as Visum and LettingAProperty, and the others listed in my online letting agent comparison table. So if you’re loyal to any one of them, then I recommend you remain loyal.

But to illustrate why OpenRent’s “Rent Now” package is my top pick, perhaps it’s worth pointing out that no other agent is able to match OpenRent’s price point when put up against like-for-like tenant-find packages (you can use the online letting agent comparison table to see for yourself).

Right, I’m done.

If you have any questions, or if you have an itch that needs scratching (no matter where), hit me up below!

Landlord out xo