What if I want to start with the compliance audit first?

That is often the best starting point. The audit gives you a full compliance report and priority action list. If you instruct Neon within 30 days of the audit, the £88 fee is deducted from your first month management fee.

New clients welcome

Switching Your Landlord Management to Neon

Q: How long does it take to switch?

The practical switchover typically takes two to four weeks from instruction to active management. The main variable is how quickly your current agent responds to the handover request.

Q: Do I need to tell my tenant?

Yes. We handle the tenant communication once you have instructed us, issuing a formal notice of change of managing agent with the new contact details and direct debit information.

Q: Can I switch mid-tenancy?

Yes. A change of managing agent does not affect the tenancy itself. The tenancy agreement remains in place and the switch is an administrative change between you and the agents involved.

Q: What if there are existing rent arrears?

We review the documentation before taking over, assess the state of the paper trail, and give you an honest assessment of where you stand and what your options are.

New clients only. Clean handover. No disruption to your tenancy.

If your current management is not working - whether that's poor communication, compliance you're not confident in, rent handling you can't follow, or advice that turned out to be wrong - switching is simpler than most landlords expect.

Neon provides compliance and rent management for landlords across East London and Essex. We are currently accepting new clients. The switch process is straightforward: we conduct a compliance review on takeover, establish what is in place and what needs attention, and take over management from there.

We do not do full property management. We handle compliance and rent. If that is what you need, read on.

Currently accepting new clients

Recognise any of these?

Signs Your Current Management Is Failing

Most landlords do not switch agents because of a single dramatic failure. They switch because of a pattern - small things that accumulate into a loss of confidence. These are the situations we hear most often.

You cannot get a straight answer about what rent has been collected and when.

Your agent has not increased your rent in years and cannot explain why.

You are not sure whether your safety certificates are current - and neither is your agent.

You have been given advice about licensing that you now have reason to doubt.

Documents have been signed in your name without your knowledge or authority.

You asked a question and received either silence or a vague reassurance.

You have no visibility of what is being done, what has been paid, or what is outstanding.

Your agent cannot tell you clearly what their process is when a tenant does not pay.

We have seen all of these. Some in the same instruction.

One landlord came to us after discovering his previous agent had been signing tenancy agreements without his authority, had not increased his rent in years, and had told him he did not need a selective licence. He did. The fine that followed, and the legal exposure from the unauthorised documents, cost significantly more than professional management would have.

The switch to Neon started with a compliance review. We identified every issue, prioritised them, and addressed them in order. Within three months, his compliance position was clean.

Before and after

What Changes When You Switch

Area	Before	With Neon
Rent visibility	✘ No clear record of what arrived and when	✔ Monthly statement, full ledger, always available
Arrears handling	✘ Informal - or nothing until it was serious	✔ Day 1 protocol, documented, Section 8 ready
Safety certificates	✘ Unknown expiry dates, no tracking	✔ Compliance calendar, advance notice, nothing expires
Licensing	✘ Assumed compliant - not verified	✔ Checked on takeover, tracked for renewal and changes
Deposit compliance	✘ Registered but prescribed information unclear	✔ Protection and prescribed information fully audited
Rent increases	✘ Not done, or done incorrectly	✔ Section 13 process, correct notice, legally valid
Communication	✘ Chased for updates	✔ Proactive - you are told, not left to ask
Document authority	✘ Agent acting outside mandate	✔ Nothing signed without your express instruction

Step by step

How the Switchover Works

Switching managing agent does not require your tenant to do anything and does not affect your tenancy. The process is between you and the two agents. In our experience it takes two to four weeks from instruction to full handover, depending on how organised your current agent is.

Initial conversation

You tell us about your property, your current agent, and what is not working. We ask questions. We are honest if our service is not the right fit - we do not take on instructions where we cannot add value.

Compliance review

Before we formally take over, we conduct a compliance review of the documents you can provide. We identify what is in place, what is missing, and what needs immediate attention. This becomes the starting point for our management.

Already had a Neon £88 Compliance Audit? We use that report as the baseline. Your audit fee is deducted from your first month's management fee.

Notice to existing agent

You serve notice on your current agent in line with your management agreement. We help you understand what notice period applies and what to request from them on exit - rent records, deposit details, certificates, keys.

We do not contact your current agent on your behalf without your instruction. The notice comes from you.

Document handover

Your current agent transfers the management file: tenancy agreement, deposit protection details, certificate copies, rent ledger, any correspondence. We review everything on receipt and flag any gaps.

Agents who have not been managing well often have incomplete files. We expect this and work with what we receive while advising you on what to obtain directly.

Active management begins

We set up rent collection via direct debit, update your compliance calendar, and begin active management from the agreed start date. Your tenant receives notification of the change in writing.

Important to understand

What We Don't Do - and Why That Matters

If you are switching because you want better full property management - maintenance coordination, tenant-find, routine inspections, check-ins - Neon is not the right choice and we will tell you that from the first conversation.

Our service covers compliance and rent. That is what we do well, and that is what we focus on. Landlords who come to us for compliance management stay because we are reliable, transparent, and legally correct in everything we do. Landlords who come to us wanting full management would be disappointed, and we would rather avoid that conversation after instruction than before it.

If you need full property management, we can point you toward agents who specialise in it. If you need compliance and rent handled properly, we should talk.

We do not take on every client who enquires. If our service is not the right fit, we say so in the first conversation.

What to expect

Your First 90 Days

Days 1-30

Compliance baseline established

We complete the compliance review and begin addressing gaps in priority order. Certificates are tracked. Deposit compliance is confirmed. Licensing is checked. Rent collection is set up via direct debit.

Days 30-60

Processes running

Rent is being collected and reconciled. You receive your first monthly statement. If there were arrears outstanding from before the switch, we have assessed the documentation and advised on the strongest approach available.

Days 60-90

Full visibility established

Your compliance calendar is complete and current. You know the expiry date of every certificate and the renewal timeline for your licence. Nothing is unknown. Legislative changes since the tenancy started have been identified and addressed.

Common questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to switch?

The practical switchover - from instruction to active management - typically takes two to four weeks. The main variable is how quickly your current agent responds to the handover request and how complete their file is. We have taken over from agents who handed over everything promptly and from agents who took six weeks to produce an incomplete file. We manage both.

Do I need to tell my tenant?

Can I switch mid-tenancy?

What if my current agent is difficult about the handover?

It happens. Agents who have not managed well are sometimes reluctant to hand over files that reveal the extent of their failures. We advise you on what you are entitled to request and the timeline they are obliged to work to. If key documents are not forthcoming, we advise on how to obtain them directly - from deposit protection schemes, from Gas Safe, from the council for licensing records.

What if there are existing rent arrears?

We review the documentation before taking over. If there are arrears, we assess the state of the paper trail - has the arrears process been followed correctly? Is the Section 8 route available? Is the deposit protection in order, because compliance failures elsewhere can undermine possession proceedings on arrears grounds? We give you an honest assessment of where you stand and what your options are.

Will I need to sign a new tenancy agreement?

Not necessarily. The existing tenancy agreement remains in place unless there is a reason to issue a new one - for example, if the existing agreement contains prohibited clauses under the Renters' Rights Act 2025, or if both you and your tenant agree to vary the terms. We identify any issues with the existing agreement during the compliance review.

What if I want to start with the £88 Compliance Audit first?

That is often the best starting point, particularly if you are unsure about the state of your current compliance or want an objective picture before committing to a management change. The audit gives you a full compliance report and a priority action list. If you instruct Neon within 30 days of the audit, the £88 fee is deducted from your first month's management fee.

Do you take on all landlords who enquire?

No. We accept new clients where our service is the right fit - landlords who need compliance and rent handled, not full property management. If we are not the right fit, we will say so in the first conversation. We would rather be honest at the outset than take on an instruction that does not work for either party.

Ready to switch, or want to understand your current position first?

Talk to us first

Free initial conversation. Tell us what's not working. We'll tell you honestly if we can help - and if we can't, we'll say so.

Get in Touch

Start with the audit

£88 compliance review before you commit. Know exactly what you're handing over - and what needs fixing before a new agent takes over.

Book a Compliance Audit

Call 0208 801 9951 | info@neonpropertieslondon.co.uk