Raising the Standard of Social Housing
Raising the Standard of Social Housing
Whether you own a single flat or a licensed HMO, we take on the letting risk and pay you a guaranteed monthly rent — agreed up front, for the length of the lease.
The property provides accommodation through our housing partner, an accredited, long-established provider contracted to deliver housing across the south of England. Residents are individuals and families placed through official channels, often while their circumstances are being resolved. Our partner handles referrals, vetting, tenant welfare and day-to-day management to a rigorous, government-audited standard. We build the same standard of compliance into every property we take on.
Your agreement is with Harbour & May Residentials, and so is your guaranteed rent. It’s fixed for the length of the lease and paid on the same date each month, whichever route your property takes and whether or not it’s occupied. Vetting, arrears and day-to-day issues are our responsibility, not yours.
We’ll tell you which route we expect to use for your property during the assessment, and we’re always happy to talk it through on a call before you commit.
A straightforward look at the difference between managing a property yourself, using a standard letting agent, and leasing it to us.
| Self-managed | Standard letting agent | Harbour & May Residentials guaranteed rent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income during void periods | None | None | Paid in full |
| Tenant sourcing & referencing | Your responsibility | Included | Included |
| Day-to-day maintenance calls | Your responsibility | Often chargeable | Handled for you |
| Monthly income certainty | Varies with occupancy | Varies with occupancy | Fixed, same date monthly |
| Ongoing letting fees | N/A | Typically 10–15% of rent | None |
Three ways landlords and agents work with us, depending on the property.
A single fixed rent for the whole property, on a straightforward lease.
Room-by-room lettings, with the licensing and compliance handled to the standard we apply on our own conversions.
A single leasing arrangement covering several units, with one guaranteed rent figure across the block.
A quick checklist before you get in touch — it saves time on both sides.
Doesn’t quite meet the standard yet? That’s often fine — tell us where it stands and we’ll advise whether it’s worth bringing up to spec, the same way we’ve done on our own conversions.
You receive a fixed rent figure every month, on the same date, for the length of the lease — regardless of whether the property is tenanted at that moment. That risk moves to us, not you.
There are two possibilities. Your property may provide accommodation through our housing partner’s government-referred programmes, where the partner vets and supports residents. Or it may be let to private tenants we’ve referenced and creditchecked ourselves. Either way, your guaranteed rent is the same. See “Who lives in your property” above for the full picture.
No, and here’s specifically why. Our lease is a company let: the tenant named on the agreement is Harbour & May Residentials Ltd, not an individual. Under Section 1 of the Housing Act 1988, an assured tenancy can only exist where the tenant is an individual occupying the property as their only or principal home. A company can’t meet that test, so a company let was never an AST to begin with. The Renters’ Rights Act abolished Section 21 “no-fault” evictions and converted ASTs into rolling periodic tenancies. Because your agreement with us isn’t an AST, those changes don’t apply to it. Any tenancies we grant to the people living in the property are our responsibility, not yours. Your solicitor can confirm this against the specific wording of your agreement before you sign.
We do. Once the lease starts, we cover water, gas, electricity and council tax for the whole of the term — none of that comes back to you as the landlord.
No — properties are taken on unfurnished as standard. If a furnished arrangement is ever needed for a specific property, we'd agree that with you directly before the lease starts.
That's between us and the tenant. Your guaranteed rent isn't affected either way — chasing arrears is part of what we take off your hands.
Day-to-day maintenance is handled by us for the length of the lease, so you're not fielding calls about a leaking tap or a broken boiler.
It varies by property type — we'll tell you plainly during the assessment stage if any work is needed before we can take it on, and what that would involve.
No ongoing letting fees. The guaranteed rent figure we agree is the amount you receive.
We hand the property back in the same condition, fair wear and tear excepted
Guaranteed rent and property management across Bournemouth, Poole and Ealing, West London.
Member of the Property Redress Scheme
Membership No. PRS060685 · Verify at propertyredress.co.uk
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Privacy Policy · Harbour & May Residential Ltd. Registered in England and Wales, company no. 17447594. Registered office: 167–169 Great Portland Street, 5th Floor, London, W1W 5PF, United Kingdom.