Letting agent fees in St Albans.

How we put this together

In November 2026 we read the landlord fee pages that St Albans letting agents publish on their own websites. Six agents publish their fees in full, and the ranges below come from those six lists as they stood on 9 November 2026. We haven’t named the agents: fee lists change, service levels differ, and the only figure that counts is the written quote you’re given. Our own fees aren’t included in the ranges; they’re shown alongside so you can compare.

Two health warnings. Some agents publish fees including VAT and some excluding it, so we’ve shown both. And one of the six lists was dated 2020, so always ask for the current version.

The three levels of service

Let only (sometimes “tenant find” or “introduction”): the agent markets the home, finds and references a tenant and gets the agreement signed. You then manage the tenancy yourself. Usually a one-off fee.

Rent collection: let only plus collecting the rent each month, chasing arrears and sending you statements. Repairs, inspections and notices stay with you. A monthly percentage of the rent.

Fully managed: the agent looks after everything, including rent, inspections, repairs, safety certificates, the deposit and the notices. A monthly percentage of the rent. This is the service most St Albans landlords choose, and the one with the widest range of extras, so it pays to read the small print.

What St Albans landlords typically pay

Ranges cover the six St Albans agents whose landlord fee lists were published online on 9 November 2026. Percentages are of the rent. “Inc. VAT” is what you actually pay. Services with the same name can include different things, so compare what’s included as well as the headline figure.

What’s usually charged on top

The monthly percentage is rarely the whole cost. These are the extras that appeared most often on the lists we read, with the published ranges where there were any.

• Inventory, check-in and check-out. Priced by the number of bedrooms. Published inventory fees ran from about £142 to £375 inc. VAT, with check-out reports from about £113 to £330 on top. Ours is one combined, optional fee for inventory, check-in and check-out: £348 to £510 inc. VAT depending on size.
• Renewals and re-lets. Renewal or re-marketing fees of £120 + VAT to £300 appeared on several lists. Since 1 May 2026 tenancies in England run month to month, so there is no fixed term to renew; ask what, if anything, you pay when a tenant simply stays. We charge nothing when your tenant stays. Our re-let fee of £180 inc. VAT applies only when a new tenant moves into a managed home.
• Deposit registration. Anything from included, to a one-off £60 to £200 inc. VAT, to a monthly or annual scheme charge. Included in our Fully Managed service.
• Rent reviews (Section 13 notices). £100 to £250 inc. VAT where published. Ours is £114 inc. VAT.
• Possession notices. Section 21 notices can no longer be served in England (since 1 May 2026), though a few fee lists still mention them. Fees for serving a Section 8 notice ran from £96 to £300 inc. VAT. Section 8 notices are included in our Fully Managed service and cost £234 inc. VAT under Let Only.
• Deposit disputes. £90 to £360 inc. VAT where published, if a deposit goes to the scheme’s adjudication. Included in our Fully Managed service; £300 inc. VAT under Let Only.
• Leaving or joining an agent. Read the exit terms before you sign. One list requires three months’ notice plus a further let-only fee when you leave. Our fees for this are published too: £300 inc. VAT to take over a tenancy from another agent, and £480 inc. VAT if you later move your management elsewhere. The Terms of Business set out the notice period.
• Other common extras. Additional inspections, court or tribunal attendance, overseas landlord tax paperwork, HMO licence applications and a percentage on larger works. Every one of ours is on the fees page.

What tenants can’t be charged

Since the Tenant Fees Act 2019, agents and landlords in England can only ask tenants for a short list of payments, and since 1 June 2020 that has applied to every tenancy, whenever it started. So if an agent’s quote looks low, it can’t be because the tenant is picking up admin, referencing, inventory or renewal fees: those are banned. According to the government’s guidance on fees you can charge as part of a tenancy (updated 7 July 2026), the permitted payments are:

• rent, with no more than one month taken in advance, and only after the agreement is signed (a Renters’ Rights Act change from 1 May 2026)
• a refundable tenancy deposit of up to five weeks’ rent (six weeks where the annual rent is £50,000 or more), protected in a government-approved scheme
• a refundable holding deposit of up to one week’s rent
• up to £50 for a change to the tenancy the tenant asks for
• default charges written into the agreement: replacing a lost key at a reasonable, evidenced cost, and interest on rent more than 14 days late at no more than 3% above the Bank of England base rate
• the rent due if the tenant ends the tenancy early without giving the correct notice, and bills such as utilities and council tax where the agreement says so.

Councils can fine a first breach up to £5,000, and a repeat breach within five years up to £30,000. Our tenant fees follow this list exactly.

Questions to ask any agent

• Is that figure inclusive of VAT? What do I actually receive each month on a rent of, say, £1,900?
• What exactly is included in “fully managed”? Are inspections, deposit registration, Section 8 and Section 13 notices and deposit disputes included, or extra?
• What do I pay when my tenant stays on, and when a new tenant moves in?
• Is there a minimum term, and what notice and fees apply if I want to leave?
• Do you add a percentage to contractors’ invoices, or take a commission from them?
• Where is my money held, and who provides your client money protection and redress scheme?
• Will you send me the full fee list and terms of business in writing before I sign?

How our fees compare

Our Fully Managed fee of 10% + VAT (12% inc. VAT) sits at the lower end of the range we found, and most of the St Albans fee lists we read charge 14.4% or 15% inc. VAT for the same level of service. Our Let Only fee of 6% + VAT of the first year’s rent is within the published range. Deposit registration, Section 8 notices and deposit disputes are included in our Fully Managed service rather than charged on top, and there is no renewal fee when your tenant stays.

The simplest check is to put your own rent into our fee calculator and compare the monthly figure with any other quote, VAT included. Everything we charge is on that page, and the Terms of Business are available before you commit to anything. If you already have an agent, here is how switching works.

Checked 9 November 2026 against the fee pages published on six St Albans letting agents’ websites. We’ll re-check these figures each quarter. Sources for the tenant rules: GOV.UK, “Fees you can charge as part of a tenancy” (published 1 May 2026, updated 7 July 2026); legislation.gov.uk, Tenant Fees Act 2019.