Everything you need to know

AO Home Lettings leases your property directly, acting as the tenant. We manage the property and pay you a fixed monthly rent for the entire lease — whether it is occupied or not. No deductions, no management fees, no involvement required from you.

Your property is occupied through our long-term partnerships with established, professionally managed housing providers. Those providers manage and support the people they place, while AO remains the tenant on your lease and your single point of contact. Day to day, you deal only with us.

A letting agent finds tenants on your behalf and charges a fee — but you remain exposed to voids, arrears, and maintenance costs. We are the tenant. We take on all those risks. You receive guaranteed income and we charge you nothing.

We offer flexible lease terms from 3 to 5 years. All leases include a 90-day mutual break clause.

Yes. You receive your full agreed monthly rent for the entire lease — whether the property is occupied or not. No void periods, no stoppages.

The full process can be completed in as little as two weeks, subject to certifications being in place. We can also begin the process before the property becomes vacant, provided vacancy is expected within six months.

Our agreement with you is a commercial property lease, not an Assured Shorthold Tenancy (AST) or Assured Periodic Tenancy (APT).

No. Because our agreement with you is a commercial lease — not an AST/APT — the Renters' Rights Act 2025, the abolition of Section 21, and the changes to residential eviction procedures (all now in force) simply do not apply to your arrangement with us. You are not our occupant's landlord; AO Home Lettings is your tenant. The obligations and risks created by the new residential tenancy legislation fall on us, not on you.

No. Our agreements with occupants are not standard residential tenancies. We operate under a specialist framework that is appropriate for the social housing model we use, which involves housing providers and commercial sub-letting arrangements. This is a key reason why we can offer the guarantees we do — because our agreements at every level are structured differently from traditional residential letting.

Before making that decision, consider the following: letting to AO Home Lettings gives you a commercial agreement, not a residential tenancy. There is no risk of being unable to recover possession under current or future tenancy law, because we are not your tenant in the residential sense — we are a commercial lessee. You retain your asset, you earn significantly more income than through traditional letting, and you operate entirely outside the framework of residential tenancy law. Many landlords who have considered selling have found our model resolves the concerns that were driving that decision.

Our model removes the typical risks of private residential letting in several ways: there are no individual tenants on residential tenancies that you need to manage or evict; there is no exposure to rent arrears, since we guarantee your rent; there is no void risk; and there is no exposure to residential tenancy legislation, since your agreement with us is a commercial lease. We handle compliance, maintenance, and occupancy — leaving you with guaranteed income and none of the usual risks.

Nothing. No management fees, no finder fees, no admin charges, no deductions of any kind. The monthly figure we agree is exactly what you receive. In the vast majority of cases, landlords earn 20% or more annually than through a traditional letting arrangement.

Rent is paid automatically via our payment systems on a fixed date each month, directly to your bank account. No manual handling, no risk of delay. Same date, every month.

We cover them. All utility bills — gas, electricity and water — plus council tax and wifi are covered by us throughout the full lease, not by the occupants.

Yes, completely. We can give you an initial figure over the phone within the hour — no paperwork, no visits. You are under no obligation at any stage unless you want to proceed.

Us: all damage caused by our tenants — handled by our tradesmen at no cost to you. Landlord: structural issues, plumbing, electrical systems, and heating defects not caused by tenant damage — as under any standard tenancy agreement.

Yes. Available 24/7. We also carry out monthly condition and safety inspections across all managed properties.

Single lets: Gas Safety Certificate (CP12, annual), Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR, every 5 years), Energy Performance Certificate (EPC, minimum band D), smoke alarms on every floor, carbon monoxide detectors where required, and a Legionella risk assessment. HMOs additionally require: a mandatory HMO licence from the local authority, fire risk assessment, emergency lighting in communal areas, fire doors with self-closing mechanisms, and an appropriate fire detection and alarm system. If any have expired, we can arrange all certifications and works on your behalf. Costs can be deducted from initial rent payments.

No. We furnish properties ourselves including all white goods — cookers, fridges, washing machines. No cost or effort to the landlord. If your property is already furnished, we can discuss an arrangement.

We require vacant possession at lease commencement. However, we can begin the process and agree terms in advance — provided vacancy is no more than six months away.

London, Kent, Essex, Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, West Sussex, and East Sussex. We are actively expanding, so if your property is outside these areas, please get in touch.