Have any landlords here used part exchange or quick-sale property companies?
I am a long-time reader of Property118 and would be grateful for the views of others who may have direct experience of something I have been thinking about recently.
My perception is that many UK property developers seem to have tie-ups with companies that help facilitate part exchange deals. In other words, the developer promotes the service, but another business may actually handle the purchase or onward sale of the existing property. That may be a misunderstanding on my part, which is why I am asking.
It made me wonder whether similar companies might also be useful for landlords who want to sell residential property without going through the usual estate agency route.
When people talk about selling through an agent, the focus is often on achieving the highest possible price. That is understandable, but in the case of rental property, the true cost of selling might be more complicated. For example, if the property is tenanted, some buyers will only proceed with vacant possession. That can create a number of issues, such as:
- the cost and delay of obtaining vacant possession
- the risk of tenants stopping rent once notice has been served
- legal costs if matters become contested
- mortgage payments continuing during the process
- insurance and utilities still needing to be paid
- council tax, sometimes at higher rates once empty
- loss of rental income during any void period
- redecorating to make the property saleable
- replacing tired carpets or flooring
- updating kitchens or bathrooms to attract owner-occupier buyers
- gardening, clearance, and general presentation costs
- estate agency fees on completion
- months of uncertainty while waiting for a buyer
- chains collapsing or buyers renegotiating late in the day
By the time all of that is added together it’s a lot of hassle and what’s the true cost?
On this basis I can see why some landlords might accept a slightly lower price in exchange for:
- speed of sale
- certainty
- no chain
- fewer viewings
- less stress
- quicker access to capital
- avoiding months of holding costs
For landlords with one property, or larger portfolio owners looking to reduce holdings, that could potentially be attractive in the right circumstances. On the other hand, I appreciate there may be downsides such as lower offers, hidden costs, or deals being renegotiated later.
I would therefore be very interested to hear from readers who have used any of the following:
- developer part exchange schemes
- quick house sale companies
- property buying firms
- auction sales
- assisted sale services
- any other alternative route to sell rental property quickly
If you have used one, was your experience positive or negative?
Did they offer a fair price?
Did the transaction complete smoothly?
Would you use them again?
If you have never used one, would you consider it, or would you always choose the open market?
I suspect many landlords may face this sort of decision over the next few years, so real experiences could be helpful to others.
Many thanks in advance for any replies.
EDITORS NOTE
If you are a company providing these types of services we would very much like to hear from you. Please see our contact us page
If you are a Property118 reader and are weighing up your own strategy, whether that involves holding, restructuring, or reducing your portfolio, it is worth stepping back and reviewing how everything fits together.
Our consultancy does not start with a recommendation. It starts with understanding what you are trying to achieve, and whether your current structure supports that.
These conversations are typically most useful for landlords with established portfolios and relatively modest borrowing who are beginning to think about how their assets will serve them over the next phase.
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Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12222 - Articles: 1432
9:12 PM, 29th April 2026, About 2 months ago
Reply to the comment left by Tiger at 29/04/2026 – 19:52
I accept that’s your perception but it’s not what they clients are saying here https://national-residential.co.uk/
Member Since April 2017 - Comments: 22
5:39 PM, 4th May 2026, About 1 month ago
Reply to the comment left by LoneR at 25/04/2026 – 15:29
Hi LonR,
When you sold the properties through National-Residential, did you receive the fixed price offered at the initial valuation?
Member Since November 2024 - Comments: 4
8:41 PM, 4th May 2026, About 1 month ago
Reply to the comment left by Martin Cameron at 04/05/2026 – 17:39
We have not sold through National Residential. We are selling them individually as the tenant’s vacate. We then refurbish them and put them on the market. So far we are managing to get near enough the market price but this is longer process.
Member Since January 2011 - Comments: 12222 - Articles: 1432
8:52 PM, 4th May 2026, About 1 month ago
Reply to the comment left by LoneR at 04/05/2026 – 20:41
just out of interest, how much is your typical refurb costs and what does the void period between vacant possession and sale completion usually end up costing you in terms of lost revenue and additional costs such as double Council Tax, Utility bills, legal and agents fees, gardening etc?
Member Since November 2024 - Comments: 4
10:01 PM, 4th May 2026, About 1 month ago
Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander – Founder of Property118 at 20:52
on one 5 bedroom property we replaced the whole kitchen, 3 new bathrooms new flooring, painting decorating at £40k and made nearly £75k more than what a local agent valued it at.The void periods were about 7 months with a loss of around 15k in rent and additional expenses like CT, insurance , bills for this property.Another we spent 6k plus loss of rent of 10K and we should get 10k more. But for us a better result overall. for the properties sold so far.
Member Since April 2017 - Comments: 22
8:16 AM, 24th May 2026, About 3 weeks ago
Reply to the comment left by Mark Alexander – Founder of Property118 at 04/05/2026 – 20:52
I have now listed a property with National Residential. I will let you know how it all works out once the modern auction has concluded.
Member Since April 2017 - Comments: 22
5:42 PM, 12th June 2026, About 3 days ago
Reply to the comment left by Martin Cameron at 24/05/2026 – 08:16
I am writing about my experience with The Online National Residential Estate Agency. I will write the facts and let members draw their own conclusions.
For some time, I have been receiving numerous emails about their services, and it is often promoted on Property118.
Like many Estate Agencies they were keen to receive the instruction to sell my property. After numerous phone conversations, I decided to sign up with them, to sell a property.
The fixed price (the price I would receive) would be £230,000 and their commission / fee would be £10,000, therefore the reserve price was going to be £240,000. This was based on their desk valuation. It later transcribed that they had overvalued the property.
They will also add a Land Registry Protection (UN1 / Restriction) on the property, in the event the property is sold at a later date, to one of their buyers they had introduced.
Things didn’t get off to a good start as they had forgotten to book a photographer, and the Sales Agent had to apologise for their inaction.
I met with the photographer at the property and handed over the keys. I got the impression that the photographer did not know much about the property industry, but would be doing the viewings.
Secondly, I received the sales details, and the property was described as a total renovation project. It did need some updating, but not a total wreck. It was disappointing that the Agent had not read the information or consulted the photographs.
The property went live on their website and Rightmove. It was advertised at a guide price of £210,000. It would need to be bid up by £30,000, to reach the reserve price.
There were four enquires, with two viewings and one buyer having a second viewing.
On a Friday the Buyer made an offer of £212,00 on their website and I never received any communication from National Residential about this offer. All communication was through text message, not by phone.
On the Monday I received a text stating that there had been an offer. After numerous texts with the Agent, including their suggestion about lowering the fixed price, the Agent went back to the Buyer to try to increase the price.
On the Wednesday the Agent texted back to say that the Buyer had found another property. They had negotiated the deal with a local agent, and the deal was already concluded.
I asked the Agent why they had not communicated the offer on the Friday, and they explained that they had only received the offer on the Monday.
I sent a screen shot of their own website showing the offer on the previous Friday.
In my opinion, by not reacting fast enough, they lost the opportunity to secure a buyer. The deal could have been concluded on Friday by telephone. I got the impression that the Agent did not work on Friday or the weekend.
Sellers need an Agency that can adapt and react quickly to all situations. In this case the local agent was able to secure the sale, and I felt let down by National Residential.
It seems they rather deal with the clients by text than telephone, which takes a lot longer than a simple telephone call.
When I did finally speak to the Agent, they became argumentative and rather aggressive. They terminated my contract to sell the property.
I am sure there are many testimonies about their excellent service, but in my case, I would not use them again to sell a property.
I could not recommend them to anyone.
Member Since June 2020 - Comments: 23 - Articles: 178
11:01 AM, 15th June 2026, About 36 minutes ago
Reply to the comment left by Martin Cameron at 12/06/2026 – 17:42
Thank you, Martin, for taking the time to leave such a detailed review. I’m sorry that we were unable to achieve the outcome you wanted and that you were disappointed with your experience.
Whilst we respect your right to share your views, I would like to provide some additional context.
Your signed agreement was returned on 7 May. We then completed the required compliance checks, arranged access through our national viewing partner and had photography carried out on 13 May. The property launched on Rightmove, Zoopla and our own website on 14 May. We believe this was a very efficient turnaround from instruction to market.
I would also clarify that the marketing description did not describe the property as a “total renovation project”. It referred to it as a property with “excellent potential to add value” and “a blank canvas” for buyers wishing to update it to their own specification. Nevertheless, buyers can determine the condition of a property from the photos provided.
The greater challenge proved to be achieving the minimum price expectation of £230,000.
Between 14 May and 10 June, despite marketing the property extensively and circulating it to our investor database, we generated four enquiries, resulting in two viewings and one buyer returning for a second viewing. That buyer brought a builder to inspect the property and initially submitted an offer of £212,000.
Our Sales Manager then worked hard to negotiate an improved position closer to your expectations. However, before a deal could be agreed, the buyer proceeded with another property. Their feedback to us was that they genuinely liked your property, but as an older purchaser preferred a home that required little or no redecoration, avoiding the inconvenience and hassle of carrying out works after completion.
Whilst disappointing for everyone involved, this feedback reflected what the market was telling us. There was genuine interest in the property, but not at the level required to achieve the minimum price expectation of £230,000. Based on the enquiries, viewings and offer received, our opinion became that the market value was more likely to be in the region of £200,000–£210,000.
I appreciate that you would have preferred more communication by telephone rather than text message, and I will certainly bring your feedback up with my team today as part of our ongoing review of processes.
We specialise in selling properties that can often be more challenging than the average high street instruction, but we cannot always bridge the gap where a seller’s minimum expectations and the market’s opinion of value differ significantly. Our responsibility is to provide honest feedback and adapt our advice as buyer behaviour becomes clearer.
Although we regret that we were unable to secure the outcome you wanted on this occasion, we thank you for your feedback and genuinely wish you every success with the future sale of your property.
David Coughlin
Director
National Residential