A new AI platform is targeting landlords who manage their own rental properties, offering an alternative to some of the administrative services provided by managing agents. Lettance, developed by Galleon Labs, aims to automate routine landlord tasks, including tenant communications, maintenance requests, rent reminders and compliance records.
The service costs £29 per property per month and targets landlords in England who manage their properties without an agent. Its launch comes as landlords prepare for the introduction of the new private rented sector database under the Renters’ Rights Act.
AI takes on routine property management tasks
Lettance gives each rental property a dedicated email address and web link for tenants to report problems or contact their landlord. The software categorises incoming messages by urgency and prepares responses or maintenance instructions. Landlords must approve the wording before the system sends replies, contractor messages, rent reminders or notices.
The platform also reads gas safety certificates, electrical reports and energy performance certificates. It keeps rent records and prepares information for the planned landlord register. According to its developer, Lettance checks local licensing requirements against 293 of England’s 296 councils and provides sources for its findings.
The company has not published independent evidence of the system’s accuracy or the time landlords could save.
Could AI reduce landlords’ reliance on letting agents?
The launch raises questions about how technology could change the market for property management services. At £29 per property per month, Lettance offers landlords a fixed-cost option for handling some routine administration. However, it does not provide tenant-finding services, conduct viewings, visit properties or offer legal advice. It also does not replace the physical property management services offered by letting agents.
Landlords remain responsible for checking the information and approving communications generated by the system. Andrew Wilkinson, founder of Galleon Labs, told EYE: “Since the Renters’ Rights Act changes began on 1 May, self-managing landlords have had more to keep on top of, and the register is planned to start opening region by region from 15 December.
“Small landlords can now choose something between doing it all themselves and paying an agent a share of the rent.”
Landlord register creates new compliance demands
The planned private rented sector database will introduce further administrative requirements for landlords in England. Lettance says its software can help landlords organise the information needed for registration, alongside existing safety and licensing records.
However, the platform’s ability to prepare information does not remove landlords’ legal responsibility for compliance. Nor does the company claim that its software can replace professional advice where landlords face complex regulatory issues.
The business offers a free postcode-based licensing check through its website and has scheduled a Product Hunt launch for 10 November. For letting agents, Lettance represents another example of technology targeting the administrative work traditionally associated with property management. Whether landlords see sufficient value in automated administration to reduce their use of agents remains to be seen.
