Terms for a property or lettings platform

Property platforms sit in the most regulated corner of the platform economy: lettings agency work brings redress scheme membership, client money protection and the ban on fees to tenants, estate agency work brings its own Act, deposits must be protected, and listings must carry the information the law now requires. A platform that only advertises can stay outside most of it; one that arranges tenancies or handles money is inside, and the terms have to reflect which it is. I draft the landlord and agent terms and the tenant or buyer terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Businesses in England and Wales operating a property portal, an online lettings platform, a tenant-matching or referencing service, a rent-to-rent or guaranteed rent platform, or a sales platform, whether serving landlords and agents, tenants and buyers, or both.

What matters in property platform terms

Lettings agency work, estate agency work and the schemes

A platform that introduces landlords and tenants and arranges tenancies is doing lettings agency work, which requires membership of a redress scheme under the Redress Schemes for Lettings Agency Work and Property Management Work (Requirement to Belong to a Scheme etc.) (England) Order 2014 and, where it holds client money, a client money protection scheme under the Client Money Protection Schemes for Property Agents (Requirement to Belong to a Scheme etc.) Regulations 2019; a platform that introduces buyers and sellers is an estate agent under the Estate Agents Act 1979 with redress obligations under the Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007. The terms should describe the service so that the platform's status is clear and the memberships are in place.

Prohibited fees to tenants

The Tenant Fees Act 2019 prohibits landlords and letting agents from requiring tenants to make payments other than those the Act permits, and a platform that charges tenants for registration, referencing, applications or tenancy set-up is at risk of being a letting agent making a prohibited payment. The tenant terms should charge nothing the Act prohibits, and the landlord terms should say that fees are the landlord's and may not be passed to tenants.

Deposits, rent and client money

Where the platform takes deposits or rent, a tenancy deposit must be protected in an authorised scheme within the period and with the prescribed information under sections 212 to 215 of the Housing Act 2004, client money must be held in a client account with protection, and the terms should say who holds what, when it is paid over, and on what basis the platform acts (as the landlord's agent). Holding deposits are limited by the Tenant Fees Act 2019, and the terms should follow its rules on when they are retained or returned.

Listings, material information and accuracy

Property listings must include the material information a prospective tenant or buyer needs to make a decision, and omitting it is a misleading practice under Part 4 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024; the terms should require landlords and agents to provide it, set the information the platform requires in each listing, make the poster responsible for accuracy, and allow the platform to remove listings. Energy performance certificates must be available under the Energy Performance of Buildings (England and Wales) Regulations 2012, and the terms should require them.

Right to rent, referencing and the tenancy itself

A landlord must check a tenant's right to rent under section 22 of the Immigration Act 2014, and a platform that offers to do it on the landlord's behalf takes on the check and should say so in terms that meet the statutory scheme; referencing involves personal and often special category data under the UK GDPR, with the platform as processor or controller depending on the model. The terms should say whether the platform provides the tenancy agreement, and if it does, that it is a standard document the landlord is responsible for using correctly, drafted for the tenancy regime under the Renters' Rights Act 2025 as it applies.

Liability for what is posted, and the rest

The platform's liability for landlords' and agents' listings should be excluded within the hosting position in regulation 19 of the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002, with notice and takedown; its liability for its own service capped under section 11 of the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 for business users and within the Consumer Rights Act 2015 for tenants and buyers; and its fees, VAT, payment terms and interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 stated in the landlord and agent terms. The platform is controller of account data and, where it arranges tenancies, of the data it processes for that purpose.

What it costs

SaaS terms of service, £995. Your standard customer-facing terms. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the saas and technology contracts page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A bespoke contract drafted for how your product is sold, delivered and supported
• Service levels you can meet, with remedies that are proportionate rather than aspirational
• A liability position that is defensible and will survive enterprise procurement
• IP and data provisions that fit together rather than contradicting each other
• A commercial note on where you will get pushback and what is worth conceding
• One round of amendments

What is not included

• Negotiating individual enterprise deals, which I quote separately
• Advice on the law of jurisdictions outside England and Wales
• Technical security certification or audit
• Regulatory advice for regulated sectors such as financial services or health

Questions I am often asked

We only list properties and pass enquiries to landlords. Do we need to join a redress scheme?

If you do no more than advertise and pass on enquiries, generally not. If you arrange viewings, reference tenants or take payments, you are doing lettings agency work and membership is required. The terms describe the model, and the model decides.

Can we charge tenants a small fee to apply through the platform?

Not if you are a letting agent for the purposes of the Tenant Fees Act 2019, which most platforms that arrange tenancies are. The tenant terms charge nothing the Act prohibits.

A landlord posted a listing with the wrong floor area. Are we liable to the tenant?

The landlord is responsible for the listing, and the terms say so with the hosting position preserved. The platform's exposure rises if it edits or vouches for listings, which the terms avoid.

Related guidance and services

• SaaS and technology contracts, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Data protection agreements and privacy terms, £795
• Terms of business for a letting agent
• Terms for a marketplace platform

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.