A company is your tenant
An operator takes the whole property on a fixed term and pays you monthly, whether anyone is living there or not.
Guaranteed Rent, Explained.
What it actually is, how the figure is set, what is and isn't covered, and the questions worth asking before you sign. Written for London landlords weighing a company let against carrying on as they are — including the parts that don't flatter us.
FixedRent every month, occupied or not
FreeTo the landlord — the operator pays us
1 dayTo answer every enquiry
The short version
If you read nothing else on this page, read these four things.
Slightly under market
The figure sits a little below open market rent. That gap is what pays for the voids and the management you no longer carry.
The guarantee is the operator's
Calbra introduces; the operator contracts with you. So the promise is only as strong as the company making it — which is why vetting matters.
Two consents to check first
Your mortgage lender and, if leasehold, your freeholder. Many restrict company lets outright. Check before anything else.
What guaranteed rent actually is
A company — usually called an operator — takes on your property as a single professional tenant on a fixed-term agreement. They pay you a fixed amount every month for the length of that term, whether the property is occupied or not, and they deal with the occupants themselves.
You have one tenant, one payment date and one point of contact. You are not chasing renters, arranging viewings, or absorbing the gap between one tenancy ending and the next beginning.
In the trade this is a company let. "Guaranteed rent" is simply how it gets advertised.
It is not the same as rent guarantee insurance
This trips up a lot of landlords, and the difference is the whole point.
Rent guarantee insurance
Sold by an agent alongside an ordinary tenancy. You still have an individual tenant. If they stop paying you make a claim — subject to an excess, exclusions, a claims process and usually a cap on how many months are covered.
versus
A company let
The rent is a contractual obligation of the tenant company, not a claim against a policy. No excess, no claims process. The trade-off: the promise is worth exactly what the company behind it is worth.
Where Calbra sits in this
We are the introducer, not the counterparty. We match your property to operators actively looking for stock like it, and we check those operators before any introduction is made. The rent commitment is written into the operator's agreement with you — it is their guarantee, not ours. The introduction is free to you; the operator pays our fee.
Why landlords look at company lets at all
Almost nobody arrives here wanting a company let for its own sake. They arrive because something about the standard route has stopped working.
The gaps cost more than the rent
Two empty months a year wipes out more than the difference between market rent and a company let figure.
Management has become the job
Calls, contractors, inspections and re-letting every twelve months. For some landlords that is the actual cost.
You are not nearby
Overseas or simply far away, a single accountable company is easier to deal with than a string of individual tenants.
A company let does not solve all of those perfectly. It trades some headline rent for predictability and for your time back. Whether that is a good trade is the whole question, and the rest of this guide is about answering it honestly.
How the rent figure is set
The figure is agreed up front, before you sign, and holds for the whole term. In almost every case it sits a little below open market rent.
That gap is not a discount for nothing. It is what funds the guarantee — the operator is buying the risk you would otherwise carry, and pricing it.
Proportions shown are illustrative only — the actual figure depends on the property and is agreed with you in writing before you sign.
Empty months
Every gap between occupants is paid for by the operator, not deducted from you.
Finding and referencing
Marketing, viewings, referencing and the paperwork behind each occupant.
Day-to-day management
The calls, the repairs coordination, the admin — all off your desk.
What actually moves the figure
- Location. Operator demand is uneven across London. Where several want stock, the offer is stronger.
- Property type and size. Two-bed flats, whole houses and new-builds attract the most interest.
- Condition. Somewhere lettable today is worth more than somewhere needing work.
- Length of term. Longer terms usually mean a firmer offer, because set-up costs spread further.
- How many units. A block, or several units in one building, is materially more attractive than a single flat.
What is and isn't covered
This is the part most guaranteed-rent advertising leaves out. You should have it now, not on a call.
Covered by the operator
- A fixed rent paid monthly for the term, occupied or not
- Finding, referencing and managing the occupants
- Day-to-day management and routine maintenance, as set out in the agreement
- Returning the property in the condition agreed, fair wear and tear aside
- Being your single point of contact throughout
All of this sits in the agreement — read it rather than take it on trust.
Not covered — stays with you
- Gas safety, electrical (EICR) and EPC certificates
- Property licensing, where your borough requires it
- Structural repairs and the landlord's repairing obligations
- Buildings insurance — and telling your insurer about the arrangement
- Consent from your mortgage lender and, if leasehold, your freeholder
- Ground rent and service charges
These are the ordinary obligations of owning a property; a company let does not move them.
The two conditions people miss
Lender and freeholder consent are not formalities. Many buy-to-let mortgages restrict company lets or sub-letting, and many leases prohibit short-term or serviced use outright. A signed agreement you are not permitted to perform is worse than no agreement at all. Anyone who tells you it doesn't matter is someone to walk away from.
A guaranteed rent agreement is worth exactly what the company behind it is worth.
Which is why every operator we introduce is checked before you meet them See how we vet operatorsThe Renters’ Rights Act, and where company lets sit
This is the change most landlords ask about, and the one where the detail matters most.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent in October 2025, and its main provisions came into force on 1 May 2026. It applies to England only — Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run separate systems.
Section 21 has gone
No-fault possession is no longer available. Every possession claim now has to rely on a statutory ground under section 8, with longer notice periods on several of them.
Fixed terms have gone too
Assured shorthold tenancies were abolished. Private tenancies to individuals are now periodic assured tenancies that roll on, with no fixed end date to plan around.
Rent rises follow one route
Increases are made by section 13 notice with two months’ notice, once a year. Rent review clauses in tenancy agreements no longer have effect.
More is still coming
The private rented sector database and the landlord Ombudsman arrive under later regulations, expected across 2026 and 2027.
Where a company let fits
An assured tenancy requires an individual occupying the property as their only or principal home. A let to a company is generally not an assured tenancy, so it sits outside that regime — which is why fixed terms remain available on company lets when they have gone from ordinary private tenancies. That is a genuine part of the appeal right now, but it depends on how the agreement is written and how the property is actually used, and the position can be lost if the paperwork does not match reality. This is general information, not legal advice: take your own before you sign.
Who it suits — and who it doesn't
Guaranteed rent is a good fit for some landlords and a poor one for others. We would rather tell you now than waste your time on a call.
Usually a good fit
- You have had voids, or you are staring at one now
- You are tired of managing and want it off your desk
- You live abroad, or far from the property
- You hold several units, or a whole block
- A two-bed flat, a whole house or a new-build
Usually a poor fit
- You want the highest possible rent and will manage to get it
- Your lease or lender prohibits company lets
- You want to choose or meet the occupants yourself
- You may need the property back at short notice
- A one-bed flat or an HMO — operators we work with aren't looking for these
What to check before you sign
These are the checks we make on every operator before we introduce them — and the ones worth making yourself, whoever you end up dealing with.
Who exactly is the company?
Get the registered name and number, then look it up at Companies House. How long has it traded? Are accounts filed and current? Is the person in front of you actually a director?
Will they give you landlord references?
Ask to speak to landlords already six months or more into a term, not brand new ones. Then actually make the calls. An established operator expects this and has names ready.
What use does the agreement permit?
Standard company let, sharers, or short-stay and serviced use? Check that against your lease and your insurance. This single clause causes most of the disputes we see.
What happens at the end of the term?
How is the property handed back, in what condition, and who inspects it? Is there a break clause, and does it work both ways?
Are they in a redress scheme?
Membership gives you somewhere to go if things go wrong. Get the scheme name and membership number. Note that scheme membership is not the same as being regulated, and no one should imply otherwise.
Company let, rent-to-rent, serviced accommodation
These get used interchangeably, which makes offers hard to compare. Here is what each actually means.
Company let
A company is your tenant.
It takes the whole property on a fixed term, pays a fixed rent monthly, and the occupants are its responsibility rather than yours.
This is the arrangement guaranteed rent describesRent-to-rent
A business model, not a standard.
Anyone renting a property to re-let it at a margin. Some are established companies with proper paperwork; others are individuals with none. The label alone tells you nothing.
Judge the company behind it, never the label it trades underServiced accommodation
Short stays, often night by night.
A specific use, not a tenancy type. If an operator intends it, that must be written into the agreement and permitted by your lease.
Often prohibited — leases, lenders, London's 90-day limitHow it compares to the alternatives
Three ways to let the same property, side by side.
| Guaranteed rent (company let) | Letting agent, fully managed | Self-managed | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who pays you | The operator, as tenant | The tenant, via the agent | The tenant, direct |
| Empty months | Covered — rent continues | Your loss | Your loss |
| Rent level | A little under market | Market, minus fees | Market, no fees |
| Fees you pay | None to the operator | Ongoing % of rent, plus set-up | None |
| Day-to-day management | Operator | Agent | You |
| Who chooses occupants | Operator | You, on the agent's advice | You |
| Main risk to watch | The operator's financial strength | Voids and arrears | Voids, arrears and your own time |
Reading this honestly
If your property lets easily, stays let, and managing it costs you little effort, self-managing will usually put more money in your pocket. Guaranteed rent earns its keep when voids are real, when management is a burden, or when certainty is worth more to you than the last few percent of rent.
Why work with us in this market
There are plenty of routes to a company let. Here is what ours actually gets you, and what it does not.
Free to you
The operator pays us on a signed let. Nothing comes out of your rent and there is nothing to pay us at any stage.
Checked before you meet
Companies House, track record, funds to proceed, and landlord references where they exist. We tell you how much history there is.
Live briefs, not a list
Your property goes to operators looking for stock like yours right now, not onto a database to be worked through later.
And what we are not: we are not the tenant, we do not manage the property, no money passes through us, and the rent commitment is the operator’s rather than ours. If something goes wrong we have a complaints procedure and an independent redress scheme above it — see how we work with landlords.
Common Questions
Terms vary by operator and by property, and they are one of the things to negotiate rather than accept. Longer terms usually mean a firmer monthly figure, because the operator can spread their set-up costs. Ask about break clauses at the same time, and check whether they work both ways.
This is the risk that matters, and it is why the checks in this guide exist. Your position rests on the agreement itself and on the financial standing of the company behind it. It is also why we check an operator before introducing them, and why we tell you how much history they actually have rather than implying every operator clears the same bar.
Yes. Most buy-to-let mortgages set conditions on who you may let to and whether sub-letting is permitted, and a company let is not always allowed by default. The same applies to your freeholder if the property is leasehold, and to your buildings insurer. Get consent in writing before you sign.
No. The introduction is free to the landlord — we are paid by the operator once you sign with them. There is nothing to pay us at any stage, and no obligation if you decide the arrangement isn't for you.
Demand is strongest in prime Central and West London — Westminster, Kensington & Chelsea and Camden — with a second ring across Wandsworth and Merton. We also hold briefs in Ealing and Acton, Wembley, North West London, Reading and the Slough, Windsor and Ascot corridor. You can see the full list on the areas we cover section.
Still have a question? Ask us directly
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Email
Inquiries@calbrahomes.com
Phone — Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm
020 3400 9890
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