How Abide.Rent works: three parties, one record
Who the agency, the landlord and the tenant are in Abide.Rent, who is asked to act on each legal date, and how reminders reach them.
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Abide.Rent keeps one record of each property and tenancy that the letting agency, the landlord and the tenant each see from their own side. This guide explains who does what, and how Abide.Rent decides whom to remind about each legal date.
Who this is for: letting agencies, landlords and tenants.
One property, one file, shared by the agency, the landlord and the tenant.
Duties: the service level decides who is asked to act; gas and Right to Rent move only in writing.
What you are deciding
Nothing yet. Read this first to understand who is asked to act on each step, so the other guides make sense.
Your options
- An agency manages the property. The service level in the management agreement decides whether the agency or the landlord is asked to act. The other side is told.
- The landlord manages it alone. The landlord's own account is asked to act on everything. There is no agency side.
- You are the tenant. Your portal is free. You read notices and safety records, report repairs, give notice and answer requests. You are only reminded about things that are yours.
The three parties
| Party | What they have in Abide.Rent | What they do |
|---|---|---|
| Letting agency | An agency account with seats: owner, manager, negotiator, accounts and read-only | Runs the properties it manages, at the service level agreed with each landlord |
| Landlord | Their own landlord account, or a place on the agency's record | Owns the property. Holds most legal duties, whoever does the work |
| Tenant | A free tenant portal | Reads notices and safety records, reports repairs, gives notice, answers pet and deposit questions |
Who is asked to act
| Service level | Asked to act | Told |
|---|---|---|
| Fully managed (and the service level where the agency pays the landlord a fixed rent) | The agency | The landlord |
| Rent collection, or let only | The landlord | The agency |
| Self-managed (the landlord's own account) | The landlord | — |
Gas safety and Right to Rent checks are the exception. They are put on the agency only where it has accepted them in writing. Every other legal duty stays with the landlord whatever the service level: the service level only decides whom Abide.Rent asks to do the work.
How reminders reach people
- Every morning at 8:15am every day (London time) Abide.Rent works out every date on every property and sends the reminder each one is due that day. Repairs past their target are checked at 8:20am every day.
- Within an agency, owners and managers get legal reminders by email and in the app; negotiators get them in the app; accounts seats get billing and service messages, not legal reminders; read-only seats get none.
- A property with a lead sends its reminders to the lead (or whoever covers them) and the backups. Managers join from seven days before the due date; owners once it is seven days late.
- Tenants are only sent reminders that are theirs or that they need to know: the letter about their options before a new rent starts, the end of the tenancy after their own notice, and nudges when they were asked for pet information.
- Late items keep being reminded for up to six months; after that they stay in the Monday digest (7:30am every Monday).
- Legal reminders cannot be switched off. Service messages and suggestions can, in notification settings.
The full list of dates and reminder timings is in Every legal date Abide.Rent tracks.
A worked example
Northgate Residential fully manages 14 Mill Lane for Helen Shaw and has accepted the gas duty in writing. The gas safety record is due on Monday 1 March 2027. Northgate's lead for the property is reminded on Thursday 31 December 2026, Saturday 30 January 2027, Monday 15 February, Monday 22 February, Sunday 28 February and on the day. Helen is told, not asked. Northgate's managers join on Monday 22 February, seven days before. If no new record is uploaded, the owners are told from Monday 8 March 2027. The tenant, Kiran, is not reminded: she is given the new record through her portal once it is uploaded and approved.
What Abide.Rent does for you
- Works out every legal date from what is recorded, every morning.
- Asks the party who must act, and tells the others, according to the service level and the duties accepted in writing.
- Keeps legal reminders on for everyone who must act; they cannot be switched off.
If something goes wrong
- The landlord gets reminders the agency should get
What to do: Check the property's service level. On let only or rent collection the landlord is asked to act; change the agreement if the agency now does the work. - Every manager gets every reminder
What to do: Give the property a lead under its team settings. The lead and backups are reminded first; managers join 7 days before the due date.
Common mistakes
- Assuming a fully managed agreement moves the legal duty to the agency. It moves the work, not the duty, except for gas safety and Right to Rent accepted in writing.
- Leaving a property without a lead in a large agency, so every manager is reminded about everything.
What to do next
More in How it works
Every legal date Abide.Rent tracks, and when it reminds youEach date, the law behind it, who is asked to act and the exact days Abide.Rent sends reminders.
A change of agent, or a sale: what moves and who is toldWhat happens to control, documents, duties and the deposit when a landlord changes agent or sells, and the letters the tenant must get.
Safety checks: gas, electrical, EPC and alarmsWhen each check is due, who arranges it, when the tenant must have a copy, and how the reminders run.