How to use this comparison
The entries below were selected because their official pages describe a service relevant to this guide. They are listed alphabetically, with sources for scope and coverage. This is a starting point for provider research, not a performance ranking or an exhaustive market list. Fees and availability must be confirmed directly.
Pearl Lemon Properties publishes this guide and offers the acquisition services linked below. We have a commercial interest in enquiries. The provider list does not imply a partnership or endorsement.
Provider services at a glance
Compare the role and coverage first, then check fees and exclusions in the provider details below. On a small screen, swipe the table sideways.
| Provider | Role | Published scope | Coverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coapt | Student lettings and HMO property management | Student lettings and property/portfolio management | Brighton and Hove |
| Hive Management | Project and operational property management | HMO management and separately described investment project planning, budgeting and contractor coordination | Based in Hampshire; advertises services across South of England |
What to check with each provider
Coapt
Coapt's published information describes locally focused student-property management and HMO investment experience. Ask what operational reporting it supplies for your building. A letting appointment is not necessarily portfolio-level investment analysis or a project-delivery contract.
Ask before instructing: How do room changeovers, repairs and collected income appear in owner reporting?
Fees: Confirm directly: request current fees, VAT, exclusions, third-party charges and payment terms in writing.
Official service information: Coapt · Checked
Hive Management
Hive distinguishes ongoing HMO management from investment project management. The latter describes feasibility, scope, budget and works coordination. Confirm whether your instruction concerns an existing letting operation or delivery of a refurbishment project, and obtain terms for each.
Ask before instructing: Who approves works spending and what project and operating reports are supplied?
Fees: Confirm directly: request current fees, VAT, exclusions, third-party charges and payment terms in writing.
Separate acquisition, project delivery and operating oversight
Identify the phase of ownership. Before purchase you may need sourcing and independent due diligence. During works you may need design and project coordination. Once occupied, letting and maintenance need an operating appointment. One provider can advertise several phases without including all of them in one fee.
Set out who takes each decision, the reporting format and the handover between teams. If a provider coordinates contractors or agents, ask who signs their contracts and verifies their work. Keep lending, tax and regulated financial decisions with appropriately appointed advisers.
- Is the instruction for a project or an operating asset?
- Which team is accountable at each stage?
- What is handed over when works or a purchase completes?
Request reporting that separates rent from performance
Ask for a reporting example with confidential details removed. It should make it possible to understand occupancy, rent due versus collected, arrears, operating costs and outstanding work. A headline yield or aggregate rent figure does not explain the cash position of an individual property.
Agree how forecasts and actual figures will be labelled, how budgets are updated and how exceptions are escalated. Review performance against the same time period and cost basis. Do not interpret one high-occupancy month as proof that an acquisition or refurbishment has delivered its forecast return.
- Can I reconcile the statement with underlying transactions?
- Which costs or finance items sit outside the report?
- How are vacancies and unpaid rent explained?
Put spending authority, fees and exit terms in writing
Define approval limits for routine maintenance and larger works, how quotes are obtained and whether contractor referral or coordination charges apply. Ask how client funds and records are handled under the provider's agreement. Avoid granting unclear authority through a broad hands-off promise.
Compare letting, management, project and renewal charges separately, including VAT and third-party costs. Establish the notice period, outstanding liabilities and transfer of keys, records and supplier information if the appointment ends. Ongoing management should remain a deliberate choice rather than an undocumented consequence of sourcing a property.
- What can the manager spend without approval?
- How are conflicts or additional charges disclosed?
- What information will a replacement manager receive?
Acquisition support from Pearl Lemon Properties
Discuss the acquisition brief with Pearl Lemon. For ongoing management or refurbishment project delivery, enquire directly with the appropriate provider.
- HMO acquisition support
Discuss a buying brief with Pearl Lemon; appoint management, construction, compliance and finance professionals separately.
Buying an HMO before appointing its manager?
Discuss the acquisition brief with Pearl Lemon. For ongoing management or refurbishment project delivery, enquire directly with the appropriate provider.
Property acquisition support only; not management, building work or regulated financial advice.