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51 Hours, 11 Hours or Zero? The True Time Cost of Being a Landlord

Landlord research  |  October 2026

New research reveals that self-managing landlords spend an average of 51 hours every month looking after their rental properties. Even those using letting agents spend 11 hours. With Find UK Property, the day-to-day commitment after purchase is zero.

Mark Stanway
Mark Stanway | 6 min read
Self-managing
51 hrs
Every month, on average
With a letting agent
11 hrs
Every month, fully managed
Find UK Property
0 hrs
Ongoing rental management
Self-managing, a year
76 days
More than 76 eight-hour working days

Source: Pegasus Insight research, reported by Property118. Zero-hour figure describes Find UK Property's ongoing rental management commitment.

The short read

Property investment is often seen as a way to build long-term wealth and generate passive rental income. But for many landlords, the reality is far from passive. Research by Pegasus Insight, reported by Property118, reveals that self-managing landlords spend an average of 51 hours every month dealing with their rental properties. Even landlords employing a fully managed letting agent still spend an average of 11 hours a month on property-related responsibilities.

Three clock faces comparing monthly management hours: 51 hours self-managing, 11 hours with a letting agent and zero hours with Find UK Property

At Find UK Property, we offer a different approach. Once your property purchase is complete, we take care of everything involved in its ongoing rental management, including the associated maintenance and management costs, legal responsibilities and compliance obligations.

The result? You own the property, receive your agreed rental income and leave the work to us.

1.How the hours compare

The difference between traditional buy-to-let and a fully hands-off property investment is significant.

Hours per month · research averages

Management hours by investment approach

Self-managing landlord51 hrs  ·  612 hrs a year
Landlord using a letting agent11 hrs  ·  132 hrs a year
Find UK Property investor0 hrs  ·  0 hrs a year
Monthly and annual management hours by investment approach
Investment approachMonthly management hoursAnnual management hours
Self-managing landlord51612
Landlord using a letting agent11132
Find UK Property investor00

The 51-hour and 11-hour figures are research averages. Find UK Property's zero-hour figure describes the ongoing rental management commitment under our investment model.

For a self-managing landlord, 612 hours a year is equivalent to more than 76 eight-hour working days.

That's time spent dealing with tenants, organising repairs, arranging inspections, managing paperwork and responding to unexpected problems.

With Find UK Property, those ongoing responsibilities, and their associated costs, are taken care of.

2.Why Even Managed Landlords Still Spend 11 Hours a Month

Many landlords turn to letting agents to reduce their workload. While this can certainly help, traditional property management often still requires substantial involvement from the owner.

Landlords may need to approve repair costs, deal with maintenance decisions, monitor rental payments, arrange additional expenditure or respond to questions from their agents.

They also remain responsible for ensuring that their property complies with the relevant legal requirements, even when an agent handles the practical arrangements.

In other words, a managed letting service doesn't always mean a fully hands-off investment.

132
Hours a year

And those 11 hours every month add up to 132 hours a year.

For busy professionals, retirees and overseas investors, that's time they could be spending on something far more valuable.

3.Find UK Property: Zero Hours of Rental Management

At Find UK Property, we've designed our investment model so that property owners don't need to become property managers.

Unlike a conventional letting agent, Find UK Property rents the property directly from the investor and legally becomes the landlord to the occupying tenants.

This is a fundamental difference.

Rather than simply managing the property on the owner's behalf, we take responsibility for the entire ongoing rental operation, including the costs of maintenance and management and the legal and compliance obligations arising from our role as landlord.

Once your property purchase is complete, we handle everything associated with its day-to-day rental management.

That means:

  • No finding or managing tenants. We handle tenant sourcing, tenancy arrangements, enquiries and ongoing tenant relationships.
  • No chasing rental payments. Your contractually agreed rental income is paid by Find UK Property, regardless of tenant occupancy.
  • No maintenance or repair bills. We arrange and cover the costs of property maintenance and repairs within our rental agreement.
  • No management fees. The ongoing costs of managing the rental property are covered by us.
  • No managing compliance requirements. We take care of the relevant safety checks, certificates and legal compliance obligations associated with our role as landlord.
  • No managing void periods. Your agreed rental income continues even when the property is unoccupied.
  • No day-to-day administration. We handle the paperwork, tenant communications and practical responsibilities involved in running the rental property.

You remain the legal owner of your investment property, while Find UK Property takes responsibility for its ongoing rental management.

4.A Truly Passive Approach to Property Ownership

Roberta Busatlija, Senior Consultant at Find UK Property, explains why this distinction is so important:

The biggest difference with Find UK Property is that we legally become the landlord. We rent the property directly from the owner and take on all the day-to-day responsibilities, from managing tenants and maintenance to ensuring the rent is paid, even when the property is empty.

Unlike traditional buy-to-let, where owners can still spend hours dealing with their properties, our investors don't need to do anything once their purchase is complete. They own the property, receive their agreed rental income and leave everything else to us. That's what makes it a truly passive investment.

Roberta Busatlija, Senior Consultant at Find UK Property

5.It's Not Just About Saving Time. It's About Removing Costs and Responsibilities Too.

One of the biggest challenges facing traditional landlords isn't simply the time involved in managing a rental property. It's the ongoing expense and financial uncertainty.

Maintenance bills, emergency repairs, letting agent fees, tenant turnover and compliance-related expenditure can all affect the profitability of a buy-to-let investment.

Even landlords who pay an agent to manage their property will still need to cover most, or all of these additional expenses themselves.

At Find UK Property, our rental model is designed to remove these ongoing management costs from the investor.

We cover the associated costs of maintaining and managing the property, along with the legal and compliance responsibilities we undertake as the landlord.

This means investors don't need to set aside time to organise routine maintenance, find contractors, deal with tenant-related issues or administer landlord compliance requirements.

And because the rental income is contractually agreed, investors have greater clarity over the income they can expect to receive.

The benefits extend beyond convenience. Our model is designed to offer a more predictable and straightforward property investment experience.

6.Property Investment That Works Around Your Life

The appeal of property investment has always been about more than rental income.

It's about building assets, creating financial security and working towards long-term goals.

But an investment that demands 51 hours of your time every month can start to feel like another job.

Even 11 hours a month can become an unwelcome responsibility, particularly for investors managing a busy career, enjoying retirement or living overseas.

Find UK Property removes that ongoing rental management commitment.

Our current property offering

Our investment model offers 7% net rental income, contractually assured for a minimum of five years, under our current property offering, with rental payments continuing even when the property is unoccupied.

Maintenance, management and the associated operational costs are covered by our team, with no separate ongoing management fees.

Investors retain ownership of their property and the potential for long-term capital growth, without having to take on the day-to-day demands of being a landlord.

Your Property. Your Rental Income. Your Time Back.

The latest landlord research highlights an important truth: owning a rental property and managing one don't have to be the same thing.

Some landlords enjoy handling tenants, maintenance and property administration themselves.

Others simply want an investment that generates income without taking over their free time or exposing them to ongoing rental management responsibilities and expenses.

At Find UK Property, that's exactly what our model is designed to deliver.

51
hours a month managing it yourself.
11
hours a month with a traditional letting agent.
Zero
hours of ongoing rental management with Find UK Property.

And unlike traditional property management, we cover the associated maintenance and management costs and take on the landlord's operational legal and compliance obligations under our agreement.

Because investing in property shouldn't mean investing all your spare time too.

Next step

Discover Truly Hands-Off Property Investment

With Find UK Property, you can own a UK investment property, receive contractually agreed rental income and leave the ongoing rental management, maintenance costs and operational responsibilities to us.

Explore Find UK Property's Investment Opportunities

Source and notes

Source: Property118, Self-managing landlords work 51 hours every month, reporting Pegasus Insight research.

The zero-hour claim relates to ongoing rental management after completion, rather than personal tax, financing or other ownership decisions. Maintenance, management and compliance commitments are subject to the terms of the rental agreement. Property values can fall as well as rise, and capital growth is not guaranteed.

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