How to Let Your London Property to a Company Rather Than an Individual

Most London tenancies are signed by the people who will actually live in the property. A company let works differently: the tenant on the agreement is a business, and the people who move in are named occupiers it nominates. For landlords this can feel unfamiliar, so it helps to understand what changes, what stays the same, and where to take care before you agree to it.

What a company let actually is

In a company let, an organisation enters into the tenancy as the named tenant and takes on the obligations to pay the rent and look after the property. The business then places one or more of its employees or guests in the home as permitted occupiers. The arrangement is common where an employer is relocating staff or housing visiting colleagues, and it is one segment of the rental market among many rather than a special category of better tenant.

How it differs from an individual tenancy

The headline difference is who is responsible. With an individual let, your tenant is the person living there; with a company let, your contract is with the business, and the business answers for the rent and any breaches even if the occupiers change. That can give a landlord a single, stable point of accountability.

The legal framework also differs in important ways. Many of the protections introduced for individual renters apply to tenancies granted to people as their home, so a genuine company let can sit outside parts of that regime. Because the boundary between a true company let and an ordinary residential tenancy can be finely drawn, this is an area where you should treat what follows as general information, not advice, and confirm the position with a solicitor for your specific let. Our overview of the Renters' Rights Act 2025 for London landlords explains the wider regime that applies to ordinary residential tenancies.

Referencing a business rather than a person

When the tenant is a company, your checks shift from a person's income to an organisation's standing. Rather than payslips and an employer's reference, you are looking at how long the business has traded, whether its accounts are publicly filed and in good order, and whether it can comfortably cover the rent. It is sensible to ask for the registered company details, recent accounts or a trading history, and a named contact who will manage the tenancy on the company's side.

The principle behind the assessment is the same one set out in our guide to how tenant referencing works: you are trying to form a fair, evidence-based view of whether the rent will be paid and the property respected. For the individuals who will live there, you will still want to know who they are, and our note on the documents a tenant needs to pass referencing is a useful reference for the occupier side of the file.

Right to Rent and the occupiers

A company being the tenant does not remove your immigration responsibilities towards the people who actually move in. Right to Rent immigration checks are still required before adults occupy the property as their only or main home, so you or your agent should carry these out on the nominated occupiers in the usual way. The cleanest approach is to record clearly, in the tenancy paperwork, exactly who is permitted to live there and to keep the occupier list up to date if the company rotates staff.

Deposits, fees and money matters

Deposit rules can work differently for company lets than for individual residential tenancies, and the protection requirements that apply to a standard assured tenancy deposit may not apply in the same way to a genuine corporate let. Because getting this wrong is costly, agree the deposit arrangement in writing and check the correct treatment for your particular tenancy before funds change hands.

Whether your tenant is a company or a person, an agent holding your money needs Client Money Protection and redress-scheme membership. Where a deposit is taken on an ordinary residential tenancy it is capped at five weeks' rent (or six weeks' rent where the annual rent is £50,000 or more) and must be protected in a government-approved scheme within 30 days, with the prescribed information provided. If your usual lettings work is handled for you, our overview of what a letting agent does in London sets out where these responsibilities sit.

Safety certificates do not change

The property compliance obligations are the same regardless of who signs the tenancy. You still need a valid Energy Performance Certificate to market and let, currently at a minimum rating of E, with the certificate valid for ten years. A Gas Safety Record must be renewed annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer, and an Electrical Installation Condition Report is needed at least every five years. You also need a smoke alarm on every storey and a carbon monoxide alarm in any room with a fixed combustion appliance. None of this is waived by letting to a business.

Tax and the non-resident question

If the company taking the tenancy is based overseas, that fact alone does not make you a non-resident landlord; the non-resident question turns on where the landlord, meaning you, usually lives. Separately, if you as the landlord are usually resident outside the UK for six months or more, the non-resident landlord scheme can require basic-rate tax to be deducted from your rent unless HMRC approves you to receive it gross, with your UK tax obligations still settled through Self Assessment. This is general information, not advice, and tax treatment depends on your circumstances, so speak to a qualified professional.

Weighing it up

A company let can offer a single, accountable tenant and a smoother relationship where an employer is managing the occupiers, which is one reason employers relocating staff often prefer it; our guide to attracting corporate tenants to your London property looks at that demand in more detail. Against that, the referencing is different, the legal and deposit treatment needs care, and the paperwork has to name occupiers clearly. For most landlords the sensible path is to keep your usual standards, document everything, and take advice where the company-let boundary matters.

If you are considering a corporate let and want a measured view of whether it suits your property and your goals, we are always happy to talk it through. You can also read our wider guidance on letting well, from finding the right tenant to staying on the right side of the rules, whenever it is useful.