London & Surrey · Overseas landlords
The guide is intended for British owners living or working in Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt or Hamburg, and German residents who own rental property in West London or Surrey.
Hermens Property is an independent, solicitor-led estate agency. We manage residential properties in West London and Surrey, rather than operating an office in Germany.
A familiar introduction
Deutsch
Hermens unterstützt Eigentümer bei der Vermietung und Verwaltung von Wohnimmobilien in Westlondon und Surrey. Wir können Mieterangelegenheiten, Instandhaltung, Mieteinnahmen und regelmässige Berichte vor Ort koordinieren. Verträge und die übliche Kommunikation erfolgen auf Englisch.
These short introductions are provided for convenience. Our ordinary working language and property management contracts are English; translation or interpretation can be arranged separately if needed.
A full management arrangement can include marketing and finding suitable tenants, organising the tenancy documentation, collecting rent, coordinating maintenance, arranging inspections and keeping owners informed. The exact services, approvals, expenditure limits and reporting will be agreed in our written terms.
A UK contact point for enquiries, tenancy administration and rent collection, with landlord statements showing income and expenditure.
Local access arrangements, contractor coordination, inspections and agreed authority for urgent repairs.
Assistance with safety certificates, deposit administration, licensing checks and records, while you remain the legal landlord.
Rent is commonly quoted as a monthly figure in GBP, and English service charges do not necessarily correspond to German Nebenkosten. Ask for a breakdown of all running costs when assessing the net return.
Advertised rent is not a guaranteed net return: void periods, repairs, management fees, insurance and, for some flats, service charges can affect the result. A realistic market appraisal should reflect the property and the local comparable evidence.
English assured periodic tenancies and the English leasehold structure should not be treated as equivalents of German tenancy or Wohnungseigentum arrangements. English statutory notices and the property's lease matter.
A property's building managing agent and the letting agent serving its owner perform different functions. We can help identify who should receive service-charge demands, arrange building access and deal with day-to-day tenancy matters.
From 1 May 2026, most private assured residential tenancies in England are assured periodic tenancies. Landlords must follow the applicable rules on tenancy information, rent increases and possession, alongside obligations concerning deposits, safety and licensing where relevant.
Read the current government landlord guidanceIf you previously managed rentals in Germany, revisit your UK tenancy documentation rather than reusing a German approach to rent reviews, deposits or possession.
We would also check property access, any existing tenancy, lender and insurance requirements, maintenance history, deposit details and available compliance certificates.
If your usual place of abode is outside the UK, the Non-resident Landlords Scheme may apply to rental income from your UK property. A UK letting agent operating the scheme normally has to account to HMRC for basic-rate tax on relevant rental income after allowable deductions, unless HMRC has authorised payment without deduction.
Approval to receive rental income without deduction does not itself remove any UK tax liability. Depending on your circumstances, the income may also need consideration in Germany. Individual tax residence, declarations and double-taxation relief should be checked with qualified advisers in the relevant countries.
The rules can apply even where the UK rent is paid into a British bank account. Hermens Property is an estate agency and management business, not a law firm, and does not provide personal legal, UK tax or overseas tax advice.
HMRC's Non-resident Landlords Scheme guidanceNo. A home let in England is governed by English law. Most private assured tenancies have operated on a periodic basis since 1 May 2026, with distinct rent and possession procedures.
Our work is focused on West London and Surrey, including Notting Hill, Kensington and Chelsea, Ealing, Weybridge and surrounding areas. We can start with a remote conversation about the property's location, current tenancy, rental potential and level of support needed.
