Phone systems for estate agents: built for the Renters’ Rights Act, offers on record and the lead that rings at 7pm.
Since 1 May 2026 every private tenancy in England is periodic, rental bidding is banned and rent rises run through a statutory notice. Since 6 April 2025 a misleading omission on a listing is enforced directly by the CMA. Both change what a branch says on the phone and what it needs to prove afterwards. This page sets out the rules and how Telexico builds an agency phone system around them.
From the first ring to the recording.
The same cloud phone system routes every call the way your business works, then keeps a record of it.
What the phones carry in estate and letting agents now.
The Renters’ Rights Act 2025 received Royal Assent on 27 October 2025 and its tenancy reforms commenced in England on 1 May 2026: section 21 evictions are abolished, existing and new tenancies are periodic, rent can rise only once a year through a section 13 notice with two months’ notice, landlords and agents must publish an asking rent and may not accept bids above it, and a tenant’s request to keep a pet must be answered within 28 days and cannot be unreasonably refused. The government’s roadmap adds the Private Rented Sector Database from late 2026 and a landlord ombudsman later. Each of those is a new category of phone call for a lettings desk.
On the sales side, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 replaced the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations on 6 April 2025, so misleading omissions of material information on a listing can be enforced directly by the CMA, with penalties of up to the higher of £300,000 or 10% of worldwide turnover. National Trading Standards’ material information guidance was withdrawn in May 2025 when the Act took over, and the CMA’s unfair commercial practices guidance (updated November 2025) is now the reference. The Estate Agents Act 1979 regime still requires offers to be passed to the client promptly and in writing, and The Property Ombudsman’s code adds written confirmation of each offer within two working days. Negotiators need the information to hand when the phone rings, and the branch needs a record of what was said.
Six things that decide whether a agency phone system works.
Each one is drawn from a published source listed at the foot of the page, dated. None is a guess.
May 2026 changed the lettings phone
Periodic tenancies, two months’ notice, section 13 rent increases, published asking rents and 28-day pet decisions all generate calls from landlords and tenants that did not exist before.
Offers must reach the client promptly and in writing
The Estate Agents Act 1979 regime (Undesirable Practices Order 1991) is clear on it. A recorded call plus a logged time is the simplest evidence that an offer was received and passed on.
Material information is now a CMA matter
Since 6 April 2025 the DMCC Act lets the CMA act directly on misleading omissions, and the old Trading Standards guidance was withdrawn in May 2025. The question a buyer asks on the phone (tenure, service charge, flood risk) needs a correct answer and a record of it.
Enquiries arrive when the branch is shut
Portal enquiries and valuation requests come in evenings and weekends. Whoever answers first tends to get the viewing.
Negotiators live on mobiles
Viewings, valuations and the car. If the branch number does not follow them, the record and the relationship leave with them.
Redress and client money obligations need evidence
Letting and managing agents in England have had to belong to a redress scheme since 1 October 2014 and a client money protection scheme since 1 April 2019. The Property Ombudsman’s code expects written complaints acknowledged within three working days, a formal written outcome within fifteen, and records of all transactions kept for six years.
Every seat, fully loaded.
- Call recording, the Telexico Mobile App and Telexico Web UC included
- Handsets pre-provisioned and shipped ready to plug in
- Moves, adds and changes from the portal, no engineer visit
What the regulator expects of estate and letting agents, and what the phones have to do about it.
The left column is the obligation as published; the right column is how we configure the system to meet it. Read the source before relying on the summary.
| Requirement | Where it comes from | What the phone system must do |
|---|---|---|
| Tenancy reforms: periodic tenancies, section 13 rent increases with two months’ notice, no rental bidding, pet requests answered within 28 days | Renters’ Rights Act 2025 (commenced 1 May 2026); GOV.UK guide and roadmap | Lettings menu options for landlords and tenants; calls recorded and tagged to the property; SMS confirmations from the branch number |
| Offers passed to the client promptly and in writing; each offer confirmed in writing to seller and buyer within two working days | Estate Agents (Undesirable Practices) (No. 2) Order 1991; TPO Code of Practice 9a | Offer calls recorded and time-stamped; voicemail to email so an offer left at 6pm is logged at 6pm |
| No misleading omissions of material information | DMCC Act 2024 (in force 6 Apr 2025); CMA guidance CMA207 (updated Nov 2025) | What was said about a property is on record; negotiators answer from the listing, not memory |
| Membership of an approved redress scheme (since 2014) and client money protection (since 2019); written complaints acknowledged within 3 working days, formal outcome within 15; records kept 6 years | Redress Schemes Order 2014; CMP Regulations 2019; TPO Code of Practice 14d and 1i | Complaints route on the menu; recordings and call logs retained to the six-year policy |
| Tell callers calls are recorded, why and for how long | ICO right to be informed; Lawful Business Practice Regulations 2000 | Announcement on every line; retention set per branch |
| Emergency calls must survive a power cut for at least an hour where relied on | Ofcom guidance on General Condition A3 | Battery back-up and 4G/5G failover per branch |
Swipe the table sideways on a phone.
The Telexico blueprint for estate and letting agents.
Hosted cloud calling with the Telexico Mobile App, Web UC and standard SIP handsets, configured for the way a agency actually runs.
Branch groups that overflow to each other
Each branch keeps its own number and hunt group; if nobody answers in twenty seconds the call rolls to the next branch, then to the AI receptionist, so a Saturday morning never rings out.
Negotiators on the branch number
The Telexico Mobile App puts the branch number on every negotiator’s mobile, with recording and the call log back at the branch. Personal numbers stay out of it.
Tracking numbers per portal and board
A different number for Rightmove, Zoopla, your boards and your website, with reporting that shows which source actually rings and when.
AI receptionist for evenings and weekends
Captures viewing requests, valuation requests and maintenance calls with the property address, sends a confirmation by SMS and emails the transcript to the branch.
Offers, rents and pets on record
Recording announced on every line, calls tagged to the property, retention set to your complaints policy.
A connection per branch that stays up
Full fibre with 4G/5G failover and battery back-up at each branch, and the analogue lines migrated before 31 January 2027.
A typical inherited set-up and a Telexico agency system.
| Moment | What usually happens | Telexico |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday morning | Two negotiators out; the branch rings out | Overflow to the next branch, then the AI receptionist; nothing lost |
| Evening portal enquiry | Answered on Monday | AI receptionist captures and confirms by SMS; callback booked for 9am |
| An offer by phone | A note on the system when someone gets a minute | Recorded, time-stamped, emailed to the vendor with the written confirmation |
| A pet request | Lost in a voicemail; 28 days pass | Tagged on receipt; the response is tracked from the date |
| Negotiators’ mobiles | Personal numbers on boards and emails | Branch number on the app; the record stays with the agency |
| Which marketing works | Guesswork | Tracking numbers per portal and board with call reporting |
| Lines | Analogue or ISDN per branch, withdrawn 31 January 2027 | Hosted across branches on full fibre with failover |
Swipe the table sideways on a phone.
How a agency day runs on the new system.
- 08:30The lettings menu separates landlords, tenants and maintenance; a section 13 query goes straight to the lettings manager.
- 09:00A valuation request from the website tracking number rings the branch; the call report later shows which source it came from.
- 12:45An offer arrives by phone. It is recorded, time-stamped and the written confirmation goes to the vendor the same afternoon.
- 13:30A tenant asks to keep a dog. The call is tagged and the 28-day response is tracked from today.
- 15:10A negotiator takes a buyer’s question about tenure on the branch number from the car, on the app; the answer is on record.
- 18:40The AI receptionist books a viewing request, confirms by SMS and emails the transcript to the branch.
- Sat 10:00One branch is short-staffed; its calls roll to the neighbouring branch after twenty seconds.
The calendar a agency phone plan is built around.
- 6 April 2025DMCC Act 2024 consumer provisions in force; CMA direct enforcement of unfair commercial practices
- 27 October 2025Renters’ Rights Act 2025 Royal Assent
- 1 May 2026Tenancy reforms commence in England
- 30 October 2026Openreach closes the exceptions process for remaining analogue lines
- Late 2026Private Rented Sector Database roll-out begins (government roadmap, November 2025)
- 31 January 2027WLR and ISDN withdrawn nationally
- 2028PRS Landlord Ombudsman membership expected to become mandatory (roadmap)
Agency phone systems by area.
Installed from Wolverhampton across the Midlands, and through UK partner engineers elsewhere. Each area page covers the local detail.
The services behind a agency system.
Everything for estate agents
Broadband, WiFi, CCTV, SMS and AI for the sector in one place.
Business phone systems
Hosted cloud calling with the Telexico Mobile App, Web UC and desk phones.
AI receptionist
Answers, captures and books when the team cannot, with a transcript every time.
AI call intelligence
Every call transcribed, summarised and flagged for complaints and opportunities.
Business broadband and full fibre
The connection the phones depend on, with 4G/5G failover built in.
The PSTN switch-off
What the end of analogue and ISDN lines means for your building.
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Businesses that run on Telexico.
A few of the companies we look after — across hospitality, healthcare, property and retail.
Every seat, fully loaded.
Phone systems for estate and letting agents: your questions.
Can negotiators keep using their own phones?
Yes, with the Telexico Mobile App. The branch number shows, calls are recorded to the branch and the log stays with the agency when someone moves on.
Do you offer tracking numbers for Rightmove and Zoopla?
Yes. Each portal, board run and website gets its own number pointing at the branch, and the reporting shows calls by source, time and outcome.
How does the AI receptionist handle a viewing request?
It takes the property, the caller’s details and preferred times, sends an SMS confirmation and emails the transcript to the branch. It does not confirm the viewing on your behalf unless you want it to.
Can one system cover several branches?
That is the normal set-up: each branch keeps its number and group, calls overflow between branches, and the whole agency sits on one bill with one engineer.
Do we have to record calls?
No. Agencies choose to because offers, rent conversations and material-information questions are exactly the calls disputes are about. Recording is lawful under the Lawful Business Practice Regulations 2000 when callers are told, and the privacy notice states the purpose and retention.
What does it cost?
One per-user price per month quoted in writing, with UK calls, set-up and number porting included, rolling 30-day terms available or 12 months with handsets included, and no mid-contract price rises.
Built the same way: the rules, the pressures, the blueprint.
Where the agency facts come from.
Checked on 7 October 2026. Regulations and figures change; read the current version of each document before relying on the summary above.
- GOV.UK: guide to the Renters’ Rights Act
- Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024
- CMA: unfair commercial practices guidance, CMA207 (updated 18 Nov 2025)
- GOV.UK: Renters’ Rights Act 2025 implementation roadmap (13 Nov 2025)
- Propertymark: material information guidance withdrawn as the DMCC Act takes over (9 May 2025)
- Estate Agents (Undesirable Practices) (No. 2) Order 1991
- The Property Ombudsman: Code of Practice for Residential Estate Agents (March 2026 edition)
- Estate Agents Act 1979
- Redress Schemes for Lettings Agency Work and Property Management Work (England) Order 2014
- Client Money Protection Schemes for Property Agents Regulations 2019
- ICO: what privacy information should we provide?
- Telecommunications (Lawful Business Practice) (Interception of Communications) Regulations 2000, reg 3
- GOV.UK: Moving landlines to digital technologies (28 May 2025)
- Openreach: updated WLR commitments, published by Ofcom (19 Dec 2025)
- ISPreview: Openreach confirms post-January 2027 measures (24 Sep 2026)
- Ofcom: guidance on General Condition A3.2(b), power cuts and emergency calls (10 Oct 2018)