Find estate agents specialising in both sales and lettings
If you own a rental property and need to find […]
If you own a rental property and need to find estate agents that handle both sales and lettings near you, you already know the problem this guide is designed to solve. Your letting agent handles the tenancy. Your sales agent handles the viewings. Neither one is fully across what the other is doing, and you end up as the go-between for two separate firms who both have opinions about your property but only half the picture. This kind of split arrangement can create duplicated admin, conflicting valuations, and genuinely avoidable delays.
The practical alternative is a single agent who handles both sides of the market. One firm, one team, and one consistent understanding of your property and your goals. Local estate agents who specialise in both sales and lettings can provide a more streamlined experience, whether you are buying, selling, renting, or investing. While many property owners search for experienced letting agents Manchester or estate agents in their local area, not every town has an agency that is genuinely set up to deliver both services well rather than simply listing one as an afterthought.
Wigan is one exception. Rutter Green is an independent estate agency offering comprehensive residential sales, lettings, and property management services under one roof. As a family-run business with direct knowledge of the local property market, the team provides expert guidance for homeowners, landlords, tenants, and investors, ensuring a professional and personalised service at every stage.
This guide walks through why combining these services under one agent makes sense, how to locate suitable dual-service estate agents near you, what credentials to look for, the questions worth asking before you commit to anyone, and how to put together a shortlist you can act on.
Why one agent for both sales and lettings is worth seeking out
One point of contact, one complete picture of your property
When a single agent holds the history of both your sales instruction and your lettings activity, nothing gets lost between departments. They already know the property’s condition, its rental performance, how it has been maintained, and what your timeline looks like. That shared context means faster decisions and fewer repeated conversations, with no risk of one side of the business undermining the other with conflicting advice or contradictory valuations.
The financial case for a combined instruction
UK sales fees typically sit between 0.9% and 3.6% of the sale price, while full lettings management generally runs between 8% and 12% of monthly rent, based on industry. Some agents offering both services will negotiate a combined fee arrangement, which can reduce the overall cost when you instruct them across both disciplines. It pays to ask directly rather than assume the standard rates apply, recent reporting on average estate agency commission rates provides useful context when discussing fees.
Continuity when your plans shift mid-process
Property plans rarely stay fixed, a landlord may decide to sell, or a seller may decide to let out while waiting to find the right purchase. An agent set up for both can pivot with you without requiring a full re-onboarding, a fresh valuation from scratch, or a handover between two firms who have never spoken to each other. That flexibility has real value when timing matters.
The two situations where a dual-service agent makes the biggest difference
Landlords approaching the decision to sell
A landlord who has instructed their letting agent to manage a tenancy and a separate sales agent to handle a potential sale is setting up for friction. Lease timelines, access for viewings, and tenant notice periods all need careful coordination, and that coordination is far easier when it happens internally rather than across two competing firms. A single agent who manages the tenancy and oversees the sale can protect both the landlord’s rental income and the sale timeline without either side creating delays for the other.
Sellers who want to rent out while they wait to buy
Some sellers complete their sale before finding the right purchase. Rather than rushing into a chain under pressure or carrying unnecessary holding costs, renting the property out short-term is a practical bridge. An agent who already knows the property from the sales instruction can take it straight to lettings, with no duplicate valuation, no repeat condition survey, and full existing knowledge of the property’s position in the local market. According to lettings market data published in early 2026, the average time to let a residential property in the UK is around 17 days nationally, which makes this a viable short-term option when the process is handled by an agent already prepared to act quickly.
How to find estate agents that handle both sales and lettings near you
Starting with UK property portals and agent directories
Rightmove and OnTheMarket both include agent directories searchable by postcode or town name. Look for branches listed under both residential sales and residential lettings, not just one or the other. Some agents appear on portals under sales but outsource lettings entirely, so check whether the lettings listings also carry the same trading name and branch address. A gap there is a reliable signal that lettings is not genuinely in-house. Local agents will often highlight marketing partnerships on their websites, which can be useful for judging their reach and listing strategy.
Using Google to find sales and lettings agents near you
A straightforward search for your town name followed by “estate agents sales and lettings” will surface local options quickly. Visit each agent’s website directly and check whether they have dedicated sections for both services. If lettings is a single page with a phone number to another firm, that agent is not genuinely operating on both sides of the market, regardless of what their Google listing implies.
What to check on the agent’s own website
Look for active lettings listings alongside sales listings, evidence of a property management service (not just a tenant-find offering), and contact details for both departments within the same office. These signals confirm that the capability is real rather than a marketing claim. If a website does not show current managed properties or does not explain how maintenance and tenancy management are handled, the lettings operation is likely to be limited or largely nominal.
Credentials that confirm genuine dual expertise
Client money protection and redress scheme registration
Letting agents in England who hold client money are legally required to be registered with an approved client money protection (CMP) scheme. Separately, agents carrying out relevant letting work, such as granting assured tenancies, must belong to a property redress scheme, such as The Property Ombudsman. According to government guidance, failure to join an approved CMP scheme where required can result in a penalty of up to £30,000. For sales, redress scheme membership is also mandatory. A legitimate dual-service agent will display both registrations clearly on their website and confirm them without hesitation if asked directly. If that information is not visible and an agent is reluctant to confirm it, treat that as a clear warning sign. For background on CMP and what it covers, see the NRLA guidance on what client money protection is and the government-backed update noting that client money protection is now a legal requirement in applicable cases.
Questions to ask before you shortlist a dual-service agent
Testing their sales track record with hard numbers
Ask how many residential sales they completed in the last 12 months. Ask what percentage of asking price their sellers typically achieve and how long properties stay on the market before a sale is agreed. Specific numbers signal an agent who is active and tracking their own performance. Vague answers, general reassurances, or references to being “very busy” without any supporting figures signal the opposite.
Proving their lettings capability goes beyond tenant-find
Ask how many properties they currently manage under a full management service. Ask what their average void period is between tenancies, and who handles day-to-day maintenance calls and tenant communications, whether a named member of staff or a shared inbox. Full management is a fundamentally different operation to placing tenants occasionally, and the answer will tell you quickly whether they run a real lettings business or simply place tenants when the opportunity arises.
Getting fee clarity across both services in writing
Request a written fee breakdown for sales commission and lettings management separately. Ask directly whether any reduction applies when you instruct them for both. Confirm what each tier includes and what triggers additional charges. Any agent who is genuinely confident in their combined service model should be comfortable putting this in writing without prompting.
What a genuinely full-service agent looks like in practice
The Rutter Green model: both services, one address, one team
Rutter Green is a family-run, independent estate agency based in Wigan and one of the few agents in the area offering residential sales, lettings, full property management, and residential and commercial property auctions under one roof. They work with landlords, sellers, buyers, and tenants from the same office, with the same team, sharing the same knowledge of Wigan’s local property market. Free valuations are available for both sales appraisals and rental assessments. For any landlord in Wigan weighing up whether to sell or continue letting, or any seller considering a rental period as a bridge between completion and purchase, this is the model that removes the coordination problem entirely. Commercial Finance With Haynes And Haynes is one of the ways the team supports commercial transactions when required.
How to turn your research into a shortlist and take the next step
Take the questions from the previous section and contact two or three shortlisted agents. Compare their responses in writing and check Google reviews specifically for mentions of both sales and lettings experience, not just one or the other. Then make contact with the agent that answers clearly, responds promptly, and demonstrates real knowledge of your area. Whether you need a letting agent near you, a sales agent, or both under one roof, the difference between a genuine dual-service agent and one simply claiming to offer both tends to become obvious within the first conversation. You may also find it useful to follow local examples of how agencies boost exposure, see how Rutter Green partners with Realmove.com to boost property marketing for a practical example of local marketing partnerships.
Finding the right agent is a one-time effort with long-term returns
Finding a single agent who handles both sales and lettings removes the friction that comes from splitting property decisions across two separate firms. The benefits are practical: fewer contacts to manage, consistent valuations, lower combined costs in some cases, and the ability to change direction without starting from scratch with a new agent who knows nothing about your property.
For landlords and property owners in Wigan, Rutter Green offers the full package from one independent, locally embedded team. Book a free valuation, bring the questions from this guide, and see how a genuine dual-service agent compares to managing two separate relationships. It is a straightforward conversation, and usually a revealing one.
