A block is not a big house. It comes with a title or several, a building insurance policy, a lender with a view on how the flats are used, a fire risk assessment for the common parts and often people living in it. Each of those shapes which route is open to you and how long it takes. This guide sets out every route owners of blocks weigh up, including the ones that have nothing to do with us, so you can compare them on the same page.
Start with three questions
- Capital or income? A sale releases capital once. Letting, leasing or managing keeps the building and pays you over time.
- How much time do you have? Some routes suit an owner who can wait for the best price. Others suit one who needs a decision.
- How much of the running do you want to keep? From all of it (letting the flats yourself) to none of it (a sale or a company let).
Most owners know the answer to at least one of these before they start. It narrows the field quickly.
1. Sell on the open market through an agent
The widest pool of buyers and the clearest test of price. Blocks often sell through investment or commercial agents rather than a high-street branch, because the buyers are investors who read a block as a rent schedule, not a home. The agent markets it, handles viewings and negotiates.
The trade-offs: the listing is public, so residents and neighbours see it. There is time on the market, commission payable on completion and a buyer who may need finance, surveys and a lender's valuation before exchange. It works best when the building is in good order, the paperwork is complete and there is no pressure on time.
2. Sell at auction
Contracts exchange when the hammer falls and completion usually follows within about four weeks, so the certainty comes early. A block with a known defect, short leases or a messy history often goes to auction because the buyer accepts the risk openly and prices it in.
The trade-offs: the legal pack has to be ready before the catalogue goes out. There is a reserve to agree, fees on both sides and a public result if the lot does not sell.
3. Sell off-market to an investor
No portal listing, no board and no open viewings, which matters when the flats are occupied. Investors buying off-market are used to blocks with residents in place, works outstanding or a lease structure that needs sorting out.
The trade-off: off-market offers come in below open market value, because the buyer is paying for speed, discretion and the risk they take on. Ask any off-market buyer who pays which fees. On our route the buyer pays our fee and you pay nothing. You know the amount before you agree anything.
4. Keep it and let the flats on the open market
Traditional letting, one household per flat. It keeps the asset and gives a steady rent roll, but it is the most hands-on route: arrears, repairs, safety certificates for every flat and a letting agent's fee if you do not do it yourself.
It has also changed. Since 1 May 2026 section 21 has gone in England and fixed-term assured shorthold tenancies have become periodic assured tenancies, so possession now depends on the statutory grounds. Some owners are selling because of it; others are moving to one of the routes below.
5. Lease the whole building to a company
One company let agreement for the block, or a floor of it, with a company as the lessee. You receive one fixed monthly sum on the same date whether or not anyone is staying. The company carries the voids. It is a commercial agreement with a company rather than a letting to individuals. Your solicitor can explain what that means for your building.
What gets checked first: lender consent that names the use, a freehold or head-lease position that allows it, building insurance that covers it and the planning use. The trade-off is that the upside above the fixed sum stays with the company. This is the route our apartment block page and company let page describe.
6. Keep it and have it managed as serviced accommodation
The flats are furnished and let by the night or the week to working guests: contractors, project teams and people relocating for work. The building stays yours and so does the upside. With us, management is a percentage of booking revenue, from 20%. You receive a monthly statement for every flat.
The trade-offs: income moves month to month, the flats need furnishing before the first guest and the same consents apply as for a lease. Outside London there is no fixed night limit on short stays in England; whether a change of use needs planning permission is a question of fact and degree for the council. The management page sets out how it runs.
7. Split the building between routes
A block does not have to take one route. Owners sell a few flats and keep the rest, lease one floor to a company and manage another, or keep the flats that are let and sell the empty ones. A partial exit releases some capital without giving up the building.
Side by side
| Route | What you get | Keeps the building? | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent, open market | The widest test of price | No | Time on the market and a public listing |
| Auction | Certainty once the hammer falls | No | A reserve to meet and fees on both sides |
| Off-market sale | Discretion; no listing or viewings | No | Offers below open market value |
| Let the flats | A rent roll | Yes | The most hands-on route |
| Company let | One fixed monthly sum | Yes | The upside above the sum is the company's |
| Full management | The booking income, less the fee | Yes | Income that moves month to month |
| A mix | Some capital, some income | Partly | More agreements to put in place |
The papers every route asks for
- Official copies of the title register and plan, plus the leases of any flats already sold on long leases
- The building insurance schedule and, where there is a mortgage, the lender's written consent to the use
- The fire risk assessment for the common parts and an EWS1 form where a lender asks for one
- Gas safety records, electrical reports and EPCs for each flat
- The rent schedule and tenancy paperwork if any flats are occupied
- The planning history and, for a building of 18 metres or seven storeys and above with at least two homes, its registration with the Building Safety Regulator
Having these ready shortens every route, including the ones that do not involve us.
Where we fit
Routes 3, 5, 6 and 7 are ours: a quiet sale to investors on our list, one company let agreement for the building, full management or a mix of the three. If the block has not gone to market yet, send us the details and compare them before anything is listed. Nothing about talking to us first stops you using an agent afterwards.
Your Questions
Blocks of flats: your questions.
Can I sell a block of flats with people living in it?
Yes. The block is sold with the tenancies in place and the buyer takes them on. The rent schedule and the tenancy paperwork go in the sale pack. Residents do not need to move out for the sale to happen.
Do I need my lender's consent to lease the block to a company?
Usually, yes. Most mortgages on residential blocks limit how the flats can be used, so the lender's written consent naming the use comes before anything is signed.
Can I keep some flats and sell the others?
Yes. A partial sale releases capital and keeps the rest of the building earning, whether the flats you keep are let, leased to a company or managed.
What is the first step?
Gather the title, the insurance schedule and the lender's position, then compare the routes. If you would like to talk it through, send us the town, the size of the block and what you want to happen.