Abode

What Abode does

Abode Leeds is a privately held, founder-owned letting agency operating exclusively in Leeds, UK. Founded in 2005 by Matt and rebranded in 2019 when Adam joined as co-owner, the firm specialises in student and residential accommodation across Hyde Park, Headingley, Burley, Woodhouse, Morley, Alwoodley, and Adel, with a portfolio of 248 listed properties (219 houses, 29 flats). The company is small, with a four-to-five-person team, and generates revenue primarily from landlord management fees (15% guaranteed rent, 12%+ VAT fully managed, 6%+ VAT let-only), supplemented by tenant deposits and ancillary fees.

The business operates a direct-to-consumer model, sourcing tenants through a self-service website (built on the Agentworks platform), listings on Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket, and a walk-in office at 39a Queens Road. Service breadth extends beyond lettings into property sales, mortgage and conveyancing referrals, professional cleaning, and renovation design. The firm also offers a guaranteed-rent product backed by government-funded contractor partnerships, providing landlords with 5+ year fully repairing leases. Compliance is maintained through Propertymark, Property Ombudsman, DPS, and Client Money Protection memberships.

Technology is non-differentiated: the website is a standard estate-agency listing platform with property alerts and viewing booking, with no proprietary AI, API, or data-asset capabilities. The company's strategic posture is that of a stable, single-city, lifestyle-scale operator with deepening wallet share per landlord rather than geographic expansion.

Name

Abode

Legal name

Abode Leeds

Website

https://abodeleeds.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Abode Leeds is a founder-owned letting agency in Leeds, UK, managing approximately 248 student and residential properties through full-service lettings, property management, and landlord services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Residential Property Lettings

NAICS

Residential Property Managers (531311), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Student Housing Property Management & Leasing Operators (THAMAGAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Lease Administration & Tenant Services (BPAJAFAL), Student Housing Roommate Matching, Assignments & Occupancy Management (BPAJAJAJ)

Keywords

• Student lettings
• Residential rentals
• Property management
• Landlord services
• Property sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Leeds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Landlord Management Fees: Fees charged to landlords for property management services: Guaranteed Rent via Government Backed Contracts at 15%, Fully Managed Services at 12%+ VAT, and Let Only Services at 6%+ VAT. Bespoke rates available for larger portfolios.
2. Tenant Deposits and Fees: Holding deposit of £200 per person to reserve property, security deposit of £300 for students or one month's rent for professionals. Additional fees for variations, early termination, and lost keys.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Abode Leeds is a letting agency operating in Leeds, UK, that matches tenants (primarily University of Leeds students and working professionals) with rental properties in Hyde Park, Headingley, Burley, Woodhouse and surrounding areas. The agency also provides landlords with tiered property management services (Let Only, Fully Managed, and Guaranteed Rent via government-backed contracts) and offers ancillary services such as property sales, cleaning, renovation design, and mortgage/conveyancing referrals.

Product overview

Abode Leeds operates as a traditional letting agency offering a unified suite of property services. The core offering centers on student and residential lettings across Leeds neighborhoods (Hyde Park, Headingley, Burley, Woodhouse, Morley, Alwoodley), with 248 properties available for rent. Supporting services include property sales (via a six-step process), comprehensive landlord management (with tiers ranging from let-only to fully managed), professional cleaning services, house renovation design consultation, and mortgage/conveyancing referrals. The company also offers a government-backed guaranteed rent product and digital property alert registration. All services are delivered through their Agent Vision-powered website platform without any API or AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RightmovecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor UK property portal where Abode Leeds lists properties for sale and rent. Rightmove is described as the primary channel where 98% of prospective buyers search for properties.
• ZooplacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor UK property portal where Abode Leeds lists properties. Zoopla provides valuation tools and market data referenced by the company.
• OnTheMarketminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK property portal listing partner for Abode Leeds properties.
• NRLA (National Residential Landlords Association)minorOthersIndustry association membership providing landlord support and representation.
• Government Contractors (for Guaranteed Rent Scheme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTwo major contractors with UK government funding who provide fully repairing lease agreements for 5+ years, enabling Abode Leeds to offer landlords guaranteed rent schemes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• OpenRent: Online UK letting platform that enables landlords to let and manage properties directly with lower fees. Competes indirectly by disintermediating traditional agents like Abode for cost-sensitive landlords.

Broad incumbents

• Northwood: National UK letting and estate agency franchise with a Guaranteed Rent product that closely mirrors Abode's government-backed rent scheme, plus fully managed and let-only tiers across many UK cities including Leeds.
• Leaders Romans Group: Large UK lettings and estate agency group (owner of Linley & Simpson) operating across Leeds with residential lettings, property management and tenant sourcing. Overlaps directly with Abode's letting and management offering.
• Hunters Property Group: National UK estate and letting agency network with branches across Leeds. Offers similar residential letting and management services as part of a wider multi-service property portfolio.
• Manning Stainton: Established Leeds estate and letting agency covering residential sales, lettings and property management across the same neighborhoods Abode serves. Overlaps in core letting services but operates at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Purple Frog: UK specialist student letting agency with multiple offices in major university cities. Directly comparable in student tenant placement, fully managed landlord services and recurring percentage-of-rent revenue model.
• Linley & Simpson: Large Leeds-headquartered lettings and sales agency with significant student housing presence in Hyde Park, Headingley and surrounding areas. Closely comparable to Abode in product, geography and customer mix.

Others

• DPS (Deposit Protection Scheme): Government-approved tenancy deposit protection scheme that Abode uses for all tenant deposits. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but central to compliance operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abodeleeds
• Facebookfacebook.com/abodeleeds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Abode