Drake & Co

What Drake & Co does

Drake & Co is a privately held, Manchester-based estate agency and property management firm founded in 1982, specialising in student accommodation across the M12-M14 postcode corridor — primarily Rusholme, Victoria Park, Chorlton-on-Medlock, Fallowfield, and Withington. The company operates from a single headquarters office at 161a Dickenson Road, Rusholme, and offers three core service lines: a Full Management Service (12% + VAT of monthly rent, plus a £500 + VAT tenant-sourcing fee), a Let-Only Service (75% of one month's rent, minimum £550 + VAT), and a Property Sales Service on a fixed fee of £1,295 + VAT on a no-sale-no-fee basis. No agency fees are charged to tenants, and deposits are protected via the Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS).

The technology stack is conventional and oriented around tenant and landlord servicing rather than platform differentiation. It comprises an online tenant application portal with DocuSign-based electronic tenancy agreements, a 24/7 online repair request portal that feeds into a contractor management workflow, property listings distributed across RightMove, Zoopla, StuRents, and Manchester Student Homes, and a Tenant Advice Hub hosting operational guidance. Utility bills are bundled via a partnership with Bills Paid Ltd at £26-£33 per person per week. Compliance memberships include The Property Ombudsman, SafeAgent Client Money Protection, NRLA licensing (A3810), and ICO Data Controller registration (Z2428903). The company holds British Property Awards for best Letting Agent in the M12-14 area for 2019 and 2020.

The go-to-market is direct-to-consumer with a dual-sided motion: tenant acquisition through property portals and word-of-mouth in the student community, and landlord acquisition through the website, local reputation, and inbound enquiries. Revenue is recurring via the Full Management subscription model and partially transactional via Let-Only and Sales fees. The company is independently owned with no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, and a single named Company Director / Data Protection Officer (Darrell Kerr).

Name

Drake & Co

Legal name

Drake & Co

Website

https://www.drakes.co.uk/

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Drake & Co is a privately held Manchester-based estate agency and property management firm, founded in 1982, that specialises in student accommodation lettings and full management services across the M12-M14 postcodes, serving both student tenants and individual landlord clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Student Accommodation Lettings and Residential Property Management

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

Full-Service Vacation Rental Property Management (BPAJAIAA)

Keywords

• Student accommodation lettings
• Residential property management
• Estate agency services
• Rental property services
• Student housing management

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Property Management Fees: Full management service with 12% +VAT of monthly rent received, plus £500 +VAT for securing a tenancy. Includes all landlord services: maintenance arrangement, rent collection, deposit protection, inspections, and complaint handling.
2. Let-Only Service Fees: One-time fee equivalent to 75% of one month's rent (minimum £550) +VAT for finding tenants and completing documentation without ongoing management.
3. Property Sales Fees: Fixed fee of £1295 plus VAT for selling properties on a 'No Sale, No Fee' basis.
4. Bills Inclusive Package Commission: Bills Paid Ltd offers inclusive bills packages at £26 per person per week (3+ bedrooms) and £33 per person per week (2 bedrooms). Drake & Co acts as agent on behalf of Bills Paid Ltd.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Drake & Co is a Manchester-based estate agent and property management firm that lets and manages student rental properties in the M12-M14 postcodes of Rusholme, Victoria Park, Chorlton-On-Medlock, Fallowfield, and Withington. It offers landlords a Full Management Service (12% +VAT of monthly rent) and a Let-Only Service (75% of one month's rent, minimum £550 +VAT), alongside a Property Sales Service at a fixed fee of £1,295 +VAT on a No Sale No Fee basis, and an Inclusive Bills Package administered in partnership with Bills Paid Ltd.

Product overview

Drake & Co is a Manchester-based estate agent specializing in student accommodation lettings and property management, operating for over 40 years since 1982. The core offering consists of lettings services for students seeking accommodation and landlords seeking to let properties. The company offers two service tiers: Let-Only Service for landlords who want assistance finding tenants but prefer to self-manage, and Full Management Service for comprehensive property oversight. Additional products include a Property Sales Service for landlords selling properties, Tenant and Guarantor Application platforms for the rental onboarding process, an Inclusive Bills Package managed through partner Bills Paid Ltd for utility coverage, and an Online Repair Request Portal providing 24/7 maintenance reporting for tenants. The Tenant Advice Hub serves as the central resource for tenant guidance including moving guides, appliance maintenance, and troubleshooting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Full Management Service End-to-end property management for landlords of student rental properties in Manchester, covering tenant sourcing, referencing, deposit protection (TDS), maintenance coordination, rent collection, arrears management, inspections, complaint handling, and tenancy turnover. Priced at 12% +VAT of monthly rent received, plus £500 +VAT for securing a tenancy.
• Let-Only Service Tenant placement service for landlords who wish to self-manage, including property marketing, viewings, tenant referencing, tenancy agreement preparation, and document collection. One-off fee equivalent to 75% of one month's rent (minimum £550) +VAT, with no ongoing management.
• Property Sales Service Fixed-fee property selling service on a No Sale, No Fee basis with free no-obligation valuation, targeting landlords wishing to sell their rental properties. Fixed fee of £1,295 plus VAT.
• Inclusive Bills Package Utility management service covering gas, electricity, water, broadband and TV licence, administered through a partnership with Bills Paid Ltd with Drake & Co acting as agent. Priced at £26 per person per week for 3+ bedroom properties and £33 per person per week for 2 bedroom properties (subject to Fair and Acceptable Usage Policy).

Quantifiable outcome

• Won British Property Award for best Letting Agent in the M12-14 area 2019-2020

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• The Property Ombudsman (TPO)coreOthersMember of The Property Ombudsman redress scheme. TPO provides independent dispute resolution for property disputes. Drake & Co adheres to their code of conduct.
• Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS)coreOthersAll tenant deposits are protected within the TDS, a government-authorised deposit protection scheme. Fully refundable at end of tenancy subject to deductions.
• SafeagentcoreOthersClient Money Protection scheme providing insurance against the loss of client money held by the agent. Certificate available for download.
• RightMovecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProperty listings advertised on RightMove, one of the UK's largest property portals, for maximum visibility to prospective tenants.
• Manchester Student HomescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership with Manchester Student Homes for student accommodation listings and university-affiliated tenant sourcing.
• National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA)coreOthersLicensed by the NRLA (licence no: A3810), adhering to their standards and code of practice for residential lettings.
• StuRentssecondaryChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStudent accommodation portal listing properties for student tenants.
• Bills Paid LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUtility management company providing inclusive bills packages (gas, electricity, water, broadband, TV licence) for Drake & Co's managed properties. Drake & Co acts as agent on behalf of Bills Paid Ltd. Package: £26/person/week (3+ bedrooms) or £33/person/week (2 bedrooms).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Purplebricks (Strike): UK hybrid online estate and letting agent offering sales and lettings services nationally. Comparable to Drake & Co as a directly competing letting service provider serving individual landlords and tenants, though operating at vastly greater scale and with a digital-first model.
• OpenRent: UK online letting platform enabling landlords to list properties, conduct viewings, and complete tenancies digitally at substantially lower cost than traditional agents. Direct peer to Drake & Co's let-only and full-management services, particularly competing on price for self-managing landlords.
• Your Move: UK national estate and letting agency brand (part of the Connells Group network) offering residential sales, lettings, and property management services across multiple UK regions. Comparable to Drake & Co in core letting and management services, but operating at significantly greater scale and brand reach.
• Spicerhaart: Large UK estate and letting agency group operating multiple high-street brands including haart and Chewton Rose. Directly comparable to Drake & Co as a residential letting and management service provider, with overlapping customer base of landlords and tenants across UK geographies.
• Hunters Property Group: National UK estate and letting agency network offering residential sales, lettings, and property management across multiple regions. Direct peer to Drake & Co in letting and management service offering, though at materially larger network scale.

Broad incumbents

• Connells Group: One of the UK's largest estate agency groups, operating multiple high-street letting and sales brands. Broad incumbent peer to Drake & Co — overlapping residential letting and property management capabilities as part of a much larger diversified portfolio rather than a specialist student niche.
• Foxtons: Major UK estate and letting agency primarily focused on London and the South East, offering sales, lettings, and property management services. Broad incumbent peer with overlapping letting and management capabilities, but operating in a different geographic market.
• Savills: Global real estate services firm with significant UK residential lettings and property management operations alongside commercial, investment, and advisory services. Broad incumbent peer — overlapping residential management capability but as part of a much wider global portfolio rather than a specialist local offering.
• Knight Frank: Global real estate consultancy providing residential sales, lettings, and property management services in the UK alongside commercial and investment advisory. Broad incumbent peer with overlapping residential letting and management capabilities, but operating at materially larger scale and broader geographic footprint.

Others

• Rightmove: UK's largest property listing portal used by Drake & Co to advertise available lettings. Adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor — functions as a marketing and distribution channel for Drake & Co's services rather than offering competing letting or management services directly.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DrakeAndCo

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Drake & Co