Letting & Estate Agent Podcast The invisible people behind the letting agents - Ep. 2367
Oct 25, 2025
Siân Hemming Metcalfe, an industry specialist in the lettings sector, dives deep into the often-overlooked backbone of letting agencies: their suppliers and contractors. She highlights how these unsung heroes support over 4.7 million properties and execute around 10 million jobs annually. Siân emphasizes the importance of recognizing suppliers as partners, advocating for stronger relationships through simple gestures like regular communication and personal connections. Her insights encourage agents to rethink and deepen their supplier interactions for enhanced efficiency.
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Hidden Supplier Infrastructure Powers Lettings
- The lettings sector depends on a vast hidden supplier infrastructure beyond inventories, including EPCs, gas safety, cleaners, and contractors.
- Siân estimates this could represent around 10 million discrete pieces of work per year across the Private Rented Sector.
Suppliers Function As Partners, Not Just Vendors
- Suppliers often act as de facto partners because they interact with agents, landlords and tenants repeatedly during tenancies.
- Treating suppliers as partners reveals their broader value beyond one-off services and improves operational alignment.
Get To Know Suppliers Personally
- Build relationships by learning suppliers' names, companies and a bit about them beyond transactions.
- Those ties make suppliers more flexible and responsive when urgent needs arise.