For UK estate agents, lettings & developers

Payment Processing for Estate & Letting Agents — deposits and completions at 1% flat

CC Payments is the managed payment processor for UK estate agents, letting agents, conveyancers and property developers. Take holding deposits, exchange monies and completion payments via Pay by Bank at a flat 1% — with client-money routing, per-property reporting and full audit trail. Our developers build the integration with your CRM. You close the deal.

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Client-money routing
No chargebacks on bank transfers
Live in 24 hours
UK-based team
Why property firms choose CC Payments

High-value transactions deserve better rates.

When a single transaction is £5,000, £25,000 or £250,000, the difference between a 1.5% card rate and a 1% flat open-banking rate is real money. Multiply that across every deposit, every completion, every month of rent collection — and the annual saving is transformative.

1% flat on every transaction

No card-type surcharges, no international card uplift, no hidden assessment fees. What you see is what you pay, regardless of transaction size.

No chargebacks on bank transfers

Open Banking payments are irrevocable. A buyer can't reverse a completion transfer weeks later. For agents and developers, this removes a real operational risk.

Client-account routing

Route tenant deposits, client money and agency income to separate bank accounts from one payment link. Full audit trail for ARLA / RICS compliance.

How it works

Built around the property transaction lifecycle

Property payments are not ecommerce payments. A £25,000 completion doesn't belong on a card rail priced for a £50 basket. A tenant deposit legally needs to land in a ring-fenced client account, not in the agency's operating float. Rent collection benefits from scheduled Direct Debit, not a monthly card renewal that can decline and quietly drop a property out of arrears reporting.

CC Payments builds around this lifecycle. For sales, Pay by Bank links for holding deposits, exchange monies and completion. For lettings, split-routing payment links so a first-month rent + deposit + admin fee can settle into the correct accounts from a single transaction. For developers, reservation fees and staged build payments with per-plot reference codes. For trades and construction, progress billing with significant savings on £100,000+ payments.

Features for property firms

From deposit to rent roll, one payment stack

One payment stack across sales, lettings, development and trades — with routing, reporting and audit built in.

Pay by Bank links

Send a secure bank-level payment link by email or SMS. Buyer authorises in their banking app — funds arrive in minutes at 1% flat.

Client-account routing

One link can route money to a client account, office account or third party. Clean separation for accounts teams.

Recurring rent collection

Monthly rent by Direct Debit or card. Automatic retries on failed months, clean arrears reports for property managers.

MOTO phone payments

Take reservation fees over the phone from buyers and tenants. Keyed into the dashboard — zero PCI risk on your side.

Per-property reporting

Tag every payment with a property or unit reference. Export for landlord statements, month-end accounts, or your CRM.

Card payments included

For buyers who want to use a card — application fees, holding deposits, admin charges. Visa, Mastercard and Amex supported.

Pricing for property

Transparent rates. No monthly fee.

Custom pricing for agencies over £250,000/month in transaction volume. Send us a recent statement and we'll quote against your actual effective rate.

Debit cards
Visa & Mastercard debit
1.5% + 20p
For application fees, holding deposits, admin charges.
  • 3D Secure included
  • Embedded or hosted checkout
  • Phone payments included
Pay by Bank
Open Banking
1.0% flat
The smart choice for deposits, completions, progress payments and rent.
  • No chargebacks — irrevocable
  • Funds in minutes, not days
  • Route to client or office account
  • No card data to store
Credit cards
Visa, Mastercard & Amex
2.9% + 20p
When a buyer or tenant needs to use credit.
  • All major networks
  • Dispute evidence workflow
  • Real-time refunds
Use cases

Built for every property business

Estate agents

Reservation fees, holding deposits, exchange monies. Pay by Bank drops the fee on a £10k deposit from ~£160 to £100.

Lettings & property management

Tenant holding deposits, first month & security deposit, ongoing rent. Separate routing to client account.

Conveyancing & legal

Deposit on exchange, searches, stamp duty, completion monies — at 1% flat rather than 1.5–3% on card.

New-build developers

Reservation fees, staged build payments, completion. Link-based collection with per-plot reference codes.

Construction & trades

Deposits, progress billing, final payments. Pay by Bank saves thousands on every multi-trade project.

Serviced accommodation & HMO

Booking deposits, extensions, security retentions. Both short-stay card flows and longer-term rent cycles.

What 1% flat looks like on real property transactions

Approximate saving vs. a typical 1.6% effective card rate.
£10,000 reservation feeSave ~£60per deal
£50,000 exchange depositSave ~£300per deal
£120,000 build paymentSave ~£720per payment
£5m annual volume @ 1% vs 1.6%~£30,000annual
FAQ

Payment processing for estate & letting agents — FAQs

What is the best way for estate agents to take deposit payments?

For UK estate agents, Pay by Bank (Open Banking) at a flat 1% is typically the best way to take holding deposits, exchange monies and completion payments. The transfer is irrevocable (no chargebacks), funds clear in minutes, and on a £25,000 deposit the fee is £250 versus £375–£500 on a typical card rate. Card payments are still offered alongside for buyers who prefer to use credit for smaller application and admin fees.

Can CC Payments route money to my client account?

Yes. CC Payments supports client-money routing so that one payment link can split between your ring-fenced client account, office account or a third party (such as a deposit scheme). This is compatible with ARLA and RICS client-money protection requirements and standard UK letting-agent compliance.

Can I collect rent by Direct Debit?

Yes. CC Payments supports monthly rent collection by Direct Debit as well as card-on-file. Failed payments retry automatically and arrears reports are available per-property for your property managers and landlord statements.

How much can an estate agent save on payment processing?

Savings depend on transaction volume and mix. Roughly, switching deposits and completions from a 1.5–1.8% card rate to Pay by Bank at 1% flat saves about £5–£8 per £1,000 — so £60 on a £10,000 holding deposit, £300 on a £50,000 exchange, and tens of thousands per year on the annual volume of a typical multi-branch agency. Send us a recent statement and we will quote against your real effective cost.

Do you integrate with property management software?

Yes. CC Payments integrates with most UK property management and estate agent CRM systems via our REST API and webhooks. Integration is part of the managed service — we build it, deploy it and maintain it.

Can tenants pay a holding deposit and first month in a single flow?

Yes. A single Pay by Bank link can collect holding deposit, first month's rent and admin fee together, then split the money to the correct accounts on arrival. This replaces the usual "send us three separate bank transfers and reference them correctly" flow that creates admin work and tenant friction.

Related sectors

Other industries we serve

Stop paying card rates on bank-sized transactions.

Live in 24 hours. We build the integration with your CRM or property management system, configure client-account routing, and handle KYC end-to-end.

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