Inside Harris & Co’s growth: low arrears, happy landlords and PayProp

When Stuart James Harris stepped into his family’s agency, Harris & Co, the lettings operation was small and already reaching its limits. Three people handled every rental transaction by hand, working from Excel spreadsheets and physical notebooks.

Today, the full-service sales and lettings agency manages more than 500 properties, employs a team of up to 10 and is confidently expanding into new markets. Stuart credits much of that transformation to the power of PayProp, and, more recently, Reapit.

The breaking point for manual client accounting

Harris & Co used to spend hours every week manually reconciling payments. It was draining, repetitive work, and left far too much room for mistakes.

That all changed when Stuart met a PayProp representative. What began as a casual chat turned into a hands-on demo, where Stuart was able to reconcile an entire batch of payments in minutes. It was such a satisfying, eye-opening moment that it made returning to spreadsheets unthinkable.

Upon joining PayProp, the impact was immediate:

• Time spent on admin reduced from weeks to hours
• Portfolio growth from 150 to 500 properties
• Arrears brought under tighter control
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And because PayProp’s automation freed up time and other resources, the agency has also been able to grow its headcount, bringing in more agents who, in turn, bring in more business.

“I remember one of the sales pitches was PayProp would increase your portfolio size by 20% per year. And that is correct. It really is." Stuart James Harris

Results the business – and landlords – love

One of the biggest differences PayProp made by far was around arrears. The platform not only flags overdue rent payments instantly, but also automates reminders and follow‑ups. What had once been a major pain point became manageable with the flick of a switch to PayProp.

Arrears dropped from a level no-one was entirely happy with to “extremely low,” according to Stuart, which directly improved the Harris & Co's profitability and strengthened trust with landlords.

“On that last working day when we pay all our landlords, it’s literally a five-minute job. So it has moved from a marathon to not even a sprint. It’s a little walk across the line now.” Stuart James Harris

And that trust translated into growth. Hundreds of positive landlord reviews now feed new business, even from neighbourhoods 30 to 40 minutes away. PayProp’s speed, accuracy and transparency helped Harris & Co offer landlords an exceptional experience worth talking about: same‑day payments, clear communication, low arrears, detailed statements and absolute reliability.

“PayProp makes us feel like a multi-million-pound agency.” Stuart James Harris

As the business grew, so did the need for even more control over a complex body of payments, each with its own timing, rules and client expectations and behaviour. Most competing agencies still rely on standing orders. PayProp offered Harris & Co something better: direct debits.

The agency more than doubled the number of tenants using direct debit, giving them far greater predictability and control. If a payment fails, the team is alerted immediately and can take action the same day, further reducing arrears risk.

Unlocking even more efficiency with Reapit

When Stuart learned PayProp was merging with Reapit, the UK’s leading estate agent software, he saw it as a natural next step. He figured if PayProp trusted Reapit, there must be real value there.

So he implemented Reapit at the end of 2025, and within just a few months, the benefits were obvious.

Reapit enabled the Harris & Co team to:

• Process hundreds of Section 13 rent increases quickly
• Handle viewings and bookings much faster
• Access real-time insight into key performance metrics
• Reduce incoming phone calls by 20%
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Even better, PayProp and Reapit work together as one connected ecosystem of end-to-end estate agency solutions. Key data flows between the two platforms, and with everything stored in one place, the team works faster, makes fewer human mistakes, and spends far less time clicking through disconnected systems.

Building an agency fit for growth

When Harris & Co added serviced accommodation to its offerings, Stuart was able to build streamlined workflows across PayProp and Reapit to manage these properties alongside the rest of the portfolio.

Payments run through PayProp, Reapit handles inspections, records, and oversight, and together the team can manage short-term lets and managed apartments with no extra admin, blind spots, and no need to reinvent processes.

“It’s less than another member of staff and does a lot more… PayProp is worth its weight in gold.” Stuart James Harris

PayProp today, tomorrow, forever

With PayProp (and now Reapit) embedded across the business, Stuart expects the next five years to be highly profitable. The platform reduces admin, enables smarter decision‑making and supports the long‑term growth strategy already in motion.

For this once small, spreadsheet‑driven family business, PayProp has become the foundation for scalable, modern property management – and Stuart would not run Harris & Co without it.

“What I do want is a solid foundation, and PayProp gives me that stability. It gives freedom. Freedom to do more things. Better things. Living life. Living life to the fullest!” Stuart James Harris