From “I’d never do lettings” to a core driver of business growth

About Ronke Maye Ltd

After more than 20 years in estate agency, including senior roles at two well-known national agencies, Ronke Maye launched her own agency in 2025 with a clear ambition: to build a business that reflected her values, prioritised customer service and created a lasting legacy for her family.

Having spent much of her career in sales, Ronke entered independent business ownership with extensive industry experience, but the same challenge faced by many new business owners: transitioning from being part of a larger organisation to managing every aspect of the business herself.

Less than 18 months into the journey, Ronke Maye Ltd has already won industry recognition, been featured in trade publications and built a growing client base across sales and lettings. But one of the biggest contributors to that success wasn’t originally part of the plan.

Key takeaways

• 30 lets in 12 months
  Completed 30 lets in the first 12 months, despite having little prior focus on lettings
• Simplified workflowsTurned a complex, compliance-heavy process into a structured and manageable workflow
• Expert support
  Ongoing support from Rightmove’s Account Management, Referencing and Tenancy teams

The challenge

When Ronke launched the business, sales was always intended to be the primary focus. After spending years working alongside lettings teams in corporate environments, she viewed lettings as administrative, highly regulated and significantly more complex than sales. As a newly independent business owner, the prospect of managing referencing, tenancy progression, compliance requirements, and legal documentation alone felt daunting.

Adding to the challenge was the reality of running a business alone. Every aspect of the company, from winning instructions and serving customers to managing operations and administration, sat solely with Ronke. While she recognised the importance of lettings as a potential revenue stream, she was conscious that the associated administration could quickly become overwhelming.

Compliance was another significant consideration. Having spent years building a strong reputation in the industry, Ronke wanted confidence that every tenancy was being progressed correctly, with nothing overlooked or left open to risk, “I don’t like problems, I want to be compliant.”

Ultimately, lettings represented a major opportunity for the business, but without the right systems and support in place, it felt difficult to scale and manage effectively. As Ronke puts it: “I don’t like admin. I’d rather be out getting more properties.”

The change

Shortly after launching the business, Ronke adopted Rightmove’s Lead to Keys solution, including Referencing and Tenancy Manager. While the technology itself was important, what stood out most was the support that came with it. As a first-time business owner entering a new area of the industry, having access to onboarding specialists, an Account Manager and ongoing guidance gave her the confidence to start offering lettings services.

As Ronke’s confidence grew, so did the value of that support network. Being a sole operator can often feel isolating, and knowing expert help was only ever a phone call away provided reassurance that she wasn’t navigating the challenges of lettings alone. As she puts it:

Over time, what began as onboarding and product support evolved into something more meaningful: a genuine sense of partnership.

Alongside the support, Ronke quickly saw how the technology could simplify what had previously felt like a daunting and heavily administrative process. Tasks that once seemed complex became structured and intuitive, making the tenancy journey significantly easier to manage.

As she explains, “All I need to do is add the name, email address and phone number and Rightmove does everything.”

For a business owner juggling multiple responsibilities, that simplicity created valuable time to focus on growth whilst providing reassurance that every tenancy was progressing as it should.

Just as importantly, the platform removed much of the uncertainty surrounding compliance. Rather than relying on manual processes and memory, Tenancy Manager provided a clear framework that ensured important steps couldn’t be missed.

Ronke particularly valued the fact that the system wouldn’t allow key compliance steps to be overlooked, giving her confidence that every tenancy was being progressed correctly. “Tenancy Manager allows me to be compliant. You can’t cut any corners. It reminds you about everything you need and won’t let you progress if something is missing.”

Over time, what initially felt like a challenging leap into lettings became a far more manageable and confident process, underpinned by a combination of technology and support. “It just takes the pain away. I don’t have to think as much.”

The result

Although Ronke Maye Ltd began as a business focused primarily on sales, it has evolved into a successful sales and lettings operation. Despite entering the industry with limited interest in growing a lettings business, Ronke has completed around 30 lets within her first year of trading, a sizeable proportion of which are fully managed, transforming what was initially seen as a secondary service into a core part of the business.

Beyond the volume of completed transactions, lettings has become a critical pillar of the business, “providing a consistent revenue stream” and helping to support the company’s growth during its formative years.

A significant contributor to that success has been the efficiency created by Rightmove’s Lead to Keys solution. By automating much of the tenancy journey and reducing the administrative burden associated with lettings, Ronke has been able to spend less time managing processes and more time focusing on winning instructions, serving clients and growing the business.

“I love getting those notifications saying a deposit has been paid or something has completed. It’s just happening in the background while I’m out doing viewings.”

Alongside the operational benefits, Ronke’s experience has fundamentally shaped how she thinks about the value of her Rightmove investment. As a newly independent agency owner, she openly admits that the cost initially felt significant. However, the business growth has ultimately reinforced her confidence that the investment is worth it.

For Ronke, the true value of Rightmove isn’t just the technology. It’s the support and partnership that helped transform lettings from something she once actively avoided into a core driver of business growth.