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What is a processing fee?

A processing fee is a payment made by the operator to the building owner when a wayleave agreement is successfully signed. It compensates the building owner for the administrative cost of processing the request and granting access. It is the first of three moments at which a fee attaches to an agreement. The other two come later in the agreement’s life, and are covered below. Processing fees are standard in the wayleave industry but are rarely enforced in traditional processes because the admin burden of collecting them is too high. Wayline automates this entirely.

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How fees work on Wayline

1

You set the fee

When you configure your building’s wayleave preferences, you set a standard processing fee. This fee applies to all incoming requests for that building. Wayline’s platform default is £299, which you can change at any time.
2

The operator sees the fee upfront

When an operator finds your building on Wayline, they can see your processing fee before submitting a request. There are no hidden costs or surprise negotiations.
3

Fee is collected on signing

The processing fee is collected from the operator automatically via Stripe only when both parties sign the agreement. If a request is declined, withdrawn, or still in progress, no fee is charged.
4

You receive your share

Wayline takes 20% as a platform fee. You receive 80%, deposited directly to your bank account via Stripe.

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The 80/20 split

The 20% platform fee is only charged on successful outcomes. Your subscription covers platform access, and the transaction fee is tied to completed wayleaves only.

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When is the processing fee charged?

The processing fee is charged only when a wayleave agreement is successfully signed by both parties. No processing fee is ever charged for:
  • Requests that are declined
  • Requests that are withdrawn by the operator
  • Requests that are still in progress or under negotiation
  • RAMS reviews that result in rejection

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The three fee moments

A fee attaches to an event rather than to time, and there are three events in an agreement’s life where one can. Every one of them is set by the landlord and may be nothing. The figures above are the platform’s suggested defaults rather than floors, and Wayline’s 20 per cent applies to whatever is actually set. The renewal fee arises when a renewal grants a fresh term. A renewal gives the operator the same thing a new connection does, which is why the suggested figure matches. The conclusion fee covers administering an ending rather than granting anything, which is why it is lower. It arises on the reinstatement path, so a conclusion that requires no reinstatement raises no conclusion fee.
The £99 expert RAMS review is separate from all three. It is a Wayline service bought by the landlord rather than a fee split with anyone. See RAMS explained.

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A processing fee is not a wayleave payment

These two terms sound alike, are used interchangeably in conversation, and mean different things. The confusion is worth clearing up before you set a figure. “Wayleave payment”, as the phrase is generally used in the market, means the consideration an operator pays a building owner for the rights being granted. It is a payment for the thing itself. A processing fee, as Wayline uses the term, is a payment for the work of granting it: receiving the request, reviewing the safety documentation, checking the terms and putting an agreement in place. In practice a single figure often covers both, which is why the terms blur. What matters when you are configuring a building is that you are setting one number and it is doing whatever work you intend it to do.
Wayline does not set or suggest a market rate for consideration, and this page does not advise on what one should be. The platform default of £299 is a starting point for the administrative side, not an assessment of what access to any particular building is worth.

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Setting the right fee

There is no mandated fee amount, and you choose what is right for your building. Consider:

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Managing agent portfolios

Managing agents can set a default processing fee across their entire portfolio, with individual buildings overriding where needed. This ensures consistency while allowing flexibility for buildings with different characteristics. Processing fee revenue flows to the building owner (or their designated recipient), not the managing agent. The managing agent delivers value to their clients by professionalising the process and generating revenue that didn’t exist before.

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Changing your fee

You can change your processing fee at any time. The new fee applies to all future requests. It does not affect requests already in progress or signed agreements.

Quick start for landlords

Set up your building and start receiving wayleave requests.