In my experiences there are two types of Group flat. One has 2-6 WGs in it that have clubbed together to pay the rent and bills and over years i have seen no evidence of a manager/pimp. I even met a couple in a social setting.
The other has 2-6 WGs and has a manager/pimp who is often either still a WG or an ex-WG who pays the rent, bills and manages the WGs profile in exchange for an agreed cut. In this scenario obviously the WGs are lying about being Indies and are in the same situation as WGs who work for Agencies or Parlours in reality. The reason for the deceit is so the manager/pimp doesnt get nicked or reduces their risk of getting nicked which ANY Establishment owner/manager however reputable risks every day they operate as brothels are illegal. So while the likes of HOD SK and The Bunny Lounge front it out, these owners do the opposite.
This talk of a central receptionist has occured in the past, a recently convicted owner of brothels had his wife answering all the calls, but with many of these group flats there are different numbers for each WG and as i posted earlier, sometimes its the WG with the best English who answers either on behalf of her colleague or pretending to be her in the hope that when she opens the door and you see its not the WG in the pictures you saw you will stay and punt with her anyway. She often says she is better and i even had one say the WG i had booked had a STI so as to put me off her. Some really are that bitchy.
If as a punter you want to increase your chances of the WG being a real Indie always ask them if they share with other WGs politely, just say you know about the law regarding brothels and dont want to punt in one. If they wont say which might be because they are suspicious of you asking, as to them you could be the police go elsewhere. Another thing you could try is while looking at her A/W profile closely look at other WGs in the same area and the profiles are sometimes very similar in layout, if you notice one when you ring ask if that WG works in the same flat as your mate saw her recently. This has usually put the WG at ease in my experience.
What should always been borne in mind in my view is if a WG comes here from say Poland the cost of rent and bills on even a small flat, deposit, references might well not be something she can afford or can get herself, so she might look elsewhere, coming over in a group of women or starting out working for a manager/pimp voluntarily until she earns enough to go solo or set-up her own flat and open that up to WGs which is a modus a few people have told me happens.
I personally have never witnessed or even suspected a WG was being forced against her will or had been trafficked, i would ring Crimestoppers anoynmously if i was told or strongly believed she was. Whether i, like ANY punter might of unknowingly punted with a WG who was being coerced, say by her partner who spent all her money down the pub who knows. There is no way of knowing as as a punter i dont know what her personal set-up is so havent the insight required.
All i have got and go on is my best judgement.