Make renting fair in England: Call to ban letting agency fees
The Debrief are calling for a ban on letting agent’s fees in a campaign to make renting fair in England, and more than 253,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org so far.
Vicky Spratt, Features Editor at The Debrief, has shared on her Twitter account the below:
We’re a step closer to seeing letting fees ban after Friday’s @TheDebrief protest in Westminster with @OllyGrender https://t.co/YgkWNUhJxx
— Vicky Spratt (@Victoria_Spratt) June 14, 2016
Also, plans to ban letting fees for renters are now one step closer to being introduced after changes to the Renters’ Rights Bill were passed through the House of Lords.
The Bill proposes to:
End certain lettings fees for tenants
“A letting agent may not charge a tenant or prospective tenant any of the following types of fee—
(a) a registration fee,
(b) an administration fee,
(c) an inventory check fee,
(d) a reference check fee,
(e) a tenancy extension or renewal fee, or
(f) an exit fee.”
Give tenants access to the database of rogue landlords and property agents
“A local housing authority is required to give access to the database to a tenant or a person seeking a tenancy.”
Bring in compulsory electrical safety checks in rented homes
“Mandatory checks must be undertaken at least every five years.”
Prevent rogue landlords from obtaining a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) licence
“In order to ascertain that, due to being on the database, a landlord may not be granted an HMO licence.”
Vicky Spratt stated:
“The legislation needs to change and reflect the reality of our society now – we are becoming not just a generation, but a nation of renters, and the system is stacked against us. Renting is the new normal but the market in England is broken.”
Letting agency fees for renters have been banned in Scotland for quite some time, with this being enforced since 2012. It seems now we’re a step closer to seeing them scrapped in England.
- Author The Bamboo Team
- Posted 13 June 2016
