Committee call for regulation of letting agents

The Communities and Local Government Committee have made another strong call for the mandatory regulation of letting agents. Insisting that letting agents should face the same levels of regulations as the estate agency industry.

They have accused lettings agents of placing hidden charges on tenants during the letting process. The committee want the full costs to be made more transparent from the outset, so tenants can make a better judgement as to which agent to use before embarking on the letting process.

The committee have also called for - 

• The introduction of a standard "plain language" tenancy agreement for general use, including an easy-to-read fact sheet setting out landlords' and tenants' rights and responsibilities.
• To give the Office of Fair Trading (OFT)  powers to ban agents who act improperly.

Read more on letting regulation in the Telegraph

Read more on letting regulation in the Guardian

Read more on letting regulation in the Financial Times

Read more on ending rip off letting agent fees on Sky

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