Letting agents are ripping off tenants

Published 21st May 2009

Letting agents are routinely ripping off tenants with unjustified and excessive charges, while providing a poor or nonexistent service, according to a report by Citizens Advice today.

It found a range of spurious charges, with some agents demanding £275 from tenants just to check references, or more than £200 to renew a contract. Citizens Advice Bureaux are dealing with 6,000 complaints about letting agents a year, and said that the behaviour of agents is now "out of control" and that the charges "bear no relation to the cost of the work involved". The number of letting agents has mushroomed in recent years with the dramatic expansion of buy-to-let and, more recently, the growth in "accidental landlords" unable to sell their homes.

The CAB went through the terms and conditions of 424 letting agents, and found that 94% imposed up to seven additional charges on tenants, not counting the deposit and rent in advance. About 2.6m properties are now let out on the private rental market, and concern is mounting about rogue landlords and letting agents.

Source: ' Guardian '

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