Tenant Fees Banned

Tenant Fees Banned In the latest intervention, (or interference, if you prefer), in the private rented sector, the government is consulting on placing a ban on letting agents charging tenants fees. Though it is letting agents who were specifically mentioned by new suit Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, in the Autumn Statement, we expect that this ban will also apply to landlords who operate direct (say, via an […]

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Letting Agent Unfair Repeat Renewal Fees

You have to fight to get unfair repeat letting fees refunded, but you will win if you are right says David Lawrenson of LettingFocus. Unfair Letting Agency Hidden Repeat Renewal Fees I had this interesting email from a Denise C “You were very helpful earlier in the year when I ran into difficulties, alerting me to the OFT (Office of Fair […]

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Private Rented Sector Quoted in the Media

Recent press comments from me on the private rented sector….. Private Rented Sector Quoted in the Media On the policies of successive governments towards the private rented sector: “….Too often policy is confused and contradictory and too often the changes that have been made offer far too little to landlords and tenants in terms of improving the private rented sector.” […]

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Letting Agent Regulation and Avoiding the Void Periods

Letting agency regulation is looking more likely and why private landlords need to ensure they let properties fast by David Lawrenson of www.LettingFocus.com In last weeks’ blog I talked about trust and how one mortgage lender’s recent move could destroy trust in all lenders – or at the very least ensure all people taking out a mortgage and their brokers […]

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Reservation Fees, Letting Agents and Avoiding the Void Periods

LettingFocus has found some letting agents to be very frit* about taking reservation fees from tenants – and posits some reasons why. Landlords who set out to minimise periods when a property is empty (or “void periods” in the landlord vernacular) always market the property as soon as the current tenants have given notice of their intention to leave. (Of […]

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Rip Off Letting Agency Fees and Tenants

Banning landlords and letting agents from charging fees to tenants simply highlights the fact that many tenants don’t know their consumer rights. Government and local government should be doing more to help tenants and landlords know their rights instead of introducing unnecessary new legislation says David Lawrenson of www.LetttingFocus.com Often tenants are charged for referencing, credit check and inventory costs […]

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Repeat and Renewal Letting Fees and Why Landlords Should Not Wait to Claim Unfair Charges Following OFT Ruling against Foxtons

Strangely, two consulting clients – one at a bank, the other at a local authority – both asked me the same question today: What mistakes do private landlords make most often? This is an easy one to answer because there are two really common mistakes that amateur (and some pro) landlords make. The first one is that, all too often, […]

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