A tenants’ campaign group claims to have found 21 letting agents out of 56 in one London borough that do not display information about their fees online, breaching new legislation.
The study was conducted in June by Waltham Forest Renters and also reveals that new tenants in the borough pay an average of £484 in letting agent fees.
Additionally, the group says that fees range from £150 to around £792 for new tenants.
Waltham Forest Council is not aware whether the findings regarding the 21 agents have been passed on to Trading Standards.
However, consumer body Which? has published the claim on its website in a blog post written by Which? Consumer Rights Producer, Adam French, who lives in Waltham Forest.
Since 27th May, all information about fees, client money protection and the redress scheme that the agent belongs to should be prominently displayed in every office and on the company’s website, under rules in the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
All fees, charges and penalties that are payable to an agent by a landlord or tenant in relation to an Assured or Assured Shorthold Tenancy must be displayed.
However, agents are not required to publish the rent payable to a landlord, a tenancy deposit, and any fees, charges and penalties that a letting agent receives from a landlord under a tenancy from another person.