Property Disputes Q&A – Part 1

Q. Can letting agents still charge fees to tenants?

A. In the 2017 Queen’s Speech the government announced its plans to ban fees paid by tenants to letting agents. Letting agents are at the moment still allowed to charge fees to tenants, but the rules are set to change soon. A government spokesperson said that a draft of the Tenant’s Fees Bill will be published later this year. The proposal has widespread political support so it is likely that the Bill will become law in the first half of 2018. From that time letting agents will not be able to charge fees to tenants and any charges they make will have to be met by landlords. It remains to be seen how the Bill will attempt to prevent the fees being passed from landlords back to tenants through an increase in rents – an outcome that does seem all but inevitable.

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For specific advice on Property Disputes, please contact John Wagstaffe.

Please note the contents of this blog are given for information only and must not be relied upon. Legal advice should always be sought in relation to specific circumstances.