Sansfords Estate Agents & Hamilton Fraser react to Autumn Statement

Andrew Ellinas, Director, Sandfords (estate agent in Marylebone and Regents Park)

“The news that the governmentÿis banning letting agents fees to tenants as soon as possible and that landlords should meet those fees, has left me struggling to see howÿthat’s fair. Granted there are some letting agents charging unreasonable fees, but on the whole tenantsÿhave simply been paying for a service required in order to rent a property. The devil will be in the detail, but it would seem thatÿthis isÿthe latest move to hit landlords whoÿare nowÿfacing increased costs.

Looking at the differentÿprinciple fees tenants currently pay, it’s difficult to see how they are going to be charged and to justify why landlords should pick up the bill. For example,ÿreferencing fees. Tenants have to be referenced, but if they subsequently fail those checks, preventing the tenancy from going ahead, who pays that fee?

What aboutÿinventory checks. How can you now expect the landlord to pay for the inventory at the beginning and end of a tenancy, it doesn’t make sense. A tenant pays for it on the way in for their own peace of mind and the landlord once the tenancy hasÿended so that they can check everything is still there and in good condition.

This could have a real impact on the Londonÿrental market. UK and overseas landlords will not welcome this news and will look to recover their incurredÿcosts elsewhere.ÿ ÿTenants may avoid a fee at the start of the tenancy, but there will be an unavoidable outcome of higher rents for them to pay.”

Eddie Hooker, CEO of Hamilton Fraser (parent company to Total Landlord Insurance)

ÿ

_We, of course,ÿsupport raising standards in the Private Rented Sector and initiatives to push out rogue letting agents, but we have concerns that an outright ban may have the unintended consequence of pushing up the already heavy burden of rents on tenants, especially in high demand areas. We called for additional enforcement to drive up standards in the industry only recently, but fear this isÿa step in the wrong direction and could in fact have an adverseÿeffect.

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This ban will increase costs on landlords who are trying to plug the gap in a difficult housing market.ÿParts of these costsÿare likely toÿbe passed back to the tenant through increased rents as a result. It could also have a negative impact on theÿrental marketÿas a whole with possible office closures and some agents having to shut up shop entirely.

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In addition, the Chancellor announced that insurance premium tax will rise from 10% to 12%ÿnext June and this will also have ripple effects for our industry. Paying a higher premium on essential cover, such as buildings and contents insurance could mean that some people avoid taking up insurance leaving them unprotected.

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Other measuresÿshould have been addressed by the Chancellor toÿhelp stimulate the market following Brexit, such as reversing the additional stamp duty on buy-to-let properties and second homes for landlords.”

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Sansfords Estate Agents & Hamilton Fraser react to Autumn Statement

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