ARLA campaigning for balanced legislative solution over letting agent fees.

The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) has announced that it is reiterating its call to Government to ban upfront letting agent fees at the start of a tenancy and instead spread the cost across the first six months of a rental agreement.

ARLA opposes a full ban on fees but calls for them to be spread over first six months of tenancy, new research released by ARLA, alongside a new policy paper, reveals that just more than 40% letting agents expect that a full ban would result in reduced staff numbers in the medium to long term, while just more than 60% of agents think that a full ban will cause the quality of rental properties to decline.

David Cox, Managing Director, Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) said: “When the Chancellor announced a full ban on letting agent fees in the Autumn Statement, we called the measure draconian and a crowd-pleaser. We stand by that. Nonetheless, we believe that ARLA’s proposal to spread the cost of the fees across the first six months of the tenancy will guard against the numerous unintended consequences of a full ban while also finding a solution that works best for the consumer.

“Over the coming weeks and months, ARLA will be campaigning for a balanced legislative solution. Our research supports our previous calls that a full ban on letting agent fees will have a profoundly negative impact on the rental market, and do little to help cash-poor renters save enough to get on the housing ladder.”

Read the announcement from ARLA in full click here

 

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

International buyer slowdown one of Prime London’s biggest challenges

The latest survey of UK prime residential agents by AgentWise has found that many believe a slowdown in international buyer activity to be one of the biggest challenges facing the market today, whilst many have also noted an increase in the number of clients looking to explore property opportunities overseas rather than the UK. AgentWise…
Read More
Breaking News

Housing market hit by £21m increase in fall-through bill

The latest Fall-Through Index by the House Buyer Bureau reveals that the number of property fall-throughs across the UK increased by 9.8% during the first quarter of 2026, resulting in an additional £20.9m in costs to the housing market compared to the previous quarter. House Buyer Bureau analysed the latest data from TwentyCi on the estimated…
Read More
Breaking News

Is UK Construction Stuck in a Rut?

Glenigan data for Q.2 shows construction performance weakening further, dashing hopes of recovery in H.2 2026   The value of underlying work starting on-site during the past three months declined 15% and fell 38% below last year’s levels. Residential construction starts fell sharply, dropping 31% against the preceding three months and plummeting 52% compared with…
Read More
Breaking News

Home sellers have a 24-hour patience threshold

Survey shows that the age of instant communication has reached estate agencies New research from Street Group suggests Britain’s home sellers have developed a “24-hour patience threshold”, with the vast majority expecting estate agents to respond, provide updates or take action within a day at virtually every stage of the sales process. The survey of…
Read More
Breaking News

Lloyds House Price Index for June 2026 – Thoughts from the Industry

The latest Lloyds House Price Index for June 2026 shows that: House prices increased by +0.2% between May 2026 and June 2026. Annual house price growth increased slightly to +0.6% in June 2026, up from +0.5% in May 2026. The average UK house price now stands at £299,330.   Thoughts from the Industry   Nathan…
Read More
Breaking News

House prices edge up in June as borrowing costs start to ease

• House prices rose +0.2% in June, following a -0.2% fall in May • Average property price now £299,330 compared with £298,812 in May • Annual growth up slightly to +0.6%, from +0.5% in May • Northern Ireland continues to record the UK’s strongest annual growth at +7.4%   Nations and regions house prices Northern…
Read More