Bill to Ban agents from charging tenants letting fees
Baroness Olly Grender a Liberal Democrat Peer points out in her blog on Huffington Post, that private renters are being failed by a housing market stacked against them and it is time for a serious shift in power towards this growing group of consumers.
Baroness Grender a former senior figure at shelter has introduced a private members bill to ban estate agents from charging tenants letting fees and to clamp down on rogue landlords, it’s is aim to protect the growing number of private renters who currently face huge costs every time they move.
She further states in her blog that these fees are already banned in many countries including Scotland and the US because the pro-consumer case for doing so is clear. With 18% of the population now living in the private rented sector and this figure set to grow as the Government’s reforms to sell off council housing start taking effect, it is essential that protections are put in place now to stop renters being pushed into debt and taken advantage of.
The Bill will receive its Second Reading in the House of Lords today.