Bath & North East Somerset Council has imposed a £10,000 fine on lettings agency Mendip Property Management Ltd for not protecting client money.

That’s despite the firm’s website claims that it’s a ‘highly experienced, well-established letting and property management agency with over 25 years experience’.

Failed to do basics

A Trading Standards investigation found that the Chew Valley lettings agency, which is based off the high street in an industrial estate (main image), had not implemented the basic but mandatory safeguards required to protect tenants’ and landlords’ funds.

The firm, which manages properties ranging from annexes to country manor houses across south Bristol, contested the penalty at a recent First-Tier Tribunal hearing.

Tribunal Judge Brian Kennedy KC dismissed their appeal, saying: “In all the circumstances it seems to the Tribunal that the Respondent (the council) has acted reasonably and within the Law. Accordingly, the appeal must be dismissed”.

The £10,000 penalty represents a third of the maximum fine possible under current regulations.

This fine serves as a reminder to all traders that they must comply with regulations to ensure the safety and security of their clients’ money.”

Councillor Tim Ball, cabinet member for neighbourhood services, emphasised the council’s uncompromising stance on the issue, saying: “This fine serves as a reminder to all traders that they must comply with regulations to ensure the safety and security of their clients’ money.”

He added that the case sends “a clear message that experience alone doesn’t exempt agencies from their legal obligations. All property management companies handling client funds must participate in approved protection schemes, providing security for both landlords and tenants”.

Image: Google Streetview

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