Regulation & Law
News articles looking at national legislation and local regulation and the application of law to the residential property industry.
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Shocking rogue letting agents figures are ‘proof we need mandatory regulation’ says ARLA
Shocking figures from London Trading Standards that reveal 46% of the capital’s 1,922 letting agents inspected by officers were non-compliant with consumer rights or redress scheme membership legislation are proof that mandatory registration and training for agents is a good idea, ARLA has claimed. “We’re really pleased to see Trading Standards prosecuting bad practice in the industry; it’s the only way to clean up the sector and we’ve been calling for it for a long time,” says David Cox, Chief Executive of ARLA Propertymark. “It’s also why we have been calling on the Government to regulate letting agents and are pleased that plans are well underway for mandatory registration and training for all letting agents.” Fines and prosecutions London Trading Standards also revealed that over the past 15 months agents in the capital have been fined, collectively, £1.2 million for non-compliance with regulations, and that 14 criminal prosecutions have been completed. “Boroughs are cracking down on rogue letting agents to protect tenants from unfair treatment. As the research shows, this poses a serious challenge in London, where housing pressures are so severe and a significant number of letting agents have been breaking the rules,” says Cllr. Darren Rodwell, London Councils’…
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Banned landlord fined nearly £8,000 for over-crowded, unlicensed HMO
In mitigation, Sanaur Rahman has claimed local letting agents wouldn't manage the property on his behalf and that he in poor health.
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Agents can’t charge for arranging to fix a loo, says tenant fees ban advice
Legal counsel sought by ARLA over 'contractual charges' has highlighted how fees charged for arranging a plumber to fix a toilet, and services like it, cannot be added to bills.
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Ask a question! ARLA chief to appear in live evictions webinar this week
Agents have the chance to as questions direct to the David Cox on Thursday at 9.30am online.
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Jersey estate agent calls for practice of overvaluing homes to be outlawed
Harry Trower of Broadland Estates says he frustrated by competitors which 'wildly' over value properties to win instructions and then later have to disappoint their clients.
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Fake estate agent given four year prison term for defrauding women
Prolific career criminal Stephen Davey used several fake identifies to dupe dozens of victims into handing over funds, including most recently £7,000.
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Council backs down over licensing scheme after property industry campaign
Councils will have to be more careful how they introduce borough-wide additional licensing schemes following a legal challenge by Safeagent and the RLA over a scheme in Hounslow.
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Estate agent told to tear down smart new branch exterior by planners
Despite replacing a shabby old shop and helping upgrade a formerly careworn street, Northern Ireland agency Adams McGillan has lost its planning battle.
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Fees ban loophole: letting agents charging ‘pet rent’ to recoup lost revenue
A national newspaper investigation claims to have found widespread evidence that many letting agents are attempting to recoup revenue lost following the tenant fees ban by charging tenants a additional pet rent. The Guardian claims that agents and landlords are charging up to £40 a month to including a single pet within a tenancy agreement. Examples outlined by the investigation include an Oxfordshire landlord who charged a family £40 a month for a dog on top of the £995 a month they charged for ‘human’ residents of the property. The article also claims ‘pet rent’ clauses within rental contracts are becoming common and the article quotes one agent, Elliott Oliver in Cheltenham, saying the company has no alternative but to charge extra for pets following the tenant fees ban. Pet charges Prior to the ban, most agents simply charged tenants with pets a larger rental deposit but the five-week limit brought in by the fees ban means this is no longer possible. Examples of online adverts for properties where tenants must pay an additional rent for pets are not hard to find online. Research by The Negotiator on all three portals found over 160 properties offered in and around London…
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Letting agency fined £3,000 after admitting three offences relating to HMO
Bolton firm Miller Metcalfe Estate Agents Ltd must also pay £1,616 in costs and a victim surcharge after fire safety features were found missing at town centre property.
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