PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Letting Agents: Fees and Charges (4 June 2014)

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the costs to local authorities of proposals to extend fines on letting agents who fail to publish their fees tariff in full.

Asked by:
Jeremy Corbyn (Independent)

Requiring letting agents to be transparent about their fees will prevent the small minority of rogue agents from imposing unreasonable, hidden charges. This common sense approach avoids excessive state regulation which would just push up rents for tenants. This and mandatory membership of redress schemes will give local authorities the tools they need to weed out the cowboys that give agents a bad name; and drive up standards.

We have not received particular representations from local authorities on this issue. We will undertake a New Burdens assessment in due course in the usual way.

Answered by:
Kris Hopkins (Conservative)
10 June 2014