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Shadow minister for housing Emma Reynolds has written an open letter to letting agents calling on them to end fees to tenants.

The letter on the Labour party website says:

Private renting is now the norm for 9 million people, including 1.3 million families.
Many face unstable short-term lets and high letting agent fees every time they move. There is little transparency about what people are charged, with renters paying £350 on average. These charges are unfair on tenants and are for services for landlords that they are also charged for.
That's why the next Labour government will introduce legislation to ban letting fees for tenants.
But a solution is open to us now. I'm asking you to help renters with the cost-of-living crisis: please stop charging tenants these unfair fees now.
Emma Reynolds
Shadow Minister for Housing

Have you received a letter Let us know below.

Comments

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    They have done nothing more than jump on the Shelter bandwagon! Its all about votes, calculating that their are more tenants than landlords. So shallow, with no further thinking about the consequences!

    • 11 May 2014 22:29 PM
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    Open letter in response

    Private renting is now the norm for 9 million people, including 1.3 million families.

    Letting Agents self-funded training, processes and systems, to ensure compliance to extremely complex legislation, government requirements and commercial pressures are now being used as the main stay to house 9 million people and 1.3 million families.

    Most independent agents work tirelessly to ensure not only are these 9 million people housed in a property that is maintained and protected, but that through this, the very fabric of the UK is built on the solid foundation and that people can feel secure in the place they call home.

    These costs are borne by individuals who work hard, employ some 50,000 staff nationally and pay tax, rather than relying on the state. They do this without complaint or lobbying government for funding, for providing this socially vital service.

    When the next Labour government introduces legislation to ban letting fees to tenants, for providing this service, they will be likely to walk away and leave all of this fabric to be funded by government.

    This Labour government can then gain a greater understanding of what an agent does, what 24/7 means and how society will cope when, contracts, financial controls, deposit protections, gas and legionella testing, property matching, utility management and thousands of other services, require to be delivered.

    But a solution is open to us now. I'm asking you to help agents with the cost-of-living, by funding staff training, late night working: please stop harassing and taxing hard working agents with your unfair and ignorant claims now.

    Peter Grant
    CEO
    VTUK

    PS Fully realise that some agents do charge exorbitant fees but is their not a minority in all industries. This balance needs to be re-addressed.

    • 08 May 2014 14:00 PM
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    I heard her try to justify this at a meeting yesterday and to say she doesn't have a clue would be polite. No acceptance that if it increases rents, and in hot spots it will, that the burden will actually fall back on the state. Compares the PRS to Germany but does not acknowledge that tenants have repairing obligations.I have tried to engage since her appointment, having had a very open dialogue with her predecessor, and have had several meetings booked and then cancelled.The best I could say is she stuck to her script to support her "Ed". No acceptance of policy drag and expects implementation to have instant impact. She was also slightly taken aback when reminded that the legislation introduced by her party, whilst in Government had failed to improve the condition standards at the worst end, even in Labour held authorities.

    • 08 May 2014 10:41 AM
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    We all face unfair fees in everyday life... VAT for starters! Our salaries are already taxed at source, then we pay VAT on certain goods... taxed again. Arrangements fees are very common when applying for loans or finance, yet, there is very little work involved (particularly if applying online) yet, there is no Government issued letter asking for these fees to be banned! Fees can be exorbitant, however, if regulated a fair fee policy can be implemented, afterall, agents work on behalf of tenants too. All too often tenants are considered consumers, yet, it would appear that they don't want to pay for services. In Scotland fees have been abolished and the consequence has been far greater than a loss of profit to agents. Suppliers, tradesmen and staff have all felt the effects and I believe it will only encourage more 'black market' landlords.

    • 08 May 2014 09:13 AM
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    If you purchase a new house that better fits the needs of your growing family you pay legal fees and a strange unjustified tax to the government called STAMP DUTY.

    If housing is a basic human right as has been argued then why are the government taxing you everytime you move house.

    Further by not moving the stamp duty bands with inflation Labour and the Conservatives have used Fiscal Drag to significantly increase the tax take from Stamp duty on residential housing.

    For Labour to then tell agents to stop charging agent fees whilst raking it in from Stamp Duty, it's a clear case of Labour saying do as I say rather than do as I do.

    • 08 May 2014 09:10 AM
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    Of course this isn't fair, but hey, life isn't fair. They should have worked hard and saved up in order to buy their own house to live in. They will simply have to live with the fact that they have less rights and left a little vulnerable to market movements, more so than people that have been able to get on the property ladder.

    Life isn't fair. Boohoo.

    Will it be more fair if the Reds take over Not for the hardworking...

    • 08 May 2014 08:29 AM
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    The letter above seems to refer to unfair fees whilst the press pick up on banning all tenant fees - strange that!
    What might be good is for Labour to tell us what they consider fair fees (presumably they recognise that some degree of fee is reasonable) and then this test of fairness could be applied to all sorts of situations - Council Tax, Council Tax on empty properties, HMO licencing fees, public sector pensions, MP's expenses, parking tickets, etc, etc

    • 08 May 2014 07:43 AM
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