Theresa May confirms fees ban – but remains vague on timescale

Theresa May confirms fees ban – but remains vague on timescale


Todays other news
Average UK monthly private rents increased by 7.7% in the...
Inflation slowed to 2.6% in the year to March says...
Renters’ budgets remain strong while rent levels are holding firm...
The claim comes from a company called COHO...
The trade body has its say on government welfare changes...


The Prime Minister has confirmed that her minority Conservative government will press ahead with the ban on letting agents’ fees levied on tenants in England – but she was giving nothing away when it came to timing.

 

At yesterday Prime Minister’s Questions, the Labour MP for Stockton North – Alex Cunningham – told Theresa May that one of his constituents paid a £300 ‘house reservation fee’ to a named letting agency which, the MP claimed, was not going to be refunded even though the agent’s client landlord withdrew from the contract.

 

“She now faces paying another letting agent a non-refundable fee of £650 to secure a different property” Cunningham said in the Commons, urging the Prime Minister to act now and “put an end to these rip-off fees.”

 

May told Cunningham and the chamber that her party had made a pledge on this in the Queen’s Speech and would act; but when asked “when?”, May did not give a specific timescale.

“We recognise these issues … We need to ensure that anything we bring forward …that we get right, that it’s actually going to work.”

 

The question came at around 12.30pm yesterday, and readers can see the exchange for themselves by spooling to that time on this link.

 

Share this article ...

Join the conversation: Login and have your say

Want to comment on this story? Our focus is on providing a platform for you to share your insights and views and we welcome contributions. All comments are screened using specialist software and may be reviewed by our editorial team before publication. Letting Agent Today reserves the right to edit, withhold or delete comments that violate our guidelines, including those that harass, degrade, or intimidate others. Users who post such content may be banned from commenting.
By commenting, you agree to our Commenting Terms of Use.
5 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Recommended for you
Related Articles
The trade body has its say on government welfare changes...
Edmund Fetherstone-Dilke is a partner at Farrer & Co...
Shelter has launched a petition calling on the government to...
Ascend says it's the UK’s largest third-party operator of single-family...
The BoE has come to a decision on interest rates...
The removal of temporary rent controls may make buy-to-let more...
The Welsh Government is backing the call for a 'compensation'...
Recommended for you
Latest Features
Average UK monthly private rents increased by 7.7% in the...
Inflation slowed to 2.6% in the year to March says...
Renters’ budgets remain strong while rent levels are holding firm...
Sponsored Content
With less than a month to go until the UK...
The UK government has implemented 16 financial sanctions rule changes...
The owners of the Rentman software application (for property Lettings...

Send to a friend

In order to send this article to a friend you must first login. Click on the button below to login or sign up.

No one likes pop-ups ...
But while you're here