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TODAY'S OTHER NEWS

We’ll help agents through June 1 lettings fees ban, insists ARLA

ARLA says it can help agents understand the intricacies of the Tenants Fees Ban, which completed its third reading in the House of Lords yesterday.

With the implementation date now likely to be June 1 - subject to it clearing the final legislative hurdle in the House of Commons - the measure will become law some 30 months after being first announced.

The chief executive of ARLA Propertymark, David Cox, says: “This now gives agents the legal certainty they need to prepare for a post tenant fees ban world. To learn about the intricacies of the legislation, we encourage agents to come to our regional meetings over the next few weeks and of course our annual Conference, where ARLA Propertymark will be doing everything it can to help agents plan and prepare for the introduction of the Bill.”

Online lettings agents have been quick to jump on the bandwagon with Upad’s James Davis saying: “Ever since the ban was first announced in November 2016, headlines have focused on the threat that rents will rise, putting additional pressure on tenants and continuing to paint the landlord as the ‘bad guy’.  This doesn’t need to be the case though.  

“Most private landlords don’t, in fact, charge excessive upfront costs and whilst it would have been advisable to plan ahead before now, there’s still time to consider how else they can manage their costs.  Needless to say, by switching to an online agent, such as Upad, significant savings can be enjoyed whilst maintain the reassurance of a quality service.”

The confirmation of the implementation date came yesterday in Parliament.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth said: “We need to enable agents and landlords following Royal Assent to become compliant, but we intend for the provisions to come into force on June 1st 2019. This would mean the ban on lettings fees would apply to all tenancies signed after this date.”

  • jeremy clarke

    Stable horse bolted! Should have worked harder and earlier to fight for agents rather than lying down and playing dead at the first hurdle and letting shelter run the show!

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    When the ban on fees was introduced in Scotland, ARLA didn't even mention it on their website that's how much they cared.

    If they had fought it in Scotland then it wouldn't have been introduced in England.

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    What a shower of self-serving, snouts in the trough, sh1t all the industry bodies are!

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    I saw an advertorial last week showing what the Online Agent would offer for a tenant find fee. It was far more expensive that your regular High Street Agent with a shop front.

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    I have said it before and I will say it again, Upad’s James Davis should not be allowed to use LAT to promote his landlord DIY service packages. Surely you need an actual letting agent to be classed as one and not merely a disembodied online faceless entity unlikely to be there when push comes to shove but then again if you pay peanuts you shouldn’t expect too much in the way of service! As to the fee ban I’m not sure it was the governments intention to promote this type of cheap approach. Ultimately the landlord is the client and should pay the fees and the rent the tenant pays should reflect this. This shouldn’t represent a problem long term but it is the biggest shake up the PRS has seen in recent years and is a very real opportunity for good Agents to grow their business by supporting landlords, certainly something Upad’s James Davis isn’t ever going to be able to do.

    S l
    • S l
    • 16 January 2019 11:59 AM

    for your information, landlord do pay a hefty amount when agent found tenants for the property so lets not shove it all to the landlord's plate

     
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    ‘by switching to an online agent, such as Upad, significant savings can be enjoyed whilst maintain the reassurance of a quality service.”.....until you want to actually meet or talk to someone!
    Doubtless if a landlord does make contact on an issue no-one will have any first-hand knowledge of his property or know anything about his property until they bring it up on their screen.

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    .Gov trying to improve the PRS with the current legislation, but in fact they are pushing Landlords to DIY manage which in most cases is a backward step, corner cutting and poor tenant experience will be the norm i'm afraid, the race to the bottom has started.

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    Headline is about ARLA, 50% of the article is about Upad, who want to cut out the middle man agents, Why did ARLA allow this poor piece of advertising.

  • Paul Smithson

    The art is expensive insurance that the tenants have to take out with the agent, and all inclusive rents, utilities Wi-fi broadband service charge rolled into one...no fees no problem

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    • 16 January 2019 15:32 PM

    We need to keep all business options open to keep the competition in line. Upad is a platform to advertise the properties and we don't consider Upad is a letting agent but to buy something or advertise something online. The above criticism about UPAD obviously is a letting agent who is upset
    in lossing business. Maybe they should readjust their business model.

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    Vested interest me thinks....do your research Jeanne NG, and you’d see how unfounded your comments are. Maybe you need look closer to home with regards to your own business model and I hope you lose the January blues

     
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    • 16 January 2019 20:03 PM

    We shouldn't name the person and the name of the company when we make comments on public website. This is a common sense of code of conduct.

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